Plate armor was still effective against gunfire, to a limited extent: European cavalry used plate armor through the 19th century (and in fact, up until World War I, where the motor and improved guns took horses off the battlefield). But there were drawbacks.
Plate armor is expensive and difficult to manufacture -- on the army level, it makes more sense to invest in the killing power of a platoon of peasants armed with muskets rather than equipping a cavalry squadron with the plate armor required to defend against that gunfire.
But we're not generals, and we're not running an army. We're here to see a one-on-one fight, and that strips the Pirate of the advantage of massed firepower, which makes any non-scientific prediction in this battle about as useful as a roll of the dice.
The Knight's crossbow, which is reliable and powerful, may actually give him a distinct long range advantage. His close range weapons are absolutely devastating. But closing the distance between them will prove to be the most dangerous zone in this fight.
The Pirate's flintlock pistol and blunderbuss may not be the most reliable weapons, but they do pack a punch. If the Pirate is smart, he'll wait for the Knight to close some distance with him so that he can make sure his weapons will hit. But at the same time, it's a terrible risk for on his part -- once he's close enough to shoot the Knight, the Knight is moments away from closing the distance and putting the Pirate into his killing zone.
This matchup is the biggest gamble we've taken yet on the series. Never has so much rested on the pacing of our fighters, and the rhythm of their battle: how they close the distance with one another has become just as important as why, and the arsenal they bring to the table backs that up.
I can't offer you a hint as to who will win, but I can say this -- every test we did on this episode had me holding my breath in anticipation and fear. Every weapon is a game-changer -- and if you think you can call this fight before you see all the results, you're in for a hell of a surprise.
Morituri te salutant,
Max
Max Geiger is a game designer and graduate of USC's Interactive Media Division. You can follow him, and Dr. Armand Dorian on Twitter as @MaxGeiger and @ArmDor, respectively.
