Nets - not such a great idea in battle

Nets in battle may not have been very effective. If spears and shields are better - use those. Gladiatorial kit is for show-duels.
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More weapons and armour videos here: • Weapons and armour
Here I ramble for a bit and speculate about my reasons for why nets were not used more in battle. I wasn't there, and I don't actually know one way or the other, but the evidence for net-use in battle is poor. I describe practical considerations that might explain why other weapons were preferred in this context. Yes, the retiarius used one on the sands of the arena, but he was doing so in order to entertain, not to win at any cost.
Lindybeige: a channel of archaeology, ancient and medieval warfare, rants, swing dance, travelogues, evolution, and whatever else occurs to me to make.
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[@lordofdarkdudes]

What if you are figthing an army of fish?

[@joshuahadams]

Stay on the beach and build a pier with an outhouses along the edges.

[@caityreads8070]

Then you get Caligula

[@flipflierefluiter5665]

stab the sea that'll teach 'em

[@lordofdarkdudes]

Devron Sijmons hi Caligula

[@a1919akelbo]

Just throw some tnt in the water, the shock wave will kill everything in a billion mile radius

[@billlupin8345]

To paraphrase this whole video... "But what if they've got a pointed stick?"

[@An_excellent_YouTube_account]

pointed stick?! Fresh fruit not good enough for you eh?!

[@nevermind-he8ni]

@@An_excellent_KZbin_account Have we done bananas?

[@howaboutnow1895]

@@nevermind-he8ni a 16 ton weight

[@WrestleGermainia]

I've come to realise most of histories questions can be answered with "But what if they've got a pointed stick?"

[@realdragon]

Pointy stick once more proven superior

[@ItsDomke]

6:40 "He'll probably be able to cut his way out..." NO! DON'T CUT MY ROPE!

[@nanaa9074]

I only had this one and really like it.

[@neth7826]

Aw my god I just watched that video

[@aboutblank4356]

I MADE IT WITH MY HANDS!!

[@AverageAlien]

thr lindybeige lore

[@clearcontentment3695]

Bolo

[@SamsTechTips]

I knew that wasn't just a large badger in my garden.....

[@pikaiabattaile4517]

I swear, at times he reads like a younger weaponry-minded Michael Rosen

[@YesName2.0]

Lol

[@ShinFahima]

It was a Lindybadger.

[@jd_elderberry]

Rather tall for any creature.

[@mjmulenga3]

Quit badgering Lloyd.

[@grimli16]

if you cut a hole into a net the net will have less holes after

[@grimli16]

if you cut a hole in a net you will have less holes in the net think about it

[@Eg9yBoy]

+grimli16 holy shit

[@officernasty6023]

grimli16 woah.

[@ErwinPommel]

Fewer holes

[@grimli16]

Samt1516 youre right. Thanks for reminding me, i always make that error

[@frac]

My only question is, "Who is Annette, and why was she in so many gladiator battles?"

[@malhekai]

Puns reduce your life expectancy by ten years you know?

[@psychozoikum7278]

+Malhekrow Not if they include Annette. Annette makes your life much longer.

[@HistoricaHungarica]

+Psycho Zoikum With A-nnette total of 10 years.

[@thehungrywolf3323]

That pun was pretty good, you must be Anette-ural at this.

[@Agrestic]

+Fracture When your puns are expertly placed but the rest of the comments are dull.

[@budicaesar1213]

When I say "GO", be ready to throw!

[@kkurp]

*THROW IT AT HIM NOT ME!*

[@sheepsauruszillarex1332]

I only watched this video to know if I would find this haha

[@OchaFauzan01]

Deus vult ave maria

[@blakehawkins3296]

i am retarded but I feel like I’m translating things wrong... but did you Say “I want the bird sea god”???? Also I like your name

[@baconbitz7937]

RIP #1

[@dansea6686]

"he's a terrified man, he's got weapons and he'd much rather be somewhere else". describes most soldiers after the battle has started, in most wars throughout human history, with one sentence. i love this man.

[@EvilBobarino]

Why didn't they use laser guns in medieval combat???

[@jankansi5679]

Because the katanas would block them.

[@DarkFlamesDarkness]

Batteries were really hard to make back then.

[@pcarrierorange]

Evil Bob Pommels are superior when you wish to end you enemy rightly.

[@cmckenzie3035]

Richard Alley The Skall memes are invading!

[@mikhailgorbachev3721]

Evil Bob They all had Spandaus.

[@busteraycan]

THROW IT ON HIM NOT ME!

[@fabianchitay745]

Burak Baggins let's try something else

[@ohlookitsme9913]

Burak Baggins Now watch and learn, heres the deal

[@imafuckingnazi619]

slip and fall on a banna peel

[@fr0sty284]

*WHAT ARE YOU DOING*

[@JayV27]

NO DON'T TOUCH THAT!

[@rand0m0mg]

7:49 How about, as a cavalry - have a hand net, as in one of those that you catch butterflies with, but giant, to catch brute infantrymen..

[@rand0m0mg]

Yu Xiang Yao oh damn... didn’t think of that before i armed my men this morning, better send my fastest scout to catch up with them. Thanks brother.

