Opinion about swords?

[ChasingSuns]

So in my WiP I have several central characters that wield a sword as a primary weapon. While the types of swords vary, I am still wondering, is it possible to have too many characters wielding such a weapon? I've always thought of the sword to be a go-to weapon in a fantasy setting, but I have also noticed that they are used a lot in fantasy literature. Any thoughts?

 

[Stephyn Blackwood]

For me, I always liked using Axes more. That may just be because my WIPs always have a Viking element to them.

 

[Ireth]

I'm by no means an expert on history or metallurgy, but I imagine a sword would be less common than, say, a spear or something else with metal used only in a smaller amount. Metal was hard to come by and to shape into weapons, so I would think people would want to use it sparingly. Swords might have been used only by those wealthy enough to buy them (or daring enough to steal them, perhaps).

 

[Tom]

Well, swords seem to be the fallback fantasy weapon. But there is a reason--they're probably the most widely used weapon around the world. Nearly every culture has some variation on the sword.

Personally, I find having too many characters wielding a sword gets repetitive. That's why in Southerner, my protagonist has his bow and knife, the barbarian mage has a sword, and the young woman tagging along has a sling and a knife. There's a lot of variety there, and therefore more opportunities for diverse and interesting fight scenes.

As for swords in fantasy, there are certain cliches that it might be wise to avoid--the over-embellished sword, for one. A plain, practical, bare-bones sword looks a lot more deadly to me than one with dragon wings for a crossguard, a huge gem set in the pommel, and a blade covered with curly designs and weird notches for no reason.

Also there's the sword-worship I see a lot--overemphasis on the sword, whether it's about the fighting, the care of the weapon, or just admiring how pretty the sword is. People who are used to seeing swords all the time are not going to be enamored of them.

 

[X Equestris]

Swords were often rather expensive to make, and needed a fair amount of training to make effective use of. This is part of the reason they were most common amongst knights and nobility in the real Middle Ages. So if you have a lot of characters who aren't part of a warrior class or the nobility, it might be better to go with weapons like axes, spears, bows, etc.

 

[ChasingSuns]

First of all, lots of great input! I suppose I should clarify, two of the characters are sellswords that were trained at a very prestigious school of swordsmanship (one wields a bastard sword, the other wields a two-handed sword). One is a warrior of a race called the Dren'agha, which has been at war with other kingdoms for centuries. The fourth is a thief who travels under the guise of a bard (his fighting style is more like classic swashbuckling though- he wields a curved backsword with a basket hilt). The variation between the fighting styles between the characters mostly comes from their fighting stance, but also their choice in sidearms. I was thinking about changing the primary weapon of the Dren'agha character though.

 

[ChasingSuns]

Also (for more clarity), I do have several other characters that do not wield swords, because I definitely want to create a nice variety. For example, there is a mage that wields a spear, and another character that uses no weapon at all. In regards to supply of metals, would it make more sense that certain countries that have a large abundance of metals have more swords than others? I am wondering because I am also looking for variety in military tactics, and this could definitely help with that.

 

[Tom]

Swashbuckling is fun.

Might I suggest changing the Dren'agha's weapon to an axe? It'll add diversity to the weapons, and you'll get to write some pretty wicked fighting moves.

 

[ChasingSuns]

I like the idea of giving him an axe. They aren't really the kind of race to be using large axes, but perhaps a smaller hand axe would work. Especially since they spend a lot of time ranging in the countryside, and axes have practical uses in the wild.

 

[Panda]

This video is informative: Pros and cons of axe vs sword

 

[Svrtnsse]

Swords are cool.

That said, there are other cool weapons too - like axes, or clubs, or, well, any other weapon which is wielded with skill by a cool character in an intriguing way.

What's not so cool is changing something you think is cool just to avoid being too similar to others.

If you're going to change the weapon of choice of one of your characters, make sure you have a good reason for it. Perhaps the fighting style of axes or maces better suit the personality of one of your characters. That's a good reason to change his weapon for him. Perhaps the character has religious qualms against using weapons with sharp edges, that's also a good reason (if a bit contrived). Just make sure you have a reason that you think is good and that you like, and don't just do it to be different.

 

[X Equestris]

Also (for more clarity), I do have several other characters that do not wield swords, because I definitely want to create a nice variety. For example, there is a mage that wields a spear, and another character that uses no weapon at all. In regards to supply of metals, would it make more sense that certain countries that have a large abundance of metals have more swords than others? I am wondering because I am also looking for variety in military tactics, and this could definitely help with that.

Yes, that disparity would make sense. The ancient germanic tribes, for example, didn't have many metals. The primary weapon of a germanic warrior was his spear, with clubs as a back up weapon. Amongst those tribes deeper in Germania, they didn't even use metal in their spears, but rather fire-hardened them. Even amongst those tribes with close trade contacts to Gauls and other outsiders, metal helmets, armor, and swords were restricted to chieftains and sometimes their personal retinues.

 

[ChasingSuns]

If you're going to change the weapon of choice of one of your characters, make sure you have a good reason for it.

