First some some appropriate music.
A thing that has always troubled me with fantasy RPGs is the often complete uselessness of shields.
In real life a shield on a medieval or pre-medieval battlefield was a huge asset. Not only did it offer great defensive value, it even offered some offensive value – as warriors bashed each other with their shields, pushed the others out of the way and even hit others with the metal edges of their shields.
An interesting thing to note here is that the quality of shields (and armour and weapons…) in Europe dropped dramatically when Christianity was introduced. The shield went from being an object you carried along through entire campaigns to becoming something you used for one single battle, and then – if it even survived that one battle – threw away because it was then no longer usable. Like with all other things, Christianity meant a decline in quality for weapons, shields and armour too.
In MYFAROG the shields are of high quality, they have a defensive value that is really worthwhile, and also offer an offensive bonus. Further, you can modify shields to hold (up to four) lead-weighted darts on the inside, and you can of course also hold an extra weapon – or a few javelins – in the hand you use to hold your shield.
The shields are meant to offer the defensive value that your mêlée weapons don’t have, and they are incredibly important for defense against missile weapons. They also offer a defensive bonus when used in formations – as they offer not only you, but also the guy next to you some protection.
Lead-weighted dart:
Although intended to be of high quality, if the players include the alternative rules the shields can be smashed to bits in and pieces (and if damaged they can be repaired), and this is of course particularily true when the shield-bearer is attacked by someone wielding a battle axe. The angon too has special powers against the shield: it can get stuck in the shield and render it useless (for some time anyhow).
The shields can be made of wood, of different metals, of wicker and of plywood, and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They all have their advantages and disadvantages to the user.
Some of the shield types available in MYFAROG:
MYFAROG is the first RPG I have seen where the shield has been taken really serious. Make sure you bring one if you ever plan to attack a fire-breathing giant worm (alias dragon)!
