However, simply because something is impractical does not mean it must be avoided at all costs. Thanks to the lessened limits of fantasy, the strength of a person can potentially know no limits, and the size of a sword likewise can follow no such restrictions. As long as the setting allows, the big sword can find its place.

Of course, many games don't really allow this class of weapon, or put a large degree of restrictions and penalties for using it. I will have to agree that it is a weapon that carries a great deal of flavor with it, and that the high fantasy feel of the big sword doesn't suit many games, and that the big sword should be treated as the impractical tool that it is.

Of course, like said before, being impractical doesn't mean it should be a barred choice. And, to prove any sense of worth that could be found in such a weapon, I decided it would be a good show to field one in a realm that enabled me to make up for my personal limitations. I also wanted a better understanding of what exactly it meant to wield such a weapon, if for no other sake than to be able to better understand my role playing characters who I burden with my preferences.

If you have a character that uses a big sword, I hope you read this and think about what it means to do so. It may seem at first like you are simply sliding up the damage table or changing the appearance of the weapon in the picture, but I feel that there's a considerable more involved, just like how picking a mace over a sword isn't simply about switching between bludgeoning and slashing.

You probably have a bad take of LARPs, and I do as well. There's something a little off-putting about the way the people at these things act and do things, but in a place where the weapons are made of foam, pipe, and duct tape, there may be no better field for the big sword to be wielded.

In order to participate in the LARP, I had to make a big sword out of foam, duct tape, and pvc pipe. Earlier attempts at making such a weapon basically made a very flimsy or floppy tool, or one that would basically irreparably bend from any serious blow. But, with an internal frame design, a steel rod core through a little more than half it's length, and enough foam and duct tape to make it soft enough to sleep on, I managed to produce a weapon that managed to pass the LARP inspection while satisfying my own personal goals. The only problem, if it could be called that, is that the weapon weighs in at 12 lbs. A typical boffer weapon weighs between 1-2 lbs, and a great sword or spear might cap out at 3-4 lbs.

But, that's fairly less than the 30lbs+ an actual sword of it's dimensions would weigh. If you're curious about those dimensions, the blade's width is 6.5 inches, while the length is 5'2", with a hilt/handle of 2'4", granting a total length of 7.5 feet. This makes it much longer than any sword allowed at the LARP (according to the rulebook, and ignoring special exceptions such as in my case), but still shorter than the 10' spears and other pole arms that are allowed.

So, even despite it being less than half the weight of the sword it was representing, training was required to make it even viable as a weapon. Of course, I hadn't been slacking off on my workout regiment before I decided to wield it, but I decided I'd need to get some specific training to get the most out of it.

sage for being a metathread

The first time I fought against someone with it, it became much too apparent that I was much better off using an ordinary sword than the behemoth of a blade if I wanted a victory. After the first set of battles against my friends with it, I realized my shortcomings with it, and I knew that if I would have to dedicate myself to the weapon if I wanted to get anywhere with it. But it's understanding that sort of challenge that fueled my training.

Beyond the basics, I took a 10lb bar, and put 10lbs at the far end and at around 2 feet away from the other end, creating a mock sword in a sense. Benching 30lbs may seem like a joke, but it's another thing altogether to lift that weight like a sword. Despite my efforts, I'm not a particularly strong person, meaning a few sets of 10 with that is as much as I could do.

Another major component of my training would be to take the boffer sword, attach 10lbs of weight to it (ankle weights strapped to the blade), and to train with that. A long time ago, I had read that if a man swings a sword a thousand times every day for a thousand days, they would reach enlightenment. Though not particularly pious, a thousand swings a day with the blade with extra weight would at least lead me somewhere, though I'll admit I didn't remain as committed to the number as I should have.

metathread

The training affected me in ways I wasn't expecting. In the major stance I use, modified from my fencing experience and from polearm stances, has my right leg lead straight, my torso turned left, and the sword held to my left. When wielding the 30lb proxy-sword, there is a noticeable strain on my left side, requiring a fair amount of strength there to keep both my balance and the sword in motion. Over all, the need for the torso to rotate is especially important, meaning that even the waist I considered fairly well off needed a fair amount of attention.

