Warhammer vs Mace!!!

When all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a helmet.

Warhammer instruction manual: *Hold stick. Hit guy. Mace instruction manual: *Hold stick. Hit guy.

There was a post on the ARMA forums years back that was allegedly a bit translated from an Egyptian text that dealt with mace use. Here's the whole thing, just slightly reformatted: THE FIFTH LESSON ON THE USE OF THE MACE In this lesson there are many useful points which are not found elsewhere, and there are also questions and answers. The man who uses a mace does not have to fear it breaking or becoming blunt, as in the case of the sword. He can strike with it as and where he likes, as he can with stones or pieces of wood or iron and so forth, unlike in the use of other weapons. Question: Where is the mace carried on the saddle? Answer: On the right side. Horsemen of old used to put it on the left of the saddle, but the right is better. Question: How does the mace-bearer strike a blow with his mace? Answer: He strikes a sideways blow with it so that it does not slip from his hand and injure either his mount or himself. Question: Where should he strike his enemy with his mace? Answer: He should strike a man on his nose. If he is unable to do this then he should strike the forehead. If this is impossible, then on his right upper arm if he is on the right side, or his left upper arm if he is on the left. Alternatively, he should strike the front of his horse's head, on the forelock, or if that is impossible on the front of one of its shoulders. Question: What does the mace-bearer do when he meets the bearer of any other weapons? Answer: He can breal lances, swords, bows, or shields. He can smash helmets, forearms, thighs, and trunks, and he can shatter bones. He can also throw his mace at the horseman or his horse, or at the footsoldiers. Or he can do whatever occurs to him. Question: Where does the horseman hold his mace when he has withdrawn it from its suspensory strap before an encounter? Answer: He holds it between his hands on the saddle, in the centre part of the saddle between himself and the pommel. Question: How should the footsoldier hold his mace in an encounter? Answer: He should lay it on his left forearm gripping it with his right hand and with his shield in his left hand, in the same way as a sword. Question: When is it appropriate for the footsoldier to hold his mace vertical? Answer: He should hold it thus (Note 1), as we mentioned concerning the sword, on passing between ranks of troops and in the presence of kings and sultans. Question: How should the mace be thrown? Answer: The mace-bearer should take hold of it at the grip withthe head of the mace held away from the body and lift the hand until it is level with the shoulder. Then he should stretch out his hand to full extent so that the weight (Note 2) of his mace may have more effect. Question: How heavy should a mace be? Answer: Its weight should not be beyond the strength of the man carrying it so that he can weild it effectively. I have heard it said by friends who fought in campaigns against against the Unbelievers that a mace should weigh 150 dirhams (Note 3). That is a good weight; a mace may be less than that but not more. Note 1 There is a further word in the text apparently describing how the mace is held, in addition to 'vertical'. It is from the same root as 'passing' in the next line, but its exact sense in this context is obscure. Note 2 This is the apparent sense of the word given in the text which literally means 'mercy' and which I assume to be a miscopy (not uncommon in this Ms). Note 3 In modern Egypt a dirham is about 3.12 grams. For twelfth century Syria it was apparently about 3.14 grams (see W. Hinz: Islamische Masse und Gewichte, Handbuch der Orientalistik, Leiden 1955). 150 dirhams would thus equate to about 470 grams.

Hello. We used a war hammer at our cutting party to see what it would do in comparison to swords of different types. We had quite a shock. The spike went very deeply into wooden targets, requiring a ton of leverage to pull out. We attacked a beer cooler with it (lol) and whilst on the surface, the hammer simply put a dimple into it, we were surprised when we opened the cooler to find the shock had blown the inside shell of the cooler to shards. I can assume that a hit on the armoured head with anything similar would send an earthquake through the brain and rip it up. Very very nasty weapon. Leaves invisible damage deep inside the targets.

I'm always impressed with the science that goes into antique weapons and armor. Every little bit of a weapon seems to have ingenious purpose and function.

Warhammers are okay, but I know something that's 40 000 times better.

Am i only one who thinks those realistically small warhammers and maces look deadlier than their over sized stupid fantasy versions?

You should have smashed some watermelons, it would've made the video better- Sincerely, Gallager

Really enjoyed these videos. But yes, the main significant difference between the weapons is that the mace was more expensive to make (used more metal, more complicated design) and was intended specifically for bashing in plate. The difference between them is really as simple as that. It was a good weapon for young, horse-mounted, plate-armored noblemen, especially in the 15th century when they weren't quite as disciplined about swordsmanship or lances. By the 15th century, warfare was increasingly dominated by 'middle class' professionals. I'm glad he touched on the more indiscriminate nature of aiming it, too.  The warhammer was never really associated with the nobility, whereas the mace was, and it continued as a symbol of authority, such as the mayoral mace, or scepter for quite some time.

I came here to see two guys fighting (one with a Mace and one with a Warhammer) to the death. I'm unsatisfied.

Loved this video in particular, especially at the end with all the uses of the weapon. Super interesting!

always nervous when you swing the mace around your head.

“You don’t want to be sticking the point in things all the time” words to live by 😂

I absolutely love that for all Matt goes on about using these weapons for complex strike, binds, and grappling, when you watch him and his mates actually do any sparring, they do just twat each other with them.

There's a particular fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry, one that's shown quite often, where a mace can be seen flying towards the general direction of their enemy. So that was either an early way of ending someone rightly, or, a display of the fact that it was just some heavy thing likely to hit with the head when thrown. I have to add that as far as I remember, Bishop Odo is the only character seen wielding a mace, due to the non-blood spilling mantra and etc, and the "flying mace" looks suspiciously resemblant to Bishop Odo's. But, then again, I'm talking about the Bayeux tapestry, where everyone's suspiciously resemblant to whoever's standing right next to them - haha! Cheers and thanks for the video :-) Ps- I'd go with the mace, 'cause some fights tend to last too long, and as you get tired, having to make sure you're hitting with the right part begins to become harder and harder.

Cool. Good job bro. In the end you described all the other stuff each 'tool' can be used for. I like that cuz that's what I was thinking about the whole time.

The hammer and mace,when you absolutely positively have to put down every single undead fiend in the room.

I also just love the war hammer look. Slightly more versatile weapon as well as you described.

I imagine these weapons were also good for situations were weapons needed to be made quickly or in a village with an unskilled smith. Not the flanged or elaborate mace, but a basic mace could be forged much more easily than a sword or axe. No edges to hammer, craft or sharpen and a very very basic shape. I imagine of all the martial weapons you could produce a warhammer/mace in its unornate form the cheapest and quickest

enjoying the channel. very interesting stuff. love the Thrones the ins as well