4 things in MEDIEVAL GAMING that DON'T WORK

[@scholagladiatoria]

Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: clcr.me/BHdnG6 and get a special starter pack 💥 Available only for the next 30 days

[@user-vc5kj8ct5u]

Please answer my question. I wrote my question in comments box

[@ezrafaulk1799]

You REALLY need to stop sponsoring RAID: Shady Ledgers Matt; as good as your content is, your sponsoring a "game" that's essentially daylight robbery REALLY DAMAGES your reputation with a lot of people, myself included.

[@kvarnerinfoTV]

I want to add something. I am sure that certain individuals developed tricks to carry various items on themself. Historically we see stuff that were statistically most common and widespread. But if I was adventurer in those times I am sure I would use my brain just as we do today. As a kid I used to put my bow in a way that wooden part was on my backs and rope on my chest. It is not great solution but it worked. People innovate and one thing is big army which knows when to prepare for battle and other thing is lone adventurer who needs to be ready at every moment. History does not mention such insignificant individuals and their ways are lost to time.

[@vrajmodi8122]

I am trying to leave with me that understatement for person who love historical accuracy.

[@caelestigladii]

@@ezrafaulk1799 By now everyone knows about Raid: Garbage Legends. Let Matt and other creators have their $10,000. If mentally deficient individuals still spend money on RGL, let them help fund the preservation of history.

[@AugustSchroif]

20:45 "If you don't wear your armor on, where is it?" Exactly where my 20 cheese wheels are.

[@EfftupSmith]

and my 300,000 gold pieces.

[@danielwesley5051]

All video game characters carry around a bag of holding PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

[@clarenceandronicus]

Okay

[@Disgruntled_Dave]

Same place prison inmates hide drugs and other goodies they might want to sneak in. It's nature's pocket!

[@ModernKnight]

Great video Matt. Most medieval knights would have had a team of staff so one of my thoughts is that you hand your lance to staff or get them to give you a new one. The Battle of San Romano painting shows more lightly armed cavalry behind the heavier front line. I wonder if they were there to get the heavies out of trouble, reassemble and rearm?

[@MartinGreywolf]

I recall reading an account from some of the crusades that directly mentioned knight's squires being so heavily loaded by spare equipment (several spare shields being mentioned directly) they couldn't fight themselves as light or medium cavalry. I don't think they would necessarily get the heavies out of trouble, but they would be serving as mobile re-arm station and potentially chasing down fleeing troops.

[@IamOutOfNames]

Possibly true, but I think using heavy cavalry to disrupt or break enemy formation and lighter cav following to take advantage of it might be useful in itself.

[@exploatores]

It would be nice if the game had the servants. that had your five polearms, two plate armor and metric ton of loot.

[@SuperFunkmachine]

The knightly lance fournie or squadron was often in later times a squad of up to a dozen men, the knight, a man at arms, multiple mounted archers and foot soldiers.

[@hic_tus]

In art is common to put emphasis on the main characters, i wonder if what you were looking at was a representation of maybe the lords followed by their bodyguards or squiers? i guess they had the weapons of their lords as well, just in case. a spare lance, a spare shield? and of course they would make sure that the lord was not killed. not every lord was very good in battle, we should keep that in mind lol caesar octavian himself was a very poor general, amazing politician tho! i bet he was a total prick in person haha

[@baschdiro8565]

One of my problems with video games is, that bows are usually used with dexterity or agility instead of strength. I just cannot see, how a nimble person is able to perform better with a bow than a strong one.

[@Zraknul]

Generally speaking, gear should have a strength requirement to use, dexterity to aim. If you don't have 16 str, you can't use this bow. Have 6 strength, here's your string ukulele it's going to be heavy and tough to pluck. The real oddity is aiming with strength on melee weapons. I'm a strongman contestant, so I'm as likely to hit with this sledgehammer like an Olympic fencer with their foil?

[@kidthorazine]

I mean, you need both, but modern recurve bows that most people would be experienced with tend to have a really light draw that the average person can handle without much of a problem compared to medieval bows, so that influences it too.

[@dimman77]

@@Zraknul That probably came from D&D where armour class is all or nothing. So a strong powerful blow has a better chance of penetrating armour to do damage. But armour should be more like a damage reduction. So you can hit for basically zero damage if the power behind the blow is insufficient. And then you can add a penetration factor to weapons that counter armour's damage reduction. But things from a mechanics point of view the game become very slow and clunky.

[@Ian_KH]

Because Legolas is very nimble and uses a bow. Hence all elves have high dexterity and are good archers. And that's the entire reasoning for high Dex = good archery skills. Quite a lame rationale.

[@thekaxmax]

@@dimman77 GURPS does that and it's not clunky. And yes, you can get armour-piercing arrowheads and they distinguish between fabric/leather, chain, and hard armour heads.

[@Nerobyrne]

KC:D was really realistic about the polearm. You couldn't stow it, you couldn't even sheathe it. If you put it down, it was DOWN. But you could pick it back up, it didn't disappear. Also if you went into a town you'd be considered armed and the guards would chase you. My favourite moment was when I wanted to enter a cave but my polearm got stuck at the low cave entrance.

[@GhostEye31]

You can get polearms? I always just used a two handed sword myself or occasionally shield and axe/mace

[@Nerobyrne]

@@GhostEye31 you can get them, but you have to basically get them in the action. You can't get them in your inventory like most other weapons. They're kind of like "special bonus weapons", since they never appear in your inventory

[@HistoricalWeapons]

Regarding the bow, various short bows can be placed on your back and you still have a decent amount of room to swing your sword. You run the risk of damaging your bow when doing this but we also have evidence of foot archers using bow holsters, but not for longbows, I agree they are likely dropped with no intention of skirmishing. Many cultures had skirmisher-role archers specifically designed to harrass the enemy on foot, similar to slingers and javelinmen in antiquity.

[@Sk0lzky]

@@cal2127 plenty of cultures carried bows in these sheaths on the side, qing army even had regulations regarding their placement, usage and mounting the sabre together with it. It's obviously not the most comfortable thing to have around when fighting in a melee, especially in the context HEMA people are most familiar with.

[@vanivanov9571]

Yeah, largely Matt has replaced some "myths" with laughably bad ones. That you can't wear a bow or shield on your back, and that it's impossible to use a spear and bow... despite the fact the Byzantines did just that. "You can't stow a spear while riding a horse," it's called a spear-sling, they were in use up the freaking GREAT WAR.

[@MyFriendsAreElectric]

Biggest for me is every gut slash instantly taking out a guy in chainmail

[@thefirespectrum]

The silent bow kill really gets me. You're sneaking, shoot a minion in the foot with a bow, and he dies instantly and silently, and the guard next to him doesn't even notice. Most places you would hit someone with an arrow - even incapacitating and eventually lethal hits - would not be quiet. Drowning to death because your lungs are filling up with your own blood isn't a quiet way to go.

[@SrenHolm-k3o]

During World War 2, there have been a rare few cases of commandos using bows in special missions because they were relatively quiet. Hitting them in the lunge would be relatively silent as it makes it hard for them to scream.

[@LaimonasP]

A wild guess, painted/personalized shields helped to find your own discarded equipment after a battle.

[@LaimonasP]

@@cal2127 Obviously. But I believe shields weren't always uniform. Often they had individual colors. So finding your own equipment could be one of the benefits.

[@thekaxmax]

Identification while wearing a helmet, for most. Romans had unit designs, the painted shields have been found

[@praevasc4299]

All the problems are basically "Where do you put it?" However, in most video games players are a one-man army. In reality, knights had squires and servants with them, who could hand over whatever weapon the knight requested. They also brought spare horses with them.

