[Bram Verbeek]

A sword or polearm at the computer? It seems a little violent (and expensive, swords and polearms are notoriously better at sustaining abuse than computers).

For something short with a lot of blade presence, why not a khopis or falcata? They should be able to deal with most types of ample protection, and are even more then deadly against unarmoured adversaries (back to zombies, if you have to sever every limb before they stop twitching, you really want to make sure your blade has enough chopping power to sever bone and not get stuck in it)

[Rodolfo Martínez]

Is a blessed bloodthirsty Durer´s lightsaber with an XVI century longsword grip with siderings a valid choice?

[Peter Cowan]

I would have to say either a Albion Templar which is heavy enough and fast enough to do some damage. Or an Albion Regent which is long and fast. I don't know too many other swords as yet but I don't think you could go wrong with an Albion. Of course if guns were involved I'd have to go with my 308 Winchester/

[Anders Backlund]

Well, on one hand, I'd like something light and versetile that's easy to carry around and quick on the draw. On the other, with zombies running around I'll be wanting something that a) packs enough punch to crack a human skull and destroy the brain and b) can slice off a human head if required.

So, perhaps a medium lenght saber or a fairly sturdy katana? Or maybe a short bastard sword. Something fairly hefty yet quick and agile.

I probably won't have to worry about armor or fighting other swordsmen. The main issue is dealing brain-damage fast, being manovrable in a limited space, and being able to run away from the undead hordes without being encumbered.

[Shahril Dzulkifli]

I think I should be carrying swords like a Hussar sabre to defend myself against potential villains or mutants.

[Benjamin Hemingway]

Seeing as I live ina fairly highly populated region of the south-east United States I would not be doing much fighting out in the open, what unpopulated space we have around here is all dense forest, mountain, or swamp; so I wouldn't use anything too long or too heavy, although at the same time I would still want something with some heft and reach for versatility.
I only have one sword, which is the Cold Steel 1796 Light Cavalry saber. Fortunately I think that this sword does an excelent job fitting the description I posted above. It might not be as fast as a rapier or small sword, but it's a lot faster than medieval swords and claymores, and it's great for cutting and thrusting. I could also use it as a ranged weapon if I had to and throw it, I have become fairly good at that. It can also chop wood like an axe, and the hand gaurd is the perfect brass knuckles in case you need to knock someone out without killing them. I don't really have any fire arms, although I suppose I could use one of my dad's shotguns or the .38 special revolver we inherited from my grandparents.
I'm a cross country runner, and member of the Army Special Forcess and speed and stealth are the keys for us. I would rather move fast and lay low lightly and versatily armed than go barging out in the open in full plate mail with a claymore, a halbard, and a crossbow.

[Mike Arledge]

I would take my custom Langseax and my Fred Bear recurve bow.

[Joseph Podhorsky]

Hello guys!

I am new here but not new to arms. I just spilled Coke on my keyboard so this might take awhile.

If I knew I was going into battle period, I would have to take my Cheness 9260 wakizashi in shirasaya. Good hacking power
for such a little guy if I use my special, patented one-handed crazy tachi swing! (I love short wakizashi.) I would also take my custom Ken tanto made by Shannon Hill. I just love that little thing! (I am making special mounts for him.) Since I would be using mainly short weapons, I would have to be packing my mysterious black powder revolver. (Does anybody have a Jumonji yari I can borrow? )

With my selection of weapons, I would probably die fairly soon....If not for my fellow board members watching my butt!

Either way, I hope I am as welcome here as I am on other blade forums!

My baby! (No bigger picture? I'll post the link if anybody wants to see close-ups.)

[Peter Bosman]

A black powder flintlock would not be such a bad idea as you can make your own ammunition then.

Furthermore a ´sword´ may not be the best choise as is mentioned here various times. ´Swords´ have over the centuries always had a value hugely different from their value as a weapen per se and the use/type has for at least a significant part been influanced by this and not the other way around.

