What would you wield/wear into combat?

[cripples and broken things]

My weapon would have to be something light because I am not strong. I like swords, but it would have to be something like Needle. I'm pretty partial to poison spears however after reading about the Red Viper. I have no qualms about fighting dirty - them or me.

[serdog]

Power armor and a class five energy rifle (OP said any resources)

[Ser Bullitin The Board]

1 on 1 duel?

Armour- chain shirt and leggings: 6 in 1 valyrian steel chain with 1/8" leather backing. Over that, 1/2" quilted wool. 1/4" wax boiled leather headgear with wrap around tempered glass sunglasses, red tint.(dirt and improves perspective while highlighting movement) Valyrian Steel half plate, 1/16" plates. Steel toed boots with x3 1" steel spikes. Elbow and knee guards with x2 1" steel spikes with the middle being 2"(a good knee or elbow can punch through thin plating)

Arms- I'm right hand dominate so a 2' flanged mace: high carbon steel 1 lb head with a bronze clad hickory haft weighing 3 lb overall. Left would be a Kilij: Valyrian Steel obviously, rondell hand guard with a 2/3rd balance and weighing 3.5 lb overall.

Oh, and a double shot of scotch beforehand. . . . and a 18" barrel standard T.C. Contender, chambered in 45.70 Govt. with a brass FMJ round.

[Ser Waleed Malik]

Gilded Plate Armor with A Longsword, Dagger and an Oak Shield. A Gondorian type helmet for better vision.

[Lord Damian]

1- jockstrap with protective cup

2- leather- not too tight

3- light chain

4- light steel

5- running tennis shoes - so I could run like hell

6- light sword - Valryrian sword hopefully and light metal sheild

7- 1.5 foot dagger

8- open face helmet with nose protector

[onetruegod]

needle, that is all. armour is for people who intend to get hit

[Greenblood]

ALCHEMIST'S WILDFIRE!!!!

:devil:

[wolverine]

Iron Man suit and a toothpick. Oh we only get the technology available at that time, not imaginary technology outside of Westeros?

Then Valyrian steel mail, a round shield, and Valyrian one-handed sword. I just can't imagine fighting in plate armor. Probably my best asset is my agility/mobility seems like plate armor would negate that. But who knows, can they make Valyrian plate that would be much lighter?

[MinotaurWarrior]

All you full plate wearers: not counting the weapons you'd probably be wearing an extra 40-50 pounds just with the armor. So you better start walking around with weight belts to get ready for your epic battle.

Articulated plate feels more like you just got really fat, then like you're carrying around a lot of weight. It's surprisingly easy to adjust to. Chainmail, on the other hand, is actually heavier for the same coverage, puts all the load on your shoulders, and buffets the wearer as you move. However, Chainmail is actually the superior defensive garb under many circumstances.

When you are wearing full plate armor and mail, a shield is superfluous since attacks will do little and less to you, unless they hit a critical point (e.g. joint). It's something that Martin, perhaps intentionally, has overlooked as well: why would Gregor and Victarion use shields, when they're covered in heavy and thick plate from head to heel with mail underneth...?

You're completely correct. Additionally, swords are really quite inferior against a man in armor. Most knights used things like spiked hammers, spiked maces and poleaxes, if they were going up against another armored fighter. I think Martin just went with what his readers would expect, over what was realistic.

For me, it depends on what I'm getteing into. Being sent against the typical Westerosi infantry, I'd wear well-padded articulated plate, ride a gelding or mare draped in chain, and wield a valyrian steel Dadao (because I own one irl and am used to it). It'd offer the best protection against spear-stabs, and the somewhat heavy curved blade would be well suited towards quickly killing unarmored peasants.

Against a single, mid-level Westerosi knight (no valyrian steel. Sword, shield, and articulated plate) I'd wear a maille hauberk (shirt with sleaves, also covers the upper thigh), with three support belts on my chest, and two on each arm (under-arm, waist, hips, above bicep, below elbow), metal greives, and a solid helmet / gorget. I'd wield three weapons: a weighted net, a cat o'nine tails with valyrian steel barbs, and a valyrian steel spear. Valyrian steel is described as being able to cut through steel, so by attaching them to a cat o'nine tails I'd be able to wreak havoc with their armor, bending the steel inward around the cut, impairing them. Of course, the cat o'nine tails would also likely cut through itself. At that point, I'd switch to the spear, and poke 'em to death.

Against a high lord with a valyrian or equivalent weapon, I'd wear somewhat stiff leather. From my back, the center of my chest, and the outside surface of my upper arms, long thin metal spikes would stick out. These spikes would be pointed alternatively upwards and downwards. I can't stop valyrian steel, but I could deflect it somewhat, by making it pass through areas of inconsistent resistance. I'd wield a blowgun with valyrian darts, or, if that is not allowed, multiple long ropes with heavy stones at the ends. I'd swing them around and around on the ground, switching ropes if he cut through one. My aim would be to knock him down by binding his feet together, or force him to play jumprope with limited vision (leading to a likely fall). Once he's on the ground, I'd stab him with a Valyrian steel dagger.

I do not play fair.