[@sirchuckalooski3256]

Lmao man I like it I like it

[@senorsombrero1275]

@Yu Xiang Yao “haha I got you- OH CHRIST” -The Captain of the 1st net cavalry’s final words before being pulled from his steed

[@fakshen1973]

If I can reach out and capture you with a net on the end of a stick, I might as a long stick with a pointy, pointy metal tip.

[@riks081]

@@fakshen1973 thanks, captain obvious

[@Abelhawk]

9 minutes later and I'm still laughing at that "Some people say to me, 'Oi! You! Get out of my garden!'" joke 😆

[@delta-a17]

I don't get it.

[@oldoddjobs]

A Michael Redmond joke, infamously stolen by Joe Pasquale (and now Lloyd)

[@seannoone8129]

‘Lindybeige, out of context’

[@antonioborobia4178]

i see you everywhere asshole.

[@FenrirWolfe1]

I would like to point out that the "get out of my garden" joke is pure gold.

[@rosieclarke9990]

+Fenrir Wolfe It's not original, sadly; it's a joke by stand-up Michael Redmond.

[@simonrbone]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zoqoan6qnd6UmdE

[@Robert399]

+Fenrir Wolfe Wow! really? "Attention, fellow viewers, I would like to point out that the joke you have just experienced is most humorous."

[@gabrieltsgardner9942]

Caught that reference too, well, specifically the Lee bit :P

[@oldoddjobs]

@@rosieclarke9990 actually it's a Joe Pasquale original

[@Phlebas]

8:12 Regarding soldiers dressed up like gladiators. I'm suddenly imagining war re-enactors 2000 years from now dressed up like WWE fighters.

[@zacharysazama798]

Or football players.

[@artemreinhart747]

Phlebas or kpop fans

[@joanignasi91]

We would have 4020's Lindybeige making videos explaining why we didn't smash chairs on each other's head in battles

[@andrewharper1609]

Spandex a go go!

[@Johnyknowhow]

What about the effectiveness of using a banana peel? Or how about a poisoned apple? On a side note, would someone who is technically, eh, a real villian be able to use a net in battle?

[@brandongaedke4778]

Johnyknowhow chemical warfare, using poisoned apples to kill

[@probablynot8154]

What about psychological warfare? Why not strap someone to a cannon ball?

[@Ezio999Auditore]

Naaaaaah, naaaaaah!

[@SVP-uy9qb]

Did you just told them the 100% killing chance strat of the poisoned apple?

[@henryambrose8607]

2016, what a time.

[@japeking1]

What if you used 'castanets" instead? Tight formation and that terrifying clacking sound.

[@clareryan2640]

AND….the terrifying sense of approaching cavalry - you watched Holy Grail right?? Nothing more scary than the sound of castenets (apart from the Inquisition of course. No one expects the Inquisition)

[@Starkillerscat]

Now look at this net, that I just found!

[@frog_champ]

When I say "go", be ready to throw!

[@Starkillerscat]

Becuz Potato GO

[@frog_champ]

Starkiller's cat *T H R O W I T O N H I M N O T M E*

[@Starkillerscat]

Becuz Potato *U G H* Let's try something else

[@aduck4202]

Now watch and learn, here's the deal

[@violacrb]

Fish nets on the battlefield were quite terrifying. Especially when worn by the cavalry.

[@jony4real]

+violacrb They would save all their old ugly people for the fishnet division. Sometimes the entire opposing army would agree to surrender in exchange for covering up a bit.

[@FIREPHOENIXX234]

+jony4real +1

[@quijybojanklebits8750]

lmao

[@muskatDR]

+violacrb Only seahorse cavalry used it effectivly tho

[@Mr.Ford3350]

+violacrb I imagine those nets would have to be quite small to be castable while on horseback. Also, if they're small, they'd only disable one person at a time. You'd have to get quite close as well. It doesn't sound terribly useful, to be honest.

[@dirkbastardrelief]

Do yu get the sense that when Lloyd was playing as a child, and a friend would say, "I got you with my machine gun", Lloyd would say, "No, I'm wearing plated armor I found in a barn, and now I can just throw a hand grenade at you...."

[@impguardwarhamer]

NOW LOOK AT THIS NET! THAT I JUST FOUND!

[@genessab]

Communist_Penguin omfggg

[@deadmeme8011]

WHEN I SAY, GO, BE READY TO THROW!

[@kkurp]

*THROW IT AT THE GENT, NOT ME.*

[@Isvoor]

6:42 Cut their way out??? I can't believe I am hearing this from you of all people! Cutting precious rope... :(

[@MalloonTarka]

+Isvoor It wasn't their rope, though, and the rope itself couldn't be too thick or it would be too heavy to throw.

[@Zilap9]

+MalloonTarka someone didnt get the joke.

[@MalloonTarka]

+Lapiz Bouchaut What's a joke? Is it a type of net?

[@Zilap9]

+MalloonTarka yes, it is a type of net you can make out of a rare rope called "humor"

[@anton-se6sl]

www.google.se/search?q=is+there+a+rope+called+humor&rlz=1C1GGRV_enSE754SE754&oq=is+there+a+rope+called+humor&aqs=chrome..69i57.5383j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[@MacCoalieCoalson]

I'd imagine a net, especially with hooks, would be hard to throw and not tangle up in the process.

