Recent content by craenor

If you're talking about like a cavalry sabre that as the long, sharpened edge, but then at the end, the last 1/3 of the length is sharpened along the back edge, then those are respectively referred to as the True Edge and the False Edge.

Well, if the buster-style sword in your world has some magical properties that allow it to overcome its failing, then you can have it work any way you want. My advice would be to emphasize the "buster" aspects - the name comes, supposedly, from busting or breaking things up with sheer force...

As Anders mentioned, the flammard (or flambard) was sometimes considered to have had various benefits. The earliest versions had rougher, sawtooth like curves and were thought to be useful at getting through pikes and such. They were also (incorrectly) thought to deliver more grievous wounds...

Anyone really interested in Wootz/Damascus blades, should track down the work of Kevin Cashen. He mostly makes shorter blades (knives), but he also makes swords, and they are pretty damned amazing.

Bronze is sometimes accounted as a common material for mundane Fae weaponry. The less mundane swords, sometimes accounted mystical properties, have been often described as Swords of Light. That's not to say that they were lightsabres, but rather that they were crafted from often-unstated...

I'm not Anders, and I'm in a hurry right now, so my answer won't be complete. However, I think you're looking for the Roman Gladius and the Roman Spathion. Right around the 6th century time-frame they were changing primarily from the Gladius to the Spathion.

Here's a good article from John Clements: Swordfighting: Not What You Think It Is He's an expert on historically accurate medieval martial fighting, as opposed to cinematic versions of the same. In essence, it's hard to answer your question without knowing the level of technology in your...

Sorry if this is a repost, but I just came across this fantastic Nova episode on the crafting of an Ulfberht-style Viking Sword. Secrets of the Viking Sword (2012) full - YouTube Richard Furrer is the smith doing the crafting. However, they also mention that Kevin Cashen is assisting him...

If a team of 15 had 30 horses and 5 pack mules, and none of the animals were carrying too heavy of a load at any given time, how far might they be able to travel daily, along well-kept roads, provided they intend to travel each day as long and as fast as they may? Not trying to trip you up with...

That's a great video. As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, my thorough (but far from exhaustive) research has never uncovered a single instance of a knife, skillfully thrown with deadly intent, actually killing someone.

Apologies if my response seemed at all condescending. I was trying to reply to you while providing enough detail and information for the lay person who may read this thread next.

This is a fantastic website. Thanks. While it doesn't really cover swords, it breaks down many of the steels used for knives (and the qualities of those steels), and it also breaks down some of the more common sword steels with contrasting qualities for those. Here is what it has to say...

A properly made sword relies on a particular balance of toughness and hardness. It has to be tough enough to deform and bend significantly without breaking. However, it has to be hard enough to retain a sharp edge. With stainless steel, in a blade the size of a sword blade (so disregarding...

This is an excellent description. Well done. To this, the only thing that I would add is that some people confuse Stainless Steel with Steel. Stainless Steel is a type (or family of alloys) of steel that typically speaking have >10.5% Chromium. Also, they usually have very low carbon levels...

When you're building a world, do you typically assume a very Earth-like planet (sun rises in the East, sets in the West, four seasons, normal day/night cycle, a moon with expected tides?) Or, do you consider variations in the basic planetology? Completely different seasons? A varied day/night...