A byproduct of the training has left my right arm considerably more muscular than my left, as the right provides the majority of the lift and control while the left works as a stabilizer. The calluses on the right hand are also considerably more pronounced, with the hand itself developing a surprising degree of muscle.

The importance of grip strength cannot be expressed enough. In the early days, I had nowhere near any level of control with the blade, making attacks a matter of force and not finesse. However, within the Book of 5 Rings, by the more-myth-than-man Miyamoto Musashi, he explains how his grip, the one that enabled him to wield two swords as opposed to one, relied only on the last three fingers, leaving the thump and pointer almost floating. This was a fair difference from the fencing creed where the most important part of your body could be considered those two fingers, which made it my folly to not realize that I was still relying on those two fingers for a fair bit of my grip. After switching to solely holding the sword with the last three, I saw a great improvement in control, as the top two would be only used when necessary, leaving the majority of the work to the less dynamic.

>big sword
>make up for my own personal limitations
Oh lol.

unsage, I find this interesting.

Shitpoastan on mah /teegee/? You git offa mah lawn, yew negroe!

Of course, strength training could only be described as the starting line, and ultimately, I would have to train in two sets of techniques. The first set was the practical, full rotating, never-ending assault that made the momentum of the big sword it's ally. The second set was the one that would follow the rules and regulations of the LARP, which prohibited any swing greater than 90°, no head strikes, and the idea that it would take 4-10+ hits with the sword to take down an enemy. I found the second to be far harder, as it required a more precise control, made a fair amount of the the descending attacks less practical, and ultimately required multiple quick blows that did not suit the big sword.

A main part of my training eventually became in controlling the timing and degree of my attacks. I ended up hanging a large plastic bottle down from a branch and seeing how many consecutive strikes I could make on it, with each blow making the bottle swing, and thanks to the branch, jump erratically. At first, I could barely get a chain of 10 going, but slowly I worked my way up, and now a chain of 40 seems to be my average, with 84 being my current top score. With its game-like nature, it was fairly easy to motivate myself, and even if it wasn't anything like actual combat, it managed to at least work as additional strength training. It may seem silly and juvenile, but if you're only thinking that now, I think I need to remind you that I'm training to wield a mock fantasy weapon. A fake fake weapon.

I had been doing elements of this training for about a year, but it wasn't until about three months ago that I took things on a more serious level. Three months is no manner of time to expect dramatic changes, but with dedication I wanted the big sword to at least be on par with the other boffer weapons.

>>4607577
>out of context green text
lololol

then I got snipped in half by an ork with a PK
the end

Weeaboo shitpost.

Some time ago, right before the last LARP weekend, I invited the friends who were going over to my house to spar. I hadn't really seen them since I began my more dedicated training, and as I considered them to be fairly competent with boffer fighting, it would be a good last minute chance to see what I needed to improve on to at least not be a handicap to any group I was to fight with.

The length of the big sword is probably one of its best attributes. Compared to other swords, I had about 2-4 feet of extra reach, which now thanks to the control I gained could actually be used efficiently.

The advantage of reach seemed to become much stronger thanks to something I myself hadn't considered. The big sword is intimidating. Even being a much lighter proxy, with the majority of the weight in it's handle, and being covered in thick and soft foam, and even restricted by the 90° rule, it looked like something you didn't want to be hit by, no matter what. It wasn't until a friend explained that he was actually hesitating for that reason that I understood the reason behind his halted advances. Thinking I may be hitting to hard with it, I lightened my blows, but it made no difference. There must be something deep inside that just looks at the big sword and thinks "What am I supposed to do against that?"

I know this is basically troll bait, but dammit, I'd like to try this myself.

