Melee weapons

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-04 10:23am

Well, what I wanted to ask was basically "What would be a good melee weapon?" Tech limitations are modern day, so get your lightsaber fantasies out of your heads.

Range is desirable. One would certainly want to be able to make the other sod die for his country instead of the other way around.

Mass might be a desired quality - more mass generally equates to more kinetic energy transferred and increased difficulty in attacking the weapon. However, greater mass requires greater strength.

Have I missed anything out? More importantly - what weapon would incorporate all these values?

Thanks for the help.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-04 10:28am

Range. Pike
No contest. Unless you can throw it in which case a javellin is good, however itts only good for one.

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2003-01-04 11:53am

Nothing beats a good ol' polearm.....

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-04 11:56am

Ah, of course. Polearms. Always good, always good...
Keep the suggetions flowing, people!

Oh and Balrog...

"... You cannot pass. I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."

Balrog · Post by **Balrog** » 2003-01-04 11:59am

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-04 12:08pm

Pikes In large quantities (Ranks) will massacre practically anyone. Unless they use missile weapons.
Or tanks.

Pike Length

How they are meant to be used.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2003-01-04 01:18pm

Balrog wrote:Nothing beats a good ol' polearm.....

You beat me too it!

Halberd specificaly, you can use it to cause any type of damage you wish. You can hack the bone with it. Pierce through someones armor with the spear tip, or bludgeon someone to death with it.

Ender · Post by **Ender** » 2003-01-04 01:25pm

shillelagh. And a real one, like you can find in museums, filled with lead and with the occasional nail in it, not those crappy ones they make today.

Sir Sirius · Post by **Sir Sirius** » 2003-01-04 01:27pm

1-on-1 swords are probably better then pikes or halberds.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2003-01-04 02:59pm

Sir Sirius wrote:1-on-1 swords are probably better then pikes or halberds.

But a sword weilder will be skewered first by either.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-01-04 03:11pm

Lance of Longinus.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2003-01-04 03:13pm

Swords? Pfft. The emphasis on swords in historical movies is purely a fabrication, brought on by the fact that swords are so much more pretty than other weapons. In actual fact, the favored weapon for most militaries was the spear, later supplanted by the polearm. Where would you rather fight your enemy? In your face, or ten feet away?

The only swords I have any real respect for are shortswords, a la the Roman weaponry.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-01-04 03:26pm

I'm trying to remember who that female Samuria who kicked so much ass with a Naganata (Japanese Polearm)

it even works in the land of the Cult of the Sword

Raxmei · Post by **Raxmei** » 2003-01-04 03:46pm

Remember context. Where is the battle fought? In the jungle, a machete is better than a pike.

ArmorPierce · Post by **ArmorPierce** » 2003-01-04 03:55pm

Sir Sirius wrote:1-on-1 swords are probably better then pikes or halberds.

Swords better than pikes or halberds? Yeah, maybe if you start fighting two feet apart.

Cpt_Frank · Post by **Cpt_Frank** » 2003-01-04 04:10pm

Pikes are best used to protect your (bayonet-less) musketeers.
For other applications (1on1), war axes are the best.

Cthulhu-chan · Post by **Cthulhu-chan** » 2003-01-04 07:44pm

Actually, if we're talking one on one, the weapon with the best range, versatility and speed is the simple staff. Polearms are great if you have several similarly armed allies, but alone it's too easy to get inside the striking range of a polearm, at which point it is all but useless. Also, response speed is sacrificed for all that range. Furthermore, the entirety of the staff is a useful striking surface, which only swords with basket hilts or similar design can claim. Having a dagger or shortsword as a backup would be ideal for situations where there is not enough room to use the staff properly.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-04 07:46pm

I was thinking about a big warhammer. Sure, it's not easy to use, but no armor can save you from it and it will probably break almost anything the other guy tries to parry it with.

A nice big rock would be good too... RANGE!

Cthulhu-chan · Post by **Cthulhu-chan** » 2003-01-04 07:54pm

Heavy hammers and axes are great... against someone in heavy armor. Some fancy poofter with a rapier would dance circles around your swings and carve you into kibble. Granted, one wrong step and he'll be splattered across the room, but he'll only need one clean hit to take you down, too.

Necro99 · Post by **Necro99** » 2003-01-04 07:58pm

Obviously, the Katana or the Pike.
But for a little street fighting, nothing beats the good ol' Nanchuka

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-01-04 08:13pm

Ahh a topic tailor made for me, I've over five years experience fighting with weapons of all sorts from polearms to rapiers and almost everything in between.
In general polearms are at thier most useful in fomrations, though even then the best approach I've seen for small scale fighting (two units facing off) has been to have spears at the front to lock the enemy weapons, then break the line to allow axemen to engage the enemy who have thier weapons tangled.

I'd have to agree a well made staff is a good option for a personal defense, though it would be important that it be made from the right material. Something not too heavy but with good strength.

As for an axe or warhammer being useless against a rapier, that is simply not true. I have fought very successfully using a small war axe (a crusade era knights hatchet) against rapiers and have even fought using a battle witch style weapon (a large bearded axe, of closer size and style to the axes depicted for executions).

As far as swords go, a pair of well made blades would be a good match in a solo confrontation or even a few opponents at a time. Personally I tend towards slightly longer blades, something in the 38 or so inch area as far as blade length goes. A very slight curve to the blade and single edged except at the tip (similar to a classic sabre but heavier) and with a decet set of upward angled quillons. As far as materials go, for sparring I'd perefer something like titanium....but damascus steel is far prettier and more effective for actual combat (as the blade takes damage the 'threads' of steel that are woven into it fray, creating a highly serrated edge).

Though....in the end, I'd probably go with a short sword (not a real historical defenition of sword) and a light thrusting axe. The combination of the two gives great flexibility, a light thrusting axe can actually be used in a traditional florentine style or in a more direct bludgeoning. The short sword is a versatile weapon to, a nice broad heavy blade can be used to effectively block heavier weapons.

I dont much care for the armour penetrating qualities of hammers, every armour has joints and weak points which I've always been trained to aim for instead of trying to go through the armour.

Keevan.
- An official sword wielding loon

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-04 08:25pm

Keevan: What exactly do you do for a living?

And IMO a staff would be a pretty good weapon. The next blow can come from anywhere.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2003-01-04 08:29pm

I'm a student currently taking a year out on medical grounds at the moment.
For cash I work as a bouncer whenever I need some money in my pocket.

Exonerate · Post by **Exonerate** » 2003-01-04 08:36pm

Hehe, not too many people would fool around with a bouncer armed with an axe and sword

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2003-01-04 08:39pm

I can imagine:

Punk: Hey foo' lemme in! I'm one of da Bl-
(Punk has his throat torn out by a Gimli-sized axe)
Keevan: STEP ASIDE.