(07-15-2015, 11:41 PM)Natalie Mcbeef Wrote:(07-15-2015, 11:00 PM)Nako Wrote:(01-24-2015, 10:43 AM)Septha Wrote: I'll need to correct you on lances. Lances are a defensive weapon than offensive unless taking into account of jousting. The use of the lancer in ground combat was to create space, to dominate ground rather than decapitate or take down horsemen. Most lances are one and a half handed and as usually accompanied with a spined shield or a tower shield.ÂI'ver never heard of Lance's being used by infantry, outside of fantasy novels/rpgs that is. To my knowledge it was the purview of the cavalry only. If people wanted to present a wall of slow moving long weapons then it would typically be a long spear, or a pike.
In ground combat, especially on plains or wide open areas, the lancer would sit at the front and slowly march forward. They are a literal walking wall, designed to intimidate and push away attacks. It was because of that method that longbow artillery became such a common things until guns arrived as the only real devastating disadvantage to a slow progressing line of tin cans was a barrage of arrows. The only other disadvantage is cavalry as they surpass the range of ground soldiers and can easy get around lancers that only have a single point. The cross spear was made to make up for that disadvantage.
Eventually the lance died in the history of ground unit weaponry and became a staple for jousting due to it's single use of ramming into things and creating space.
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Also Bodkin arrows are very effective on armour. Proof? Battle of Crecy.
*Cough Cough*
Shameless self plug. I wrote a long post on the subject, it might help!
http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread....#pid168673
(Also Sorry Septha none of that is correct)
Gotta love necro raises.Â
Anyway, looking back on my post I probably should of mentioned this was middle (almost far if we ignore the chinese revelation on spear combat but we can't do that) eastern combat and not Euro-western (I've actually forgotten the exact date, I'll insert it here when I find the scriptures on the interwobs). I've also written a few errors as well, but given this is a post from almost half a year ago when I had only spent a month doing said combat it's to be expected.