One obvious answer, of course, would be to have a longer reach. We had a boffer spear available, a decent one at the maximum length of 10', which definitely gave me a lot more trouble than the swords. However, the big sword has a property that really only shines when its faced with spears.

The Landsknechts of Germany used Beidhänders, large two handed swords, to knock aside pikes to get at the pikemen beyond them. Though this eventually became considered a not very effective tactic, the notion behind it remains.

The big sword weighs a solid 12 lbs, despite most of that weight in distributed not in the blade. But, it's still more than heavy enough to knock aside even shields. With the 90° restriction, it was still easy to knock a spear head clear out of the way, and without it, it was possible to cast the entire spear straight out of the wielders hands. The same applied to swords and other smaller weapons, but to a greater degree. A single beat basically made blocking with one hand a test of strength. More importantly, an opponent trying to knock the blade aside finds it very difficult, which is all the more important when you remember they have to get past it to get to you.

Offense may be the best defense, but I also needed to see how well I could going purely defensively. For this, I ended up relying on switching my left hand from the bottom of the hilt to grabbing about a foot and a half up the the blade. Blocking in that manner gives an edge in speed, and even enables a quick strike from the left side, with still a considerable amount of reach. In fact, the majority of all my attacks that strike the left side come from that stance, as swinging from left to right is awkward from my main stance.

Defensive fighting does suffer from a major thing with a big sword, and that is visibility. The width of the blade can often serve to screen your vision when held close to you. The width does do well to block attacks, however, serving just as well as a shield, if not better since its length allows you to protect your legs easier. It does very well against ranged attacks, with the large area of the blade providing plenty of cover.

Of course, with all the wonders of this weapon, I had to see if my winning streak was the result of it.

Facing off against it, without the proper strength, a single swing means you're wide open to attack. Lifting the sword up may seem easy at first, but doing so repetitively is easily tiring. Knocking the sword out of the way by moving against its motion is foolish, but adding extra force in the direction of the swing, forcing the opponent off balance, seemed to work almost too well. But, the best tactic was to simply block and then lead the blade low to the ground before the opponent can pull the blade back. Once within three feet of the opponent, they'd have to be able to switch their left hand's position fast enough or move back fast enough to be able to contend with you, with the former relying on going against natural responses and the latter requiring enough physical ability to overcome the handicap of having a much heavier weapon.

As far as the intimidation factor, I do believe that varies from person to person, and if faced calmly and with understanding, the big blade really only serves as a handicap to people who are inexperienced with it.

At the LARP, I had very few chances, or at least fewer than I would have liked, to actually use the big sword in battle, but it proved to perform fairly well. Of course, the number of hits required to take down foes drained my stamina, but it was definitely nothing in comparison to the thousand swings with it when it's weighted. Of course, I'm no prodigy of might and magic, meaning I lost more encounters than I won (I had created a new character with no levels, giving me a fair disadvantage), but all considering, I believe I performed fairly well.

As far as carrying the sword, I found it much easier than the people who had to carry shields, and running with it either at my side or against my back wasn't too much of a bother. Navigating inside, however, proved difficult in crowded areas, but it's not like I can complain when there's people who use far larger spears.

As far as the impact on the people, there were a few people I had to assure that the weapon had passed inspection and was a legal before we fought. Primarily, I found myself granted a fair distance, as even I would be skeptical about seeing a stranger with it and wondering just how hard it was to be hit by it. I think most people found it to be pleasantly softer than they were expecting, but also much heavier. Pushing aside people, weapons, and especially shields became one of my major roles in our group, as that did significantly more than the almost insignificant damage I would deal with it.

I'd let Clare handle my big sword, if you know what I mean.

You sure like long, thick walls of text, eh?

Overall, this is still an experiment in progress, and ultimately one small step down a very long road. Once I manage to learn how to wield a big sword within a fantasy setting with a fantastical amount of strength, I can continue down until I myself grow in ability so that I can wield an actual blade of such size. That's the theory, in any case. It may not be a realistic goal, but it's best to set your sights far, isn't it?

