Weapons Database

[QES]

how about a new hero that gets +300% vs hero, but does not actually deal damage to any unit it fights in combat... maybe a balseraph hero

LOL the most annoying unit ever. Awesome.

WHat to call him/her. THe Motley Crusador?

Oh i Got it!

*"Nerfina" Mistress of the Foam.*

-Qes

 

[puck11b]

*nod* right, back on topic.
For bannor I think gladii would fit their organized legionaire feel (that is how I picture them, anyway).
For the Malakim I see Shamshir/Scimitars
I agree 100% with cutlass for Lanun
For the elves rapiers, an elegant weapon for an elegant people.
Dwarves = axes and hammers.
Falchions for Doviello or Clan... they are nasty brutish looking weapons.

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Alright, there are so many swords out there, I think I'll make a subheading. Should be up in a few.

Edit: and be sure to throw plenty of sword names my way! I know the difference between a longsword and a scimitar is small enough in Civ IV graphics, but it's all about flavor.

 

[QES]

Weapons:

Bill, Multi-ball flail (for big beasties), Gisarme, Glaive, Halbred (already mentioned i think), HolyWater Sprinkler (A type of meshed mace), Langdebeve (Spear), Lochabar Axe (Two handed pole-arm axe), Partisan (Multithread Spear), Pole-Axe (Rounded axe with spear point and reverse point, like a halbred but different).
-Qes

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Heh, we might be getting to the point where all the variations of weapons become redundant, but I've still added a couple. Remind me never to ask for a cup of water here... I fully expect I would drown.

 

[QES]

Heh, we might be getting to the point where all the variations of weapons become redundant, but I've still added a couple. Remind me never to ask for a cup of water here... I fully expect I would drown.

Arbalast (type of crossbow, bigger and clunkier), Rider's Bow (Short bow used on horseback), Recurve bow (Wicked looking bow), At-Latl (throwing spear/javalin).
-Qes

EDIT: Just look at the Wikipedia for referances on basic weapons, then youll get myriad listings of others.

 

[puck11b]

you forgot the Bohemian Ear Spoon!

Yes it actually existed outside of 1e D&D. It's a type of spear with a couple of triangular flanges at the base of the spear blade.

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Arbalest, horsebow, and recurve bow are all fine, but probably more specific than they need to be. By the way, when did recurve bows come into use?

And what would you call an ear spoon wielder? Your Valin Phanuel was defeated by a Illian Bohemian Ear Spooner. Doesn't quite flow.

 

[Maian]

Hmm, I may draw some ideas from this for my equipment system...

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Heh, believe it or not, I was also thinking of you, Maian, when I made this.

 

[QES]

Heh, believe it or not, I was also thinking of you, Maian, when I made this.

Kinky. And if were going to have the Ear Spooner ( an admitedly real weapon) I feel that Nerfina Should also weild a Spork for close combat work, after she fires with her nerf weaponry.
-Qes

 

[puck11b]

Bohemian Ear spoon was just the weirdest named weapon I could think of.

Most weapons are going to fail the test if you start thinking about what a wielder of said weapon would be. I mean what do you call someone how uses a rapier? A cutlas? Take the gladius, what would you call them a gladiator... ok bad example (I know, gladiators generally didn't use gladii).
Oh, and for what it's worth, an Atlatl is not the javelin, it's the javelin thrower. Like calling a rifle a bullet.

Most weapons are going to be minor variations on a theme, for instance if someone showed me a shamshir and a scimatar I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

Sword categories I can think of off the top of my head are straight (long sword, rapier, falchion), curved (scimatar, katana, cutlass), straight and curved (khopesh) one edged (all curved that I know of, and some straight) double edged (straight) long and short. Then there are claymores and zhweihander (sp?) which are practically polearms...
Do you just want us to start listing off weaponry?

This post is kind of rambling already so I'll add this here. The link you have to a falchion is not a falchion. This is a falchion. They are essentially long cleavers.

 

[QES]

Bohemian Ear spoon was just the weirdest named weapon I could think of.

Most weapons are going to fail the test if you start thinking about what a wielder of said weapon would be. I mean what do you call someone how uses a rapier? A cutlas? Take the gladius, what would you call them a gladiator... ok bad example (I know, gladiators generally didn't use gladii).
Oh, and for what it's worth, an Atlatl is not the javelin, it's the javelin thrower. Like calling a rifle a bullet.

