So, I found this an interesting side note, and it amused me quite a bit. It also offers a comment, I think, on a previous question someone asked on the forums, re, fighting without armor.

So I made an NPC to accompany my party, a Barding called Ulfred the Rhymer.

Ulfred has a wits of 5, I believe (don't have the sheet in front of me), and carries a long sword and a shield. He has the "Swordmaster" virtue.

When old Ulfred fights in a defensive stance, his TN to be hit is, wait for it...

22.

Yes, you read that right.

The average orc has all of an 8% chance to hit him.

He doesn't really need armor, too often, though he wears a cunning chain coat.

Just food for thought on the armor question...

Presumably that's by rolling an eye, which means every hit is a potential wound, so armour is still necessary!

And the character is going to need a 15 (16 with buckler) to hit an Orc Soldier. Not great when you probably only have a 2 in Sword to start out.

Yeah.
A blow out of 12 is an automatic hit & a wounding hit.
To be honest, that's my major beef with the combat rules
(no big thing, admittedly).

Btw: the maximum Wits of a Barding is 4.
+3 for the long sword and you are on par with the Wits 7
of some elves and woodmen (without spending any virtue).
And woodmen use favoured Wits in the woods, too.

Not trying to antagonize you Forgottenking, just saying that a Parry total of 21 in defensive stance isn't so game-breaking. My character is a Barding swordmaster too, and his armour saved his skin during the Marsh Bell

That is rolling an eye, yes.

And I believe he has a three in sword. So he stands a decent chance of hitting an orc.

Overall, I think he does pretty good for a scholar from Dale.

Remember Callings are not ocupations, but a sense of adventure, a reason or motivation. Someone could have a schollar calling, but to be some kind of 'super warrior' like Ulfred the Rhymer.

Oh, I'm not saying it's game-breaking or anything; nor do I feel particularly antagonized.

I just found it amusing, mostly for the looks on the players' faces... none of them know the system well enough to really take advantage of it (what my group commonly calls "rules-raping") and their reactions were highly amusing to me.