[@MacCoalieCoalson]

They could also cut your ropes that you used to make that net lol

[@rune.theocracy]

nets with heavy weights on the corners?

[@pyroparagon8945]

Adriel Cedrick it's heavy, kinda hard to throw

[@alimertc]

@@pyroparagon8945 Maybe something that can be fired from a bow or a similar device could be usefull.

[@sarahsayshello9726]

@@alimertc haha not how archery works, the idea is cute

[@GlitchyShadow13]

Probably because when the general orders his soldiers to throw the net at the enemy, they throw it on the general instead of the enemy.

[@kyrnti1075]

@Chungus Khan uhh lets try something else

[@axslaps]

I like that you put thought into the scenario with "What if this could be a disadvantage? Okay, suppose it failed to work, them maybe you could do this. But there's this problem now, or this guy is in your face now, etc."

[@OsKuukkeli]

Dear mister Beige, please do a video on beasts of war. Fiery pigs, war hounds, combat chickens, elephants and such. Sincerely, me.

[@RuSosan]

+OsKuukkeli ... Combat chickens? Oh. OH! So THAT'S why everyone attacks me in Skyrim when I kill a chicken. It's a member of the local guard, like a watchdog!

[@joshuahadams]

+RuSosan I think they're just cock fighting chickens with knives tied to their wings.

[@RuSosan]

NamedCow 750 Bah! You clearly have NO idea what you're talking about. :)

[@MrGameroyadvance]

+OsKuukkeli yes and bees!

[@joshuahadams]

+RoyRetroking bees ate too tame. Use wasps or hornets.

[@frysause934]

I'm on a "Lindybinge."

[@Nik-xi2ri]

Hello. How have the years treated you?

[@dontwatchmyvideostheysuckp9881]

same

[@elrondhubbard7059]

"Hmmmmm yeees, the Tiny Net is a _death sentence._ It's a net, and it's tiny." -- Betty

[@S.Grenier]

Extremely underrated comment, master Pain.

[@simbachvazo6530]

Lindybeige, a historian-comedian-blacksmith-cameraworking-(Every other thing he does like the badass he is) who you could listen to for hours and be entertained and learn all at once.

[@peridoodle2644]

Lloyd, what have you been doing in those people's gardens?

[@kevinsullivan3448]

Certainly not drinking tea.

[@JL-dance]

Peridoodle stealing beige things i suppose

[@novafire1150]

probably taking their tomatoes and green beans. my neighbor constantly sneaks into my yard and steals the peaches off the trees I have planted.

[@BlacksmithTWD]

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. So in stead of stealing beige things i'd opt for doing the lindy :)

[@theknight660]

Peridoodle he was taking there "lemons"

[@ArchArturo]

"Uh... Why is Fred carrying a net and a scythe?" "Pay no attention to Fred, we purposely trained him wrong... as a joke"

[@frh6668]

"You mean these aren't normal infantry weapons!? I could have sworn....Wait. Don't tell me my spiked armour is wrong too!"

[@brotherbarnaby4464]

+ArchArturo "Oh Taco Bell, Taco Bell! Product placement with Taco Bell! Enchirito, MACHO BURRITO!" - *Master Tang*

[@mILOS88pND]

+ArchArturo wiuuuwiiiuuuwiiii

[@John12494]

+ArchArturo "Face to foot style, how do you like it?"

[@EricGarber]

I'm learning so much from this channel! Thank you!

[@aquilaofdeath7660]

I ding know why but your voice is relaxing to me and I can fall asleep easily but even when I do I don't know how but I learn what your point of the video is even at the parts that I wasn't awake for it. So I can get some sleep and learn at the same time somehow. You sir are magical!

[@Koolaidrulz21]

But what if the weights in the nets were pommels?

[@ruzzyshuya4832]

+YRUThinkn Catch your foe AND end them rightly?

[@Koolaidrulz21]

Catch them rightly?

[@ruzzyshuya4832]

Catch them rightly whilst you unscrew your pommel in order to end them rightly.

[@thegreattotemaster]

+RuzzyShuya Step 1: A bunch of men unscrew their pommels and attach them all to a net. Step 2: The net is thrown with all those pommels attached to it. Step 3: ??? Step 4: PROFIT (rightly)

[@ruzzyshuya4832]

thegreattotemaster rightly so!

[@addressedtokill]

But twirling and snapping wet towels at your enemy worked, right?

[@cailumgrantham-tibbitt8543]

I think your refering to another form of "combat"

[@addressedtokill]

:)

[@janbaer3241]

The wet towel is forbidden in warfare. It is too terrifying a weapon for anyone to use.

[@ImGazu]

They would surrender

[@Ezio999Auditore]

*Sometimes I think the internet will ruin me...*

[@lallyoisin]

Love your content (humour included) In 'the art of war" my favourite quote is "better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war" There is a lot of wisdom in this quote but I'd like to debunk or at least neutralise it a bit. Some wars lasted decades and food sources got scarce. Camp was near a river for water. A gardener could be priceless! A Fisherman equally so! I would say that nets were used in battle but as a last resort. When they saved a life or captured a foe, the story became immortalised and went down in the mainstream history books. If a soldier was burried with his net and excavated hundreds or thousands of years later; it was his skill set being honoured and not necessarily his fighting acumen. He or she may have possessed both. Peace!

