Re: [HoE] It's Hammer time!

[deadlander@juno.com]

On Thu, 8 Oct 1998 16:03:01 EDT Velkyn@aol.com writes:
>just a thought.  there is a scene in the movie "Streets of Fire"  that 
>has the>villain and the hero going at it with hammers,  not sledge
hammers 
>exactly, I>think they were what was used to drive railroad spikes and
are a bit 
>more>"aerodynamic".  It gives a decent idea on what combat would be
like.  
>Can>everyone say "inertia"?

That was a pretty crazy scene.  It's been so long that I can't remember
exactly what they were using.  I'll have to go and rent it to watch
again.

>And, believe it or not, I've driven 1" steel pipe into hard ground 
>with a 8>pound sledge for hours on end, anything much heavier than that
starts 
>on>diminishing returns.  Let me tell you, anyone who fights with these, 
>and is>any good, will be one strong individual.  
>
True, but the  original war hammers used during the Middle Ages was not
so heavy and to be effective you only need about a 1 or 2 pound head with
backspike.  The footman's hammer used during the Middle Ages was only
about 3 lbs total (including wooden shaft) and a little less than 3 feet
in length (and that was for a two handed weapon).  The horseman's hammer
(a one handed weapon) was even lighter!  To be fair your typical battle
sword of the times was of a comparable weight but I have always found the
length to be somewhat restricting, usually over 3 feet in length.  Plus
it is easier to gain crushing leverage when all of your power is
concentrated on a head about 1 inch across as opposed to the last 4
inches of blade where the most effective striking was done.

Being in the SCA I am sure that you have seen the effects of the shorter,
lighter mass weapons in a any combat situation other than a sword and
shield duel.  I personally have fought both ways and can attest to the
benefits of a smaller and faster weapon.  If I am planning on being in
real combat I would definitely prefer a mass weapon over a longsword any
day.

Templar Simon
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