So, I've been hearing a lot of mess about rapiers being appropriate weapons for zombie warfare, or warfare in general (Sorry, Avalon and Thespis), and I'm here to clear things up. So, I'll admit that it's hard to compare the broadsword, (Exhibit A-), with a rapier, (Exhibit B-),
but we really do need to consider some hard facts of life. A broadsword is a battle-hardened weapon, designed primarily for hacking, slicing, cutting, dismemberment, disembowelment, disem-et cetera-ment, you get the picture. A rapier is a primarily decorative sword. When the rapier was developed, there were very few good opportunities for real steel-on-steel combat, and, as such, the broadsword had fallen out of favor as a man's weapon. The rapier wasn't designed for real melee combat, it was designed for wearing with dress attire, and for an occasional single combat against another man armed with an identical spring steel whip.
A broadsword is great for what it's designed for- being a trusty, durable companion in battle, your strongest ally, an extension of your arm, a solid, bad-guy/Zeke hacking forge-hardened bar of steel. It's designed to wear well over time, to always be counted on as a man's weapon in combat. A broadsword does have the cons of A.- while killing quickly, it also kills messily, B.- it's long and heavy, making it harder to accomodate, and C.- it's impossible (or at least inadvisable) to waltz while wearing one.
A rapier is great for what it's designed for- hanging from the waist of a dress uniform, and only seeing mild combat- the likes of single combats and duels, and specialized melee situations. A rapier has the cons of not being nearly as hardy under adverse circumstances, and not being able to stand up to the blunt force a broadsword would be able to. It's more likely to end up shattering in hard combat.
A rapier's effective attacking part of the blade is within a few inches of the tip, and it's target zones (if you're looking to kill the Zeke by destroying it's lower brain, the only effective way), are limited to the mouth and eyes.
My entire broadsword is a weapon. I may use it at arm's length, decapitating Zekes long before they come within range of a rapier. If they are close, I may choke up the blade, and may use almost the entire length of the blade for cutting uses. If they happen to be even closer, that hefty pommel is completely effective at bashing zombie faces. Ever wonder where the term "pummeling" came from? To be pummeled is to have your face beaten in by the pommel of a sword. Take a close look at the hilt of that rapier. It might possibly cause a painful laceration or a black eye, but there's no head-smashing on there.
So, in all, as a man who's definitely on the stronger end of the spectrum, a two-handed sword is the way to go. But, that doesn't mean that smaller guys can't use them too. Balance and workmanship are key. My well-balanced broadsword is faster than many blade-heavy sabers and katanas. As long as it's well balanced, a broadsword is just as easy to use as any other sword. Of course, female team members of short stature may have trouble wielding it, but why not opt for an arming sword- nearly as deadly, and easy to wield single handed. While there are combat situations in which one sword will have the advantage, in general, a rapier is not well-suited for the rough and tumble, hack-and-slash combat against great odds likely in a field of battle.
~Cred