I'd like to address the people who dislike big swords, and to begin with, I sympathize. The people who prefer them above all other weapons are a small minority, and within this group lies weeaboos, extreme geeks, those horrible Cloud cosplayers, and all sorts of other people who give big swords a bad taste in your mouth. If anything, I'm probably one of those people.

But, read Berserk. Read Claymore. There's plenty of good examples, if not amazing examples, of big swords done well, but it's almost too easy to think that the reason they're so great is because they involve big swords. And thus people think that simply attaching a big sword to a bad character can make that character a good one. And these bad characters run off, destroying any positive image of big swords.

In the end, it's important to remember that not everyone can wield a big sword. In fact, I doubt there's very many. It's important to understand what exactly it means to wield that kind of sword, what kind of investment, what kind of trials, what kind of sacrifices are involved. I know this is hypocritical, since I'm struggling with simply a mock version of the weapon, but I'm at least on my way towards trying to understand, and am hoping you to can find at least a slightly better view of big swords.

>>4607653
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Big weapons (not just swords) are damn awesome.

Because when a huge fucker draws near you gotta unleash your biggest counter-fucker and punch physics in the mouth.

Link to the article?

Relevant to my interests.

metathread

Donovan has a big sword. But he has enough biceps to lift it. Even though he lifts the sword WITH HIS MIND.

Polearms were here, swords are for faggots.

This is actually a really interesting article. Thanks to whoever posted it!

>>4607727
Fuck polearms

Come one guys, google is only throwing up random shit. Where is this from? Copy pasta? Original? Some weird LARP blog? I want an explanation dammit!

>>4607727
Polearms, historically, did much better in open warfare, while not so well in close quarters.

For every situation, a different weapon triumphs.

Even the lowly knife finds use when mortal combat turns into a cooking contest.

>>4607750
Original content.

>>4607741
gunlance fuck yeah. I was too much of a GS person though

>The exact size of blades that actually went into combat is a matter of debate

No its not. Only ignorant morons who plug their ears, close their eyes, and ignore all the facts would honestly try to even debate it.

>>4607699
Darkstalkers thread in /tg/?
OH MY YES

Mace here, fuck you all.

>>4607788
Right back at you buddy, you got crappy range and predictable attacks. Sure they hurt when they hit, but how often does that happen? Plus attacking with it leaves you much more open than with most other weapons.

>>4607775
Give me the exact size of the largest fielded sword, and I will find you someone who will argue differently.

>>4607817
That's why maces are either 1. FUCKING HUGE or 2. come with a shield

>>4607817
Stop. You know absolutely nothing about medieval weapons.

>>4607817
You have never used a proper mace in the proper manner.

>>4607860
You know less apparently

>>4607880
HURP DURP

>>4607817
Dude, mace is exactly the same as a sword. It just hurts on all sides, instead of only on the cutting side.

>>4607839
That makes sense I guess.

>>4607860
>>4607868
Pardon my ignorance, if I'm so obviously mistaken, but I don't see any argument in either of your posts, so allow me to dismiss them as a "no u" level of answer.

>>4607788
The mace, though a surprisingly adaptable weapon, is not the end-all weapon. In fact, there really isn't one, outside of an Orbital Satellite Laser. Despite not being vary fashionable in modern fantasy, the mace has always been a symbol of power, nobility, and beating in people's skulls.

It's possibly best use is a long mace in mounted combat. The sheer joy of knocking off fleeing peasants' heads was eventually adapted into the modern game of Polo.

>>4607760
Where is the author and why isn't he replying or stuff?

>>4607912
I'm replying. Is there anything I particularly didn't answer?

>>4607927
Oh wow. Thought you were some random anon. Alright, I just wanted to ask if maybe we can get pics?

That, and cool stuff.

