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					Originally Posted by fearn
					
				 Here's a suggestion for the use of shields.
 They're much better than swords at blocking  arrows.
 
 Once decent muskets came along, effective shields became unmanageably heavy, as did armor.  Lugging a flintlock and a shield for hand-to-hand combat is a bit awkward, and I'm willing to bet that this is when shields were largely discarded.
 
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 Good observation! You're right. Shields began to dwindle as firearms became more prevalent. Dedicated hand to hand weapons started to diminish when firearms got even more effective. 
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					Originally Posted by freebooter
					
				 Not of the same era but the Tanjore Katar are an awesome defense and the hooked monster head terminal on the guard makes for a great catcher of blades too, to have one in each hand awesome. | 
	
 Just curious, what time period were those most prevalent?