I know, i just didnt bother explaining how it was connected to the javelin, i suppose that would have been useful.

Most weapons are going to be minor variations on a theme, for instance if someone showed me a shamshir and a scimatar I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

Sword categories I can think of off the top of my head are straight (long sword, rapier, falchion), curved (scimatar, katana, cutlass), straight and curved (khopesh) one edged (all curved that I know of, and some straight) double edged (straight) long and short. Then there are claymores and zhweihander (sp?) which are practically polearms...
Do you just want us to start listing off weaponry?

This post is kind of rambling already so I'll add this here. The link you have to a falchion is not a falchion. This is a falchion. They are essentially long cleavers.

Agreed, most things are going to look alike, espcially for small figures like units. But i suppose we can still list them, so that Maian can use them for his weapons names.
-Qes

 

[puck11b]

ok I started looking at some of your other links, there are several which are not really what they are claming to be.
Your longsword is a Spatha
Your mace is a Morning Star

more to come

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Glad to have an expert here to set me straight. I'm hardly a scholar on the subject myself. Let me find some more "correct" pictures...

 

[QES]

ok I started looking at some of your other links, there are several which are not really what they are claming to be.
Your longsword is a Spatha
Your mace is a Morning Star

more to come

I dont like how they equated Hand-and-a-half swords with longswords, they were fundamentally different, werent they?

A short sword, was similar to a roman Gladius, or Xiphos or Spatha, A long sword was an elongation of this general theme but still a single handed weapon, perhaps double the length. A Hand-and-a-halfer or Bastard sword, was inbtween this "longsword" and the full two-handed blade we coloquially call a "greatsword". Granted, classifications of swords is difficult, because each is to their own craftsmen, era, location, and purpose, but in general these are still technically distinct weapons are they not?
-Qes

 

[Maian]

One thing I'm having trouble with is deciding which weapons each civilization can use. Like who would use axes and who would use longswords. And for those that can use both, what the differences between the two would be. I'm no history buff.

I've already picked up some useful tidbits here. Like the reason maces superceded longswords in armored combat. Though I'm not sure what to make of it.

 

[QES]

One thing I'm having trouble with is deciding which weapons each civilization can use. Like who would use axes and who would use longswords. And for those that can use both, what the differences between the two would be. I'm no history buff.

I've already picked up some useful tidbits here. Like the reason maces superceded longswords in armored combat. Though I'm not sure what to make of it.

Puck please correct me if any of this is wrong:

Axe Grouping:

Spoiler :

Axes are cheap. The primary use of this weapon has long been by radiers and less organized peoples. They are used for choping wood, and are a necessary tool for tha craft. It therefore was a very simple modification (or simple transfer of use) to warfare. Choping people down, as it were. Better axes and "war axes" kept the same general concept in mind, a Cheap weapon that can be given to a realatively untrained warrior/soldier that will effectively produce an end - the death of the enemy. The benefits for this are that the Axe is generally a very effective weapon in cutting down unarmored melee oponents who've encountered. They are also ideal for camping and on the move, as they are a versitle tool. They can remove limbs easily and therefore are very devestating in close combat. The down side is that they're not easily weilded, and proper martial training in weapons is superior to the axe.

Short Sword Grouping:

Spoiler :

These are expensive and require training, as they are thrusting weapons, primarily used for close combat in formations. The Short sword was very effective at getting around armor or sheilds, and their quick thrusts made them deadly effective at wounding enemys in front of you. As you could "Scoop around" a sheild to get at them. Also this was the prefered choice of weapon for street combat, as it was realatively concealable, but longer than a dagger, and also it wouldnt break on you as easily. It was sharp on both sides to allow cutting and wounding, but its kill factor was generated from the thrust.

Long Sword Grouping:

Spoiler :

Designed as another Pericing weapon, the longsword was developed to puncture armor (not heavy armor) at specific points. Most notably in the arm pit, behind the knees, and in the neck. Tactics were designed to this end, it was also used on horse back to cut down poorly armed/armored defenders, like archers and peasents. It can cut, but is primarily a puncturing weapon.