[@AsbestosMuffins]

i think soldiers generally were surrounded then given the option to surrender, or overwhelmed and then roped up, netting them still has all the same problems described above.

[@2goXD]

Ok, this is so interesting and so much fun to watch. You got my sub mister, i'm really glad i came across your channel.

[@NonApplicable1983]

A few advantages of the Retiarius (the fisherman): their most common opponent, the Murmillo (the fish man) had a helmet that was specifically designed to get tangled in the net. Also, since he was much more lightly equipped than other gladiators, the Retiarius could run away, forcing his opponents to tire themselves chasing him in their enclosed metallic helmets and carrying their large shields.

[@AudieHolland]

*+Rodrigo Ugarte (machiavellianFictionist)* And then the Retiarius would get tired chasing him and finally he might collapse from cardiac arrest.

[@mrglibb]

+AudieHolland 11/10 gud reference

[@TheBigMclargehuge]

+AudieHolland cool wiki bro

[@AudieHolland]

Come on, the OP can't be serious since gladiators 'running away' is a clear reference to Monty Python's "Life of Brian." Including cardiac arrest.

[@NonApplicable1983]

AudieHolland I don't mean run away as in escape the arena, I mean to stay out of the other gladiator's reach and let them become fatigued. Contemporary accounts actually contain criticism about how the Retiarius would avoid combat, sometimes resulting in pretty boring matches.

[@wolfieinu]

The gladiator army thing makes me think that in the far future, they might have "reasonably accurate" historical entertainment where present-day military campaigns are conducted with the assistance of people dressed as superheroes and WWE personalities. In fact, from a future text: The Hulk (or "Hogan") was an ancient class of warrior, depicted sometimes as a man with a red headcloth and a mustache, and at other times painted green, presumably as camouflage in forest settings. There is general agreement that this warrior's signature "Smash" move was very effective in cases where hand-to-hand battle was joined, such as when firearms were unavailable. It is reasonable to assume that the later invention of "bulletproof vests" allowed them to operate even in environments where firearms were a concern. Most feared by enemy warriors was their berserker-like rage, leading to the common admonishment that one would not want to even see a Hulk in anger. They were adept at using their environment to their advantage, for example by ricocheting off nearby ropes to propel them into the midst of the enemy formation, causing confusion and allowing regular Marine units to move in after them. There are no known examples of a dedicated Hulk attack being successfully defended against. [labeled diagram of a Hulk on a white background]

[@goblinrat6119]

+Wolfie Inu Likely not. I mean, our information recording and retention is so much better nowadays that barring a catastrophic, total destruction of our vast stores of knowledge (and by necessity, probably our whole civilization), the people of the future will know how we lived our lives, down to the most minute of details. If you think about it, even the most inconsequential of regular, ordinary people are leaving very accurate records of their everyday life, to say nothing of actually important things.

[@wolfieinu]

Goblin Rat True. That was a joke. :P

[@ignathiel]

Not necessarily. People of the future would probably not have technology compatible with our recording devices. Actually, they probably wouldn't even recognize flash drives, discs, or computers as information carriers.

[@ignathiel]

Not to mention that our recording devices probably wouldn't be working at all. If I had kept any walkman CDs from the 90s they probably wouldn't work anymore ;d I am certain that an old Windows XP disc I tried recently didn't work at all, and I couldn't install it ;d

[@ZGryphon]

Mark Twain included a passage from a hypothetical far-future encyclopedia entry attempting to describe Ulysses S. Grant in one of his books, I think it was _The Innocents Abroad._ It was quite similar in feel to the original post. And of course there's David Macaulay's book _Motel of the Mysteries,_ which is about archaeologists in the far future trying to work out what a preserved 20th-century motel was for. (They assume it was a religious complex, because archaeologists always think any large building must have been a religious complex, don't they? :)

[@alexfasce2524]

your videos are so interesting and some what random. whenever I'm bored ik I I'll find something interesting here

[@uncleunicode7871]

Robbie Rotten should have watched this video

[@LegendaryGelder]

haha, april fools, we all know nets were the greatest weapon a man could get his hands on in the middle ages

[@Hashslingingslasher-]

Catapults shouldve shot weighted nets that just engulfed the entire army

[@MsSomeonenew]

+Hashslingingslasher That would mean they are far away and get plenty of time to get out of those nets, quite a bit more useful to shoot deadly stuff instead.

[@Hashslingingslasher-]

MsSomeonenew good point, but, if you shot close range nets i feel thatd work just fine

[@MrWizardjr9]

+MsSomeonenew attach heavy stones

[@Carancerth]

+Hashslingingslasher =D HUMMM Just why? When you can simply load things really efficients for kill the opponent more directly =D

[@Hashslingingslasher-]

Chris Vernel I thought about that, but nets are lighter and would cover more area

[@L1n34r]

I think one thing you're forgetting to mention here is that nets, especially large nets, were expensive. The labor that goes into, say, making the tip of a spear is nothing compared to the labor of rope-making, forging hooks, and tying together large amounts of sturdy rope into a net. You could probably equip 6 spearmen with spears for the same price as you could equip one warrior fisherman.

[@steverichardson4808]

I very much enjoy your videos Mr Lindybeige

[@DIY_Miracle]

Video published on april 1st... so... nets are actually a grand idea?

