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
I assume this article is open to discussion, here is a rebuttal.
ReplyDelete"the 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...
While the most "romantic" image of the rapier was not as a battlefield weapon, it was used as an auxiliary weapon by many soldiers in period battlefields Musketeers, pike-men, and cavalry for example all used it when fighting came in to close for effective use of other weapons.
"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."
Rapiers are not as flimsy as you seem to believe, unless made very improperly. As for shattering on impact, sword blades are tempered for the purpose of bending a great distance without sustaining damage.
You then list several advantages of the Broadsword, that can't be argued with excluding one, the manliness claim. Manliness is purely subjective, I'm done with that one now.
The Rapier has different advantages a few of which I will give here.
1. Thrusts are more likely to prove fatal than a cut and generally kill faster.
2. While rapiers are about as heavy as a broadsword they are balanced closer to the hand (2-3" is the average) making then faster to maneuver.
3. The blade on a Rapier is longer and lets you strike someone further away from the body.
4. Thrusts then to be cleaner, and thus less likely to spread infected blood towards the weapons user.
5. Not to say cutting is a hard skill to learn, but thrusts are easier to give properly. Edge alignment doesn't matter as long as the tip of the blade contacts the target.