Ah ok that makes sense. I like the idea of sword and bow only too.Udwin wrote:"The Company took little gear of war, for their hope was in secrecy not in battle. Aragorn had Anduril but no other weapon, and he went forth clad only in rusty green and brown, as a Ranger of the wilderness." LR Bk II Ch 3.
"All had swords at their sides, and were clad in green and brown of varied hues, as if the better to walk unseen in the glades of Ithilien." LR Bk IV Ch 4
Based on Tolkien's text, I would not advise wearing of any armor for an everyday Ranger (of Arnor or Ithilien), unless you intend specifically to represent the ride of the Grey Company--who wore mail because they were openly riding to war. Note that even Faramir's men--though we see them in action, actively setting an ambush for the Haradrim--are not depicted wear armor: it is not becoming of one needing to be stealthy during guerilla operations. Even when among the Breelanders, wearing armor would serve only to further alienate them from that population.
Since we know that both populations of Rangers had mail available, it is conceivable that a band might don their hauberks if setting out to take out a specific threat (not simply harass and pester the enemy as in Ithilien). But for everyday purposes, No.
Weapons of choice
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Re: Weapons of choice
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Re: Weapons of choice
In my imagination, the Rangers would have a variety of mission profiles available to them. Among modern special forces, many of their missions consist of scouting or "recon": passive information gathering. Probably the bulk of an average ranger's missions would consist of visiting vulnerable populations, watching areas where the enemy is known to operate, and if they expand into other areas, inform the other rangers and keep track of them. Then at a time and place of the rangers' choosing, they would band together to assault the enemy. I think that over many generations of their existence, the rangers would have evolved a system like this.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.