[@jaegercucksbane4243]

Were hot air balloons ever used in war? Could they have been?

[@andrewrosniac3500]

I believe that they were used in WW1 for something like stationary observations

[@lindybeige]

+Octavio Brokchaves Yes, in the American Civil War they were used (tethered) for observation platforms. An air force that cannot return from a mission unless the wind reverses at just the right moment, is not an arm of service for which recruitment would be easy.

[@MsFlamingFlamer]

Napoleon considered sending his army over in gallons over the English Channel

[@z3r070000]

+Octavio Brokchaves What about zeppelins?

[@GoblinKnightLeo]

They were also used during our military excursions into Cuba, although to far less effect because they had to be directly over whatever officers they were trying to report to, thus revealing the position of ground troops and exposing them to artillery and heavy machine gun fire.

[@micahmccormick9532]

Nets are surprisingly easy to cast, even nets that are 9-feet around. It could be quite effective in a one on one, but a large conflict is no place for nets.

[@magnussamuelsson2630]

I love this guy saying "haha"... I have heard him doing it a few times in other videos and it is always such a awesome thiing to hear.

[@myrkvir5606]

"Oi! get out of my garden!" Lloyd, that sir, is comic genius.

[@ILikeToColourRed]

LLoyds primary concern in battle: embarrassment. Noone wants to go to war just to make a fool of themselves!

[@DrSardonicus]

Well embarrassment generally means you screwed up. You don't want to screw up in battle. Highly unlikely to get a second chance once you've been speared in the neck. So yes, it is advisable to avoid embarrassment in such a scenario.

[@MrChickennugget360]

+FuZZy961 that and your mates generally don't appreciate it when you do things likely to get yourself killed. generally people in the military have very little patience for stupidity, particularly when they are in mortal combat

[@eendenmannetje]

This may be the fifth time I'm watching this video by now, and that intro gets me every time!

[@johnb6329]

Look at this net, that I've just found!

[@Mystakaphoros]

Rumor has it that underneath Lloyd's shirt and jumper is... another jumper.

[@weltgeist2604]

Maybe he is made of pure beige, I can see it now, glorious, glorious.

[@smackedinthejaw]

+Michael Miller wrong, he wears a jumper over chain-mail, over boiled leather, over a padded doublet.

[@Ezio999Auditore]

Quilted armor.

[@Mystakaphoros]

*knitted armor

[@frostaegis8653]

in battle, yes, a net is kinda cruddy, but, in a dark dwarven dungeon where the party's archer is lining up a shot at the automaton with a sword and shield, the seemingly unarmed automaton fires his built-in-net-launcher, that fires +1 nets over a longer distance, entangles the archer for 3 rounds of combat, effectively taking him out of the fight. :D +1 nets... oh gods why...

[@seanmadson8524]

+Joonas Ahonen In a universe where a sword can be "+1", indicating a vague betterness without directly explaining why other than "cuz magic", what is wrong with making a net with similarly mysterious superiority to other nets? (not saying I respect the system, just pointing out the inherently ridiculous nature of the game mechanics to begin with)

[@SgtKOnyx]

Sean Madson a +1 bowl perhaps

[@sannylad9204]

"Oyy! You! Get out of my garden!"

[@conrad5721]

"Master Betty, my complements. That tiny net was sure-fire!" "Hmmm, yes. A tiny net is a death sentence. It is a net, and it is tiny. Mmm hmmm."

[@goldengod8270]

Made me think of that scene right away, Kung Pow is a classic

[@georgecataloni4720]

Maybe in the future people will be asking why the military of today don't use boxing gloves.

[@manictiger]

+George Cataloni In the far future, they'll think that impaling was part of baseball because the cleats have spikes on them. The purpose of the bat is pretty obvious, of course. It's for beating opponents to death. The ball? Another weapon, of course. And everyone wore Umpire's armor, not that it helped much. That sand is red for a reason.

[@georgecataloni4720]

manictiger Lol, there's actually some dialogue in Fallout 4 that is pretty much this. The people that live in the repurposed Fenway park call the bats "swatters" and thought of baseball as a death match sport. Also, the security in that "town" wear modded umpire armor lol

[@manictiger]

George Cataloni I was thinking of that about 1/6th into writing that, actually.

[@Zamolxes77]

+manictiger And they'll have giant spiders riding out of the bullpen and the ball tethered to the ground by an elastic string. Blernsball !!!

[@talinpeacy7222]

Or "why they didn't put guns on the missles and instead of blowing up, just shooting at the enemy"

[@Feminismisfornobody]

Why were you in my garden Loyd?

[@fernandotills]

That intro. Wasn’t expecting that. 😂

[@jimvargaco.6344]

Best lindybeige opening

[@GwaetherBloom]

They'd be effective if used on a boat and the enemy army is underwater... Like fish and crabs

[@Yorikoification]

+Gwaether Bloom Excellent for when Cthulhu comes with his army of fishmen

[@chancepaladin]

+Gwaether Bloom and in the year of our Lord AD223 the great siege of the fishing vessel SS Flounder was foiled when the attacking force got stuck in all of the fishing hooks, fishing nets, and crab pots expertly placed around the ye mighty vessel! And thats why people stopped attacking fishing vessels! The end. ;)

[@chancepaladin]

***** bwahahahaha!!!! save a mermaid for me! I will give her a nice big fish tank to play in and everything!

[@UnitedJupiter91]

Cut open the net? I think that any man in their right mind would never cut open a rope net!

