Paladium Book of
Weapons and Armor

Book Review

Reviewed by Mark Swanson

Pre-gunpowder skirmish and role playing games suffer from the multitude of historical weapons and armor types. Recently I've stuck to skirmishes set in Medieval Europe but even so must continually fudge up new stats. (Quick: how would you rate a Flemish godendag? How effective against typical 1320 armor?) Notoriously in role playing games, the latest obscure oriental pandybat's always a superweapon. With WEAPONS AND ARMOR by Matthew Balent you can solve these problems. Anyone who aims at "realistic" pre- gunpowder skirmishes should buy it. New rule writers should consider including adaption algorithms.

It covers forty types of historical armor and over five hundred melee weapons and "tools" (hair pins?!). Major historical armor types are defined, illustrated and average masses given. WEAPONS & ARMOR then estimates a clumsiness penalty and relative "resistance factors" (0-12) to cut, chop, thrust and impact attacks. It does not cover missle weapons, to my regret. The worst mistake I've noticed is the Aztec warrior in loincloth instead of quilted armor.

Weapons listings include a small drawing, mass, length, attack types, and ratings for attack quickness, ease of parrying and damage done. The user must transform these numbers for his preferred combat system (few will need all of them). The ratings seem to be based on SCA experience, recent experiments and rational deduction, not THE FAERIE QUEEN or Samaurai flicks.

The pamphlet's typeset clearly, but on newsprint, with soft covers and reasonable pen and ink half page pictures by Walsh and Siembieda. Nineteen cover western Europe from the Franks through 1600, three are "Ancients" scenes and the rest illustrate points east. You're paying for the pamphlet's contents, not its packaging. (Palladium Books, 5669 Casper Ave. Detroit, MI, USA 48210. 52 pp. 32 B & W illus. $4.95)

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