[@Candlemancer]

Therefore the solution to all of this is to give your character non-combatant followers. If you want the player to be able to bring a wide selection of weapons, give them people to carry those weapons for them. D&D has a character background that does exactly this for you, the Knight background gives you three servants/squires/etc. that can carry and maintain your equipment for you.

[@serwalkerofthekeynes8761]

The only popularised title I can think of, that really meant to be "historically accurate", is "kingdom come:deliverance". Wasn't the most welcoming game, only about 30% of players actually made it through the intro.. but it had a lot of interesting mechanics that tried to be as close to real, as possible. From archery to zweihanders, it did some interesting stuff!

[@gaiusterminus]

Including not being able to store Polearms. You had to just drop them.

[@serwalkerofthekeynes8761]

@@gaiusterminus truth, I think they meant to add the option, to add them to horses inventory, but never happened. Rumours of a second game are rife!

I loved this game until I played it. Then back then it crashed, I had only limited possibilities for saving the game (this effin' flask) and those two combined made me quit the game.

[@serwalkerofthekeynes8761]

@ yeah i remember it being extremely demanding. I play on xbox and the crashing was some what minimal, but there was a major issue with lockpicking, so much so that they had to create an entirely new feature, purely for controllers. Madness.

[@agrippa2012]

Once i got past the jank KCD became one of most fun games i played in a long time.

[@colinmacaoidh9583]

As part of my mercenary kit at faire I had a set of arm armor I wore over my mail hauberk that I could put on myself. the arms were attached to the pauldrons which were attached to the gorget. I could more or less shrug into like a coat, then secure the straps on the gorget, upper arms and vambraces. Took me around... 30 seconds to a minute. As we did Gallowglas, we did a lot with short polearms, mostly poleaxes, bardiches, and greatswords. We found easy ways to sling all of the above across the back, but it's not a combat position, its a travelling long distances position. They're not hard to get to hand, but fighting while they're slung is... not optimal

[@TemenosL]

Hi Matt! I'm an antiquity nerd and I just want to tell you, guiges or straps for at least some of the most popular shields in the Greco-Roman period / Antiquity do exist. At least in some sense. The Greek aspis had, almost universally, an inner cording going around the entire interior perimeter that was specifically separated from either the arm cuff (porpax) or the handle (antilabe). There are actually several (I believe) depictions showing this shield worn around a warrior's back. The smaller pelta shield used by phalangites in the Hellenistic period was wielded in the same way as the aspis, and also used a strap, called a telamon, to hang over the shoulder so that you didn't need to use it hands-on whilst wielding the sarissa pike, but if your pike broke or the enemy closed to melee range, you'd swap to your sword and hold the shield more actively and fight. I'm not *quite* as familiar with Roman stuff, but, I have seen in the relevant historical forums, both mention and recreation of a strap system that was found or otherwise attributed to be a shield strap along the inside that was used when traveling or used to hang onto baggage train.

[@druthvlodovic]

You'd think the shield would get in the way, was there a special way of hanging it while using the pike?

[@Sk0lzky]

@@druthvlodovic I wanted to post a link with a possible solution but of course Google doesn't let me. An important feature of Philip's reforms was scaling down the shields for pikemen so they wouldn't be as huge as traditional aspis. Based on experiments I actually believe it's entirely possible that at least some of the men in formation would hold them while using the pike since it's not a weapon you have to be really mobile with. No pictures of that unfortunately

[@evil001987]

I would guess that a lot of equipment was worn on the soldiers back, between battles. While they might not switch between it during battle, it's easy to carry both armor and shield on your back between battles.

[@vanivanov9571]

Good post. The great thing about this video is it attracts people who know what they're talking about, and actual historical examples. instead of assuming, "it's impossible to wear a shield on your back." How does one even come to that conclusion, unsupported by history, physics, nor logic?

[@jonathanboerger274]

At a deeper level, video games make the player a one man army. That is why you are carrying a bow, a shield, and a spear at the same time. Perhaps you have a crossbow and a longbow, a two handed sword, a large kite shield and a 10 ft. halberd. Maybe you even have a trebuchet in your pocket. Modern warfare games are the same way. In reality, a military force would train you in one role and you would only function in that role and only carry the weapons needed for the role. An archer would carry a sword, but if he is using it, he is not doing his job. He may use it for personal defense, but he wouldn't be storming the keep or anything. He is an archer, his job is to shoot arrows.

[@praevasc4299]

Also, more elite troops who specialized in many weapons, would have servants or other subordinates riding with them, handing them the equipment they needed. Especially mounted nobles kept spare horses close to them.

[@darthkek1953]

In Quake you would have 10 weapons on you at all times, switchable at will. The same engine was used to make Call of Duty where you had one primary firearm (e.g. assault rifle) and a side arm (usually a pistol). Both games were fun but for different reasons.

[@demonicsquid7217]

Is that a trebuchet in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?

[@guypierson5754]

Matt would have loved cRPG mod for Warband. Archers dumping their stuff and running was common place, most polearms were unsheathable, kicks had counters, you could roll if you were knocked down, to avoid the follow-up blows. Large 2 handed weapons were unsheathable also.

[@KanisterPotasu]

In video games, searching for your polearm, shield or bow after the battle might be a novelty for a couple of times but it'll become annoying rather quickly. Just like "survival modes" where it bottles down to "click button to drink water/eat food".

[@felixfeliciano7011]

In older games "dropping" an item, no matter what that item was, was eqivilent to throwing it away/destroying it. The games didnt have the ability to properly track inventory that wasn't explicitly in your inventory sheet/screen. So your character carried it around at all times.

[@rogonirr]

One point on having "strange messages to the horse" I think some Ottoman Turkish sources and most Mamluk sources mention teaching the horses almost types of relevant warfare tacticts. Taybogha's book has drawings of tens of "meydans" (fields) to train horses for different circumstances. A Turkish source "silahşorname" repeats them with some differencse. it contains drawings of the training fields, galloping courses and what are to be done. to sum up, if you are on a horse on battlefield, your horse would surely be familiar with those "mixed messages" and would not react mistakenly.

[@seanduffy6231]

Kingdom Come shows us why you have to carry a polearm in unrealisicly. In this game you can't put a polearm away and if you want one you have to hold it all the time. That's such an obstacle, that you simply don't use polearms any more, even though they are really OP.

[@theangrycheeto]

I agree with you but I think that's also just because polearms in KCD were a bit of an afterthought and they were probably implemented last minute or were given relatively little time in their development. You can obviously observe this when using the polearms because they lack polish. There aren't too many attacks or animations designed for them and they're also very much OP and poorly balanced in some ways. I have a video on my channel that showcases just how OP the Lucerne Hammer is (it's the bandits in skalitz one). You'll also notice that they can't be bought or sold even though they have a price associated with them. They can't e stored either. This all suggests that warhorse didn't spend much time developing them. It would have been amazing if we could store polearms on our horses or at least in our chests. I, for one, was super bummed out at the lack of opportunities to use polearms in KCD, given the potential there. I remember trying to bring one into battle on several occasions and it always despawned once the battle started :(

[@alexanderhitchcock5652]

Thanks!

[@Leo.23232]

I have an opposite point that I find particularly annoying. When a dagger takes up a full inventory slot, similar to other weapons when in reality, no matter what else you have, you should always be able to carry one without any inconvenience. The same can be said for games with 2 gun restrictions but a sidearm takes up the entire slot.

[@tamlandipper29]

Replaying Baldurs Gate. Letter I found takes same size slot as full plate. It's just one of those things.

[@loganfong2911]

*Resident Evil left the chat.*

[@Userius1]

@@tamlandipper29 Ah, the days of having 20 scrolls in your inventory.

[@khodexus4963]

Have you seen Shad's video on using a nail loop to carry a spear or bow on the back? Or Raphaelo's video about putting on plate armor without assistance?

