Turgon
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Sun 25 Jul 2021, 18:11

They are inspired by REAL anglo-saxon swords. Which is the period from which Tolkien was using for the inspiration for his books.
Here an example from the British Museum:

Image
This is a sword for a warrior. It has a good balance. If the art looked anything like this wouldn't I said anything.
 
Turgon
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Sun 25 Jul 2021, 18:14

Those other museum pieces are closer to those in the rulebook, but even they have a less pronounced pointy end.

I've made the rulebook ones narrower and longer and shaved off some of the extra-pointiness of the ends and think these look nicer whilst remaining true to their Anglo-Saxon heritage.

altered-swords.jpg

The Long sword you redid is very good. The Sword is still a tad too broad at the base, but much better than the original.
 
Turgon
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Sun 25 Jul 2021, 18:22

They are inspired by REAL anglo-saxon swords. Which is the period from which Tolkien was using for the inspiration for his books.
Inspired maybe but the drawings are much more pointy and wider at the base than the museum piece you showed (if they looked more like the museum piece I would be happy).
What about this other museum pieces?
Image
As I mentioned, there is wonderful swords from the Edo area that looks like nothing else. I don't know if British Museeum have returned them to Nigeria, and the Museeum in Benin City yet. But those swords are ceremonial swords. Just because a sword hangs in a museeum doesn't make it a sword for a warrior.

It took a very long time for the british to figure out the Benin swords. About 100 years later people from the Edo region told them that those swords was for ceremonial purpose and not for war. Before that did the brittons believe it was swords for war. That how those swords was labelled at the British Museeum. Imagine the shame over their stupidity and ignorance.
 
gyrovague
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Sun 25 Jul 2021, 19:03

Imagine the shame over their stupidity and ignorance.
Wow.
 
Dorjcal
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Sun 25 Jul 2021, 21:29



Inspired maybe but the drawings are much more pointy and wider at the base than the museum piece you showed (if they looked more like the museum piece I would be happy).
What about this other museum pieces?
Image
And you are sure that is not ceremonial swords? They have a horrible balance.
Nope, this type of sword is designed to fight in very tight quarters and it was really popular in Venice (were there are a lot of alleys)
 
Turgon
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Mon 09 Aug 2021, 19:11



What about this other museum pieces?
Image
And you are sure that is not ceremonial swords? They have a horrible balance.
Nope, this type of sword is designed to fight in very tight quarters and it was really popular in Venice (were there are a lot of alleys)
As I understand it was the cinquedea knife and short sword a Civilian weapon, used by very rich people in Venice and Northern Italy during the Renaissance. The length was commonly 45 cm, but it could vary from ca 25 cm to 70 cm. In short, not much for a sword made for battle. Compare to other knifes (that it replaced), it gave ugly cutting blows. But it isn't much more then a brutal knife when it comes to it. Its main purpose was to thrust and stab. Due to its poor balance its user are at great disadvantage in a fight against a ordinary sword.

So back to my original post, it isn't designed to be used as a fighting weapon by a warrior. The blade is too short, and not very well balanced. This is a weapon for civilians, during the 15th and 16 centuries. It has a decorative purpose more then anything. It was used during a period that comes after Early and Mid- Middle Ages which is the era Tolkien had as an inspiration and reference for his world. In other words, this type of knife or short sword doesn't fit no matter how we cut it.
 
AegirLifstan43
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Mon 30 Aug 2021, 18:49

I know it's a zombie post..

But the artwork as regards weapons is terrible. Super stylized, without any seeming reference to real weaponry.
It's reminiscent more of a parody of 80's DnD art, than anything more historically grounded.
The exception is not the rule. I can find any particular array of bizarre weaponry from 15th century Northern Italy. That such an example may be found however, in the shape of a specialized dueling weapon made custom for an Italian cloth merchant, bears little relevance to the Early Middle Age Saxon/Jutland motif which the combat is noted with by Tolkien.

It's incredibly disappointing, 1e was extremely sane as regards weapons, if a little more stylized in other ways. This is a step down, to be sure.
 
Nicklongshanks
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Mon 30 Aug 2021, 20:41

Joining in to the resurrection of the zombie post, terrible sword look in the alpha art.
 
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Fenhorn
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Re: Alpha Feedback - Artistic issue with Swords, p.48

Mon 30 Aug 2021, 20:49

Moderator Action: I don't know what the finalized version will lock like or not but this thread is all about the alpha and that period is over.
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