[Runequest] Three different topics.

[Tom Cantine]

On 22-Apr-10, at 7:34 AM, <strobus at sympatico.ca> wrote:

>  I'm no weapons expert, but it seems to me the only advantage a sword 
> has over a spear is that the sword might have a guard to protect the 
> hand (if it's a late enough model), whereas I've never seen a spear 
> that did.
>

Yes and no. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. With a 
sword, the hand guard is a plus, to be sure, and there are also 
advantages to the balance, grip and stance one uses with a sword which 
can facilitate effective parries. With a spear, the length (including 
the fact that pretty much the whole shaft is available as a grip) can 
be used to advantage.

One-handed, it's true, spears are a little harder to parry with, but 
the only reason I can imagine using a spear one-handed is if your other 
hand is occupied with a shield, in which case you shouldn't really need 
to be parrying with the spear. Or if your other hand is incapacitated, 
but I think we should realistically expect disadvantages to follow 
that.
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