Anstoerra-Middle Wars: THE Pole-Axe

[KiheBard at aol.com]

In a message dated 97-03-21 18:47:12 EST, you write:

> > ...  large mass polearms (esp. a certain poleaxe) were devastatingly 
>  > effective during the bridge battles.  
>  
>  was that one of the dreaded twin "truck tire" axes?  if so, i still
>  have a old helm (first non-freon can) that has several really
>  impressive dents from them (since then gone to much heavier steel) 
  
'wolf, I Don't Know -- I never got close enough to ask about details of
construction.  It was technically a single-edge blade on the axe head, 
but probably had a "hammer" back (some padding built onto the side of
the pole opposite the axeblade).

I do know that the blasted thing really wasn't "safe" as a
polearm. Too heavy, impossible to really control, too long.

MARVELOUS if ya are tring to do real damage, but certainly not anything
I would expect to face currently.  I am convinced that witnesses
(and probably "victims") of that one weapon were intimately involved
in developing the original Ansteorran rules for pole weapons as well
as other two-handed "mass" weapons.

(I think it must have been built on somewhere around 12 to 15 feet of
2 inch unpeeled rattan.  The method of attack was essentially line it
up and let it fall.  I think that in one bridge skirmish the guy carrying the
thing actually got to make five attacks.  Of course, it was also a case 
of "Shield wall? We *laugh* at your shield wall!"  And, yep, my memory
places this terror weapon in the hands of a Midrealm valiant...)

Amra / Kihe / Mike