Note: I am writing this in my capacity as a player. It is a proposal. Not considered official at this time.
I would like to propose that weaponry be divided into a set a categories to help people understand what they should and should not be carrying on them all the time, as weve all heard many a complaint and seen many a thread on that.
Lets just jump right into it.
(Note the number of the category has nothing to do with the attributes of the weapons within them, it is simply for naming purposes)
Category 1: "Takin a stroll to market"
These are the things your character would carry around with them every where. For the vast majority of you, this would be your short swords and daggers. Maybe a few normal-sized swords, and some relatively low-pound bows. These are the things you can carry around with you without getting tired out by the wait and can draw and use rather quickly, and possibly even conceal on you. For bows, the pound rating would have to be relatively low because, as any archer knows, you cannot keep it strung all the time and it would be pretty damn useless if it took you a minute to string it. This also means long bows dont fit in this category. (Which makes sense because who the hell uses long bows for self defense) So bows would be short bows of relatively low pounds. No crossbows here. There are some crossbows small enough to carry/conceal comfortably, but crossbows simply do not load quickly, at all. Ive seen a rather lot of people using crossbows using one "turn" to load them, and the next to shoot. This is not correct, but thats a different thread. Long swords dont really go here because they are heavier and slower-drawing weapons, as well as the fact that walking around everywhere with a longsword is sort of like having an assault rifle strapped to your back in modern times. Its just not quite appropriate. Everything larger than a long sword is obviously not in this category.
Category 2: "Im going somewhere dangerous/Im expecting to get in a fight"
This is where you break out your long swords and cross bows. When you are going on a mission or attending an event or doing something you know is dangerous, you might take the time to equip yourself a little better. This is your long swords, bastard swords, two handers, maces, short bows of high-pound (and Id say still not long bows), crossbows, etc, the weapons you often see most fighting-oriented characters carrying around with them most of the time (erroneously, in my opinion.). These are a little heavy and a little unwieldy, but not too terrible to carry around for long stretches of time. But they are still large enough and heavy enough and vulnerable enough (gotta maintain your weapons man) that you definitely wouldnt want to carry these with you everywhere.
Category 3: "Im going to war"
Heres all your heavy weaponry. Longbows, halberds, claymores, war hammers, pikes and longspears, battle axes, high power crossbows (the kind you would load with a winch or crank) etc. These are the things you get when you are going to war. You dont plan to carry these anywhere but on the path to the castle you are besieging or the army you are fighting. These things are heavy, and they are not ideal for carrying around while not being used. Longbows are here because realistically this is the only time they make sense to use. Longbows are too high pound to string, draw, aim, and fire quickly enough to be personal defense weaponry, and too large heavy and unuseful to make sense on minor missions or events. These are for very long ranges/punching through armor. A sort of litmus test is "Would I be surprised if there were siege engines used for this?" If yes, you might want to go down a size. If no, you're in the right place.
Armor is divided similarly, but its a little more vague.
Category 1:
This armor isnt really even armor. Mostly, this is your clothes. If you work with your hands or you hunt this might include some relatively high-duty leather pieces. If you are a fighting oriented character and you have the strength, maybe even some light-weight bracers or greaves.
Category 2:
This would be your light leather armors and assorted chain-mail pieces. If you are particularly tank-y you might even consider plate armor, if you are damn certain you won't have to do much traveling. Probably though you are gonna go for lighter armor variants. High coverage chainmail with bracers greaves and gauntlets is about the heaviest youd expect. These things, like the category 2 weapons, are a little heavy and a little awkward, but worth it if you expect to be endanger. They arent top of the line obviously, because you dont know what you will be facing and you might have to travel so you need versatility.
Category 3:
This is where plate makes the most sense, unsurprisingly. Still most wouldnt be strong or skilled enough to use plate effectively, so the high-end of Category 2 would get used here quite a lot.
But if you aren't going to war, you need to reconsider your plate armor.
Plate armor is heavy (dont say a damn word that it isnt.) and awkward (again dont say a damn word it isnt. My god the chafing, I shudder just imagining it) and its very specialized. You don't have a lot of versatility. You put this on because you know precisely what you are going to be doing, and that it involves someone with heavy weapons trying to kill you, and you trying to survive knowing you are going to get hit. You dont carry this stuff for long because you need to clean and oil it after every use or its going to get ruined. If you plan on traveling with this stuff, you're screwed. Lastly, no, you cannot swim in plate armor. Please dont even bring that up. I did an experiment. It wasnt even close. If you are interested I might put that in a thread.
So next time you need to figure out what your character should have on them for various situations, try to gauge where their equipment falls here.
I would like to propose that weaponry be divided into a set a categories to help people understand what they should and should not be carrying on them all the time, as weve all heard many a complaint and seen many a thread on that.