You would want something of a ´long´range weapon such as a sling, bow or gun.
Javelin and throwing axe would be good only if the loss of it presents no problem. ´Throwing away´ projectiles is very different from hurling the actual weapon itself.
A short spear would be great for just beyond direct contact.
Something with a bit of mass like a machette or on axe would be most versatile especially in combination with a stout knife in bodily combat.

A shield would be very usefull if the weight and size would be no hindrance otherwise versatile body ´armour´ would be more efficient especially when avoiding direct contact is the strategy.
In the hypothetic situation the best chance of survival would be in avoiding conflicts to start with and secondly avoiding direct contact.
The most powerfull weapon of all is that between your ears

peter

[D Wick]

Paul Binn custom arming sword (german circa late 12-early 13th C), and my kite shield. And probably my armour... I mean, surely it all comes as a set, right?

[Peter Lyon]

My first choice would be a shotgun - sometimes called a "room broom". Good at anything from 1 yard (if shortened to make it easier to spin around) to 100 yards (if firing a shaped slug). My second choice would be a machete - devastating cuts with minimal skill, and it is a tool when not a weapon. Also good in confined spaces. Possibly more people have been killed in the last century by machetes than traditional swords (my guess, from news reports and the replacement of fighting swords by guns). While traditional swords are elegant and beautiful, they are obsolete - even in their time they were never the primary weapon, and today there are many weapons I would choose ahead of a sword if my life really depended on it and I had a choice. Now the genie of gunpowder weapons has been released, there will never be a time when guns are not the first weapon of choice, even if they ended up being low tech versions.

[D Wick]

Now that is an interesting debate waiting to happen; I wonder what will happen when bullet-proof armours improve, as they have been doing? Already we've seen a British bayonett charge in Iraq; something that would seem obsolete, but worked without loss in the circumstances. I agree that given the current standing tech-wise, guns are fairly high up, but since the dawn of the bullet-proof shield and polymer armour, it can't rule continuosly without a serious makeover. It is the pattern of warfare; ranged, innovation, close, innovation, ranged, innovation, close.

[Peter Lyon]

[D Wick]

I apologise for the vague nature; It was apparently against some RPG-wielders; Google would be the best option as I remember this only as a newspaper story a co-worker was reading and it caught my attention;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xm...nvc218.xml
Sorry, as I was writing I found the story.
It just goes to show; some 'outdated' forms of combat work spectacularly well when unexpected...

[Jared Smith]

There might even be some other cases where a gun would not be a preferred choice today. Just a few years ago Taliban had to be flushed out of caves carved deep into stone. Following gas and and explosive attacks, the soldiers had to go in. I wonder if they did not have bayonets ready?

[Max von Bargen]

[Jared Smith]

There are other situations where firing a gun might not be the preferred choice of resolving armed conflict. Some possibilities; on board aircraft in flight, on board submerged submarine. Admittedly, the concept of a spy on board sounds far fetched, but it tends to be a favorite theme in movies. Others can probably think of even better cases more easily than I. I would think the use of club, taser, knife, etc. might be preferred over a gun.

[R D Moore]

Bayonets are a very important piece of the modern soldier's arsenal. In addition to the very insightful reasons already mentioned here, a bayonet attached to the barrel of a rifle that has no ammunition to fire becomes an extemely effective close combat tool. You can block,parry,thrust, slash,smash and club. In fact, anytime you need to prepare for, or are faced with, a close combat stituation, a bayonet will increase your effectiveness when used properly and agressively. So don't be too quick to discount bayonets. They have their place and time.

[Chris Artman]

Just wondering, with all the new swords that have come out since the beginning of this thread, which sword would you actually take into battle? Has it changed?

[Peter Lewis]

If I had to go in to battle I would take my Falchion, a weapon that you can hack, slash, chop and stab with is the best sword on the battle in my view.