Fantasy Characters Using Weapons-Quick Survey

LLTisdel

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Weapons are obviously a big part of fantasy-whether real or inspired. For the fantasy authors out there, how do you go about researching how a weapon is used? I know many of us have committed the common fantasy sin of writing fantasy combat based on what we've seen on TV or in RPG games, but there are is a real art and science behind weapon use and creation. Even if we are dealing with a fantasy light sword or arrows made from a stone that doesn't exist, the use of the weapon needs to be "forged" with some reality:

My quick questions are:

1. What are your favorite resources for acquiring knowledge on a type of weapon/combat use? Books? Online resources? Videos? Friend or Teacher?

2. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you could tell the author knew what they were talking about or the combat/weapon use seemed natural and accurate.

3. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you where something was off about the weapon use/combat scene. (The RPGs in which very small or thin characters effortlessly wield gigantic swords come to mind...)

4. Have you ever written a combat scene/weapon use the wrong way/missed important details etc. (in your earlier works)?

5. Have you ever read a fantasy book/seen a movie/played a game in which two characters in the same party used the same weapon or combat?:D
I loved the scene from the latest GoTG movie when Star Lord gets upset when Gampora is using the same weapon as him. But really, it's always a sword, axe, arrow, scepter, etc. Are there ever teams where there are like 3 characters (not counting soldiers from the same military) using the same type of sword?
 
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Curlz

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1. What are your favorite resources for acquiring knowledge on a type of weapon/combat use?
The Internet ;) I also like museums and reenactment events where there's a lot of interesting tid-bits.

2. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you could tell the author knew what they were talking about or the combat/weapon use seemed natural and accurate.
I can't :tongue I don't pay much attention to technicalities. They are interesting to read but once I turn the page they disappear from my mind.

3. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you where something was off about the weapon use/combat scene. Movie armor can be obviously ridiculous but fantasy movies are about entertainment, not history lessons. Realistic sword-fights are not as entertaining either.
Movie armor can be ridiculous but fantasy movies are about entertainment, not history lessons. Realistic sword-fights are not as entertaining either. And in fantasy the materials of the sword can be completely different from our world, so why not, maybe they have some very light but huge weapons that a small person can wield.

4. Have you ever written a combat scene/weapon use the wrong way/missed important details etc. (in your earlier works)?
Depends what you mean by "the wrong way". Can a sword go through a stone and get stuck, so that nobody can remove it? Sure! ;)

5. Have you ever read a fantasy book/seen a movie/played a game in which two characters in the same party used the same weapon or combat?:D
Yes. Mass production and bulk deals :Shrug:. The army is usually pretty uniform on weapons.
 

themindstream

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Sticking with answers to question 1:

Scholla Gladitoria - my favorite of the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) focused Youtubers. Youtube's recommendation algorithm should hook you up from there to others in the network of historical weapon guys but start there.

Peter Moorwood - He writes historical fantasy and is a weapons and armor enthusiast; his Tumblr features a lot of relevant stuff (link goes straight to the 'arms and armor' tag)

How to Fight Write - covers all genres and all periods, everything from arms and armor to combat training and military tactics.

Any resources put out by the HEMA enthusiasts (Google is your friend). They'll point you toward things like copies/translations of historical weapon manuals and plenty of demos. Also useful are resources from the Society for Creative Anachronism but I find they tend to be a bit less rigorous and more focused on reenactments with considerations for modern safety.
 

Dusk

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I'm sure I'm much less skilled at this topic than many other writers, but I've tried not to embarrass myself horribly.

The three reference books I have on hand are:

Harold L. Peterson: "A History of Knives."

Edward Tunis: "Weapons: A Pictorial History."

Gerald Weland: "A Collector's Guide to Swords, Daggers and Cutlasses."

I picked up all three by chance, but they're nicely illustrated and have proved helpful.

In terms of websites, ARMA has lots of information, including historical manuals: http://www.thearma.org/manuals.htm

And then there's this links roundup: http://therionarms.com/links.shtml

I've found that online forums are a great place for getting answers from more knowledgeable folks. When I was researching rifles (for a nineteenth-century alternate history novel), I found much of what I needed at YouTube.
 
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indianroads

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I've only read the GOT fantasy books. However I'm starting out on a SciFi book. Several of my friends are military veterans and heavily into firearms - I ask them questions about weapons.
 

SillyLittleTwit

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Research is obviously helpful, but remember that you're a writer. That means bluffing - focusing on character thoughts, or describing results, without giving step by step/blow by blow descriptions.
 

DougR.

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If my character knows more than I do about how to use his weapon, I let them use it and don't bother going into deep detail about how they use it. The reader can presume they're using their weapon in an adequate manner unless I specify otherwise. If I get really technical, I feel most of that information will be lost on an average reader anyway; they won't know what I'm talking about and likely won't care. If I spend a lot of effort and words to describe the technique to the average reader, how does that advance the story? Violence is typically a device to advance your plot, so I just want to perform the violence and move on with the story.

