Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Collector’s Edition (DVD-ROM)I really love RPG’s set in a Medieval/Fantasy world and this one fits the bill perfectly. It has everything a fantasy gamer could want. The storyline goes: You are in a world where the king has been assassinated and his final words to you were to find his heir and save the land from the destruction being wreaked by creatures that are coming through the dreaded oblivion gates. Of course there is lots of battling to be had and you can choose from many different disciplines such as warrior, mage, thief etc.

Here are some strong points of this game:

1. The game is very very involved which I love. It is a complete world with literally hundreds of quests, caves, adventures and towns to explore.

2. There are many many quests which is something I really like in a game of this type.

3. You can amass a lot of stuff. There are endless amounts of interesting armor, weapons, spells, scrolls and all types of stuff to be had. You even get to purchase your own homes in several of the towns. And of course you can purchase furniture for your homes.

4. A little something extra: This game does something which is really nice. You play the game in a typical medieval world but there are the dreaded Oblivion Gates which you have to pass through on your quest to save the world. And these worlds are great! Very surreal like something the special effects crew for the movie Aliens might have dreamed up. It makes for some exciting game play.

A little something extra even more: The copy I purchased came with a poster sized map of the world which makes the game play a little bit easier - There are a lot of places to explore.

About the gameplay and technical stuff: They did a real nice job with the game in that whenever you load a new area like when you open a door to a building or a cave it loads quick which keeps a nice continuity with the game. Also, I installed the game easily and with no issues which is always nice.

Gameplay mechanics: Pretty much standard mouse/keyboard combo which will make it easy for you to adapt to.

Look of the game: Awesome! I haver a screaming computer so I have all the options maxed out and the game just looks fantastic. I tend to spend a lot of time playing online games which pare down the graphics for the sake of smooth game play. Just looking at this game is a treat.

Amount of Time Needed to beat the game: Beats the heck out of me! I have close to 50 hours invested in this game and it is still going strong! Gotta love that. Getting my moneys worth.

Want to see some screen shots and get some more in-depth information? I am creating a page on my website with more info - but will be posting it tomorrow so it won’t be ready until Nov1. Bookmark it and check back soon. Here is the link:

In-depth review and screenshots from Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls IV

A Knights Weapons

The Middle Ages Changed the Sword - This occurred between the 11th and 13th century. The most important change was the addition of the quillion (also known as the cross guard). This quillion protected the wielders hand. The Sword at left shows a very large quillion. Learn more about this particular sword The Sword of Strider from Lord of the Rings

First and foremost a knight was a warrior sworn to defend his king or liege. This meant that his first priority was in being proficient in the weapons of the times. The first weapon that he mastered was the horse. In any battle a horse was a tactical advantage with its ability to cross large distances quickly and its ability to bring a powerful charge upon an enemy. From his mounted position the knight could wield many weapons.

There are two types of weapons that a knight used: Melee weapons and Polearms.

Melee Weapons are weapons that were used for fighting up close to your opponent. The most common and most widely used of these weapons is the sword. But there were many other types including daggers, knives, warhammers, maces, flails the morningstar and the club.

Polearm Weapons were usually in excess of six feet long and were used in order to keep a distance between yourself and your foe. Good use of a polearm weapon made it difficult for a foe to get up close and use his melee weapon. Polearm weapons were also instrumental when fighting against mounted opponents. These weapons included the Lance, Spear and Halbard.

Read More about Medieval Weapons - Including pictures and explanations of the sword, warhammer, daggers, maces, flails, lances and more. The Armory of Medieval Weapons

Free Fantasy Art School If you love to draw or always wanted to learn how and you like medieval and fantasy stuff you might be interested in the new art school I am creating. It focuses on learning to draw while doing fantasy subjects like knights, dragons, unicorns, and all sorts of fantasy/medieval stuff. It is a website and everything is of course free - you just have to put in the work I have just begun this series of tutorials this week so there are only currently three lessons and every day I am adding a new lesson so if you do the lessons I will always be three days ahead of you. Here is a pic from todays lesson on perspective. It is a view of a Medieval Town.               If you are curious or interested in this type of thing here is the home page for the art school: Fantasy Art School

When we think of a knight and of chivalry what usually comes to mind is the rescuing of damsels in distress and the protecing of women, children and the poor. But the code of chivalry for a knight was much more complex than this. It revolved around three basic areas: War, Noble standing, and Religion. The War aspect of Chivalry meant that a knight had to be prepared and capable in weapons, horses and military tactics. The Noble standing meant that he was well versed in the arts, music and the manners of the court. And the Religion aspect of chivalry meant that he had to be devoted to his religion and prepared to defend it with his sword. There is a great book devoted to chivalry if you want to learn more about it. Chivalry

A Medieval Knight - His Weapon and Armor

What was life like for a Medieval Knight? What kinds of things did they do and what kinds of skills and weapons did they have?

The role of the knight changed over the centuries of the Medieval Ages but there are some general roles that held true.

A knight was pledged to serve his liege or king in military service. Generally this pledge was termed that the knight would serve 40 days of each year in military combat for his king. In exchagne the knight would receive loot from battles, his own estate and position in the court

Hand Painted Medieval Feudal Knight Enforcer Display Statue: available at Amazon.com

Today We take a look at What it took to become a Medieval Knight

Becoming a Knight and training

Generally there were two ways for a man to become a knight. He was either born into it or he proved himself worthy of being a knight through bravery and prowess on the battlefield.

For a boy that was born of a knight or of royalty there was a standard process for induction into knighthood. At a young age (usually around the age of eight) the boy was sent to the local lords castle to become a page. There he would learn all of the necessary things of knighthood. This early training would be in the rules of the court, chivalry, music, writing and weapons. After several years of this training he would become a squire where his training would focus more on combat. He would learn use and training in weapons and in particular he would learn the tactics of fighting on horseback. This was one of the most important aspects of becoming a knight. It was the mounted knight that held awe, respect and ability in the medieval world.

Tomorrow we will take a look at Chivalry and the code of conduct of the Medieval Knight.