[Aimless]

http://www.thearma.o...ays/weights.htm

2 kg tops, 3 kg if you include the largest most unwieldy?? Holy wow and I was so fond of that "steel clubs with points" idea, too...

[Braden]

Not only that but such weight was counterbalanced at the pommel so the physical weight of them doesn't transcribe well to the weigh you feel when using them. However, it DOES take great skill & practice to use a sword as anything other than "um-metal-club-go-chop-chop!".

[Ulrik]

It really depends on the type of sword - how it feels in hand. Some were designed to brutal swings, other thrusting dirty job... From my experience, norman and dark ages swords are more focused on swinging and so have more weight in blade (of course still countered by pommel), but my exact historical copy of gladius is really heavy but balanced wepon. You can thrust very efectively, but swing, despite shorter arc are still deadly. And pommel is bastardish skull crushing thing. But for its weight, so legionaries really had to be physically trained over our expectations. And two handed swords are also piece of magic with balancing - but it also depends on school of fight (german, post-rennaisance...).

[Aimless]

One of the most interesting things in the essay was the importance of overall geometry and mass distribution... I always just assumed that it was all about getting it symmetrical and having the right right weight for the pommel. I was a fool--a fool!!

[haroos]

Aimless, on 23 August 2010 - 11:32 AM, said:

http://www.thearma.o...ays/weights.htm

2 kg tops, 3 kg if you include the largest most unwieldy?? Holy wow and I was so fond of that "steel clubs with points" idea, too...

sounds wierd, but go to wiki there is a ton of info on swords and types.

[hmqb]

Who needs swords when you have butter knives?

[Fist Gamet]

Thanks for the link. I like all this stuff, all the research that makes you think a bit more about the martial apsects of your fantasy world. Of course, we can all bend the truth as much as we like with enchanted weapons and imaginary metals and alloys if we so wish. Still, there was a TV series for the History Channel, iirc, where thie mad english military weapons historian was recreating arms and armour and ancient combat styles to find out what it was really like and that was kinda cool. Got to get all your stuff right if you want to have crossbows and bows in your world

[MTS]

That was awesome, although I think a better subtitle would have been 'the sworded truth'.

[Fist Gamet]

Um, did you just sully this thread with a Goodkind reference?