Melee

[Johan Ottosson]

In my mind... a Duel is a quite controlled event, and both participant can use any techniques they master without the fear of a cheap shot from someone else.

What about a melee where there are several people involved, does it turn into a hackfest, or is there still space for advanced techniques?

Sorry for asking im doing research for a university project. We are making a computer game, and while we can get a dual to be somewhat intricate on the technique side, we still have problems with general melee...

[Stacy Clifford]

Depends on how much room there is to run. Good small group tactics involve running around herding people as much as possible, or if you're one against many, staying on the perimeter and facing fewer opponents on one side of the group. A lot of techniques do go out the window because you're not going to do a lot of fancy footwork while you're running, but things like round cuts, springs, and feints will still work. If you're all bunched up in a tight group, then yeah, it pretty much turns into a hackfest.

[Ryan Ricks]

how about the use of half-swording and thrusting techniques such as the versetzen thrusts of ringeck? would these tighter movements be more suited to melees and fighting in a tighter formation?

[Stacy Clifford]

Yeah, I thought about half-swording after I posted this, and that would be suitable. Still, the closer you are together, the less room you have to maneuver and the more you have to watch your back, so the easiest and most effective thing to do is stick to basics like the 8 cuts and thrusting if you've got the elbow room. A few opportunities for specific techniques may present themselves, but you've got to kill and go and waste as little time as possible when you can't run, 'cause the next guy's right behind the dead one, or next to him, or behind you...