by
Krevente
» 15 Apr 2014, 02:27
A few of us in SSR actually participate in full steel combat. We also do HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) and SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) in which we fight out of several German 2-Handed Longsword manuals.
Rohaan is actually a certified Master in the German Longsword and is an instructor. He and I traveled to Sweden two years ago to compete in several tournaments. He's much more active on the steel fighting side of the house and I generally deal in large-scale SCA fights.
Unfortunately, a lot of the techniques of the medieval period are too dangerous to employ, but Saxxon's observation is right on the money. Most tactics back in the day actually involved pinning your opponent and attacking the joints in the armor to reach the flesh underneath. Depending on the era and region, most swords weren't used to penetrate the armor, but to target the joints.
Battle of the Nations rules are pretty liberal and lots of people get hurt at every fight, but their weapons are blunted and aren't made of the same material that medieval weapons would have been made out of to have a greater effect.
Crossbow bolts and longbow arrows were most effective at piercing from a distance while pikes and spear receiving a charge were the real danger to plated warriors.
German platemail is generally designed to receive the blow from a weapon and get caught in the fluted features of the armor. Milanese (Italian) style platemail is meant to force the blow to glance off the armor. Each fighting style actually compliments the design of the armor and further highlights the fact that the best thing humans do is figure out how to conduct warfare.