Shield

A Shield is a small, portable barrier carried into combat for protection. Beyond that, shields vary greatly in style and handling. Most shields were carried in the left hand, strapped to the left arm, or both. For much of period shields were an essential part of the soldier's equipment, and only stopped being used when armour construction allowed for full plate covering, thus regating the necessity for a shield.

Since they were large, flattish surfaces, shields were almost always elaborately decorated, and by the middle of the medieval era an elaborate system of rules around this decoration had developed, known as Heraldry.

The shield itself could be large or small, but the primary requirement for European shields was that it be extremely sturdy and light enough to be handled nimbly. Beginning SCA fighters are advised to experiment with several kinds of shield before settling on one particular type.

Shield Styles

There are a large number of shield styles, and most are appropriate for SCA combat. Shield styles were often impacted by technological considerations, as well as regional preferences. It should be noted that specific cultures and periods would have a specific style, and using a style not suitable for your persona is a little twee.

• Buckler
• Bunny round
• Centre boss round
• Heater shield
• Judicial duelling shield
• Kite shield
• Rapier shield
• Roman shield
• Round shield
• Square shield
• Tower shield

Shield Construction (Period)

A great deal of effort went into period shield construction. While differences in local style and technological levels did occur, there are some basic points that apply to most shields.

A shield would have been made of a sort of plywood, that is, of a series of laminated strips made of thin wood; Linden-wood was by far the most popular, being dense, strong and light. These thin strips would be layered together and glued with the wood-grain of each layer perpendicular to the layers above and below, adding strength.

The face of the shield would have been covered in rawhide to add tensile strength to the shield. The rawhide would have been glued to the surface (and several glue recipes survive from the period, including one made from cheese) and fastened down by the edging of the shield and the centre-boss (if any).

The shield would have been edged in either rawhide (early period shields) or iron (mid- to late period shields), adding a stiffening factor to the shield's strength and providing protection for the edges of the wood-grain, thus preventing splitting. Since the edge of the shield would take a large number of blows (as the enemy tried to get around it), the edging was very important.

Some late period shields (especially jousting shields) would have been faced in sheet steel, making them extremely durable. Steel was expensive and heavy, however, and not typically used for combat shields. Regardless of the style of the shield, it could be flat or curved. Curved shields were much more difficult to make, but superior in strength, since they added structural strength to the existing strength of the wood and rawhide. A warrior would have bought the very best shield he could afford, since it was his life on the line.

Shield Construction (SCA)

Construction standards for SCA shields are little more lax than in period, but there are' safety standards in place. SCA shields are normally made of plywood of half an inch thickness. This is the absolute minimum. Many SCA shields are made of metal (aircraft aluminum is popular) with minimum thickness of 14 gauge (a typical North American road sign). Other SCA shields are made from plastic, of the same type that makes as plastic-barrel armour (puck-board is also popular), but these are ugly and look very "plasticky", so effort should be made to disguise them. For safety reasons, all shields are required to be edged with hose (heater hose, plastic hose, garden hose... just not your pantyhose).

There is great debate on shield style and weight in the SCA. A shield must be sturdy enough to absorb the impact of blows from weapon, but beyond that there is considerable variation. Some people believe the shield should be as heavy as you can handle so it has more resistance to your opponents' blows, although some may find this less maneuverable. Others say it should be as light as you can get away with, although this means your shield can be more easily moved by your opponent, and that it will break more quickly. Sheild shape, strapping, and handling are all topics of rousing debate in any meeting of stickjocks.

Few SCA shields are curved owing to the difficulty of construction, but those heavy fighters who use them are often quite enthusiastic about them.

Shields and Heraldry

A shield is a good place to show off your device. You can either paint it directly onto the shield, or cover the shield in canvas and then paint it (this has the advantage of protecting your wood, but it'll weigh down your shield a lot). Another idea is that you can make a slip that goes over your shield (think of your ironing board cover. That sort of thing.) You can paint your device, your household's device, your barony's device, or whoever you're fighting for.