Hope you don't bust your joints with all that weight training.

>Anything in excess of that can be considered far too impractical to be wielded even by fairly strong people.
Giovanni Bona want to have a word with you, OP.

God damn, I like BFS too but TL;DR man.

This is all you needed to post.

>>4607977
You have to remember that back then the weapon was often created specifically for a sertain man, if the man had the money, of course. People over 2 meters high were pretty uncommon, but they did exist. Therefore I wouldnt be surprised if some ceremonious sword was used in the actual battle by some big dude.

>>4607994
2 bastard swords
In each hand
Final destination!

>>4607970
My webcam seems to have a bit of a lens effect, which makes it fairly unreliable in representing the size of the sword, making it look much bigger than it actually is.

Or, if you're talking about just Big Sword pics, that's fine.

Pic incredibly related.

>>4608026
I was hoping for pictures of the sword actually, but hey, big sword dump is fien too (also, I lawl at someone complaining that the camera makes something look too big).

>>4608067
It's pretty much impossible for me to get the full sword into a shot, but this should give you the general idea.

There's also a one handed sword for comparison.

MY SWORD IS HUGE

>>4607667
Then how come people who smoke can sometimes get by completely by just having it in their mouth without actually smoking?

Oh, right, because it's a substitute for a DICK.

>>4607927
Since you're here, I feel compelled to point out that
> a few sets of 10
Is not an effective strength training regimen. That's body builder stuff, right there.

>>4608745
It's not the main part of the training, but I don't understand why 4-5 sets of 10 repetitions with a decent weight isn't effective training. I'm also somewhat confused by what you mean by "body builder" stuff.

If you mean I'm working towards larger as opposed to more effective muscles, the main excersise of sets of 50 to 100 repetitions with the weighted sword and sets of 100+ with the unweighted sword should promote more lean, endurance muscle as opposed to strength muscle. But I do need some more strength in order to be able to wield it more effectively.

This was actually a pretty good read.

Can I come too if I have a big sword?

Jim Gasser would have been an idle to you. He died recently, but his legacy alone still crushes people.

>>4610077
no

Sometimes, it just gets silly.

>>4609634
Agreed.

Hm, what happens if you meet people with stuff like bows or throwing spears? Isn't not having a shield kind of a disadvantage then?

>>4610197
>Defensive fighting does suffer from a major thing with a big sword, and that is visibility. The width of the blade can often serve to screen your vision when held close to you. The width does do well to block attacks, however, serving just as well as a shield, if not better since its length allows you to protect your legs easier. It does very well against ranged attacks, with the large area of the blade providing plenty of cover.

>>4610207
Oh. Right.

>>4610120
>>4610044
>>4610054
>>4608155

There's BFS and there's this retarded shit. Holy fuck, no wonder people hate people who like these goddamn swords.

Saving all this text to do it myself.

>>4610362
>Something I don't like=retarded

You mean I had to scroll down this entire thread to find out that NO ONE did the katana copy pasta for big swords?!
Ga'damnit

>>4610428
Because we were captivated by the awesome of this anon's experiment and results.

>>4610378

I actually like huge swords (even Cloud's!). But there's a threshold where it becomes fucking stupid.

Big swords attract bitches.

>>4608133

Have you ever thought about changing the width of the blade or the grip? What about your stance?

I've made a wooden great knife and if has a very large handle compared to yours with thumb grooves cut into it. It's shorter though at only 5 feet, but the blade might be wider judging from your picture.

As for stance I tend to take a wide stance with my left leg in front and slice to from right to left. Going to left to right isn't hard but it is inconvenient as you mentioned. I also like to take a stance similar to Nightmare from Soul Caliber, in that I turn mostly to the right and have the sword sticking straight out the back and parallel to the ground. It's not particularly practical as a main stance but it's fun to use and offers a huge swing arc from the right and even underneath. You can even add in punches, kicks, or hilt thrusts to it.