[@sethdusith6093]

No one did that with spears, and it would still be in the way. Also, I would like to see someone tie pauldrons to chain mail without assistance.

[@khodexus4963]

@@sethdusith6093 That first part is irrelevant to my comment, and for the second part, go watch the aforementioned video.

[@sethdusith6093]

@@khodexus4963 and your comment is about as relivant to this video. Shad doing something doesn't mean anything. Also I've seen it. His period armour is possible to put on alone, but other periods would be much more difficult

[@khodexus4963]

@@sethdusith6093 Apparently, you weren't paying very much attention, or just don't understand Matt Easton's content very well. Or, didn't read my comment very comprehensively for that matter.

[@sethdusith6093]

Hey look guys, in shads new video, he hits his sword. Weird eh, who would have thought, not khodexus

[@Parker8752]

Fun fact: in D&D 3.5, it takes a minute (10 rounds of combat) to put on light armour such as an arming doublet, boiled leather, or a chain shirt, or half that to do so hastily in a way that makes it a little more cumbersome and less protective). It takes 4 minutes for medium armour such as a full sized hauberk or some forms of heavy armour (such as a suit of lamellar armour); half that with help, or a minute to do so hastily. Full plate can only be put on properly with help, which takes 4 minutes; without help, it can only be done hastily, which also takes 4 minutes and has the same penalties both to protection and to how cumbersome they are. Also, most people could only get a good night's sleep in light armour at most. So, night attack happens? The fighter probably isn't wearing their armour.

[@frankheilingbrunner7852]

Full plate in four minutes? It took Ian LaSpina 9.5 minutes, with one assistant, to put on his late-14th-century set. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWOXqpKQot2Ffsk

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

Hey Matt, can you please cover combat with animals some time? Not just with horses, but also camels and elephants while you’re at it. Maybe include war chariots too, if you like.

[@Muazen]

Before I watch... let's see... Torches indoors and... never pooping.

[@longpinkytoes]

playing kcd, and getting anxiety anytime henry carries a lit torch into a confined space for very long >_>;;

[@sebastianstoltz7740]

I would love to see a more realistic representation of polearms and ranged weapons in video games: Forcing the player(s) to drop weapons that can't be easily stowed on your person would be a great balancing factor for these, and thus allowing them to be "more powerful" than smaller weaponry.

[@Admiralofthedeeps]

You should try playing Kingdom Come Deliverance. You can pick up polearms but you cant store them and they force you to fight on foot if you want to keep it.

[@butwhataboutdragons7768]

I know it's common as hell, but for some reason weapons sticking to the back bothers me the most in the original Dragon Age. Especially for dual wielding, both weapons just attach back there, no scabbards, not even the vaguest handwave. For such an grimly realistic (relatively) and serious game otherwise, it's just jarring.

[@theassening4563]

why did the scarecrow get an award? he was outstanding in his field

[@cerberaodollam]

Groan

[@HarryBalzak]

Why does the Norwegian navy paint barcodes on all their ships? So they can Scandanavian.

[@darthkek1953]

What was Rudolf told to do when he tried to move an ordinary sledge? Pull the other one its got bells on.

[@HarryBalzak]

@@darthkek1953 I don't get it.

[@draelyc]

I've played enough AD&D back in the day to know that bugbears can ruin your outing pretty quick. ;) But seriously, folks ~ great video. I remember being perplexed even as a young kid as I tried to imagine myself actually doing the things my RPG characters seemed to be able to do with ease, lol.

[@digitaljanus]

I'm torn when DMing my own games how much realism I want to impose on the players. Especially because it tends to hurt martial characters like fighters and rogues more than spellcasters, and martial characters already feel like they're at a disadvantage because of how much they rely on their gear compared to magic-users. It feels a bit unfair to penalize the martials just because we know how armour and weapons work(ed) in real life while magic is made-up bullshit with fewer restrictions. Sometimes I'll just handwave it for the sake of fun and drama (kind of like how fictional characters almost never have to worry about going to the bathroom unless it's played for comedy).

[@kwanarchive]

What about the fact that in games you are basically awake 24/7 and operating at full alertness and physical ability all the time?

[@darthkek1953]

Not in AD&D.

[@kwanarchive]

@@darthkek1953 Cool. What's the game mechanism for that?

[@darthkek1953]

@@kwanarchive short and long term fatigue tables

[@kwanarchive]

@@darthkek1953 Interesting. How short is short term? You can get puffed out pretty quickly fighting at full power in three minutes.

[@darthkek1953]

@@kwanarchive different systems different rules, but typically a stamina-based amount of combat rounds before getting fatigue penalties, a requirement for daily rest else penalties, and a maximum daily terrain-&race based movement rate which can be exceeded with penalties, and encumbrance limits which if exceeded give penalties. So if you load yourself up with more gold than you can carry, don't sleep, run everywhere and fight hard all the time... you'll struggle. Video games can have a "stamina" bar that depletes.

[@mohammadtausifrafi8277]

Have been waiting for your full plate harness video.

[@sargi769]

In Dungeons and Dragons 5e, if you want to change weapon in the space of one combat turn, you have to drop the weapon you're holding to pull out what you want.

[@Sk0lzky]

DD is still one of the most ridiculous systems out there tho X)

[@capnstewy55]

Lindybeige did a video on how quickly he could put on his hoplite armor. I would like to see videos on how quickly other armor types can be put on.

[@ancapeancape9829]

There are mechanics in videogames to reflect the factor of switching armor (or weapon) during battle though, in some games you have to open infantry menu to switch gears, but the in game time won't pause for you, so if you're under attack but not have your equipments ready, you're deadmeat.

[@jakubfabisiak9810]

Also - about putting on a mail shirt - yes, you can do it in seconds, or the rings can become stuck to one another, and practically immobilise you, forcing you to either ask for help getting them unstuck, or take it off, fix the problem, and try again.

[@kodain]

"Imagine running around with a stick on your back" and this is why the expression "having a stick up your arse" was born :) As for role-playing games: May I interest master Easton in a Bag of Holding? :D

[@freman007]

The ground seems to have been the most common place to store your equipment. For a well equipped adventurer the full chainmail suit, as worn by early Crusade era knights, seems to be the most effective armour. It rolls up fairly small (though heavy at 45-55 pounds) so you can load it into a bag and carry it on your back. Plate armour is not easy to roll up. The suit covers your entire body and makes you pretty much immune to slashes, and somewhat resistant to stabs. You do take full damage from blunt force damage though. A helmet with a visor is a good choice, as is a shield. A polearm OR a bow, but don't try to carry both at the same time. A one handed sword to pair with your shield as a sidearm, and of course a dagger.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

I think at one point they should add Matt in Raid Shadow Legends, such loyalty for a sponsor it's impressive

[@demomanchaos]

Not hard to be loyal when you are getting paid to shill for some scammers.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@demomanchaos I mean true, but not everyone shilling for Raid does it so consistently

[@demomanchaos]

@@MandalorSkyrd Maybe he is getting phat paid (as the kids say, or at least used to back in my day) and no one else is throwing as much his way. Considering how large that scam program is I doubt anyone could buy as many shills as they.

[@MandalorSkyrd]

@@demomanchaos that's indeed a possibility

[@kanrakucheese]

How about things common in fantasy that are way newer than than the general tech level? I can think of two off the top of my head. 1: 1800s style Kerosene Lanterns which show up rather prominently in D&D, newer Zelda games, and Dragon’s Dogma off the top of my head. My guess is that people hear “oil lamp” mentioned in history and don’t realize it’s referring to is an essentially just a bowl with a wick in it instead of the things that can still be bought today (nevermind they’re complex metal things dependent upon detailed knowledge of combustion to design and refined petroleum to run), likely aided by confusing candle enclosures for something more complex. 2: Backpacks, which show up just about everywhere. Aside from speculation of Otzi’s stuff, I don’t see any suggestion proper backpacks (not just baskets with backstraps or bags slung over the back) appeared before the 18th century. This is more understandable since it’s genuinely strange nobody seemed to have made them

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

What I really dislike about video game bow holstering is the erroneous belief that you can loop the bow around your torso and keep it pinched against your body just like that. Connor from AssCreed is guilty of this.