[@jacoblewis3148]

+UnitedJupiter bag that thing and take it home, obviously. speak of the spoils of war...

[@CAepicreviews]

+Jacob Lewis At times, war/battle can be quite profitable...

[@Ianlegendstone]

Bag that net, take it home, name it Leopoldo, frame it, and call it modern art, then sell it on the medieval equivalent of eBay and hope for the best.

[@josethebourgeoisiebear8770]

+Jacob Lewis Hello wifie, I'm back alive from the front lines. Look what I brought back in the spoils of war, a net.

[@jacoblewis3148]

José the Bourgeoisie Bear ropes expensive af man, she'd be thrilled.

[@ZGryphon]

You could say it offers no net advantage. Thank you! I'm here all week.

[@luciousbrun5437]

I am so lucky you posted this. I was just about to order my equipment for my first century war I was going to commence on the whole Earth. I'll cross nets off ! Ta !

[@MadHatter42]

*Scoff* If nets are so easy to get out of, how do you explain how Scooby Doo caught so many bad guys? That stuff is lethal, man!

[@rabbishlomoshekelberg-rubi6513]

+Mad Hatter Not to mention the Ewoks.

[@brotherbarnaby4464]

+Mad Hatter "I will not... be defeated... by a tiny... net!" - *The Chosen One*

[@CyanideSovereign]

"A lot of people say to me... 'get out of my garden'" Did you get that joke from Michael Redmond, Stewart Lee or Joe fucking Pasquale?

[@RevRaptor898]

+CyanideSovereign It's a stupidly common joke, likely hundreds of years old. These comedians must be pretty crap if they use it in their routines. Dad jokes are fine for youtubers but professional comedians should never tell them.

[@eewweeppkk]

+Rev Raptor I disagree. There is still humor in old jokes, and its honestly all in the delivery and timing for a joke like that. If you've just set up a story that you're about to tell, quickly say this line, and then shrug it off and continue on with your story, that could easily make it funny. The unoriginality is unexpected, making it funny. It takes up little time in the routine and gets some laughs, what else would you want as a comedian?

[@andrewplck]

+CyanideSovereign That one was used well and worked I say.

[@dylanbailey8464]

+CyanideSovereign Calm down, its still funny to a lot of people.

[@CyanideSovereign]

+Dylan Bailey I didn't mean anything bad by it, just acknowlaging a reference I thought he made.

[@FokkeWulfe]

Not to argue with Llyod, but I can think of a few ways to (possibly) make nets work in ancient battle. 1: a net team. The Thrower, and the Shield pair. The Shield protects the Thrower, the Thrower, big strong, perhaps even a fisherman, or trained by fishermen. The Thrower throws a net, and he and Shield hit the deck, crouched behind the shield. Immediate thrown attack is followed, with the front line of the enemy loosing cohesion. The front line, being the most skilled soldiers, takes sudden heavy losses, and you have a rout on your hands. 2: perhaps the net could be thrown by an engine, a ballista, or a catapult of some kind. A heavy ish weight in the middle could aide in flight, but when the net hits someone or the ground, the net opens, engulfing a section of men. 3: unit cohesion when crossing ground is paramount. Thrown nets, with hooks, or bits that grab, could be thrown on the ground ahead of an army. This would mean advancing enemy troops have to cross this ground, and maybe get tangled up, or have to spend time working through/clearing the netting.Now, you'll be sat there thinking "but then you cut off advancement for your men." Maybe not. Being that they are nets, if a properly equipped team is on hand, they could theoretically, clear the nets quickly by simply grabbing and pulling, maybe with a long hook from inside the shield wall. The technique would likely be used primarily by a defending force, able to simply sit and wait. They may not be great ideas, but I just wanted to work out a few, maybe possible, ways nets could be effectively used in a battle scenario.

[@taylorwickham]

The only way I can see nets working are going if their are cliffs around the battlefield and you have met casters up there. However in this situation archers would still probably be more affective.

[@HurFordMeat]

Could you talk more about gladiators sometime? This video is great by the way, thanks! :)

[@Bent773]

Who needs a net hen you have a pommel?

[@firewisplet8275]

You can't end your enemy rightly without!

[@LessSuspect]

You should use pommels for the net weights

[@svenofthejungle]

+Nyxantius Fools. I have a Spandau specially modified to shoot pommels. Ho ho ho!

[@SpazzMatticusTheGreat]

L' FMR Add baguettes and you get hon hon hon instead.

[@nixtheclause9984]

What if you have a pommel with a net in it?

[@skeletonkeysproductionskp]

So inspiring to know that History channels can get so many views and subscribers, its a real inspiration to my own channel! Keep up the good work Sir!

