Re: (TFT) Death Test I (spoilers, if you care)

[raito@raito.com]

There's little currently discovered on shield use. 

I.33 is sword and buckler. There, the buckler is mostly used to cover 
the hand during offense, and follow the bind on defense. I don't recall 
that it's usedto strike, as the whole point of that manuscript appears 
to be unarmoured civilian combat, where keeping distance is a key to 
the whole system. 

The ancient/Roman phalanx use doesn't seem to have used the scutum 
offensively, but that's massed combat (but you could look up my old 
Shield Wall talent). 

I haven't read the eddas, but those who have and read parts to me 
haven't read anything about offensive shield use. 

It doesn't seem possible to prove that the shield was used offensively 
until the age of the rapier, where there's a maneuver called 
'mustaching' someone -- striking them in the face with the edge of the 
buckler. 

And as far a realistic shield use goes, shields prevent attacks from 
landing, they do not make successful attacks do less damage. Well, 
that's most of the time, though sometimes you just catch a bit of a 
blow and the rest gets through, but that's not a deliberate use. 

Neil Gilmore
raito@raito.com

The phalanx

Quoting gem6868 <gem6868@verizon.net>:
> It seems very likely that most ancient shield users with training / drill
> used both their weapon and their shield offensively and defensively in
> coordination.  I'm uncertain that that might translate to in TFT with a
> minimum of rule changes and in keeping the spirit of the rules.  It would
> seem to me that if you get two strikes, the -4DX for two weapons is in the
> spirit of Melee.  As any offensive motion with the shield would still leave
> you behind it, I'm uncertain you should lose the defensive bonus (most
> likely you are "punching forward" with the shield, leaving you behind it,
> right?).  In other words, the shield isn't an either/or attack/defense
> weapon.  I think the -4DX should be enough for what is, after all, a pretty
> weak strike, 1d6. 
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