Absolutely. I mostly am wanting a nice variety in weapons, as well as fighting styles. I tend to get bored when too many of my characters fight the same way

 

[Gryphos]

One thing to remember is that not all swords are alike. You could have one character with a big two-handed great sword and another with a nippy rapier, while another person dual-wields sabres and his mate has a swordstick.

 

[Garren Jacobsen]

You know what weapon you never see in fantasy? A smashtastic war hammer! A few people have them here and there but man it is so rare. I just want to see a guy smash the crap out of people with one. Just something to think about.

 

[Saigonnus]

I like diversity among the weaponry in my novel also. The baddies don't use anything but their claws, teeth and magical ability. Among the cast of my principal WIP, two from a europeanesque culture use swords (both trained to be soldiers in the Lord's army) another; while able to use swords, uses more exotic weapons like a manriki-gusari, garotte and a pair of daggers. The rest use an assortment of staves, bows and other "natural" weapons due to their cultures desire to be "at one" with nature, thus they don't often craft metal weapons.

In another piece; a post-apocalyptic fantasy story, fully metal weaponry in next to extinct. Spears and arrows are pretty much the only weapons that have metal, and that scavenged from the wreckage of civilization.

I guess my point is that is depends on the story whether or not I have swords or not. Cultures, technologies and available materials play a big part in that decision. I don't shy away from using them just because they are stereotypical in fantasy, but I also don't just hand everyone a sword and leave it at that.

 

[ChasingSuns]

You know what weapon you never see in fantasy? A smashtastic war hammer! A few people have them here and there but man it is so rare. I just want to see a guy smash the crap out of people with one. Just something to think about.

Actually it's funny that you mention that, because I have a character that wields a one-handed warhammer in his right hand and a sword-breaker in the other.

 

[wordwalker]

Here's a good piece on hammers, and also maces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCfAuuG92g

If you look at videos like these, you start to see that hammers and axes aren't sledgehammer-sized to be proper heavy weapons. (I think the Marvel Thor needed a huge hammerhead because the artists smiths needed that much of the magic metal in it to make it work. A real weapon that bulky would pulp a platearmored limb in one hit, and wear out your own arm in a few more swings.)

You also see, both in this and in the Skalagrim video, that they're shorter than the swords they're compared to-- even though they're discussed as heavier and clumsier in their balance than those swords. In fact, these hammers, axes, and maces that are matched to classic arming swords are about the length of shortswords. And the longer axes and hammers are so heavy they'd need to be compared to still longer longswords ("bastard" swords) or even two-handers.

 

[SeverinR]

There is a world of different swords, so don't just say generic "sword."
Each type of swords are used in a different way.
Curved swords are less effective against armor, tending to glance off them, rather then penetrate a weak spot.

There is a world of weapons out there, amazing and awesome looking ones, ones that look impressive, but probably didn't work well.
Swords, pikes, axes, combonation of the two, weapons made to unseat a mounted rider(many axes could do this), weapons that could be used by lower class, such as work implements that were lethal in the persons unique trained hands.

I do think to many "fantasy" writers limit themselves to the "sword".

As others have said, the weapon has to fit the person. IF they come from a metal poor area, they will use more wooden weapons with small metal pieces or even no metal at all. (staff and bow and arrow(flint arrow heads)

Poor social areas might be more likely to use every day objects as a weapon, with or without modifications. Even more so if the government restricted "weapons" to certain people or only government agents(military, police, Sheriff, nobles, bodyguards of such) Remember, Government control of weapons wasn't first thought of with firearms.

 

[Jabrosky]

I say it depends on what your characters plan to do with their weapons.

Swords seem to me best suited for combat between humanoids, at least if they have enough space to swing the swords around. But I can’t imagine you would want to go up against, say, a fully grown Triceratops with even the vaunted greatsword. Even if you managed to lop off one of its horns, you’d still be going up against twelve tons of angry pebbly-skinned dinosaur with a weapon designed for your fellow puny primates. Now, if you somehow got on top of the Trike’s head (which it will doubtlessly thrash to get you off), you could use a bladed weapon to stab into its brain, but ironically you’d actually want a smaller weapon (e.g.a machete) for that since it wouldn’t be as cumbersome as a greatsword.

Outside that one lucky circumstance, what you’d really want against my hypothetical Triceratops is a weapon that would let you keep some distance from its brawn. A spear or one of those naginata-like polearms could inflict damage when jabbed from a distance, but you could also try javelins or bows and arrows (preferably with venom or really sharp tipping, of course). Anything with gunpowder will excel at efficiency if you don’t mind nearby carnivores interpreting its report as a dinner bell. The final option is of course making up your own weapons that let you skirt around all those problems, but honestly making the task too easy would take away the dramatic tension.

(Mind you, I say all the above as a nerd going off his common sense as opposed to any hands-on experience with weaponry, so obviously my conjectures don’t have the same weight as anything a guy like our own Malik would say. Though on the other hand it might be the only surefire way to test it is to send Vanessa Lee Chester, who is now a grown woman, back 66 million years and experiment with various weapons against the Triceratops.)