>>4610494
Theresa :(

>>4610516
I've experimented with a much wider blade, as well as a variety of lesser widths, and I think that for now, the current one suits me fairly well. As far as the length of the handle, I originally considered a much shorter handle because I thought I might be able to meld my earlier sword work better that way, but I eventually settled on 2'4" as its long enough to be comfortable but short enough to that I can still old it directly in front of me if the need arises.

I've avoided the "baseball" stance mostly because of my fencing background, and I generally want my dominant leg forward.

As far as Soul Caliber stances, I've always like Siegfried's stance where he holds it behind him parallel to his back. It's fun because you can get a huge down ward arc, but I have to say I think the only practical reason to assume that stance is if you're out of energy and you need to use your shoulder as a pivot.

>>4610647
Damn, I'd guess that at most my grip is 1'6" to 1'8" long. And because of the grooves and thickness it doesn't offer much repositioning. Then again, it never slips.

I don't play baseball, but I think the stance offers a lot of power as well as offering an imposing appearance. I tend to keep my left leg forward because I use it lot. I play drum set left handed so it does all the work. That, and baseball prefers an even distribution of weight between the feet.

I agree, but if you're swinging around a heavy sword what else is it going to do to you but make you tired? It would be good to know in that case. As for the shoulder Nightmare has a few shoulder charge moves, if only because it's so big. I can imagine some cool spinning moves with the stance you mentioned too.

>>4610647
There's a portuguese "montante" (spanish name for the zweihander/greatsword/whatever) manual, though i'm not sure if you can find it online. It might be useful. The next best thing would be longsword i guess, though it's a much lighter and shorter sword (around 1.5 kg/3-4 lbs, some less, some more). I'd guess there has to be a zweihander manual somewhere, though i don't know much about that.

As for having the right foot leading, i find it useful in longsword when "far", since a long guard with the left foot in front is a bit awkward, but i don't think that should matter a lot to you, so you might want to try and break the habit.

>>4610798
I forgot, as your sword looks "single edged", i guess german "Großes Messer" or "Kriegsmesser" techniques could be useful too. It's basically a longsword, but with a single edge, and sometimes curved.

>>4610798
I've looked at a few two-handed sword manuals, but overall I think that the big sword finds more love from polearm instruction.

Maybe if I get a little more finesse, I could pull off stuff like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj4Ng6DBfrg&feature=channel_page

I usually reserve a left foot advance for any left side strikes, since I've always found myself more stable with typical fencing advancement. Overall though, I know it's bad to have any habits, so I do try to alternate my footing a little more often.

Hey OP, if/when you actually get a sword of this nature, you should probably experiment with non-traditional materials. I would think that a titanium body, but with some high-carbon steel in the edge, would be a good build, as the titanium would provide plenty of strength to keep the blade from breaking, and you could go with a very sharp steel then.

>>4610883
That sounds pretty cool... it also sounds expensive.

>>4610878
Do notice their swords weight a third of yours, probably less. You can probably copy the movements, but the way to fight would be very different.

There's also the matter of the ruleset you have to obey to further screw things.

Sounds like another carving job for me. Already did a 3 ft. wooden sword which works for me, even if it looks like a tard.

But I'm not too sure; I made a shorter, thicker sword out of the same material, and every swing decided to take me for a ride. Guess I just have a wimpy figure.

>>4610952

Naturally.

Custom building something like this, and having it actually be (theoretically) functional would be quite costly, certainly in materials and probably to design as well. After all, with something this large, you're going to need to try and reduce it weight as much as possible, but without compromising it's integrity. This does not seem like it would be a simple task, and would probably require a competent materials specialist and/or engineer, so making it work is likely to require a good deal of cash monies.

>>4610647
>>4610516
SC fag here.

When trying to copy Nightmare's style, you must keep in mind that he has a friggin demoninc arm with spikes and shit on his right. The best real world counterpart I could come up with is strapping a buckler on your arm (so it doesn't restrict your wrist and hand much, but still can be used to deflect), and possibly getting a shoulder guard as well.