[So1ar]

And that brings me onto the swords. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that they would need serious weight training to wield a medieval sword. Nope. Those huge 5 or 6 foot two handed swords are 5 or 6 lbs at the most. Most smaller swords were of course considerably lighter, and incredibly well balanced too.

I can't say for the two-handed sword but I've held a regular single-handed sword that most knights would have carried. It was suprisingly light. I'm not a big guy but I could easily move it around pretty quickly. I think the swordsmith said it was about 3 pounds. However, if I had full armor on I'm sure the weight would make my arm a little slower. A mace or warhammer would be the only weapons I would be concerned if I was strong enough to weild.

[DireLlama]

Then Valyrian steel mail, a round shield, and Valyrian one-handed sword. I just can't imagine fighting in plate armor. Probably my best asset is my agility/mobility seems like plate armor would negate that. But who knows, can they make Valyrian plate that would be much lighter?

Plate armour hardly affects mobility at all. If plate had all these disadvantages that people assume it did, knights wouldn't have worn so much of it. As has been mentioned before, the only significant disadvantage to a suit of full plate armour was the reduction in perception of your surroundings due to narrow vision slits.

My weapon would have to be something light because I am not strong. I like swords, but it would have to be something like Needle. I'm pretty partial to poison spears however after reading about the Red Viper. I have no qualms about fighting dirty - them or me.

Similarly, swords were not heavy. Typically, an arming sword would be of a similar weight to a baseball bat, only better balanced making it much easier to swing for long periods of time.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Milanese Plate of Valyrian Steel. A longsword or warhammer and shield ahorse, or greatsword or greataxe afoot and a dagger in reserve. Tall guy, long reach, but not particularly fast. Best hit the foes while they are still 10 feet away.

[Rakka]

Swords require practice to wield efficiently though. Mace (flanged) or club would be the easiest to pick up and defend yourself with without putting in some serious practice.

Valyrian steel may be strong enough to cut normal steel, but it's not like it doesn't need any force to do it. The cat with v.steel spikes is a ridiculous idea. The weight of the barbs is not going to be anywhere close to sufficient for piercing steel unless you managed to swing it at ludirous speed. But yeah, ring mail is far more cumbersome to wear than plate or lamellar armour. Those are self-supporting. When I was at Wolin viking festival this summer I made the mistake of borrowing someone's ring mail... my back was hurting before we even got out to the field. And it's only useful agains slashing damage, blunt trauma gets through just fine. (Which makes it really stupid choise in re-enactment combat sport, since the weapons are dull anyway...)

[Maester Luwin]

Valyrian shield and sword.

And dressed in mail.

[Rakka]

Assuming I'd have to actually fight a duel... full plate armour of valyrian steel but the helmet with normal steel also, to act as a shock absorber, light kite shield with metal edge and leather/linen facing, and an axe with a peen. Rondel dagger for sidearm.

I know the combination is sub-optimal, but I've done most of my fighting with round center-grip shields and sabre or axe, and sabres are fine for slashing but pretty useless against other armoured people. A light helmet is more comfortable to wear, but any blows to the head that have their momentum absorbed by the helmet means less momentum impacted to my brain.

In a battle... either the same, and polish up the armour so that I'd get ransomed. :P Or as a member of ballista crew. And then I'd invent gunpowder.

[Riffraff]

I would go with 2 katars whick makes short work of all armor with the sacrifice of distance. For armor I would wear rawhide leather for a bit of protection without hindering movement. Obviously I would be pretty reliant on speed and evasion

[Bunyon Knight]

Two scimitars, one of them I shall call Twinkle and the other's name will be Icingdeath. They'll have fire and ice properties respectively. I'll also wear a fine mithral shirt for armor and a pair of ankletes of über quickness because I'll need my legs to be able to keep up with my rediculously fast blade-work. Also I will carry with me a small onyx figurine of a panther. I will be able to use the figurine to summon a 600 pound panther named Guenhwywar to my aid(although I will be able to do it only once every two days or so)

Oh and when my wife dies, I'll take her magic bow named Taulmaril the Heart Seeker with a quiver that has an inexhaustable supply of arrows which look like small bolts of lightning when shot and can pierce 3 people in one shot.

[Bright Blue Eyes]

Two scimitars, one of them I shall call Twinkle and the other's name will be Icingdeath. They'll have fire and ice properties respectively. I'll also wear a fine mithral shirt for armor and a pair of ankletes of über quickness because I'll need my legs to be able to keep up with my rediculously fast blade-work. Also I will carry with me a small onyx figurine of a panther. I will be able to use the figurine to summon a 600 pound panther named Guenhwywar to my aid(although I will be able to do it only once every two days or so)

Oh and when my wife dies, I'll take her magic bow named Taulmaril the Heart Seeker with a quiver that has an inexhaustable supply of arrows which look like small bolts of lightning when shot and can pierce 3 people in one shot.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Auska]

I would go into battle naked as my name day screaming HODOR HODOR HODOR to throw off my enemies, also cus my skill is so great i need not worry about being hit and not having anything on will increase my speed.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html

[Sivin]

I'd wear chain mail under a studded leather jerkin and maybe a halfhelm if I liked the feel. I'm not sacrificing my mobility.

And I'd probably fight with a hand-and-a-half sword, and a standard shield. I'm fairly strong, and that shield can make a good weapon.