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fandomhigh2010-10-25 09:17 am
furious-maximus.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh2010-10-25 09:17 am
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Introduction to Personal Weaponry [Monday, second period]
Max looked rather relaxed. This wasn't unusual, of course, and probably not even worth noting. So we'll move on.
"Most hand-to-hand weapons are fairly simple. What I mean by this is that there hasn't been a tremendous amount of technological development in the field. A sword is a sword. Of course there are some swords that are better than others, but generally speaking there haven't been massive sword design revolutions. And, in fact, this is true of most hand-to-hand weapons."
Max cocked his head, wondering if anyone was going to object. "The same can't be said of ranged weapons. To bring us up to modern time here in Fandom, we've got through three or four major phases, depending on how you count them. And most timelines seem to go through at least one more. Thrown weapons, mechanical weapons, tension weapons, chemical weapons, and often energy weapons."
Max waved broadly. "We've already worked with thrown weapons, so you should be familiar with those. The next major development is usually mechanical weapon. Which is a fancy way of saying a tool that helps you throw things better. We'll be looking at just two of them today."
"First up is the atlatl." Max held up a stick that looked to be about two feet long. "Some people call this a 'spear thrower', which turns out to be a pretty good name since that's what it's designed to do. And it's simple." Max picked up a narrow spear about four feet long, clearly not designed for anything but throwing, and fit it against a notch at one end of the atlatl. Then he turned to the side, toward the targets set up against one of the walls, and whipped his arm forward. There was a low hum as the atlatl swung through the air, and then the spear was buried in the target.
"The atlatl essentially makes the arm longer, adding more leverage to your throw. When made with the right materials, the atlatl can also compress the force of a throw into a shorter time. Both of these things add power which results in longer range and greater penetration."
Max put down the atlatl and picked up a piece of thin rope about six feet long that had a little patch of leather in the middle. "And this, some of you may recognize, is a sling. It operates on pretty much the same principle as an atlatl, but it achieves that principle in a slightly different way." Max picked up a marble from his desk, loaded the sling, whipped it around his head once, and let go of one end. There was a faint whistling sound as the sling spun over his head, and then a thunk as the marble hit the target.
"Again, the sling serves to increase the effective length of the arm in order to provide greater range and penetration."
"So today I want you to pick one of these two weapons and get familiar with it. Then pair up with someone who picked the other weapon and compare notes. Figure out if you think you'd be better suited with the one you didn't choose. And do this seriously because this week? You've got homework."
Ha! Bet they hadn't expected that!
"Another advantage of both the atlatl and the sling is that they're extremely simple weapons. The atlatl is a carved stick, and the sling is a length of rope with a cradle of some sort attached to it. So each of you is going to make one, and next week you'll demonstrate it for the class."
"So take the rest of our time today to figure out which one you want to make." He smiled. "Good luck."
"Most hand-to-hand weapons are fairly simple. What I mean by this is that there hasn't been a tremendous amount of technological development in the field. A sword is a sword. Of course there are some swords that are better than others, but generally speaking there haven't been massive sword design revolutions. And, in fact, this is true of most hand-to-hand weapons."
Max cocked his head, wondering if anyone was going to object. "The same can't be said of ranged weapons. To bring us up to modern time here in Fandom, we've got through three or four major phases, depending on how you count them. And most timelines seem to go through at least one more. Thrown weapons, mechanical weapons, tension weapons, chemical weapons, and often energy weapons."
Max waved broadly. "We've already worked with thrown weapons, so you should be familiar with those. The next major development is usually mechanical weapon. Which is a fancy way of saying a tool that helps you throw things better. We'll be looking at just two of them today."
"First up is the atlatl." Max held up a stick that looked to be about two feet long. "Some people call this a 'spear thrower', which turns out to be a pretty good name since that's what it's designed to do. And it's simple." Max picked up a narrow spear about four feet long, clearly not designed for anything but throwing, and fit it against a notch at one end of the atlatl. Then he turned to the side, toward the targets set up against one of the walls, and whipped his arm forward. There was a low hum as the atlatl swung through the air, and then the spear was buried in the target.
"The atlatl essentially makes the arm longer, adding more leverage to your throw. When made with the right materials, the atlatl can also compress the force of a throw into a shorter time. Both of these things add power which results in longer range and greater penetration."
Max put down the atlatl and picked up a piece of thin rope about six feet long that had a little patch of leather in the middle. "And this, some of you may recognize, is a sling. It operates on pretty much the same principle as an atlatl, but it achieves that principle in a slightly different way." Max picked up a marble from his desk, loaded the sling, whipped it around his head once, and let go of one end. There was a faint whistling sound as the sling spun over his head, and then a thunk as the marble hit the target.
"Again, the sling serves to increase the effective length of the arm in order to provide greater range and penetration."
"So today I want you to pick one of these two weapons and get familiar with it. Then pair up with someone who picked the other weapon and compare notes. Figure out if you think you'd be better suited with the one you didn't choose. And do this seriously because this week? You've got homework."
Ha! Bet they hadn't expected that!
"Another advantage of both the atlatl and the sling is that they're extremely simple weapons. The atlatl is a carved stick, and the sling is a length of rope with a cradle of some sort attached to it. So each of you is going to make one, and next week you'll demonstrate it for the class."
"So take the rest of our time today to figure out which one you want to make." He smiled. "Good luck."
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The lecture
Pick a weapon
Re: Pick a weapon
Re: Pick a weapon
Re: Pick a weapon
He threw the atlatl he was holding onto the floor, where it landed next to the sling he'd been trying to use. And then he glared at them. "ONE of you is going to start behaving!" he announced. "Which one is it going to be?"
Re: Pick a weapon
Re: Pick a weapon
Partner up
Re: Partner up
Re: Partner up
Talk to Max
OOC