In the few cases in my writing where technique has mattered, I've drawn upon personal experience but still kept the descriptions brief. I've consulted the internet and books as other technical resources (dancing, agriculture, music, etc.).

I can't answer your questions about examples I've seen, because it's not something that I care about as a reader, so nothing ever stuck out at me enough to remember. If an author tries to over-describe a combat scene (in my opinion), I just skim past it to get on with the story.

To your final question, in The Lord of the Rings, characters not using a sword are exceptions. Gimli uses an axe. The type of sword may vary, but they almost all have one. Even Legolas, who uses a bow as his primary weapon, has a two short swords. In my reading, I feel that weapons have always been appropriate to the skill/profession of the character. I can't say I've come across a novel that varied weapons for the sake of varying weapons.
 

Victor Douglas

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1. I notice that the previous posts covered melee weapons pretty well, but firearms are an important element of fantasy as well, and shouldn't be overlooked. There are some great historical firearms encyclopedias out there, including this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0785827382/?tag=absowrit-20

1.b. You should also be aware that once you pick a weapon for your character, there are often lots of resouces just focused on that weapon. Google the weapon name.

2. The duel between Westley and Inigo in "The Princess Bride" is an example of an excellent sword fight scene, which I believe is considered a milestone within the film industry. See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDlZ_SXx5gA


3. Gosh, just about all of them. I'm not a big fan of sword choreography (or firearm choreography) in film.

4. Sometimes you just have to make compromises in order to support the plot. I try to be as realistic as I can (I write technothrillers), but to get from point A to point B, sometimes you have trick the reader. One of my antagonists utilizes a homemade atomic bomb that is much smaller and lighter than it really should be.

5. Only for unimportant secondary characters, since weapon choice is really all about characterization, and therefore each character should pick one that is unique and says something to the audience about that character. The other exception are historical dramas and war movies, since they often go for period accuracy.
 
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BethS

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When it comes to knives and knife-fighting, I have on my shelf Blade Master by John Sanchez and Master of the Blade by Richard Ryan.

For general mayhem, Violence: A Writer's Guide by Rory Miller. This is a generalized book about fighting, with chapters on all kinds of weapons including unarmed combat, and some on "Being Wounded," "Being Hurt," "How You Die," "Mass Combat," "Survival Stress Response," and so forth.

For a good sword fighting scene in a movie, I've been told that the sword fight near the end of Rob Roy is very realistic.
 
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Richard White

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1. What are your favorite resources for acquiring knowledge on a type of weapon/combat use? Books? Online resources? Videos? Friend or Teacher? All of the above, but Books and personal experience (guess that counts as Friends/Teachers) - I fenced foil in college, did heavy fighting (sword & shield, two-handed sword, two sword style, sword and main-gauche, and spear), in the SCA for years and I'm a nidan in Kendo (itto and nito styles) and have done some naginata.

2. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you could tell the author knew what they were talking about or the combat/weapon use seemed natural and accurate. The sword fight in the Princess Bride. Even though it was exaggerated for comedic effect, it was a fantastic fight and Rob Reiner talked about Cary and Mandy taking extra fencing lessons to ensure the fight looked authentic.

3. Describe a fantasy book or movie scene/moment where you where something was off about the weapon use/combat scene. (The RPGs in which very small or thin characters effortlessly wield gigantic swords come to mind...) Japanese Anime is fun to watch but 99% of the fight scenes are completely unrealistic, but intentionally so. Places where they tried to get it right and failed miserably - hmm, that'll take more thought/research.

4. Have you ever written a combat scene/weapon use the wrong way/missed important details etc. (in your earlier works)? I don't think so, but then I try really hard to think through and occasionally act out important fighting scenes ahead of time, just to be sure the move/technique "could" work. Even if I'm not coordinated/talented enough to pull it off, if it could "feasibly" be done, then I believe my heroes should be able to make that snazzy move.

5. Have you ever read a fantasy book/seen a movie/played a game in which two characters in the same party used the same weapon or combat? Yes, but again, mostly for "armies". Roman Armies were primarily spear, javelin, shield, short sword. Medieval armies were lots of guys with spears/polearms, maybe a shield, and light armor - Knights were expensive. *grin*. Most of my stories are late medieval/early renaissance in tone, so lots of rapiers/short swords/main-gauche/bucklers and only a few older fighters still favoring heavier swords. My town guards tend to have the same general equipment, although lieutenants and captains may have a signature weapon because they buy them as opposed to using the stuff from the armory.

I'll have to wait until I get home to get out some of my reference books, but there is a wide variety of weaponry even within a family (even something as simple as a dagger has dozens of variants, which can spice up your character description), but generally, they're all employed the same way.