Hello all,
Even tough I regularly read this forum, I usually do not post. I have been following this thread with great interest, however -- being a (modern) fencer myself -- and felt I should share some thoughts as well. I have no point to make, but I read this paragraph from 'Runequest: Adventures in Glorantha' (which has never been officially published, I think) about another option for using shields:
If this rule is in the BGB, I did not see it there. Also, I noticed that RQ:AIG shields have AP ratings amounting to (a little less than) half their AP/HP rating in BRP. I think this rule could be one possible answer to the question: 'What are the shields good at?'