[@vanivanov9571]

Except you can. Not quite as convenient as in video games, but you can wear a bow. Try it sometime.

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

@@vanivanov9571 It’s doable physically but horrible for the life of the bow & bowstring. It would also hurt if you didn’t wear a padded coat or armor or something on your chest.

[@vanivanov9571]

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight Horrible for it? Not really. Maybe if youdrew on the bow significantly by wearing it or did some specific acrobatics. Not sure what kind of bow requires you to wear a padded coat or armour, but warm clothes is usually enough.

[@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight]

@@vanivanov9571 You want to store a bow without putting any unnecessary tension on it. By having it stretched out to be put over your torso, it weakens and wears out faster. As for the pain part, I was thinking along the lines of a war bow, like around 100 lb draw weight. Something with a lot of tension force to propel an arrow very far and with lots of penetrative force. If you tried putting that bow on your torso without padding your chest, you’ll feel the string cutting into your body like dental floss cutting cheese. Whatever the case, there’s a reason why archers didn’t do this (commonly). Try Shadiversity’s nail hook idea instead.

[@vanivanov9571]

@@TrueMentorGuidingMoonlight You'd have to have a pretty big torso to stretch out your bow to a worrying degree. That, or a pretty small bow, in which case it can easily be holstered. And dental floss cutting cheese...? What kind of string is that, piano wire? If it cuts through you and clothing with ease, how do you draw it without cutting off your fingertips? You need a fairly heavy duty string for it to survive >=100#, at least historically since you mention warbows. Why would I try Shad's convoluted ideas with no real world experience? Seems you need some to... get a bow, and try it out yourself, as what you've been talking about is a heck of a fever dream.

[@andreapregnolato5650]

There is a mod in Skyrim that can make you drop your equipped weapon when you switch them if you so choose. Also, interesting enough, a TTRPG like D&D (not famous for its realism) doesn't let you put away your weapon easily.

[@digitaljanus]

Having played all 5 editions, it's interesting to see how the game took some steps to change with new historical information. There's still legacy crap in there like armours that probably didn't exist (e.g. studded leather, ring mail) but at least they're not claiming longswords weigh 10 lbs anymore!

[@frocat5163]

Fantasy RPGs based on Dungeons & Dragons have rules to account for how long it takes to put on and remove armor. There are pretty significant penalties for putting on full-plate armor without assistance and/or trying to put it on faster than the armor allows. These penalties usually involve the armor being less protective than it should be and increasing the penalties armor applies to a multitude of tasks. There are also significant penalties for trying to swim or sleep in armor. Of course, since D&D and related RPGs involve quite a bit of magic, there are all manner of enchantments you can add to magical armor that make it possible to swim or sleep in that armor. And, since adventurers are superior to "normal" humans in virtually every way, they can take feats / learn skills to offset the penalties armor applies to all manner of situations. Of course, there are plenty of GMs and groups who ignore those things because it can bog down the game. Just as many groups ignore carrying weight limits and encumbrance. Most of us don't play video games or table-top RPGs because we want a middle-ages simulator. When we want a simulator, we go find a game that will fill that role.

[@corinfletcher]

I did play testing for dungeons & dragons 5th edition and timed myself putting on different types of armor. They adjusted the rules to match my times and included my note about plate mail requiring two people.

[@Askorti]

Didn't Knight Errant make a video long long ago in which he put his entire plate harness all on his own? Also, have you seen the video Shad made about wearable spears? It's much simpler than his back scabbard for swords, and could conceivably be used in a practical scenario.

[@VideoMask93]

I know Metatron did.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

We have various 16th/17th descriptions of people wearing staff weapons on the back or belt, so we know it was done historically. Something like Shad's method might have been how.

[@williamarmstrong4177]

Additionally, I find the damage assigned to these weapons is at best arbitrary and at worst, the damage doesn’t reflect physical trauma of the arrow/spear/mace. They completely ignore trauma to the organs or physical shock to the body.

[@vanivanov9571]

Damage models in games tend to be laughably silly, where characters are such bullet-sponges you get bored before you can finish the first boss. Armour is made of paper, and the character with the highest level wins... even Assassin's Creed decided to go that route. Interestingly, having talked to some developed... many of them wet themselves at the word, "realism," deciding that they want to simulate foam weapons wielded by LARPERs rather than an actual sword or axe.

[@hamstermk4]

I think there could be some interesting game play dynamics if games would let you command a squad of retainers, specifically in the early fire arms period. Why would a mounted pistoliere reload on a cantering horse when he could drop his expended pistols off with some retainers near the baggage train and get some fresh ones? Determining where to place your reload team could increase your rate of fire but also could expose them to danger thus risking a valuable asset.

[@sanguma]

looks like Mat is a main character if he can just take off the helmet and be fine :)

[@spyrofrost9158]

He's a customizable character where the player didn't bother changing him from the default bald model because he planned on keeping a helmet on him the entire time.

[@paulpeterson4216]

If he is going to be a main character, they're going to need to pin his ears back.

[@mohammadtausifrafi8277]

He has levelled up to the max but has not used the attribute points yet so he isn't wearing his full plate harness loot.

[@bintjbeil7892]

Number 1: Skyrim

[@NMahon]

Ironically there are no spears in Skyrim

[@bintjbeil7892]

@@NMahon ironically, the modded spear in skyrim is categorized as an *axe*

[@iainmaclean1205]

Slightly disappointed you didn't put everything on just to drive the point home

[@gary0044187]

it's fine, the spear was in the background the whole time, as you can see, the point was always there.

[@vanivanov9571]

If he did, it'd become obvious you can fight fairly well that way. Didn't Shad make a video doing that, and showing you can fight reasonably well doing it? Another youtubers did, which was the inspiration for Shad's video, IIRC.

[@zacharyosborn4593]

With the bow that's actually a really good solution to the problem of Bows in games like Mordhua and now Chivalry II. You could force archers to drop a bow and abandon their "main" weapon in numbers but Archers could still be able to utilize the full strength of their bows. They'd be able to puncture armor and at the very least down opponents with one shot which would be arguable more accurate then what we have now but without the main player base still playing as footmen and knights they'd easily be rushed and cut down. It would essentially force a balance where if one side didn't have archers they'd lose due to casualties from opposing archers but if they had too many they'd be cut to ribbons. Since an typically an archer class is wearing lighter armor and can't take as many hits. As for pole arms I loved/hated this problem in Kingdom Come Delieverence because a pole weapon was so good against armor and multiple but you had to leave it behind if you ever needed to use a sword or in my case mace.

[@mattmexor2882]

One caveat to these points is that, historically speaking, weapons and armor were not designed for "adventuring". And certainly in terms of the historical and archeological evidence handed down to us, anything "adventurous" - one-off or bespoke methods for solving some of the mentioned problems - would be very unlikely to survive in our record. So, depending on the game/setting, it is appropriate to have perhaps ahistorical things that are physically possible with some bespoke solutions. For example, having a plate armor that can be put on by oneself even if no one did so historically or having a shield designed so it can more easily be worn on the back, or having some method of suspending a lance or a bow when on horseback. The balance of the expense and utility of such things does not lead to much sense for them for a company of soldiers, but for an "adventuring party" it might, and so, in the game world where there are "adventuring parties", it is natural that such solutions would be pursued and available. Of course that doesn't make it possible to fight effectively with a pole arm or longbow on one's back.

