Timeline for Making the 'Master Swordsman' fantasy realistic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
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| Aug 23, 2018 at 18:30 | comment | added | Elliot Schrock | @K.Morgan even in foil, the most restrictive of the three fencing weapons, the back is valid target area! In the games I describe, people were free to attempt encirclement and backstab. And, as frollo points out in one of the comments, the principles remain the same even in "historical" fencing, which sets being more realistic as primary a goal. FWIW, I do HEMA now from time to time as well, and I haven't see any reason yet why the different rule sets would change the underlying dynamic. However, your point stands that modern fencing is, perhaps, more gamefied than a real fight :) | |
| Aug 23, 2018 at 17:20 | comment | added | Perkins | This is similar to how the outcome of a 1 vs many gunfight isn't always as obvious as it may first appear since the 1 can shoot anything that moves with impunity while the many must be careful not to hit each other. | |
| Aug 23, 2018 at 11:41 | comment | added | K. Morgan | This is an interesting perspective, though 'fencing' is significantly different to 'fighting'. In a real life-or-death scrap the opponents aren't going to bunch up to try and get a clean hit on the chest, they'll just stab you in the back of your head. | |
| Aug 23, 2018 at 7:09 | comment | added | frollo | I know the plural of "anedocte" is not "data", but I'm still going to add my own experience to this. I'm an historical fencer and I've done the one vs many game more than once, both as the one and the many. The one wins almost every time, even when he/she is the least experienced on the ground. Fighting in groups is hard and if you are not trained to do it, the lone swordsman will have a distinct mobility advantage, which is literally the most important thing in a swordfight. | |
| Aug 22, 2018 at 8:44 | comment | added | Graham | Just to back this up, Europeans apparently found that a dead Maori warrior was typically surrounded by many more dead opponents. They trained for multiple-opponent situations, as you describe. It's not often remembered that poi are a Maori training tool to teach you how to follow a heavier weapon's inertia for continuous attacking. | |
| Aug 22, 2018 at 6:38 | history | answered | Elliot Schrock | CC BY-SA 4.0 |