Lets just jump right into it.
(Note the number of the category has nothing to do with the attributes of the weapons within them, it is simply for naming purposes)
Category 1: "Takin a stroll to market"
These are the things your character would carry around with them every where. For the vast majority of you, this would be your short swords and daggers. Maybe a few normal-sized swords, and some relatively low-pound bows. These are the things you can carry around with you without getting tired out by the wait and can draw and use rather quickly, and possibly even conceal on you. For bows, the pound rating would have to be relatively low because, as any archer knows, you cannot keep it strung all the time and it would be pretty damn useless if it took you a minute to string it. This also means long bows dont fit in this category. (Which makes sense because who the hell uses long bows for self defense) So bows would be short bows of relatively low pounds. No crossbows here. There are some crossbows small enough to carry/conceal comfortably, but crossbows simply do not load quickly, at all. Ive seen a rather lot of people using crossbows using one "turn" to load them, and the next to shoot. This is not correct, but thats a different thread. Long swords dont really go here because they are heavier and slower-drawing weapons, as well as the fact that walking around everywhere with a longsword is sort of like having an assault rifle strapped to your back in modern times. Its just not quite appropriate. Everything larger than a long sword is obviously not in this category.
Category 2: "Im going somewhere dangerous/Im expecting to get in a fight"
This is where you break out your long swords and cross bows. When you are going on a mission or attending an event or doing something you know is dangerous, you might take the time to equip yourself a little better. This is your long swords, bastard swords, two handers, maces, short bows of high-pound (and Id say still not long bows), crossbows, etc, the weapons you often see most fighting-oriented characters carrying around with them most of the time (erroneously, in my opinion.). These are a little heavy and a little unwieldy, but not too terrible to carry around for long stretches of time. But they are still large enough and heavy enough and vulnerable enough (gotta maintain your weapons man) that you definitely wouldnt want to carry these with you everywhere.
Category 3: "Im going to war"
Heres all your heavy weaponry. Longbows, halberds, claymores, war hammers, pikes and longspears, battle axes, high power crossbows (the kind you would load with a winch or crank) etc. These are the things you get when you are going to war. You dont plan to carry these anywhere but on the path to the castle you are besieging or the army you are fighting. These things are heavy, and they are not ideal for carrying around while not being used. Longbows are here because realistically this is the only time they make sense to use. Longbows are too high pound to string, draw, aim, and fire quickly enough to be personal defense weaponry, and too large heavy and unuseful to make sense on minor missions or events. These are for very long ranges/punching through armor. A sort of litmus test is "Would I be surprised if there were siege engines used for this?" If yes, you might want to go down a size. If no, you're in the right place.
Armor is divided similarly, but its a little more vague.
Category 1:
This armor isnt really even armor. Mostly, this is your clothes. If you work with your hands or you hunt this might include some relatively high-duty leather pieces. If you are a fighting oriented character and you have the strength, maybe even some light-weight bracers or greaves.
Category 2:
This would be your light leather armors and assorted chain-mail pieces. If you are particularly tank-y you might even consider plate armor, if you are damn certain you won't have to do much traveling. Probably though you are gonna go for lighter armor variants. High coverage chainmail with bracers greaves and gauntlets is about the heaviest youd expect. These things, like the category 2 weapons, are a little heavy and a little awkward, but worth it if you expect to be endanger. They arent top of the line obviously, because you dont know what you will be facing and you might have to travel so you need versatility.
Category 3:
This is where plate makes the most sense, unsurprisingly. Still most wouldnt be strong or skilled enough to use plate effectively, so the high-end of Category 2 would get used here quite a lot.
But if you aren't going to war, you need to reconsider your plate armor.
Plate armor is heavy (dont say a damn word that it isnt.) and awkward (again dont say a damn word it isnt. My god the chafing, I shudder just imagining it) and its very specialized. You don't have a lot of versatility. You put this on because you know precisely what you are going to be doing, and that it involves someone with heavy weapons trying to kill you, and you trying to survive knowing you are going to get hit. You dont carry this stuff for long because you need to clean and oil it after every use or its going to get ruined. If you plan on traveling with this stuff, you're screwed. Lastly, no, you cannot swim in plate armor. Please dont even bring that up. I did an experiment. It wasnt even close. If you are interested I might put that in a thread.
So next time you need to figure out what your character should have on them for various situations, try to gauge where their equipment falls here.
. Its fairly easy to put on or off by yourself. The theory in that Video/ where I read it why Squires were used for it then was that they were also a status symbol, which makes sense considering the time. I'll see if I can find it again. Knowing the principle that you can't find things you are looking for until you stop doing so I'm unsure whether I will though. My gues sis that it was in a documentation though as I can't find the post I'm looking for so it was probably a comment to a video.
).