Polearm vs. Axe/Mace AND Spear?

[Gigermann]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

All one handed axes is one skill, and all one handed spears is one skill. All polearms is one skill for swinging and poking.
That is my point, unless I am missing something.

Actually, I see your point, now that I've done a bit more digging—I've never used, nor seen used, the Polearm Skill in-game. I guess, when it comes to it, using a weapon in that manner might normally require two skills (stabbing & hacking), but at that two-handed length, the two aren't so dissimilar(?). Being able to wield it one-handed sounds like an edge-case.

[Flyndaran]

Wielding a halberd one handed may require enormous strength. But you get the same issue by putting a spearhead on a one handed axe for human strengths.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Wielding a halberd one handed may require enormous strength. But you get the same issue by putting a spearhead on a one handed axe for human strengths.

For which I find using the Axe/Mace skill incredibly dubious.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Bruno

For which I find using the Axe/Mace skill incredibly dubious.

So you are in favor of splitting the polearm skill into two handed axe/mace, and two handed spear?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

So you are in favor of splitting the polearm skill into two handed axe/mace, and two handed spear?

I don't think you need 2H Spear and it seems pretty unsupportable anyway. If the lack of symmetry is what bothers you getting rid of Polearm should suffice.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

So you are in favor of splitting the polearm skill into two handed axe/mace, and two handed spear?

There is an established, real world class of unbalanced, tip heavy weapons that are used for both slashing and stabbing with two hands. There is no significant real world presence of axes with spearpoints on them; for a one handed weapon that both slashes and stabs, people use swords. Thus, broadsword covers one handed, balanced cut and thrust weapons, but no single skill covers unbalanced one handed cut and thrust weapons, because they don't exist. The difference between Spear skill and Polearm skill is akin to the difference between Rapier skill and Broadsword skill. One is a thrusting-optimized weapon and the other is a gut and thrust weapon of similar proportions. The thing is that humans haven't got the arm strength or leverage to really use unbalanced cut and thrust weapons one handed, so no one's developed a skill for it.

[Flyndaran]

No one in history ever put a stabbing point on an axe? I find that hard to believe.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I don't think you need 2H Spear and it seems pretty unsupportable anyway. If the lack of symmetry is what bothers you getting rid of Polearm should suffice.

Why doesn't the lack of symmetry bother anyone else?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Why doesn't the lack of symmetry bother anyone else?

Most people don't care about symmetry all that much. Some people do care about the skills matching real world weapons and usages. Personally I've got the opposite problem. I think GURPS has too many combat skills.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Most people don't care about symmetry all that much. Some people do care about the skills matching real world weapons and usages. Personally I've got the opposite problem. I think GURPS has too many combat skills.

Symmetry would be reducing the number of skills as well as increasing them.