At this year's PAX in Melbourn a few sword fighters will get together for a panel discussing sword combat in games. The Panel will take place Saturday, October 8th at 4:30pm in Galah Theatre and you should definitely join us.
Join us as a panel of real life sword fighters discuss how different games reflect real world history and the practice of sword combat. Panellists include a historian, an expert in interactive narrative, and a LARP designer, all of whom have real world sword fighting experience as practitioners of historical fencing, LARP, iaido or metal weapons re-enactment. Join us for a cutting edge discussion on game combat.
Panellists Are:
Tim (they/them), who facilitates classes at The Old Sword Club in Sydney. Tim is a HEMA practitioner of Victoriana Era fencing, focussing on sabre fencing, knife fighting and duelling sword. They also dabble in recreating Viking Age fighting, and have a background in metal weapons re-enactment, along with having trained boxing, submission wrestling and modern knife combatives. Tim is also a trained historian specialising in Victorian Britain and the Viking Age, and even wrote their thesis on the works of fencer Alfred Hutton.
Mosh (he/him), who has a full blown neurotic obsession with swords and even forgot that literature other than fencing manuals existed for a four year period. Mosh primarily teaches 17th rapier at the Fitzroy College of Arms, though actively trains all historical weapons as a HEMA practitioner. He has also won or placed highly in numerous HEMA competitions. Mosh is a veteran larper and has fought in battles ranging from duels and two on two fights to battles with 800 or even a thousand people.
Lois (she/they), who has nearly twenty years of experience as a HEMA practitioner with a current focus on 16th-17th century Iberian fencing styles. She currently teaches rapier, both with and without companion weapons as a provost and instructor at the Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship. Lois has also trained in Japanese sword arts and is a Nidan in Muso Shinden Ryu. They also translate manuals for fun and have done academic research into interactive narrative.
How to get into sword fighting:
Part of the goal of this panel may have been to inspire you to get into real world sword fighting. We hope it did. Here's a handy guide for where to find a friendly sword club in whichever type of sword fighting you most appeals to you (though practising multiple approaches to sword fighting is super fun as well, so don't feel limited to one).
Where the panellists sword:
Lois (Brisbane)
HEMA: Brisbane School of Iberian Swordsmanship
Tim (Sydney)
HEMA: The Old Sword Club
- https://theoldswordclub.com
- https://www.facebook.com/theoldswordclub/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF4XQGnPl1ZLRNTlX5AWGIw
- https://twitter.com/theoldswordclub
Mosh (Melbourne)
HEMA: Fitzroy College of Arms
- http://www.melbournesalle.com/schools/fitzroy-college-of-arms/
- https://www.facebook.com/FitzroyCollegeOfArms/
LARP: Swordcraft
- http://www.swordcraft.com.au/
- https://www.facebook.com/swordcraftlarp/
- Instagram:@swordcraftlarp
Other places you can do sword fighting:
For a list of Australian based HEMA clubs go to: https://www.aushistoricalfencing.com/schools
For a list of LARP groups and events check out: https://ofscienceandswords.com.au/australian-larp-directory
For a list of metal weapons re-enactment groups check out: https://www.alhf.org.au/mem_grps.html
For a list of places that do Buhurt/HMB go to https://www.australianmedievalcombat.com/affiliated-clubs/all-clubs
Panel notes:
Key Terms:
HEMA - Historical European Martial Arts
The practice of reconstructing historical martial arts, mostly swordplay, from Europe and its colonies through interpretation of sources designed to tell you how to fight.
LARP - Live Action Role Play.
Acting out rpg stories in real life, often using simulated combat for fight scenes.
Buhurt/HMB (Historical Medieval Battle)
A modern combat sport recreating medieval armoured tournaments, mostly focused on group combat, known for its brutality.
Metal weapons re-enactment
Historical re-enactment involving mock combat wearing historical armour and using blunt versions of historical weapons while placing limitations on technique to render that safe.
Some Games That get sword fighting:
Hellish Quarte (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1000360/Hellish_Quart/)
Uses ragdoll physics and clever camera angels to recreate real sword moves in a one on one sword fighting game. Fights are short, quick and deadly.
Mount & Blade: Banner Lord (https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord)
Combat uses specific lines of attack and defence, and active parrying, distance control, and feinting are all important to combat. While the animations are not real technique the dynamics of combat feel like a sword fight.
Dark Souls (https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/dark-souls-remastered)
Has a tactical framework that is beautifully similar to real sword fighting. Even if the actual sword techniques are nothing like real ones the feel the game creates is very similar to the real panic of a sword fight.