Had to go with the Barbarians here folks... Big Swords are Great as well as intimadating. Not too mention a love for Axes, Mauls, Maces, and other such bueatifully nasty toys.

But Really at my size, 6'4" and over 325 lbs. , I feel more than a little silly with with a toothpick like rapier. Guess i would Rather just cut something in half than poke it a few times... just my humble opinion.

Was a REALLY tough choice though...The Scots or the Barbs.
I mean i can do the Hard drinking, and the Kilt wearing, (usually at the same time). But when it came down to the weapon choices available, i am all about the possibility to inflict the most damage possible with even a glancing blow.

Great Idea for a contest there.


PS Do you really think that Arnold will be in the big chair when we get to heaven? *mental note to say my prayers and be a good Barbarian*

Southeast Asia for me!

Gimme the swords of Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Better yet, gimme one for each hand! :D

You had to make this difficult, didn't you? The categories are both overinclusive and underinclusive. There is no category for the 18th and 19th century post-rennaissance crowd that likes hangers and sabers. Having been brought up in Olympic fencing (saber and foil), I have a certain affinity for that type of sword.

And the Highland Scots are descended primarily from Celts, with a bit of Anglo-Saxon and Viking thrown in for good measure. And just for example, my supposed family crest contains an English merchantman, circa 1690 (Anglo-Saxon, or Norman blood?), a viking long boat, and a Welsh dragon. Perhaps this is why I like Irish music and Scottish bagpipes, have been known to carouse, and love to argue. I MUST BE A CELT! Also remember that the Irish had a fondness for fighting and bastard swords, taught the Scots Gaelic, mingled widely with the Vikings with whom they traded, and were often itinerant mercenaries employed, as were the Scots, on the battlefields of Europe. Quick to take up the plight of a damsel in distress, the Irish Celt is a knightly knight indeed!

So I joined the Celts, because they cover all the other major groups of which I am fond!

It has to be romans for me, pointy gladii, safety in numbers, BIG red shields and the chance to chase down blue painted naked leaf blade weilding celts. Ooh, there goes one now, must go.

A knight no doubt...
with sword for strike and shield for block,
and when foes surround me all about,
with this hand grenade of Antioch.

:D

I guess I have to use the whiner option as my particular (or Peculiar) interest is not mentionned: Science Fiction alternate history. (Note: I also am interested in real history!)

A good example of what I like would be " THE EXCALIBUR ALTERNATIVE" by David Weber (BAEN BOOKS www.baen.com)
English longbowmen are rescued "Kidnaped" by galactic alien around 1340A.D. to be used as mercenary troops on primitive alien worlds.
The galactic merchant guilds have rules forbiding the use of high technology on primitive world not for ethical reasons but to be able to maintain their dominance. " A rigged game in which only the House could win".

Getting back to topic I am interested in weapons of all periods from ancient to modern.

My sword collecting is currently focused on Viking, knightly or early Renaissance periods: My most recent acquisition is a Gaddhjalt sword, I also acquired a Del Tin 2162 Venician Twohander from Albion a couple of years ago and an Hurnfield bronze sword.

Is there any way to check if my vote got registered? I have a glitch in IE that sometimes doesn't display pages without a reload, so I don't know if the vote (apart from the post) got through.

Unless there are some drastic changes it seems that the knights are going to walk away with this one. It's an interesting race right now between the rennaissance folks and the vikings however. I'm stil also waiting for the Scots to make their big move.

More then anything else I think this poll may be an interesting comment on the change of venue. Not one single solitary samurai is showing up to play?

I almost missed the poll this year. Put me down as a tin man... again.

I'm leaning more and more to a couple of the other categories but in the end just give me a long sword and a straight sword.
:D

Okay I'll admit -- my choice was nearly arbitrary, since all of the categories were equally tantalizing (or was it terrifying?) I chose samurai because although I prefer euro swords, and I'm generally put off by the nomenclature (hey, I know "blade" and "handle"), those guys are badA55 in the movies! Nobody can sit around looking stoic and a little creepy like a samurai! Knights were always picking fights with one another or questing or something, but a samurai can just sort of wander around and cause everyone to clam up when he walks into a place for a rice ball. :D

oi'm a knight. 'onest oi'yam!

Walt

I'm definately a whiner. ;)

Come one, I have to pick only ONE category?

(Though I particularly was divided between knight and renaissance.)

Well I'm a decendent of Scottish Border Reivers and we didnt wear skirts. We did enjoy stealing..er.. relocating cows, sheep, horses, money and women. In no particular order I might add. The hard drinking and fighting part goes without saying.
:D

Well folks that's it, I meant to tally these up Friday but the Easter Holiday got in the way so a few of you were able to slip in at the last minute. :)

As is obvious to anyone checking the results the knights walked (clanked?) away with this rather easily. Surprisingly the rennaissance folks have a handy second and of course you guys went out of your way to make my life difficult and so the Vikings and Scots tied for third. Winners to be announced from each category shortly.

ok so its wishful thinking. it is just that you just have such interesting stuff cluttering up your closets. thanx for making the poll even though i prolly won't win.t is good fun.

With the kind of descriptions you had I'll just have to go with the whiner's group.
The knights would be closest, but all that heavy metal is too much for me.
Hafta be able to move...!

Mostly though I'm just philosophical, I want to understand how all the stuff
work in combat, and thats it.

-Z

Well, since I'm a mixture of Irish, Scot's, German, Norse, and Choctaw, I had to pick Celt. Why? Cause knights seem to be prissies in their full body metal underwear. They sing sonnets and when it comes to women are whipped and completely unmanned wimps. So I couldn't be a member of that group :) I like katanas, but only if I've raided the coast of Honshu, Kyushu, Tutu? or whatever they call those islands and stolen one off of the body of a beheaded Samurai. ;) Rennaisance? Greatest developement in the era of the sword? Can you say BOOOOM! stick! I'd take loosing a whole leg to a sword than pinprick or being completely blown to pieces by a cannon ball(after all who would know from all the pieces :cry: ). On top of that, what's up with the puffy pants? Or is it a diaper made of silk with some pretty accented lace for when they crap themselves for fear when me and my naked Celtic bodies brandish their best friends bloody head stumps at them! :D Eastern, I hate hot dry arid weather. If I don't see green I get real cranky... :evil: South East Asia Pacific, not only funny names but funny lookin" (though I am partial to the curvy lookin' blades, though I don't know why. Plus they do like to take heads home another nice touch). Also too hot, too many bugs, too many snakes, I could go on. :\ Oh and they stinking Romans. Those greazy garlic eatin' vino pushin bigheads of the Republic/Empire. Need I say Goth? Vandal? Adrianople? I didn't think so! Sit down before you hurt yourself. :p Barbarians, like their style but there's something odd about em. Why wear fur undies when you can go naked? Why the oversized swords? What are they hiding? :lol: As for the rest unmentioned, well, beneath the notice of the greatest nation in the history of Europe. And with that it's time for me to...lose my temper at having to type so much to explain why in the first place!

KNIGHTS!

OK, so I'm late. I seem to be running to catch up in all areas these day.

American swords.

Specifically, British and European swords, along with American-hilted blades used in the British colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

I'm becoming rather fond of British Napoleonic swords as well, particulary naval hangers and spadroons.