The Flail. One of the most glorious weapons conceived by man.
The Flail packs far more power behind it's attacks than a sword does. If the enemy is armored, they're still going to be hurting badly. If they're NOT armored, they're going to be screaming.
Don't gimme the BS about the swinging time with a Flail. Anyone with half a brain would carry the Flail over their shoulder, so that they could swing it immediately, and with great force.
Granted, the Flail's effectiveness goes to zilch in a confined area. This is it's one major flaw. This flaw is readily apparent, as well, and is exploited by those with pointed weapons.
In single combat, both combatants without shields, there is a decent chance the swordsman will win. If both combatants have shields, however, then that changes things rather drastically. The Flailman can simply put his shield up, and begin swinging the Flail, bringing the shield out of the way while swinging. The enemy would have to be faster than God to get a hit in during that breif moment of vulnerablity. And if he DOES get it in, the Flail is still going ot keep moving because it's on a chain, and will likely embed itself in the enemie's arm, crushing the limb absolutely, if not also damaging the ribs with the impact. If it's swung high, however, or if the swordsman lunged and brought himself lower with the lunge, then it's likely to simply take the swordsman's head off. Or crush his skull, whichever.
Against a spear or other pole arm, the Flail becomes useless. It has no defensive capability whatsoever, so unless you are willing to GRAB the enemie's weapon (which wouldn't be as hard as it might seem) you really have no chance. And even if you grab their weapon, they can jerk it backwards, then forewards, likely impaling you anyway.
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Swords:
Swords are highly overrated. However, they are still excellent weapons. The average blade, assuming it's a Broadsword, allows for both swinging and impaling, showing it's versatility. And, though a mace could shatter the blade, or a shield be used to stop it utterly, it allows for faster attacks, which means that an opponent would be at a loss if one has a long, slender blade.
Frankly, I don't know a GREAT deal about swords. I'm a blunt weapon type user myself.
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Guns:
As a coworker of mine, when asked which was superior, sword or flail, said, "The sword and flail losers get beaten by the asshole with the gun." Very true.
Guns are superior to any form of weaponry. They have great variety, range, and power. Modifications run rampant, and there is no strategy involved. Simply point and click, so to speak. The bullets move too fast for any human being to actually dodge, nevermind those movies you've watched (assuming you were naive enough to believe them).
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Staves:
The staff is extremely versatile. One interesting take on them is to place a blade at either end, making it an extremely effective and dangerous weapon. The staff, when weilded properly, can easily knock out the opponent. And, while a blow from a staff is not often fatal, the fact they can strike you multiple times, both high and low, allows for some interesting combat. They also are more capable of blocking than swordsmen and Flail users, as their weapon can block with ease. Even a thrusting weapon can be turned aside.
Example: A spearman thrusts his spear at our staffguy. Staffguy, knocks the spearpointa way with the upper part of his staff, and brings the lower part around to strike him in the Kidney area. Repeat until enemy either gives up, or is too sore and aching to move. Place staff on enemie's throat once they hit the ground, and crush their wind pipe.
Staves have the most difficulty with armored enemies, however. A heavily armored opponent may not even FEEL the staff attacks, and can simply hack away. This is the flaw with the staff, it's light attacks, while effective against unarmored enemies, is useless against heavily armored opponents.
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Polearms:
The pole arm, or spear as it's most commonly thought of, is highly effective at keeping enemies at bay. However, if the enemy is able to get in close, you are as good as dead. Plain and simple. Pole arm users should always carry a long dagger on their person, and be trained to use both.
....I think that about covers it, really. Remind me if I missed something.
_________________ We'll wipe out all the nasty crawly things that come into your home, regardless of whether they have jobs, families, or even personal firearms. Call Quadruple-E right this fucking second!
Before your neighbour does.
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