Re: (TFT) Attribute ratings for real people

[raito@raito.com]

Quoting "Craig W. Barber" <craigwbar@comcast.net>:

> Wasn't the rapier originally invented to be slid through the joints of full
> plate?  The armor was so thick, it made more sense to hamstring the guy than
> hack at him.  I'm pretty sure it was NOT invented for more 
> generalized combat.
> So how did it end up being used for code duello?  Anyone remember details on
> the development of the rapier?

That was the estoc, which plausibly developed from halfswording, which is
grasping the blade of your own weapon, turning it into a sort of pointed
crowbar, as hitting a sword against armour didn't cut through it. In fact,
there's some manuscript whining that the youths of the day never learned to
parry properly, because their armour was good enough that they didn't have to.

The rapier is a civilian, not a military weapon, which is how it ended 
up being
used for duelling when armor went out of fashion. Nobody really wore a true
rapier with armour, except for portraits. Still, Silver admonsihing 
soldiers to
leave their rapiers at home and bring backswords likely means that people took
them anyway (though the gun was more prominent then, and full armour gone from
the battlefield). The rapier itself didn't really develop until the 1500's,
when armour was declining anyway, except for parade suits and, amusingly,
re-creationist jousting suits.

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com
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