Melee Weapon Appreciation Thread! Options

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

This is a thread for all things melee weapons! Which do you like best? Which are your least favorite? Got some cool pics of melee weapons? Put them here!

[Uleni Athram]

@SubRosa: Funny thing was, I was actually kinda confused whether the picture I chose was a Falcata or a Kopis. They just looked so identical! Heh. Looking at some of the Kopis now, I kinda get why they've used it as a cavalry weapon; the middle curves seem like brutally effective implementations for lopping heads when you're on a horse!


@TheCheshireKhajiit: Ahh, the sickle sword! Nice! You know, the khopesh is eerily similar to the ebony scimitar seen in Morrowind's Tribunal expansion. Which would kinda make sense, since the Dunmer have some Egyptian allusions in their culture. Speaking of sickle swords, here's my personal favorite; the Ethiopian shotel. I encountered this beauty in a video game, and I've been in love since. Apparently it was designed IRL to work around shields and other defenses to hit the enemy. Interesting stuff.

[SubRosa]

@SubRosa: Funny thing was, I was actually kinda confused whether the picture I chose was a Falcata or a Kopis. They just looked so identical! Heh. Looking at some of the Kopis now, I kinda get why they've used it as a cavalry weapon; the middle curves seem like brutally effective implementations for lopping heads when you're on a horse!

The Macedonian army had many elite formations within it. But the most prestigious and perhaps famous were the Companion Cavalry, led by Alexander himself. They were heavily armored horsemen, who specialized in shock (i.e. melee) combat.

Their opposite numbers in the Persian military were even more heavily armed and armored. After the Persians created their empire, their worst enemy often turned out to be other Persians, in the form of rebel Princes with an eye to killing whoever the current King of Kings was to take his place. Since these battles came down to Persian vs. Persian, and they hinged upon the leaders not only fighting, but being the one who lived, the Persian cavalry adopted heavier and heavier armor and weapons.

By the time Alexander invaded Persia their heavy cavalry was even more heavily armed and armored than the Companion cavalry. So the Macedonians really needed weapons like the Kopis and their lances to make any kind of dent (pun intended!), in that thick Imperial Persian armor.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Feb 27 2017, 02:54 AM

[Uleni Athram]

@SubRosa: Funny thing was, I was actually kinda confused whether the picture I chose was a Falcata or a Kopis. They just looked so identical! Heh. Looking at some of the Kopis now, I kinda get why they've used it as a cavalry weapon; the middle curves seem like brutally effective implementations for lopping heads when you're on a horse!

The Macedonian army had many elite formations within it. But the most prestigious and perhaps famous were the Companion Cavalry, led by Alexander himself. They were heavily armored horsemen, who specialized in shock (i.e. melee) combat.

Their opposite numbers in the Persian military were even more heavily armed and armored. After the Persians created their empire, their worst enemy often turned out to be other Persians, in the form of rebel Princes with an eye to killing whoever the current King of Kings was to take his place. Since these battles came down to Persian vs. Persian, and they hinged upon the leaders not only fighting, but being the one who lived, the Persian cavalry adopted heavier and heavier armor and weapons.

By the time Alexander invaded Persia their heavy cavalry was even more heavily armed and armored than the Companion cavalry. So the Macedonians really needed weapons like the Kopis and their lances to make any kind of dent (pun intended!), in that Imperial thick Persian armor.

Ahh, well that explains why it was shaped like it was. Just like what you said earlier, more weight forward meant more power. So in this case its main use was to put the hurt on the boys in armor, yes? I thought its main use was more along the lines of an anti-light infantry weapon TBH, where you ran down fleeing stragglers/engaged in infantry-vs-cavalry melee and used the Kopis' distinguished curve (and your elevated position) to just effectively collect heads. Now I know!

[SubRosa]

@SubRosa: Funny thing was, I was actually kinda confused whether the picture I chose was a Falcata or a Kopis. They just looked so identical! Heh. Looking at some of the Kopis now, I kinda get why they've used it as a cavalry weapon; the middle curves seem like brutally effective implementations for lopping heads when you're on a horse!

The Macedonian army had many elite formations within it. But the most prestigious and perhaps famous were the Companion Cavalry, led by Alexander himself. They were heavily armored horsemen, who specialized in shock (i.e. melee) combat.

Their opposite numbers in the Persian military were even more heavily armed and armored. After the Persians created their empire, their worst enemy often turned out to be other Persians, in the form of rebel Princes with an eye to killing whoever the current King of Kings was to take his place. Since these battles came down to Persian vs. Persian, and they hinged upon the leaders not only fighting, but being the one who lived, the Persian cavalry adopted heavier and heavier armor and weapons.

By the time Alexander invaded Persia their heavy cavalry was even more heavily armed and armored than the Companion cavalry. So the Macedonians really needed weapons like the Kopis and their lances to make any kind of dent (pun intended!), in that Imperial thick Persian armor.

Ahh, well that explains why it was shaped like it was. Just like what you said earlier, more weight forward meant more power. So in this case its main use was to put the hurt on the boys in armor, yes? I thought its main use was more along the lines of an anti-light infantry weapon TBH, where you ran down fleeing stragglers/engaged in infantry-vs-cavalry melee and used the Kopis' distinguished curve (and your elevated position) to just effectively collect heads. Now I know!

I am sure it would have been great for hacking limbs and heads clean off as well. Especially given the added height (and thus power) achieved from striking from horseback down on someone on the ground. It is not the most versatile weapon. You can pretty much only chop with it. But it is very powerful. I always thought it would be the perfect weapon for a Highlander Immortal.