As for the stance, it's great for "power" moves, because you don't have to pull your sword back for extra swing, but it takes much more time to go on the defensive. The buckler and some extra armor for protection compensates for that.

Also, I advise you to try and do sets with the stance mirror to your normal (if you haven't been already). With a huge sword like that you can easily find yourself in a situation where you will have to depend on the strength of your off hand (such as when using the defensive stance by gripping above the hilt). BTW, you may want to redesign your sword to have a more... grabable area above the crossbar. That was used on Zweihanders to give a better/shorter grip for close quarters, and you seemed to use it as well for defending.

PHALLIC SYMBOLS

>>4611063
If he goes with titanium he could probably get around twice the width of a real one without much of a problem, though if he wants to go for 20-30 lbs i guess he can get a pretty wide blade.

As for using a steel edge (which i'm guessing would make the thing much more expensive than the already expensive titanium only version), any idea what's the hardness of sword edge steel? I was checking wikipedia the other day trying to find some info on that to compare it to titanium, wondering if it would work better, but i couldn't find anything useful.

>>4611105

God, that guy makes me rage. I so want to use his shit on Exalted, especially weapons, but there' no power-levels, they're all equally good (it seems)

>>4611116

That really depends on whether you're going for cutting power or resilience - harder steel does hold an edge better, but it's prone to chipping. Considering that a sword like this would really be a show piece, I'd go for a softer steel myself, and would probably do so even if it weren't seeing as it's mass would turn into a deadly weapon even it couldn't cut butter. Well, presuming you could use it effectively.

Most SCA greatsword fights vs. sword and board end the same way. The sword and board guy runs up, blocks the one attack the greatswordman is going to get, jams his shield against the sword to pin it and kills the greatswordman with a wrap or other attack that avoids the pinned sword. The best defense against this tactic is to have a relatively small greatsword. The usual rule is that the greatsword should reach from the ground to the user's chin.

The humongous sword only works if you hit the opponent hard enough to go right through his block, and trying to do that leads to injuries on the field. The only place I can see such a weapon being practical is in a shield wall, or rather behind it. From there you could use your sword, but from there a spear is better. I did see one enormous axe used in the Estrella war once, though. Big huge foam head on a 8' shaft. I saw it drop down and knock a fighter right off his feat. Very impressive, but just asking for injuries.

>>4611116
I found an article about it: http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_bladehardness.html

If we go by that it looks to me like titanium would be plenty hard, so no need to use a steel edge. Sharpening it would probably be a bitch.

>>4611211
Being SCA... when you say greatsword, do you mean greatsword or greatstick?

Also the one time i saw a guy with a longsword get a guy with a shield one on one was a feint up so he'd rise the shield, then to the leg when he couldn't see.

>>4611242

SCA greatsword, of course, are pieces of rattan wrapped with duct tape with edges marked with electrical tape. Put a crossguard and (often) a pommel weight on them and they behave more or less like a real sword, down to the weight (about a pound per foot).

The "Hit them in the leg" trick works great...if it works at all. Remember that the sword and shield guy is running toward you are fast as his legs can carry him. You may get two shots if you are lucky and you probably die if he gets close. Now, part of this is that the SCA rules do not allow you to really wind up with a two handed weapon. In real life you might be able to overpower someone with a big sword. However, historially, BFSs were not widely used. When you get to Buster Sword-sized weapons like the OP favors they become almost completely impractical.

>>4611334
Well, as i said i've seen it once, though we don't get many longsword (which is also a tad smaller and lighter than a greatsword) vs sword and shield fights around here (shields are mostly used for battles during reenactment, almost nobody learns it seriously).

That said i'm not sure charging is a very safe strategy. Seems to me like you could easily get stabbed over the shield (unless you hide behind it... but then we have the good old visibility problems). Then again i haven't really tried.