[@mattmexor2882]

Oh, something else that should be noted... It's harder to keep track of a dropped weapon in a computer game than in real life. That is ahistorical and mostly unavoidable because of the interface of the computer game, unless one is willing to include some immersion-killing marker in the interface. Putting that weapon in the inventory isn't then just a matter of convenience, but it also overcomes that consequence of the inadequacies of the interface in a manner less immersion-killing than some marker.

[@Spider-Too-Too]

Adventuring for normal people prob means traveling light. So no polearm, no long bow. But if it is the adventure of some crazy Spanish knight like the “don quixote character” who travels in full harness and has a servant on a donkey

[@Spider-Too-Too]

@@mattmexor2882 in some total war games, you can dismount your cavalry. But if the horses got spooked they will run away. Which makes it a gameplay decision. I think it’s a fun trade off

[@mattmexor2882]

@@Spider-Too-Too You can't determine what adventuring means in a game world. I don't see why it should mean traveling light. It depends on the costs and payoffs.

[@ohauss]

Well, the debate in pen&paper RPG has been going on for decades now. Some people love e.g. introducing an agility penality when you have a shield slung on your back, other people want to have rules that are as lean as possible.

[@vanivanov9571]

Essentially, the issue is the mechanic isn't worth the time. Players and GM forget about it, and the penalty is likely so small it wouldn't make a difference anyway--and if it did it would be seriously annoying. Worse, it's a problem that is easily solved. With the right computer simulation, and a game with good stealth mechanics and such, you could make it interesting. But partially computers can make it worse since it can take several button presses to do what could be arranged in a single line in a pen and paper game.

[@bruulbrainsmasher1210]

I need to show this to my DND group. They always argue that you can put a long bow on their back, shields too. It's annoying as a DM who likes things a bit gritty and grounded.

[@federicogiana]

I have the opposite problem: as a player, I'm always looked like I'm out of my mind by the DM and the other players when I put down my polearm to do stuff, dismount to use it or refuse to climb a rock wall because it's a magical ancestral polearm that my character really can't leave behind. For your players, I would go for the "Sure you can... oh, the longbow is ruined* / the great axe just toppled a brazier while you are sneaking in the King's room / by the time you'll retrieve the shield from your back the Black Knight would have cut you in very small pieces" route. Don't limit your player's -bad- innovative ideas: just show them why absolutely nobody else do it. * if they want to carry it by putting an arm under the string like sometimes you see in movies/series. But I could allow them to spend some coins and time and have an expert craftsman to make some sort of tailored bow-holster/harness to be carried on the back or a bow-sling like this modern one: bowtote.com/index.php/carrying-positions/ The bow would still have an annoying tendency to getting stuck at every moment (but particularly at the _most_ inappropriate ones) and putting it away and take it out would not be very fast.

[@samuelhenning1841]

One of the things I like about Kingdom Come: Deliverance. You can't stow a polearm. You just drop it if you try to put it away.

[@canadianeh4792]

I do mounted archery and the holsters for the bow, even a small horse bow, are pretty inconvenient if you're loping around in the woods. Honestly I find it easier to ride in a western saddle and just hook the bow on the saddle horn. Not very secure, but neither is the bow holster. I also do cowboy action shooting with revolvers and rifles. Anything bigger than about a 30" long starts getting in the way of either your riding (if it's vertical) or the horse bending when he turns (if it's horizontal)

[@Aalienik]

Another entry could be: flaming arrows used in field battles. Sure, flaming arrows were used, but mainly to set fire to structures,and the arrows used is very different to a regular arrow and wouldn't be effective to use against human targets.

[@kelvinferreira3767]

Tbh even setting fire to structures was kinda hard with that kind of projectile.

[@whomee2]

good lord, this comment is a copypasta on videos like this and of this genre

[@wumpusthehunted2628]

In Baldurs Gate (AD&D 2e rules computer RPG) you can change armour all you want, unless you are in combat. If you are "in combat", you simply aren't allowed. You can access any item, diva through the backpack, and then the potion rack inside instantly (don't pause if you don't like these rules). BG might be ancient, but it works well with modern tablets, giving a chance to those who missed it (note BG2 is by far the better game, arguably one of the best ever).

[@deedoublejay]

Great video, Matt. I prefer details like encumbrance, but the rest of my party doesn't like to deal with details and costs. Military engagements were usually arranged with the camps and gear out of the way of the battlefield, but what would you do in an RPG type of setting? Fight with your gear on, or drop as much as you can and try not to trip on it/hope it doesn't get damaged or stolen?

[@davidford85]

Something that is definitely missing from most games and would solve a lot of the issues you raised, is the humble pack horse. Including pack horses in a game would not only make it more realistic, but also give you a great way to upgrade the carrying capacity of a character or party by simply buying more horses.

[@nathaniellamb2154]

And yet, the inspo for so much fantasy RP, Tolkien, had Bill the Pony

[@fredericmari8871]

KCD actually handles pole arms somewhat realistically. Ditto handling of armor. You used to be able to switch armor during the fight (practical if you were caught in light armor while trying to sneak assassin someone). Not anymore. You can still switch weapons but it’s not instantaneous either. However, yep, shields and bows on back plus you can carry a lot of stuff in your pockets! (and your horse! Its saddle bags ought to be wagon-sized) Still, a great game… :)

[@stevenkobb156]

Matt makes many good points, especially for role-playing. In video games, we usually have "bags" that magically hold everything, including treasure, crafting supplies, rewards, magical objects, and yes, weapons and shields. We even have creatures that drop rewards like weapons when you defeat them. I'm not sure where creatures like wolves store their weapons LOL. So we pretty much are used to these bottomless bags for gaming convenience, and understand that they are far from realistic. And by the way, Metatron has tested wearing armour all day for a couple of weeks to see how hard it is, and also has tested putting on plate armour by himself without help. Check it out. Matt, for soldiers and knights who didn't have squires, or perhaps their squires died in battle, is their historical evidence that they may have helped eachother don and adjust eachother's armour? I was thinking about modern scuba divers or skydivers, who, before each dive, help eachother and check eachother's gear for safety.

[@494Farrell]

Found images and art of mounted archers holing a lance or spear on a sling of some sort over the arm.

[@willek1335]

Sources?

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

Yes, quite a few cavalry soldiers did this, as Matt does acknowledge. Some cavalry had pouches or loops by the stirrup to put the lance in as well. I wish Matt would do a video about lances of the late 19th century & early 20th century, especially the tubular steel lances.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

@@F1ghteR41 Yeah, tons of higher-status cavalry across history fielded with a lance or other staff weapon as well as bow or two. & we have manuals & artwork showing how to shoot while retaining the lance/polearm. There were various methods.

[@HaNsWiDjAjA]

@@willek1335 A Byzantine cavalryman carried his lance on his back, and after using the bow he must be able to put it back in its case and access the spear, and then switch back again, while riding. books.google.com/books/about/Maurice_s_Strategikon.html?id=ihDmbG-BhXsC Page 11 There is also an illustration of how its done by the Mongols here warfare.6te.net/Persia/14/Jami_al-Tawarikh-Abu_Ali_ibn_Simjuri-rebel-Mahmud_ibn_Sebuktegin-MsOr20-f114v.htm

[@vanivanov9571]

@@b.h.abbott-motley2427 Matt Easton acknowledged this? As far as I saw, he just stated you can't stow a spear, and said games were unrealistic for having a sort of spear-sling, without any room for the realities you mention. He also indicated shields cannot be worn on the back.

