What fantasy gets wrong about mediaeval weapons

Yeah, Shad is great for all kinds of medieval knowledge, not just weapons and combat.
 
You mean this is not real? I don't believe you o_O

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The 1981 movie Excalibur . Got a few things wrong.:)
 
Yes, fantasy. At the same time, there are things that will strain the willingness of my disbelief suspension. Everyone has different lines to cross. I think a thieves guild is just dumb and have never liked a story with that in it. It bothers other people not at all. At the same time, I've yet to pause while reading to scowl at how that dwarf is holding an axe.

It's worth reading all those "this is wrong" articles, though, so you're at least aware. After all, forewarned is half an octopus.
 
sknox said:
a thieves guild is just dumb
Click to expand...
Seriously?

With all the crime organizations that have existed in the "real world", a fantasy one strikes at your ability to suspend disbelief?

If you'd lived in Al Capone's Chicago, you wouldn't have went abut knocking over speak-easy's without his permission. That's what a "Thieves' Guild" is. No, The least of my problems in fantasy are the guilds - many more than just criminal ones have existed in the "real world".

But, perhaps it's the way these guilds have been presented that you find hard to swallow, for I've had the same problem with the one's I've read. The 2nd Edition AD&D handbook on such guilds was excellent, and I built my world's largest guild based on that. But those in novels I've seen have seemed rather silly. A well-constructed guild with a central figure leading actually makes more sense than hundreds of thieves in a major city being given free reign to do as they wish.

Plus, there's the Chief Constable who'll be wanting his cut...
 
Technically, dragons can't fly because they're too big. But we all know that really they do :)

With weapons, there are limits to credibility, but some flexibility is allowed.
 
Apparently bumblebee flight does make sense when you account for changing the wing angle for the 'backswing' so they get lift from both directions of wing flapping.

And now to peruse the video.
 
Remember science can't tell you what can and cannot happen. It can only tell you how a thing might happen and from that what might and might not be possible within that realm of understanding. Once you expand the core understanding and adjust how things happen or discover new things happening, then the possibilities of what can and cannot be start to vary!


Personally I only find issue when a novel isn't accurate within itself, though an author having a greater understanding of the real world and what can and cannot happen can directly build into a better fantasy because they've a greater appreciation for when they are breaking those rules. A horse that runs flat out for a whole day and doesn't founder at the end; coupled to a rider who isn't crippled at the end of that ride is fantastical - understanding that means that the author can work in details that flesh out their world setting as to why this is possible. It adds depth to the fantasy by understanding reality.
 
A criminal organization isn't a guild. A band of thieves out in the forest is a criminal organization, but it's not a guild. A gang of thieves, sure. A guild of thieves? Nope. I realize this is solely because I studied guilds for years, so this is a particular issue with me.
 
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