[@MrH1207]

For the last 12 years (at least) you have been a hidden gem 💎

[@Abraxis86]

For the nets, I wonder if it could be effective to give to the 4th or 5th ranks to throw over their friends just after a direct engagement. This way the enemy is too committed in the melee to swat them out of the air. Might be mildly effective. Anyways, forget nets, Bolas existed, and did the exact same thing with none of the encumbrance and unwieldliness but no one bothered with them either. I think they're just too complicated for so little return in effectiveness even under optimal circumstances. Too gimicky. Like that guy twirling his swords around all fancy-like to just get casually shot down by indiana jones. Simple and direct is often the better approach..

[@janbaer3241]

The fifth rank starts twirling nets. As the army is moving, and they are trying to keep up, they end up tangling up the third and forth ranks. A few manage to hurl nets that land on the first rank, twisting into their pole arms.

[@Boruta46]

Bola used by Inca army is a puzzle - all the awkwardness of a net etc

[@Randomstuffs261]

*I hope Lloyd does a video on Pith helmets, the sexy kind they used in the movie Zulu*

[@Derederi]

+Randomstuffs261 That would be interesting!

[@gloriahoulihan8717]

I love the theme tune to Gladiators.

[@Dinoenthusiastguy]

2:10 Lindybeige as a retiarius

[@hamishwoodland7424]

Excellent vid as always Lloyd, I was wondering if you would do a cheap April fools and tell us about all of the ancient net throwing platoons. (I have to say, I prefer this)

[@xxOmponxx]

From what I've heard, In Britain, if you do an April Fool's joke after 12:00 GMT, you are considered an April Fool. He would have had to have the video uploaded before then to fit with cultural norms.

[@h0lx]

Why did I find this channel only lately? Interesting and very entertaining!

[@chinganeer2337]

LOOK AT THIS NET THAT I JUST FOUND

[@Dcook85]

The only application i could see for a net would be in a trap and ambush style situation in which a small unit walks under an overhang of some type and the large net could be dropped onto them and then ambush units rush in to take them out. But that's pretty narrow and specific. I agree that it's mostly a useless item in combat.

[@Balakul]

If you're a movie director pleas skip to 2:00 so you don't get anny funny ideas.

[@SpySappingMyKeyboard]

+Crobat Annoying Pokemon Sorry, I only had 2 minutes to watch this video. I have a very schedule making this documentary about using nets in battle you know!

[@AlexVangelion]

Yes, a tiny net is a death sentence. It is a net and it is tiny.

[@lukehamilton3518]

If I was in a battle I'd want this dude on our side. General Lindybeige! There's a man in who's orders I could be confident.

[@ciaranjones9449]

That intro was the best you've ever had.

[@maciek19882]

Mongol horse warrioirs used lassos

[@lindybeige]

+Zdzisław Dziąsło Some did, yes, but not to tangle up large number of enemy. It's rather a different thing.

[@kam2150]

+Zdzisław Dziąsło Lassos is different because it is much smaller then net, more wieldy and easier to capture a knight. They also wouldn't throw their lassos in the beggining of battle, rather later on to capture some valuable prissoners like knights, since one knight was worth a lot more ransom then dozens of regular soldiers.

[@ja-vishaara]

+Zdzisław Dziąsło Lasso =/= big ass net

[@jsmithnevinsky]

Fail.

[@KarthanRouge]

L

[@xenophon5354]

Could you do a video on gladiators? The most popular types, death rate, etc?

[@Gstrangeman96]

+Tom Rundell Check out Metatron's video on the same topic.

[@MLCAgaming]

+Tom Rundell just watch the movie Gladiator it's pretty much perfect accurate :)

[@Gstrangeman96]

Fenriz the Jester You're supposed to watch/listen for the quality and value of the historical information, not because the tone of the voice turns you on.

[@literallyme6214]

why would you fake a british accent? He is italian and i think he said that in one of his videos

[@alexkfridges]

+Tom Rundell YES PLEASE

[@anniebot_45-73]

that joke at the start deserves a thumb up on its own. if you were my history teacher, i would have never slept through the class (as opposed to always)

[@firstname-gq5yr]

Love a good ramble😂

[@ksolopolo5267]

OI! YOU! GET OUT OF MY GARDEN!

[@woodslore8537]

I ask this, mostly out of the comical image it brings to mind, weighted nets fired from catapults?

[@saltofpetra-4502]

+Woods Lore Rather than boulders, bags of rocks, or corpses? Dunno, accuracy, range, cost?

[@conductiv7113]

+Saltofpetra - all of them, including actual impact on the enemy (complete loss of any meaningful structural damage) and rate of fire as loading a net to actually unfold takes more time then simply dropping in a corpse or rock(bag)

[@nick012000]

+conductiv You're not trying to do structural damage if you're shooting artillery at infantrymen...

[@FirefoxisredExplorerisblueGoog]

+Woods Lore Why ensnare an enemy with a net when you can crush him into an early grave with a boulder?

[@AudieHolland]

+Woods Lore Catapults were siege weapons, not much use in the field. Because the enemy might not want to cooperate and simply run away or around. A besieged fortress of city cannot run away or outflank a catapult.

[@thomasevans5467]

As I myself have personal experience with trellis netting for horticultural purposes. I have injured MYSELF with that nasty stuff now I know that the Roman’s did not have plastic but the did have like fine cordage and like you said fishing hooks. I personally think that this weapons possibilities have been very underestimated.

[@AcoAegis]

That was a great intro, even two years later.