[@LokiCDK]

I know in dungeons & dragons I haven't played much since 3rd or 3.5 edition there is provisions in the player's handbook relating to armor for how long it takes to put each type of armor on how long it takes to put each type of armor on unassisted how much fatigue your body will suffer if you try to sleep instead armor and of course the weight of the armor itself is listed so that you can know how much your pack weighs if you have to take it off and carry it.

[@ncross1857]

Some other things about bows in games are that they are always permanently strung, the strings aren't affected by moisture and they never break.

[@puppyenemy]

24:54 "Someone with just a shield versus someone with a sword and shield; the person with the sword and shield in general has a big advantage." Yeah, I would imagine!

[@philipbossy4834]

Shadiversity explored the idea of carrying bows and spears on his back, and switching from them to a sword. Not ideal, but still feasible and in the realm of reality. It does hinder the combat ability of the fighter though, something which usually isn't addressed in games. spear on back - kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioXGkIeCipiVrqc bow on back - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYbEZoOhrcZ3g7s carrying all the things - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmqlon5jo9ZpZqM

[@ivanl7449]

Bow and arrow on close range (effective as a modern firearm)is the first thing that got on my mind when I saw a title of the video

[@BrettCaton]

Re: where do you stash the pole-arm? I hire a genie to carry it for me. Actually, the extradimensional bags could be handy; so long as the pointy bit doesn't ruin them, I suppose! As regards to armour, i liked the penalties Rolemaster gave to swimming. I have no idea if any armour existed in the past that you could swim in, but i expect the answer is none, or at least that it wouldn't be effective. I suppose a bladder of air could be used with a large wooden shield, maybe? So at least you have that shield? One practical question for gaming is "how long does it take to get the armour off in an emergency?" Example: Fully armoured knight falls into a river. Do they have any chance? Is there an armour type that means they will have a reasonable chance of getting it off and getting to air if they can keep their cool? Considering pirates don't usually wear armour, i would say no, but most rpgs are more generous than that.

[@adambielen8996]

The first Christian king of Norway lost a battle at sea and swam away while wearing a chain hauberk.

[@BrettCaton]

@@adambielen8996 Looks like chain is possible for short periods. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKjHY417lttlrKc Other types are less clear. Obviously it is dangerous to test it out. Japanese armour is supposed to be doable, if difficult. kzbin.info/www/bejne/in3GhWiAbN6ab80 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Plate_armour#Swim.3F

[@Tallus_ap_Mordren]

One thing we learned in US Marine swim qualification, is that your backpack can often act as a floatation device. As long as the majority of the items in your pack are less dense than water, or trap air, a typical ALICE pack will float until it becomes waterlogged. One section of swim qual is jumping into a pool in boots, rifle (dummy), helmet and backpack, and swimming around it. Of course, the more ammunition you carry, the less buoyant you will be…

[@nathanbrown8680]

I suspect you do not usually drop your longbow. More than spears they are expensive tools that break if trodden upon and at best everyone has to hang around after the battle making sure they have the right now because they don't have exactly the same draw weight. Just keep your hand on the dang thing.

[@DG-st5df]

What's the alternative, fighting the melee engaged enemy while holding a huge bow?

[@nathanbrown8680]

@@DG-st5df yes. What else are they using their left hand for? When's the last time you saw a longbowman depicted with a shield?

[@DG-st5df]

@@nathanbrown8680 Yeah, at least the bow wouldn't be broken when taken as loot from the corpse of the one handed fighter.

[@nathanbrown8680]

@@DG-st5df They're fighting one handed anyways. They don't carry shields in period art and in case you missed the video, they didn't keep polearms on their backs. They'd have an arming sword or falchion or maybe near the end of the longbow's time as a military weapon a hanger.

[@zoukatron]

In a bunch of games I have specifically avoided using things like full plate harnesses or polearms specifically because of these issues.

[@tristianmartinez3238]

Interesting point on the mounted Lance-and-Bow! Books on ERE/Byzantine strategy and history emphasize the comparative power and mobility of Avar and Byzantine heavy Lancer/Bow cav, but I can't recall a segment mentioning what they did with their lances or how they transitioned between uses.

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

One 12th-century source says put the lance under the thigh when shooting the bow.

[@Maxuras]

Okay, so the 4 things in Medieval Gaming that don't work are "Inventories are not a thing IRL". ... Okay. About putting on Full Plate by yourself, Metatron did an experiment in May, where he was able to put on either his pauldroms or his arms and speculates, that with certain other types of armor, even both at once would be possible, all by yourself. Although obviously all of it is not as fast, easy and well-fitting as with someone to help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYKmk6t9n7qZkMk

[@Timverseput]

Interesting to note that the Renaissance romances also ignore the ability of the knight errant to arm himself and his carrying capacity. you read "The Fairrie Queen," for example, the Red Cross knight spends the first part going off on his own, sleeping and Jousting as he likes with no mention of how he does so logistically.

[@artemisdarkslayer]

Have you seen Metatron's video recently where he put his own arm harness on himself. He did say that he basically had to decide if he wanted pauldrons or arms, he couldn't do both together by himself. He might have been able to get one on, can't remember. Also, you COULD put a strap on the viking shield thru the handle. Even if they didn't do it, not that big of a stretch for you to do it, if your character knows about people doing that with other shields. It would hang down low if you used it like the strap on the norman shield, so you'd want some kind of buckle where you could loosen or tighten the strap easily for when you're traveling.

[@Etaukan]

Is there any chance you could post a link to where you got that sweet spear head? The long blade with wings/lugs is exactly what I want, but I'm having trouble finding one.

[@NevisYsbryd]

I think Winlass Steelcrafts/Museum Replicas makes one. Edit: Seems they discontinued it... does a boar spear suffice? www.museumreplicas.com/european-boar-spear-head

[@daftprince2234]

I do know that Byzantine cavalry were equipped with a bow, lance, sword and shield and were apparently expected to carry the lance on their back. And I've found a video of a reenactor who seems to be handling it (minus the shield) without too much difficulty. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nn-xinuhhtuej9k I mention this specifically because the way he's stowing it is extremely simple and something almost anyone could do. Besides tucking it through his belt there's just a simple strap added to his back to help hold it securely.

[@elduderino1635]

Considering your third point: Wouldn't it be nice to have some videos about you taking on different armours, so we can see with our own eyes, what time, effort (or even help of additional persons) is necessary to put it on. In that way, we could see, what actually was worn together, as well. Most people won't even know that actually some kind of cloth (like a gambeson or similiar) HAD to be worn under your chainmail or your knight armor, in order to pretend some pretty nasty abrasions... Combine that with weighting all those cloth/armour and the exact needed time (in your single try) to put it on and we would learn a lot, by it.

[@nathanielmorton7459]

Would also be interested in seeing comparison of trying to put armour on with and without help.

[@chringlanthegreat4556]

A list of what our glorious overlord Matt will inform you about in this video 3:20: The wearing of spears in games vs reality 10:39: The wearing of the bow in games vs reality 17:15: the wearing and putting on armour in games vs reality 24:05: where you put your shield during combat in games vs reality

[@vanivanov9571]

A list of incredible myths he created, debunked many times by many separate commentators.

[@jakelowery7398]

In Warband, most polearms are on the back. Lances just disappear if you aren't wielding them.

[@WRX3]

In the Deluge mod (17th century east Europe) whenever you de-equip your pike/lance it drops to the ground. Does indeed often mean losing track of it.

[@elduderino1635]

Lol. Warband (if you are talking about Mount&Blade) is a really nice game, which is a lot of fun. But it should be pretty clear, that Mount&Blade is very fantasy-like and not very historical accurate. Take for example it's different cultures, which are settled in completely different time eras..., e.g.: There are romans ("the Empire") fighting vikings ("Sturgians"). Just for clarification.

