Consulting Swordsman
Creating a card game to teach the basic theory and terminology of a medieval combat system was really hard. Audatia is done though: four glorious character decks and two expansion packs; piled up on my desk they really look like we created something. When people hear about it, the most common reaction is “wow, that’s … Read more
I have the enormous privilege of owning an original copy of Salvatore Fabris’s Sienza e Pratica d’Arme, printed in 1606. I bought it from Sr. Roberto Gotti, of Brescia, in 2014. It is in incredibly good condition, and an excellent, clean print. It is still in its original binding. The value of the book comes … Read more
I am currently digitising a metric fuck-ton of paper, prior to moving to the UK. If you’re interested in the actual process of going more-or-less paperless, then I’ll be happy to post it here in detail; let me know in the comments below (here. I don’t necessarily see every comment on Twitter or Facebook). This … Read more
Spring is in the air, the grass is pushing up under the snow, and books are making their way from my dusty hard drive and out into the world. Ok, in Finland, spring is nowhere to be seen. My kids are going ice-skating and everyone I know has a cold. Bear with me. I have … Read more
Medieval scribes had crap posture too! Image from: http://www.booktryst.com/2012/03/medieval-scribes-gripe-about-writing.html One of the challenges of my new lifestyle is that I don’t have class three or four times a week to keep me to a fitness regime. Before I could make the switch in my head from swordsman-writer to writer-swordsman, I had to figure out how … Read more
It’s time for a change of pace. I have been a full-time professional teacher of historical swordsmanship since March 17th 2001. By which I mean it was my one and only job, source of income, and so on. This has had all sorts of benefits, not least that I have accumulated a huge amount of … Read more
I love books, and swords, and books about swords. Especially old books about swords. Through a series of happy chances, I own an original copy of Salvator Fabris’ Scienza e Pratica d’Arme from 1606, a third edition of Achille Marozzo’s Arte dell’Armi from 1568, and a second edition of P.J.F. Girard’s Traité des Armes from 1740. “Bugger off you lucky sod”, you … Read more
Hello. Do you find yourself explaining the same thing over and over to various friends and colleagues? Wouldn’t it be easier to just explain it once, and then send the explanation to anyone who needs it? In my case, I tend to explain all sorts of things regarding swords, as teaching swordsmanship has been my … Read more
I have been meditating in one form or another for about 18 years. Of all the things I do to be a better human, and a better martial artist, writer and teacher, I think meditation is perhaps the most important, and the most effective in terms of time spent to results obtained. This is because … Read more
The crowdfunding campaign for my next book, Advanced Longsword, Form and Function is now live! Would you like to win free copies of the book, or commission an instalment of The Swordsman’s Quick Guide? For this campaign, which will only run for 30 days, I am running a competition for referrals. There are two categories: … Read more