John Doe Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 What is the advantage over spears, axes, or maces? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygrain Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 You stab people with the pointy end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Viserys Targaryen IV Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Swords are better defensive weapons in close combat that any of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Pounce's Mum Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I'm no expert as I've only ever used swords to cut duct tape, but I guess it's because they are more... flexible to use? You can use them to parry as well as for attacking, you can attack by stabbing or slicing... and they don't break as 'easily' as a spear, they aren't as heavy as axes, easier to carry than maces etc. Also, they look pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerrorVoid Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Sword can be used as mace (halfswording). Mace is unwieldy. Spear has weak wood. It can be chopped (not right trough, but chpped wood has big chances of breaking when it contacts armour). Obviously swords were used that way. Sword is well balanced and thus is fast. It can be used for slashing which is useful against any target except fully armored knight. It unites every plus with relatively no minuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerrorVoid Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Sword can be used as mace (halfswording). Mace is unwieldy. Spear has weak wood. It can be chopped (not right trough, but chpped wood has big chances of breaking when it contacts armour). Obviously swords were used that way. Sword is well balanced and thus is fast. It can be used for slashing which is useful against any target except fully armored knight. It unites every plus with relatively no minuses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoffa Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 What is the advantage over spears, axes, or maces? Imagine yourself in a situation where you rather have a sword then those you list above and theres your answer. My answer would be in close quarters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Leftwich Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 1) There is the class aspect: an elite, well-trained noble, "an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."2) Quality metal will last for years and years.3) Family heirloom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodor knows Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Swords are the most refined weapon, an effective killer and defender, offering speed and reach. Also, many can stab and slice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerrorVoid Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 BTW, sword is not very good word, since different types of swords, like falchion and estok, differ just as much as axe and spear.They are united not by style of use, but with construction: rigid metal "body" (blade), handguard and balancer. It is basically perfect weapon from construction POV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Greenseer Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Historically swords were usually just sidearms. Knights would usually use pole weapons or maces/warhammers as their primary weapon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerrorVoid Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Landed Knight Because Swords are cool and people would rather read about badass swordsmen than people that wield other stuff. Realistically though swords were usually just sidearms for use as a secondary weapon. You have shocked everyone starting with Roman Legions and ending with cuirassiers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Suburbs Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 In the hands of a skilled operator, the long sword rules in most situations: on horseback, on foot, in close quarters, everything but a ranged attack. A mace can be effective, but it takes a very powerful man to wield it with enough speed and force to overcome a sword. Men of average strength would opt for a sword. Axes are good too, but they are mostly for hacking and slashing, not as good for lunging and parrying. Spears, pikes, polearms and the like can also be very deadly in the hands of a skilled user like Oberyn, but once your sword-wielding opponent gets inside the blade, you're doomed. Mostly, the long-handled weapons were given to lesser-trained foot soldiers to form a big, prickly body, making it difficult for cavalry to cut through your lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Imagine yourself in a situation where you rather have a sword then those you list above and theres your answer. My answer would be in close quarters. But there are also bigger swords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bb1180 Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Historically, spears and pikes were probably used more often than any other weapon in ancient times. It wasn't so much because they were superior to a sword, but because they were cheaper. That's especially true of armies in the medieval period, where most of the fuedal lords didn't have the finances to give everyone a sword. Spear/pike weapons themselves were actually a rather poor choice for an individual, and best employed in massed formations where several ranks of men could fight and cover for each other and the weaknesses of the armament. Alone or in small groups, a spear/pikeman can be isolated, and the weaknesses of the weapon can be exposed. It has good reach, but its relatively slow, easy to chop or deflect aside, and if the attacker ever gets inside its reach, its all over. The reason we have such an impression of them as swordsmen is likely because the sword was an expensive weapon, typically viewed as a quality weapon and one of the nobility. Just as the romanticized view of the medieval nobility and armored knights has stuck with us over the ages, so has the view of the sword as the weapon of the nobility. Ironically, even they probably didn't use swords as their primary weapons, either. Mounted knights probably used lances as much or more than they ever did a sword. That said, it is a good weapon, one that's relatively quick, can slice, stab, deflect blows, and heavier ones could pierce or crush armor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hodorisfaclessman Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 if you are really interested in how they were used man theres plenty of stuff onlinehttp://www.hemaalliance.com/documents/Fight%20Earnestly.pdf Heres prob one of the more famous from hans talhoffer and another (not talhoffer)http://mac9.ucc.nau.edu/novati/novati.pdf and a decent video of them in action (cut to about 3 mins in and see a guy in plate get his bell rung)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi757-7XD94 and more if ur interestedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S_Q3CGqZmg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoffa Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 But there are also bigger swords. Obviously. If i was in a very narrow space i'd use a small sword. Possibly even a dagger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Doe Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Obviously. If i was in a very narrow space i'd use a small sword. Possibly even a dagger. Of course you would. My point was, because there are big swords there must be other reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerrorVoid Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Of course you would. My point was, because there are big swords there must be other reasons. Typical spear is 2.5m long, tough spears with 1m length exist. Typical sword is 1m long, tough 2m exemplars exist. You should decide either this topic about general sword (arm-, long-) vs axe, spear, mace, or specialist sword against respective weapon (falchion vs axe, estok vs spear). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoffa Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Of course you would. My point was, because there are big swords there must be other reasons. What TerrorVoid said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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