[@IHaTeCookie05]

@@elduderino1635 that is bannerlord, not warband

[@sam12149]

@@elduderino1635 The Sturgians are Rus-Vikings and the Empire has a 10-11th century Byzantine aesthetic. Not bad if you ask me.

[@limonbattery]

Kingdom Come Deliverance didn't let you store polearms and there's nonstop whining from people that this is unfair. "BuT jUsT pUt It On YoUr HoRsE tHoUgH!11!" comes up a lot too even though none of the horse tack in-game looks suitable for that.

[@Aalienik]

You could concievably use some sort of hook to hang a boss gripped shield from say, your belt; if you need the use of both your hands. I suppose it would get in the way to much though.

[@ratter88]

I think I've heard about at least small metal bucklers being used like that. Sometimes, as much as a fashion accessory as for use in fighting.

[@WhatIfBrigade]

For gaming and RPGs, Gambeson seems like an excellent armor for an adventurer. Nice and warm to sleep in cool night weather, padded for sleeping on hard ground. Won't rust when at sea or on the coast. And field repairs are much easier.

[@SergeantSniper]

Gambesons are underrated and awesome. Literally just a padded jacket, yet it apparently makes decent armor and clothing.

[@leonpeters-malone3054]

This is making me think of how I've run games, how I've created characters over the years. Had a ranger that would fight longbow in one hand, sword in the other. Running games, I've had people track the weapons they've dropped on the combat map. Had a paladin, who had a pack animal and her mount. So, that inventory sheet was long, really long. Yet, I could carry all of it and I could tell you were all of the stuff was. From pouches, quivers through to the pack saddles. When you're the one carrying the group's tent and reserve rations, because no-one else is........ On shields, I've been a little more generous. It strikes me that a more pragmatic person, smith/builder of shield could more easily to put on some form of strap. I've also let people tie shields to things, saddles, bags. I do point out that's there's little space there for other things. I do like a sense, foundation of realism to my games. Doesn't mean it has to be absolutely realistic. Doesn't mean its anywhere near realistic. Does mean there's trade offs, there's reasons to be careful about what you're carrying and where you're carrying it.

[@Userius1]

Wait, but how would the ranger use a bow with one hand? ;o

[@leonpeters-malone3054]

@@Userius1 The point was not to drop it. In fact, if I remember correctly, on more than one occasion it was the sword that was forgotten, more than the bow. A good bow was worth way more to me than a sword. At least, that character.

[@jean-sebastienmatte2358]

Okay, it's not real combat, but at a larp, we came back from the tent on the play zone one morning and we got pursued by ennemies, we got surprissd with no armor or weapons on. We ran as hell towards our group's HQ and I equipped my mail hauberk in like freaking 5 seconds. So Matt is entirely right, if push comes to shove, you can do a combat equip for a mail hauberk.

[@Glimmlampe1982]

thats why i consider mail the standard adventurers armor. it might not be the best, but its the most practical of all of them. its the most easy to wear in my experience, its easy to store on a pack animal or the like, it still allows you to squeeze through narrow passages, its easy to take off or on by yourself, it doesnt require much, if any, maintenance

[@ohauss]

@@Glimmlampe1982 I had a knight style character once whose regular armor was mail and brigandine. He did have a full plate set, but that was stored on the pack horse and usually reserved for tournaments, formal duels etc. Against your average mook, mail and brigandine is plenty.

[@karliikaiser3800]

For polearms and bows Shad has invented the nail catch and proven that he can put a bow with a nail catch as fast as shown in some video games away as well as get it very fast. He also tried to sling a spear on his back and it worked reasonable well. One can easily come up with ideas for attaching a round shield somewhere. Thats ok with adventuring, I guess. Metatron has made a video where he puts on his plate armour by himself and even managed to put on arm armour, not as properly as someone else would, but still better than nothing. Especially in fantasy I have less issues with such things.

[@dogmaticpyrrhonist543]

To be honest, the magical putting away the giant pike thing bugs me less than fighting with a hammer that behaves like it weighs as much as a fridge. All good points though. It should also be mentioned, one of the consequences of wearing a shield on your back "should" include that extra layer of armouring. And often doesn't. In fact I've only seen that in one game.

[@Riceball01]

In terms of video games, you don't get any extra protection for a shield on your back because the game's programming doesn't recognize as actaully being on your back. The gme, most likely, only can tell if the shield is equipped or un-equipped, there is no code for shield now on you back giving your basck extra protection

[@dogmaticpyrrhonist543]

@@Riceball01 Well, I know how the games function, but they don't NEED to function that way.

[@Riceball01]

@@dogmaticpyrrhonist543 Possibly, but the question is, would the extra effort in coding the game so that it recognizes an unequipped shield as being on the back and thus giving the same benefits from when it's equipped to the back? This is assuming thath the game even allows you (the player) to get hit in the back, some games have it so that you're always facing your opponnent. Even if the coding is possible and the game is done in such a way that you can get hit in the back, sometimes you wouldn't want to do it because of game balancing reasons. It offers you a trade off, go with the sword and board for less damage but greater defense or ditch the shiel, and use a two-handed for greater damage but lower defense?

[@dogmaticpyrrhonist543]

@@Riceball01 it definitely is possible, mordhau does it. What it doesn't do is limit your swings based on having a pavise strapped to your back. What I'd love to see is a game that restricts you for carrying three pole arms, two shields and a bunch of swords. Most just have the weight, usually unrealistic weights. And an unrealistic carrying capacity.

[@christopherneelyakagoattmo6078]

Documentation in modern warfare is quite telling about armor vis a vis Kevlar vs rifle plates. Often in a walking about scenario, most soldiers don't have the rifle plates in their kit; because it's heavy and hot. But, when engagement is imminent, they will go to the Hummvee and slide the plates in place.

[@evilwelshman]

Something to consider here... a lot of these are what one might consider acceptable breaks from reality that exist for the sake of gameplay. Meaning, these are one of many unrealistic elements that occur due to the needs of a good gaming experience; such as how medical/first aid kits instantly heal wounds, food often being able to instantly heal players' injuries (tell me, how does eating a steak help us recover from getting shot in the face?), and messages and letters being sent and received instantaneously in a medieval/medieval fantasy setting regardless of the distance between the sender and recipient. Not to mention, my personal favourite, how people often don't need to poop or pee! As such, for many of these critiques to carry more weight, I think an important thing to do is be able to offer suggestions how the compromises could be resolved while still meeting the needs of gameplay.

[@kotori87gaming89]

Agreed, most of these are sacrifices for gameplay. If you want to see improvements, you must figure out how to properly incorporate the desired realism into gameplay. For example, you could have a chance of your lance/spear getting stuck in an opponent or breaking, thus forcing a transition to the sword. Should work well, as long as it isn't a +3 lance of magic that just shattered.

[@leroidethunes3913]

'for the sake of gameplay' is often taken a bit too far, i think rdr2 balanced this really well, the thing of the horse carrying the weapons, looting people one by one, needing to rest, eat etc, it's not perfect but It added many things that made It feel much more realistic than other games and as such invites you to play in a different way, i would've liked It to push this even further, in my opinion the more realistic the better, but i understand that 'too realistic' would become annoying or 'unplayable' to most

[@netyr4554]

Instant healing (especially in combat) is IMO one of the most immersion breaking game mechanics.

