[Ansteorra] Combat Archery on a lighter note

DAFPIG at aol.com DAFPIG at aol.com
Wed Aug 20 06:56:27 PDT 2003


Greeting all, 

I wrote the below piece about 5 years ago, It seems to be the perfect time
to resurrect it ( with a few minor changes) as the melee season is about to 
begin.  Ansteorra needs
more combat archers,,,come on out and have a good time:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

Well, its that time of the year again. The weather is starting to cool 
down(maybe) and the roars and grunts of the fighters can be hear echoing 
through the wood and fields. Once again it is archery season. I have put 
together a few tips for those of you hunting these extordinary creatures for 
the first time. 

1. Baiting: the use of an object/s to encourage your prey to come to you. 

A. Heavy Fighters: The best bait for these massive animals is the use 
of decoys. They cannot seem to resist the clashing and banging around of 
thier own kind. When they see other fighters fighting, they tend to rush 
headlong to join them. If you don't have access to such decoys, try spreading 

some bright shiny objects around such as stainless steel gaunlets or a shiny 
helm, using long peices as ratten is also effective. Heavy fighters are 
drawn to such things as these. 

B. Light fighters: Oh, the rare and elusive light fighter, We usually 
don't hunt these graceful creatures because of thier rarity. They don't seem 
drawn to the noise of others fighting. So I have found that to effectively 
bait them into range, one must use other objects to entice them. The use of 
a few yards of expensive trim or lace seems to work, What always does the job 

though, is the sight of very sharp, fancy clothing. This approach has never 
failed me yet. 

2. Choosing your hunting Terrain: have a working knowledge of the terrain you 

will be hunting in. 

A. Open field: The open fields are the most common area to find both 
heavy and light game. This is the area they perfer to engage in their ritual 
combat. Because of the lack of ready cover, an archer must stay alert and on 
thier toes at all times. Being spotted by one of these fierce creatures can 
be dangerous. 

B. Bridges: For some unkown reason, Heavy fighters tend to gather at 
bridges. They strive to reach the other side, push and fighting thier way 
through. Ironically, it doesn't seem to matter which side they start from, as 

long as they end up on the opposite bank. It is here that we archers revel in 

the ease of the kill. Often it is too easy to bag your limit and only the 
fact 
that your quiver is empty do you stop. 

3. Types of archery equipment: What tips to use, and when. 

A. There are ,of course, a multitude of tips avaliable this season, the 
Markland, Thistle and several types of Baldar blunts. We won't be discussing 
the 
disgusting golf tube thingys. Remember, Heavy fighters are encased in an 
armor-like skin. The thickness of this pelt varies with each individual. I 
usually start with a fine Markland tip or perhaps a baldar blunt for average 
game. I switch to my Thistle tips ,at close range, when I encounter thicker 
pelted fighters. Often these massive animals are unable to feel that they are 

dying, stuck on the end of a wonderful shot. It is during these times, One 
should verbally remind them of this fact. Often a POLITE verbal reminder will 
do the 
job. 

B. +++ Special note for the lighter game. Use only the foam covered 
Marklands to hunt this prey. These animals tend to be VERY thin pelted and 
are usually easily damaged. 

4. Safety tips: when to run like heck. 

A. A combat archer must ALWAYS be on thier toes and aware of what is 
going on. For some reason, most of the massive heavy prey hate archers on 
site and will go to extreme measures to kill us. Upon sighting archery 
equipment, Heavy fighters tend to foam and fleck at the mouth, in a desperate 

attempt to stop us. So be aware. One way to avoid such encounters when being 
chased by these lumbering mammonths, is to run directly into another group of 

heavies. This tends to confuse the pursuing fighter and they usually stop to 
fight with the heavies you are hiding among. If you are caught out in the 
open with no means of escape, Fall to the ground or your knees yelling "I 
YEILD". This has 2 effects on these animals. 1st, they stop their headlong 
charge on you and 2nd, instead of whompen you, they tend to just tap you. I 
don't know if they are confused by the yelling or the falling to the ground. 

Well, These are all the tips I have for now. The season is opening for a 
majority of us next weekend at Gothic Wars. Come on out if you can and go 
hunting with us. 

Countess Octavia 





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