Shield technology seems pretty simple, right? It’s a block of wood or metal that you use with your off-hand to block incoming blows.
It’s not quite that simple. The shape of your shield matters a great deal, especially in the context of your fighting style and the melee around you.
The presenter in this video is Jason Kingsley OBE (Officer of the British Empire). You’d watch this punchy documentary and assume he’s a historian.
He is, but he’s also the Co-Founder, Creative Director and CEO of Rebellion. That’s the company that owns Judge Dredd’s 2000 AD and makes computer games like Strange Company. That’s impressive.
I suspect that means Kingsley will know why tabletop roleplayers are interested in the video. Should the paladin in heavy armour even be using a shield? The answer hinted at in this video is: no.
Equally, it seems more character classes could be experienced in shield wall fighting (although fantasy RPGs are a bit more prone to fireballs and other radius impacts than medieval ones) and isn’t that going to make for some exciting rule discussions.
