How to write about combat

    When I was younger, I remember playing a game called Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.  Two players controlled robots, each intent with hitting their opponent’s robot beneath its chin and popping its head off.  The next step was to push the losing robot’s head back down and begin the battle again.  Combat was very simple in that game, the goal was defined, each robot could only throw punches, and there was a definite winner and loser.  Combat in the real world is not so simple, and in order to write a good combat scene there are many things that you should keep in mind.

Before the combat even begins, you should be able to answer the following questions:

Who is offering combat? 
What is at stake?
Why now?

First the who: this is the attacker.  And this leads directly to what is at stake.  The person who begins the fight must have something to gain.  But not only will the stakes determine why the combat is taking place, it will also determine the endgame of the battle.  The more there is to gain or lose, the more likely it is that the fight will continue.  A person with little to lose will probably end the combat shortly after the first injury, while a person who is fighting for their life will leave nothing unused in their bag of tricks.  And now for the important question: why has the attacker chosen this moment?  Something must have changed, or else the person bringing the combat would have done so earlier, or would have waited for a more opportune time.

Once you answer those three basic questions, it is time to choose your weapons.  Fists are an obvious choice, but fists may not be appropriate for mortal combat.

Here is a website that describes many medieval weapons and their usage.

https://www.swordsknivesanddaggers.com/medieval-weapons-glossary.html

Choice of weapons will do several things:

Determine the duration of combat–Wielding a sword is heavy work, especially those made for swinging rather than stabbing.  When writing combat you must take into account how long a person could actually continue fighting, which will be determined by: the weight of their weapon, how it is used, are they wearing armor, using a shield, and has one of the combatants been in combat recently.  King Harold Godwinson lost the battle of Hastings because his men were tired having defeated the army of King Harold Hardrada and then marching almost the length of England to engage the troops of William of Normandy.

Determine the location of combat–-How a weapon is wielded will determine where a battle can take place.  A weapon that is swung requires more room than a weapon that is thrust.  Ranged weapons require wide open spaces, otherwise there is a chance that the terrain will determine the effectiveness of the weapon.  Any kind of cover will limit the effectiveness of arrows, bolts, spears, javelins, etc.

Determine the sequence of combat–It requires more time to bring a heavy weapon into play than it requires to bring a light weapon.  A combatant swinging a battleaxe will be able to strike once, but someone using a dagger should be able to attempt to stab their attacker several times while they are swinging their axe. 

Now it is time for the combat to begin, and time to get creative.

Use all five senses.
Sight–the glint of chainmail, the flash of the blades, the lines of troops, flags, pennants, smoke,

Smell–a battlefield is chock full of smells: smoke, blood, sweat, burning flesh, oil and other flammable substances, propellant, etc.

Hearing–clash of blades, the sound of metal impacting wood, the sound of metal impacting flesh and bone, the thunk of an arrow,

Touch–the aftermath of the impact of a weapon on a body part

Taste–blood, sweat, tears

Describe the effects of combat on the combatants.  They should be getting tired, their arms should start feeling like lead weights, their weapons should be getting slippery from sweat and blood. 

Is there magic involved?  Make sure you define your magic, does it require an implement such as a wand, does it require gestures, are there spell components?

Are there animals involved?  Horses for jousting.

Are there magical beasts? 

Here is a decent list of them:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_legendary_creatures