[@imstupid880]

WHY DID YOU POST THIS ON APRIL 1ST WHAT DO I BELIEVE

[@Mikey__R]

Easy - modified siege weapons working in tandem, throwing large rocks with chain linked nets between them, with lots of spiky bits nailed to the chain links for maximum carnage. Granted, that sounds more like Warhammer than history.

[@CaptainBipto]

+Mikey R Have a type of balista with bolts that fire a net between them. Have barbs on them, so they hook on clothing. You can cover them with pitch, so you can follow up with fire arrows. Or if your feeling nasty, cover them with a contact poison or exrement. Even if it doesnt hit a formation, you can put that in the way, so you either take your chances and walk over it. Or break formations, and have them walk around them.

[@Mikey__R]

CaptainBipto With the siege catapults, I was thinking that the weight of the stones would be spread across the width of the net, meaning all of that momentum would cut a swath through a formation, rather than just taking one or two men from each rank it would take a dozen or so, each time the stones grazed. With large enough engines, it would be a truly fearsome deterrent. Balista bolts would be less massive than a siege engines stone, so you wouldn't get such a big bang for your grazing buck. And Im not sure excrement would be much of a deterrent, half the guys advancing will have soiled their armoured pants already! :p

[@CaptainBipto]

Mikey R Something like the cannon chain shot? I would still go for barbs and hooks on the net. Even if you did survive the net going through your formation. You would still suffer injuries, be impaled, stuck and unable to get yourself untangled from the net. Plus the psychological impact or being helpless, and stuck among the dead and dying. Knowing that the enemy is either going to follow up with a volley of artillery and arrows. Or marching up to slaughter you while you lay helpless.

[@CaptainBipto]

Mikey R I was thinking of excrement, poison, infected animal and peoples bodily fluids. If an army retreats from battle, then you get attrition from poisons and infections. Not as a deterent as such, but if the enemy has encountered them before there might be a psychological impact. Oh shit I dont want to die horribly if we win. So I'm going to avoid that net. If you played Warhammer Fantasy, think of a Skaven Clan Pestilens type approach.

[@RamblingRecruiter]

Sounds like a job for the light missile troops such as Alexander's Peltists. They could linger on the flanks and throw nets along with rocks and javelins as opportunities presented themselves.

[@theanarkiddie4569]

Hey I wanted to ask about artillery, could they fire nets? I get that it’s heavy, but proposing some form of very small capatapult armed by just one or two men can fire a net say 30m, could that do anything. I get that firing rocks with those catapults may be far more effective, and also making any form of artillery is remarkably expensive, but even so I think that small scale mechanisms might stand a chance at flinging a net high above that can then trap someone on the front lines. Personally I would go for setting my nets on fire and then flinging them with a catapult because it must be terrifying to be a warrior and see this flaming arc come down towards you, that unlike a fire arrow you can’t just block with a shield

[@MilitantOldLady]

Someone's been playing Total War: Rome II

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

God, these pommel memes are never gonna die, are they?

[@christopheresquire947]

ShadeSlayer1911 they must be ended rightly.

[@Gophilio4567]

They're getting annoying.

[@SgtKOnyx]

Haven't yet

[@akezhantoleukhan2510]

Haven't yet still

[@jasper_the_ghost]

Akezhan Toleukhan Still, not yet.

[@wesleymaynard8564]

I say it’s probably very possible and decently effect, if a bit of a hassle to set up. If one was two set up two small ballistas on wheels to roll up behind your say four ranked formation, and fire it as high up and over as it can. Now this net would have to be very specialized, having two chains like legs extending from the side closer to allies that are anchored behind the lines. The anchor points would make this net fly in an arc, the legs offering reach and preventing the actual net part from falling onto your own troops. This means the ballistas can be set up behind ally lines, reach far and catch enemies. But it doesn’t stop there, as probably the worst problem thing that can happen is for the net to fly too high, enemy troops yank on these chains and pull the ballistas through allied lines disrupting formation. Hence the brilliant idea of using the anchors tied to horses so then after some time after the net has been launched the horses charge opposite the direction of the enemy lines and yank those caught in it to the ground. To keep the horsemen from pulling the net into ally lines there will be measured string so the horse charge the length of the string and it doesn’t have to be that long before unhooking the net and allied soldiers charge over prone or entangled enemies. Worst case scenario, an idiot commander deploys them on a windy day, the net is launched, net catches the wind, falls on allied heads, shouts of warning go unheard in the wash of battle cries, and allies are pulled to the ground or entangled. Another thing is one of the chain legs land on an allied troop and distracts him, offering a prime opportunity to his opposer. People could have also just dropped a net onto a terrain where the enemy might be coming from and as they march towards you, they get their feet tangled up in it, disrupting formation a little bit before they are busy trying to pick it up from underneath themselves. I imagine it would do great when trying to defend a place the bottom of a hill as it’s easier to trip going down hill. Or having a chain net draped across a grass clearing, there to cover a flank in case cavalry charges across it. Maybe offering time for pikemen to set up, that is of course if how horses gallop allows them catch a net.

[@nates9536]

I'm imagining a larger dual ballista with a net strung between the bolts, able to be fired over your own ranks

[@VainerCactus0]

Best first ten seconds of a video ever:) 10 outa 10 would watch again.