Bastard and 2-handers Groupings:

Spoiler :

The bastard sword or "hand and a halfer" was designed to be a hybrid of the two hand and longsword roles.
THe Two handers (most notably the Zweihander of german fame) were very large anti-cavalry weapons. These weapons were very large so as to reach the tops of horses and dismount the target. Or appropriately, they could function as very hasty pikes, if you stuck the hilt into the ground (this was a very reckless thing to do, as the horse was lible to tople you while dying). The ability to cut down infantry was not without note, but as the weapon was so big, it is not entirely useful in melee, if it gets stuck, someone with a shorter weapon is going to end you.

Mace/Club/Morning Star (Smashy Catagory):

Spoiler :

This is probably the most basic weapon catagory that evolved to become more deadly over time. The basic premise is simple, just rent 2001: A space Odessy and youll understand it if you dont already. The improvements upon it over the ages were primarily in responce to armor and breakage problems, Improvements in the Haft lead to less club weapons being broken on sheilds or armor, the adding of flanges (mace) or spikes (morning star) increased its potential to damage armor, as it places the force of the swing on a smaller point, increasing PSI and therefore doing potentially lethal damage to the barer of said armor. Flanges did this more effecively than spikes, but spikes were cheaper. Flanges create a point, like spikes, but the flange doesnt risk getting stuck in the armor or breaking off on contact as much as a spike does. Both create tremendous force on all kinds of armor. Morning stars WERE more effective against Mail, because of the abiltiy to puncture rings easier. Flanges were better against plate, because a dented peice of plate caused as many problems as being wounded, and often ADDED being wounded to the problems.

Spear Catagory:

Spoiler :

Spears are perhaps the earliest fashioned weapons apart from clubs (axes came a bit later). Their function is simple. Stabbity death. The short spear was used in hunting, and its applications to warfare were almost instantanious. The spear was eventually made longer and longer to enchance its primary benefit, the length. The Hellen Phalanxes were the first to truly perfect spear warfare. The tactics were simple but incredibly effective, and would only be supplanted by combined arms warfare of the Romans. The trick was that your heavily armed warriors would carry leather armor and perhaps bronze greeves plating and helmets, and then would carry a VERY large bronze sheild. Each warrior would then carry 8-foot spears. The man in front of the row, would bow his head, and push, with all his might against his sheild. He was not even intent on doing damage to the enemy phalanx in front of him, his job was to cover the man to his left with his sheild, and push forward. Each man had to cover the man on their left, and since each man wanted to be covered, most ancient battles slowly list to the right (odd truth). The man in front pushed and pushed, and used the weight of his sheild, the weight of himself, and the 7 to 12 rows BEHIND him, pushing on his back, to simply plow OVER the enemy. While the phalanx is pushing forward, men in the 2nd row are placing their spears along side the man in the first row, creaing a pointy force that rests just above the spear line (in case people try to come over the top). Then everyone from the 2-3rd row back, holds the spear point down and thrusts in front of the sheild wall. This repetition of thrusting adn pushing creates a deadly spikes moving armored objects that seems to "chew" on anything in front of it, like a grinder. The "din" of warfare, and the "grind" of combat origionate from these situations. The spear was the perfect weapon for this because it was A) expendable, and B) long enough to reach over the first and second and even third and fourth rows of men. Creating a multilayerd death machine. If a man died, the next man moved forward, if a spear broke, the man would take from the solder behind him, and each soldier behind him, and slaves would bring new spears to the men in the back.
Spears also were extensively used by cavalry before more adaptive weapons were provided, the spear was the inital charge weapon, then a shortsword would be substitued for short work.
Later the spear would be replaced by more specialized weapons, pikes and other instruments of elongated warfare that would counter cavalry.

Halbreds and Pole Arms:

Spoiler :

These weapons were developed to counter heavily armed cavalry and infantry. Specifically they were to function as an axe spear, and sword (puncturing) in one. They were meant to be long to function like a spear and ward off cavalry, an axe to remove horses or extremities, and a puncture spike to penetrate heavy armor. Primarily they were designed as a multi-faceted weapon that could suit any purpose, and they did their job very well.

-Qes

EDIT: More when i think of em.

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Very informative. Did you type that all up yourself?

 

[QES]

Very informative. Did you type that all up yourself?

Ya, and im just procrastinating on starting the cavalry and archery weapons. I'm hoping puck will chime in and save me from doing so.
-Qes