Buckler
| Buckler | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Basic Info | ||
| Cultures: | ||
| Weight: | 3 lbs | |
| Trade Value: | 240 | |
| Flammable: | No | |
| Combat Information | ||
| Skill Required: | Shield | |
| Blunt Damage: | 1 | |
| Edge Damage: | N/A | |
| Point Damage: | N/A | |
| Attack Bonus: | Little | |
| Defense Bonus: | Modest | |
A Buckler is one of two shield types available in UnReal World. Its constructed of wood and some metal and is the smaller of the two types.
Usage
The Buckler is generally used as a companion weapon in hand-to-hand combat, in tandem with a one-handed sword or an impact weapon, and similar.
Its size makes it poor protection against missile weapons (e.g. arrows), but useful in deflecting the blow of an opponent's sword, club or mace.
Note: Someone should test whether its effective against spears. The small size might make it weaker, similarly to its weakness against arrows.
Availability
Like the other shield type, the Roundshield, it needs to be traded.
Real life context
- Buckler - English Wikipedia article
- Bucklers - what are they and why use them ? - A video with basic information on the buckler's typology and historical use.
- Why carry a buckler rather than a shield ? - A video on the practicalities, advantages and disadvantages of a buckler (compared to larger shields).
Most bucklers and other shields were manufactured from wood, with a thin outer layer of leather, hide, and later, metal. For more comfortable holding, the center-grip configuration of most shields - including bucklers - necessitated a small hole at the centre of a shield, covered by a dome-shaped metal boss on the outer side of the shield. (This gives many round-shaped historical shields their typical appearance, with a prominent boss on the outside.) The buckler's very name is derived from a period synonym for the metal boss it was equipped with.
Historically, bucklers were one of the very few shield types that were also manufactured wholly from steel, though this occured during later periods. Most larger shield types would run into major weight issues if built from such a hefty material, but bucklers could partly avoid it thanks to their limited size. URW's bucklers are of the more traditional design, in which the buckler simply copies a wooden roundshield's design, on a smaller scale.
Bucklers were in use by various cultures, including European ones, already during antiquity. Their main heyday was in the medieval and early modern period, when they enjoyed increasing popularity as civilian self-defence aids. Bucklers remained in European popular use as defensive fencing weapons longer than most historical shield types, well into the 18th century (their Asian and African variations lasted in use possibly even longer).
Gallery
Buckler in-game
