5 ms·
>Arrows are not more effective In this scenario, how big is this impenetrable (and undoubtedly heavy) shield you are lifting over your head with one arm while
by onlypassingthru 1y ago
>Arrows are not more effective
In this scenario, how big is this impenetrable (and undoubtedly heavy) shield you are lifting over your head with one arm while charging the enemy?
- haiku2077 1y agoTFA has diagrams showing the size and coverage of some typical shields, and discusses how even light armor was effective against arrows. One example given is a Scutum (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutum https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutum) which weighs around 22 lbs- "light enough to be carried with one hand"
- onlypassingthru 1y agoLooks good. Now run across a field towards archers with that thing over your head and try not to take an arrow in the gut. Or, you can protect your front while the arrows get dropped on your head. Decisions, decisions...
- haiku2077 1y agoGenerally arrows are gonna be coming from in front of me in the field, not arcing over like artillery. https://youtube.com/shorts/0AWfhAcFu_k?si=XokulP_9f3aFl2mu https://youtube.com/shorts/0AWfhAcFu_k?si=XokulP_9f3aFl2mu However, if the enemy has an elevated position, that is literally what the romans did. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testudo_formation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testudo_formation
- onlypassingthru 1y agoAnybody who has ever been in a serious snowball fight knows the power of the two snowball technique, a high lob to distract followed by a quick fastball (to the face/torso). An army of professional archers would undoubtedly be experts in the same technique.
- Qwertious 1y agoWhat would a high lob do, when your target is wearing a helmet and shoulder armour? More importantly, people's silhouette from side-on is far bigger than their silhouette from the top down.
- lukan 1y agoMaybe go to a LARP or reanectment event and participate (arrows with rubber endings) to compare if there are differences with your close range snowball fight. "army of professional archers would undoubtedly be experts in the same technique." Because I do doubt that a lot. There is no one shooting in the air on a battlefield to distract.
- onlypassingthru 1y agoYour LARPers are nothing like historical professionals. It's like asking a bunch of chubby Sunday Leaguers to imitate a Champions League team. Not. Even. Close.
- lukan 1y agoHm. Are you aware that reenactment and research often go hand in hand? And if those people won't know, who actually try it out - then sureley you would know better. But how?
- haiku2077 1y agoYou might have mixed up LARP and HEMA.
- lukan 1y agoNo, I did not. But I just stated, that both exist and shoot at people with arrows. (But both do get mixed up, as people involved often go to both events.) And LARP is not scientific, but reenactment often has historians included. Also as part of research. I did not think that point was somehow unclear.
- jltsiren 1y agoDangerous arrows tend to come from the same general direction. If the archer is close enough to shoot straight, arrows coming from above have so little energy that they are mostly harmless. If the archer had shot them with enough energy to penetrate armor, they would land behind you.
- tekla 1y agoThere is literally an entire section dealing with this exact question that answers it.