>>4610120

>>4611337
WARNING- BATTLE THONG CONTAINS DELICIOUS ASS.

>>4611377

Well, I've done this fight many, many times and partly due to the aforementioned SCA rules, the sword and shield guy has a big advantage. The use of shields in the SCA has been honed to an art form by 30 years of competition. In the average tournament every single person uses sword and shield. It's boring, but there you are. Me, I'd love to see more greatswords, poles, maces or axes, but unless their
use is forced they are mostly 'fun' weapons.

Except in mass melees, that is. In shield walls spears and short swords/maces/small axes play a vital role.

>>4611452
Pity cavalry is rather unsafe... we have a guy who brings his horse to reenactments, but in the battle he's mostly for show. As it's it's always shield wall vs shield wall, perhaps some archers.

We have the same problem though, perhaps even worse, but not because it's the best weapon, but because of safety. Since we use steel (unsharpened it might be, it can still poke your eye out nicely, especially in XIIth century and under since most people use nasal helms) we're pretty much limited to sword/axe (and the axe is already rather risky, even unsharpened it could easily break bone) and shield, longswords (though they shouldn't be there in most battles, since they're out of period) and two handed axes. Polearms if there at all are used for show, never actually killing anyone.

Then there's bows, i guess crossbows could work too, but i haven't seen anybody using one, and sometimes slings... though their projectiles could use some work, tennis balls bounce too much.

To be fair SCA rules nerf the hell out of damn near everything BUT sword and board which they made astoundingly good.

Shortspear was here, sword and shield are for fagots.

welcome to the gunpowder age, enjoy your death from far away maybe if i can get it loaded right and if there is no breeze.

>>4611199
>Edge
>friggan huge sword
As if the cutting power comes from fucking sharpness and not weight.

SWEET JESUS TITTY FUCKING CHRIST.

This story was unacceptably awesome. Also, not much damage because of the LARP rules? What a rip off. You should have RIPPED AND TEARED by the sounds of it. You sound like you were the better fighter and just not able to make it count because of your crappy damage via the rules.

Certainly gives me a new perspective on massive fantasy swords. No real person could use them.. but being FANTASY.. if someone was able to it would make quite the interesting weapon.

And having to fully devote yourself to the perfection of the one weapon sounds like GUTS. The thing has disadvantage.. but full devotion to the exclusion of other weapons makes it one mean fucking sword.

>>4612412
Dumb.

Let me guess. The guys that make the rules have giant hard ons for shields?

>>4609518 I don't understand why 4-5 sets of 10 repetitions with a decent weight isn't effective training. I'm also somewhat confused by what you mean by "body builder" stuff.

Because it isn't. That's not how your body works. Reps in that range are more for size than strength: i.e. mostly useful for body builders. You would want more weight and fewer reps for strength, if that's something you need to enhance.

Yeah, I know it's hours later.

Shitty, impractical fantasy weapons will always be shitty, impractical fantasy weapons. Get a warhammer or spear you tard. Or beter yet, 30 of each, which you could get for the cost of something as stupid as a "big sword". Also, some booze on the side.

>>4612653
Dude, he wasn't throwing around that much weight. It was actually fairly light. The only thing that made it heavy was that he swung it around so long.

Isn't body building for size about low reps and high weight... not low weight and high reps?

>>4612622
>The guys that make the rules have giant hard ons for shields?
Shank & plank, in large enough numbers and with sufficient discipline, conquered the known world.

>>4612692

Or, kick logic to the curb and buy a rifle. accuracy, range, and power up the ass.

>>4614499

lolno, arrows and spears and horses

>>4607557
>steel rod core

You have just failed every boffer LARP safety check ever. No sane person would let you swing that at them, therefore, I call bullshit.

Phalanx formation

>>4607536
Turned out to be a pretty good story and I look forwards to the rest of your exploits.

>>4612653
Actually it sounds like he needed to build endurance.