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Railstar · 10-22-2017, 06:25 AM

You’re not wrong. Swords do have their problems. You can get a lot out of a well-made spear or axe.

I am also biased towards longswords or bastard swords more than broadswords, because I like the greater flexibility in the reach (a longsword can thrust at reach 1 & 2, a spear can thrust at reach 1 or 2, but has to change grips). To me the sword’s main advantage is flexibility, and broadswords seem to lack that, at least a little. One solution could be to make the “default” one-handed sword into a longsword rather than a broadsword.

On your list of assumptions, I think it’s important to not ignore the last item on the list, because it makes a huge difference to the relative effectiveness of each weapon:

Sword vs Spear – Armour on the battlefield will probably matter quite a bit, specifically whether it’s more common for people to armour their entire body equally (for example DR 3-4 all over) or to concentrate armour over the vitals (DR 4-5 on torso & 2-3 on the limbs?). In the latter situation, a sword’s ability to cut will matter far more.

Sword vs Axe – A high-quality axe with Defensive Attack is harder for the sword to compete with. However, what about urban self-defence? How normal/legal is walking around in decent armour? In an unarmoured streetfight the +1 Parry from being able to Defensive Attack with a sword (Defensive Attack with an axe only allows a Parry at all) can be more important… although the +1 skill from Balanced for the axe could offset that. And torso-thrusts become more dangerous once armour is out of the picture.

These would make a slight niche of “spears do poor against armoured targets, axes waste some of their potential in unarmoured fights, swords can adapt to either better.”

Some thoughts:

Do weapons take damage over time? I can see a problem with a Fine Balanced spear/axe with the gradual accumulation of damage to the half (although such quality weapons would probably have langets protecting them).

Personally I would hesitate to invest in a Fine Balanced spear instead of a long spear, since the main advantage of the shorter spear is it being throwable – which means more chance of losing it. Normally I’d go for a long spear due to the greater reach, in which case it fits a different niche to the sword, and so you get a spearman who switches to a sword at close range.

I treat spears as disposable anyway, because even a long spear is expected to need dropping before the end of the fight. I use it for long-weapon tactics to gain an early advantage, then draw a sword once the foe is up close.

Two-handing a spear for extra reach & damage is possible, and since it doesn’t have a swing it would almost be in Defensive Grip by default, although it’s safe to assume anyone using a Broadsword has something in the other hand – whether a shield or a light club or even just a knife, to allow them to Cross Parry for +2. No reason why an axeman or spearman can’t do something similar, but just something to be conscious of.

Suggestions:

I think making Longswords a more typical sword than a Broadsword might help give the sword something of a distinctive niche. Shortsword is kind of terrible. I tend to replace them almost entirely with a Fine Long Knife (maybe with Falchion modifier depending on the design). Both give some measure of flexible reach.

Stop Hit with the modifiers for thrusting & A Matter of Inches could be the go-to tactic for a swordsman against an axeman, especially in an urban (lightly armoured) street-fight. Defensive Attack means it’ll be survivable, but the axeman will feel the difference even a Cheap Broadsword makes in that situation.

Reduced breakage is an idea I like, and makes the Cheap Broadsword more viable, which offsets the main problem of using Cheap Broadswords.

Those are my thoughts. I hope that helps.

10-22-2017, 06:25 AM	#5
Railstar Join Date: Jul 2012	Re: Are swords worth it? You’re not wrong. Swords do have their problems. You can get a lot out of a well-made spear or axe. I am also biased towards longswords or bastard swords more than broadswords, because I like the greater flexibility in the reach (a longsword can thrust at reach 1 & 2, a spear can thrust at reach 1 or 2, but has to change grips). To me the sword’s main advantage is flexibility, and broadswords seem to lack that, at least a little. One solution could be to make the “default” one-handed sword into a longsword rather than a broadsword. On your list of assumptions, I think it’s important to not ignore the last item on the list, because it makes a huge difference to the relative effectiveness of each weapon: Sword vs Spear – Armour on the battlefield will probably matter quite a bit, specifically whether it’s more common for people to armour their entire body equally (for example DR 3-4 all over) or to concentrate armour over the vitals (DR 4-5 on torso & 2-3 on the limbs?). In the latter situation, a sword’s ability to cut will matter far more. Sword vs Axe – A high-quality axe with Defensive Attack is harder for the sword to compete with. However, what about urban self-defence? How normal/legal is walking around in decent armour? In an unarmoured streetfight the +1 Parry from being able to Defensive Attack with a sword (Defensive Attack with an axe only allows a Parry at all) can be more important… although the +1 skill from Balanced for the axe could offset that. And torso-thrusts become more dangerous once armour is out of the picture. These would make a slight niche of “spears do poor against armoured targets, axes waste some of their potential in unarmoured fights, swords can adapt to either better.” Some thoughts: Do weapons take damage over time? I can see a problem with a Fine Balanced spear/axe with the gradual accumulation of damage to the half (although such quality weapons would probably have langets protecting them). Personally I would hesitate to invest in a Fine Balanced spear instead of a long spear, since the main advantage of the shorter spear is it being throwable – which means more chance of losing it. Normally I’d go for a long spear due to the greater reach, in which case it fits a different niche to the sword, and so you get a spearman who switches to a sword at close range. I treat spears as disposable anyway, because even a long spear is expected to need dropping before the end of the fight. I use it for long-weapon tactics to gain an early advantage, then draw a sword once the foe is up close. Two-handing a spear for extra reach & damage is possible, and since it doesn’t have a swing it would almost be in Defensive Grip by default, although it’s safe to assume anyone using a Broadsword has something in the other hand – whether a shield or a light club or even just a knife, to allow them to Cross Parry for +2. No reason why an axeman or spearman can’t do something similar, but just something to be conscious of. Suggestions: I think making Longswords a more typical sword than a Broadsword might help give the sword something of a distinctive niche. Shortsword is kind of terrible. I tend to replace them almost entirely with a Fine Long Knife (maybe with Falchion modifier depending on the design). Both give some measure of flexible reach. Stop Hit with the modifiers for thrusting & A Matter of Inches could be the go-to tactic for a swordsman against an axeman, especially in an urban (lightly armoured) street-fight. Defensive Attack means it’ll be survivable, but the axeman will feel the difference even a Cheap Broadsword makes in that situation. Reduced breakage is an idea I like, and makes the Cheap Broadsword more viable, which offsets the main problem of using Cheap Broadswords. Those are my thoughts. I hope that helps.