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Swords and Axes and Maces, Oh My! |
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Swords and Axes and Maces, Oh My! |
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Swords The sword is the most widely recognized of the weapons on the market. Almost every culture has an equivalent, even metal-poor countries. The problem is, it fills a very specific niche in the weapon-purposes plan. The sword really came into its own prior to the advent of metal armor. With the exception of the katana, swords grew with the improvements in armor. Early(pre-roman invasion of the Celts) swords were, in europe, guardless, and relatively small. The Romans used what we would consider to be simple swords, as well. The short sword, a weapon which has survived to date as a viable weapon, was a straight forward solution to the problem of converting your opponent from the living to the deceased. The Katana(wakizashi,katana, tachi, no-dachi, etc.), on the other hand, has remained relatively unchanged through out the ages. The simple curved blade does fairly well against the unarmored, or lightly armored opponent. |
Axes The axe, on the other hand, is one of those weapons that went everywhere too. It's the first "stealth weapon". You have some guy walking around with an axe. Is he carrying a weapon, or is he going out to chop some wood? Plus they're cheaper to produce. First off, they're a basic tool for life, which means that your average blacksmith can make them. Secondly, they don't have as much high-carbon steel, which is expensive to make, or they can be made from lower-grade metals, including bronze, and still be efficient. |
Maces Maces are how I'm grouping those weapons designed to club someone. They range from the quarterstaff to the "Holy-Water Sprinkler", and are all designed simply to smash whatever is in their path. |