I had been searching for this book for a while, so when I finally acquired it, I was looking forward to making the re-acquaintance with this accessory. On reading the guide more thoroughly I was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed by the comprehensive history, more comprehensive barding coverage, addition of detail, and expansion of the often dubious area of spear/pikes & damage they inflict. However, once the euphoria of looking in these areas and descriptions of weapons and arms, the document disappointed as a whole. It had little that would add practical elements to adventuring, and would probably only stand one or two thorough reads, weapon summary excluded, and that alone does not make for a lasting document. A great idea, but could have been advanced further then it has been in this production.