Westeros warfare and armor glitches

[Kozma]

GRRM is very attentive and meticulous to details. However some things are very inconsistent. It makes me wonder is that intentionally or just to make things more glorious and fancy.

What I can name just from the top of my head:

1. Dromonds and galleys. Dromonds are primitive type of Byzantine galleys. KL fleet before it was destroyed was stuffed with galleys. Why when they rebuilt it they started building dromonds.

2. Armor. A typical westorosy knight is clad with something that by description looks like a very sophisticated maximilian armor. That is XVI century armor developed as a response to spreading of firearm.

3. Battleaxes vs swords. Sword-fighter always won when he faces battleax (not hallebarde) no matter in the single combat or formation. Proven by numerous battles. Described in full details on the Bayeux Tapestry.

4. Arakh - it is a ridiculous weapon why he did not stick to standard sabre or yataghan?

5. Longbows seem to be widespread. Historically it is weapon of choice of English freemen. It required very high skills to operate.

[Drinking Cersei's Tears]

I assumed an arakh was just a scimitar.

[The Knight of ...]

I assumed an arakh was just a scimitar.

Me too, I was kinda confused when I saw the shows version.

[Kozma]

Scimitar is less curved. Arakh by description is curved like a sickle but with bladed outer edge. Even curviest scimitars were not as curved as sickle and they are double bladed... Arakh is slashing weapon, scimitar is good for both slashing and thrusting

[jarl the climber]

IMO the Arrakh is a weapon that was created for the Dothraki Sea, having a sword that you can use as a scythe migth be useful in the grasslands. The Dothraki don't wear armor so it wasn't developed to counter that.

[Kozma]

IMO the Arrakh is a weapon that was created for the Dothraki Sea, having a sword that you can use as a scythe migth be useful in the grasslands.

Usually weapon is not used as an agricultural tool. It may derived from such like Japanese kama. Agricultural tool can be used as a weapon however. Famous pitchfork works great.

[Jaehaerys Sand]

Are Dromonds smaller than galleys? They might have made the dromonds because they are faster to build and wanted to get a move on before the Targaryens could flee.

[The Swaggering Bravo]

Armor similar to Gothic was more popular around the XV century when its main purpose was to deflect arrows.

[Fearsome Fred]

One thing that stood out in my mind was the description of King Robert's warhammer. I don't recall the precise words, but it sounded impossibly heavy - even for a "larger than life" person like King Robert.

Real weapons are not enormously heavy. They may require great strength to use with skill and speed, but a child could lift them.

[Kozma]

Dromond is actually a galley but could have two oar rows. They may be bigger then galleys and used to have a fire thrusting device. But historically dromond ships were displaced by Genoa "galleys".

[The GRRumbler]

Usually weapon is not used as an agricultural tool. It may derived from such like Japanese kama. Agricultural tool can be used as a weapon however. Famous pitchfork works great.

I think he is talking about the geography of the region, being a vast, plane land, with few or no trees, the arakh is problably meant to be used on horseback in slashing movement and is not used to contain strokes.

But i agree with the OP, it doesn't looks like a good weapon, and about the other stuff he mentioned too.

[Hyperion94]

They probably rebuilt the fleet as dromonds because they were cheaper, being mre primitive, they probably require less materials

[Kozma]

Armor similar to Gothic was more popular around the XV century when it's main purpose was to deflect arrows.

Gorgets and lobstered steel are more like parts of Renaissance time armor.

[Fire Eater]

Scimitar is less curved. Arakh by description is curved like a sickle but with bladed outer edge. Even curviest scimitars were not as curved as sickle and they are double bladed... Arakh is slashing weapon, scimitar is good for both slashing and thrusting

From the double-edged broadswords and bravo blades Dany had seen, a scimitar(Mongolian scimitar which was made with a slight curve, good for fighting on horseback) would look to her like a cross between a sword and a scythe.

[Jaehaerys Sand]

I think he is talking about the geography of the region, being a vast, plane land, with few or no trees, the arakh is problably meant to be used on horseback in slashing movement and is not used to contain strokes.

But i agree with the OP, it doesn't looks like a good weapon, and about the other stuff he mentioned too.

True, but keep in mind the Dothraki mostly fight unarmed and untrained villagers and each other. It wasn't designed to go through armor.

[Kozma]

They probably rebuilt the fleet as dromonds because they were cheaper, being mre primitive, they probably require less materials

Nah IMHO GRRM just like the word...Dromonds were bigger and less agile than galleys and Genoas kicked Romeans out of Mediterranean and Black Sea

[ServantOnIce]

I don't understand why they aren't using canons? I mean let's be honest this is fantasy . . let's toss in some canons to make things interesting . . also weren't canons used during the "War of the Roses" on which much of this is based upon?

Direwolves also were found in North and South America as with Dornish peppers, peppers were in the Americas as well? I actually like the fact that Martin isn't "narrowminding" all the details so I would like some canons . . JMO

[The Swaggering Bravo]

Gorgets and lobstered steel are more like parts of Renaissance time armor.

I couldn't find any references to "lobstered" armor, but I pictured it like this:

at 2:38. Gorgets were around in medieval times and were mostly used as ceremonial pieces by the Renaissance.

[The GRRumbler]

I don't understand why they aren't using canons? I mean let's be honest this is fantasy . . let's toss in some canons to make things interesting . . also weren't canons used during the "War of the Roses" on which much of this is based upon?

Direwolves also were found in North and South America as with Dornish peppers, peppers were in the Americas as well? I actually like the fact that Martin isn't "narrowminding" all the details so I would like some canons . . JMO

I don't think there's actually a specfic period of time that he should keep himself to, since there are references to different technologies and customs that range trough a variety of periods, but there's something about the use of gunpowder that just looks like a strech to me, breaks the magic or something. They could use canons like Cornwell in his Harlequinn, Martin said in interviews that Cornwell is one of his inspirations btw, Cornwell's story is based in a historical period were this technology was still experimental so it was something quite unreliable and prone to exploding instead of actually firing, so maybe he could use like that, but still breaks the magic for me.

[Kozma]

Gorgets were around in medieval times and were mostly used as ceremonial pieces by the Renaissance.

Late XIV early XV century gorgets replaced chain-mail hood as a neck armor. Hard to say is that Renaissance or medieval time sounds like both to me. Firearm already existed at the moment. But my point is that gorget is a highly sophisticated part of armor.