[@evilwelshman]

@@leroidethunes3913 I'd argue that many of the liked features you mentioned above (looting one by one, need for rest, eating, etc) are already pretty standard across many major sandbox and survival games today. Also, I'd argue that "the more realistic the better" isn't necessarily true - see my original comment about how nobody poops. It would mean that you can't simply take any horse to ride and treat them interchangeably as each horse might have been trained differently, respond to different commands, and have different temperaments. Similarly, if games were realistic, then you would need to say goodbye to fast travel mechanics and would have to manually make your way to your destination (your character might get attacked on the way/might get distracted by something, walking/riding a horse is tiring, requires concentration, and can't be done on autopilot). Ditto for getting side quest/story updates without a significant delay if at all - assuming the person sending you the message would realistically be willing/able to afford paying a messenger and assuming the messenger would even know how to find you). Considering all the liberties games already make in order to create a more streamlined experience, I'm hardly fussed by the time they get to combat provided the combat mechanics themselves are engaging and fun to play.

[@leroidethunes3913]

@@evilwelshman no, not better, but It would be a different experience, It could be either seen as very inmersive or pretty annoying depending on the perspective and how each look at it, one thing is that since the hours usually go faster in day/night cicles in games you can end up needing to poop/eat/rest etc too often so i would argue a solution could be longer cycles or needing to do those thing less often, but i do believe there's solutions to making a very real life accurate game enjoyable, at least for people like me, i think a game like this would push for a more careful approach to each scenario, if the world is carefully built the lack of fast travel shouldn't be a big problem and would encourage admiring It more closely and such, i do agree this is not for everyone, since many just don't want an accurate life simulator when playing a game, what i meant is that i really enjoy these things personally even more so in historically inspired games

[@antivalidisme5669]

DM please can you tell me where my armour is right now, cause you know edges, flees, that kind of things. Well you remember that shady innkeeper? Next time don't bring a 7 feet long spear in their inn! PS: great work Matt. You know I've been a DM since 1986 and I can tell you some players used to be quite lost when I had to be realistic in a campaign. Good old guige!

[@henrykkeszenowicz4664]

In games, you can walk with a pike indoor. The 5 meters of a pike will simply clip through the second and third floor.

[@scintillam_dei]

I heard a rumour that monsters are coming back.

[@shorewall]

I like this kind of idea, because it forces people to think in terms of specialization. Everyone can wear a sword at their side (no wonder they were so popular!), but you can only really have one primary weapon. A polearm, a bow/crossbow, or a shield. Since you can really only carry one primary weapon, you specialize in that, both in terms of training and role. While I do think there are ways of getting around that restriction, it's often a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Just think of somehow carrying a polearm, bow, shield, sidearm, and pack with supplies. And then think of switching between them. And then think of doing it in the heat of the moment. Hell, think of being fighting trained in each. There's a reason pirates, brigands, and thieves (the irl equivalent of adventurers) wore and carried so little. It's different when you are going to war, knowing you will fight, and having a baggage train and supply apparatus to keep everything flowing smoothly. And even then you would only have your primary weapon and sidearm. For an adventurer, it is better to specialize, and take on jobs that fit your specialty. If you come across something you are not prepared for, it's better to retreat and come back later, or let someone else handle it. :D

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

There's lots of evidence higher-quality cavalry did train & field with a boatload of weapons across time & space. Sir John Smythe specifically addressed this in his 16th-century manual, describing Turkish cavalry soldiers with lance, bow & arrows, arquebus, sword, dagger, & some other weapon that Smythe forgot. "But such as would thinke those weapons by me before mentioned to be too many for one man to vse, woulde thinke it a great deale more strange, to see a Turky horsman that trauelling by the way doth besides his Cemeterie, and his crooked dagger, voluntarily carrie his Launce, his harquebuze, and his Turkie bowe, with his sheafe of arrowes, with another weapon which now I haue forgot, and all those weapons they doo weare and carie so conuenientlie, and aptlie, as they may vse euery one of them in his most conuenient time and place." This was surely a pain in the ass & took lots of practice & careful maintenance, but skilled troops did it often enough. Lance or polearm & bow, plus sword & whatever else, was common for higher-status cavalry across much for the world for centuries. Additionally, as Giacomo di Grassi wrote, martial prowess is about being able to fight with whatever you have on hand. Training in specific weapons matters, but well-rounded warriors necessarily train with & can use most anything because they practice & understand the core principles.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

In modern warfare, people wear pistol belts and web gear in ancient times, they wore sword belts. In both cases, they carry canteens, water skins or other devices for carrying water on those belts. Most soldiers that need to take their helmet off for any length of time, will hang their helmet by its chin strap on the canteen. (Even water skins typically had rigid portions for the opening to be able to stopper the skin.) It's usually not regulation to do this, but it is too convenient to not do it. So hopefully, that at least answers one what do you do with it question.

[@simonmoorcroft1417]

Let's get even more realistic. You can't have your longbow strung for too long. It spends most of its life in a 6ft cloth bag, while your bowstrings are coiled up in a leather pouch to stop the weather ruining then, oh to really spoil the party your armour (chainmail or plate) is always wrapped up and buried at the bottom of a bag made of a unwashed sheep fleece turned inside so that the stinky lanolin oil stops it rusting to pieces. Not easy to access that if your caught by surprise!

[@not-a-theist8251]

Damn that black sallet is amazing

[@DeliveryMcGee]

I have a friend who reenacts early modern pike and shot. Yeah, that 15-foot/3m+ pike is dropped on the ground if you need to draw your sword. To a lesser extent, it's the same thing with video games set in the modern era -- some let you carry an entire platoon's worth of weaponry, and even the ones that limit you to a handgun and two long guns are a bit iffy in real-life practice. A pistol and a rifle? Fine, some special units do that. Pistol, rifle, and shotgun? That gets a bit clunky IRL.

[@custommotor]

In the modern day most units are squads so everybody has a dedicated role and doesn't need multiple weapons. When it comes to video games though you're a one-man army even if you have a squad.

[@kitgames1174]

Ah man, I was hoping to see some demonstration of horse archery. I love shooting my enemies, who are trailing me, from horse back, in Mount & Blade, like any great horse archer should.

[@alexturner5977]

Hi Matt, this is a little off topic from the video but I'd like to learn proper single-hand medieval arming sword fighting and cutting techniques. Unfortunately, there isn't a HEMA club in my area. Do you know of any sources I could use for learning this on my own? Thank you for all your fantastic videos and the work you put into this channel.

[@NevisYsbryd]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6Cbm6uObNuehdU

[@katfezza4570]

I've been watching a lot of these videos prior to playing my next Warhammer Fantasy roleplay character. Had to hire minions and pay for transport for all the gear and to assist in arming up. There goes a big chunk of all the loot paying for that...

[@vanivanov9571]

That sounds pretty cool. Sadly, it also sounds like it'd be clunky and time-consuming.

[@sirbollocks609]

In fact I do believe that behind the ear was the preferred storage place for "Monkeys" Moon staff

[@Rajaat99]

1. Shade made a rope sling for a spear. May not be historically accurate, but it works. 2. Shade came up with a clip that is made from medieval materials that allows you to clip the longbow on your back. It's not historically accurate, but it works. 3 & 4. All good points. Shad hasn't addressed these. I'm just messing with you. Great video.

[@michaelpeters6659]

Shad hasn’t proven that you can fight or move at any sort of speed or move through thick brush, all very inventive and interesting fixes but I think that they would be a large negative to your movement and fighting moves

[@Rajaat99]

@@michaelpeters6659 I think you missed the last sentence in my comment. I was just messing with him.

[@michaelpeters6659]

@@Rajaat99 cheers mate

[@poireauetsespnjs5668]

24:57 someone with just a shield agaisnt sword and shield, I supose you meant sword agaisnt sword and shiel, nontheless shiel and sword seems quite advantagous against only shield.

[@DPXerxes]

I thought so as well ^^

[@jenniferbrewer3508]

In SCA and role playing I would carry a sling mainly for hunting small game but also for the rare occasion when my spear or pole ax couldn’t reach someone