#weapon choice

:->

It’s so far out of the normal that I’ve never even thought about it, due to little interest in modern firearms, and no interest, indeed a negative-number interest, in ZA or zombie anything, though “Shaun of the Dead” was funny. But I’ll bite (seems appropriate). First, a look at Google to see what…

Ohh-kay. That negative-number interest is even bigger now, though I was amused by how many choices include modern full-auto stuff, as if there’ll be plenty of ammo to feed them with (a minigun - chosen at least once - takes a lot of feeding, never mind carrying) along with plenty of trained gunsmiths to fix cranky state-of-the-art mechanisms when they inevitably go wrong. As for chainsaws... :-P

Here’s my own KIS,S selection.

Rifle: SMLE Mk III in .303.

Alternate: L1A1 (semi-auto) FN SLR in 7.62.

Pistol: Webley Mk VI revolver in .455.

Alternate: Colt M1911A1 in .45…

…though for ease of finding ammo I suppose I should include something in 9mm; a Luger is pretty but temperamental, so H&K VP9 or SIG P226.

Blade: Thrusting weapons are pointless (hah!) in a ZA situation, so I’d want something seriously cutty like this kilij / pala…

…preferably mounted in a more bite-protective hilt like this Venetian schiavona sabre…

…or this Scottish “Turcael”.

Alternate: Light Cavalry Pattern 1796…

…though again, mounted on a more enclosed hilt. Here’s a rather spiffy adaptation, a 1796 blade on a Highland basket.

Melee: a mace, and not an elaborate spiky one either since getting stuck in a target is A Bad Thing, so here’s the Arms & Armour Iberian Mace.

I bought one years ago, customised with a grip-wrap and wrist lanyard; the customs declaration listed it as a “kitchen masher”. Thank you, Craig! :-D

An uncomplicated low-to-no maintenance polearm like an early voulge or halberd would do the business as well, combining blade and melee weapon in one while keeping unpleasantness a little further away.

Killing people withe guns :

Lame

Literally everyone does it

Boring

Your seriously just standing there

Not even cool looking

No skill needed

CLOBBERING YOUR RIVALS WITHE A MIGHTY BATTLEAXE:

BADASS AS HELL

UNDERRATED I TELL YOU

HOW MANY PEOPLE USE THEM???

YOU FEEL LIKE A RIGHTEOUS VIKING

YOU NEED THE SKILL OF A VALIANT WARRIOR

EVERYONE WILL FEAR YOU

To be fair, splatlings are freakin great. Love just raining hellfire from afar

The simple answer is yes, as a weapon on it’s own, it can definitely do that. The problem for you is a little bigger. In media, we tend to treat weapons like they are accessories instead of as tools meant for specific situations.You take the weapon you need for the environment and type of combat you’re facing. This is part of why I find “Jack of all trades” characters to be pretty funny. Martial combat training, even just recreational, covers a variety of different kinds of combat and most hand to hand forms include joint locks, throws, punches, kicks, and wrestling. A warrior who can wield a mace would also have been trained on swords, lances, pikes, bows, and other important aspects of medieval combat.

If you want to uncover whether a specific weapon fits with what you have in mind, then the question is: what was the mace used for historically?

It’s true that the mace is a bashing weapon, but it is basically a more advanced version of a club. It’s heavier on the top and relies on momentum more than the sword, meant for bashing through plate mail and chain mail as an alternate to carrying a pike or spear. It’s not a nimble weapon, but it hits hard. The mace allows a knight more mobility in combat and the ability to wield it together with a shield for secondary protection if they are going into battle against another knight.

The important point is: does the mace make sense in a desert environment where metal is a limited commodity and the reasons that lead to the creation of the mace aren’t present? The answer is no. If you told me that the character was carrying around a club made from one of the types of hardened wood (like dogwood) that flourishes in a desert environment, then I would say yes. It’s the same basic usage of the weapon, but a wooden weapon fits more logically into what’s available from the resources in the environment. If heavy forging isn’t part of the culture, then there’s little reason for them to have heavy metal weapons.

My advice is if you’re setting your story in a desert then look away from Europe. Look at cultures that existed and still exist in the Sahara (and other deserts) to see what weapons technology they developed. There are plenty of powerful, conquering empires to choose from that make sense within the environment you’ve chosen and get away from the standard fantasy generalities.

Weapons and weapons technology do not exist within a vacuum, they are a response to the challenges and dangers presented within the environment. It’s important to pick weapons that synergize with the lifestyle of the people who live within the world you’ve created. Find the harmony between what you’ve created and the ideas that get you excited.

Is it possible isn’t the right question. Does it make sense for the challenges the characters in my setting face when placed against the available resources and their chosen lifestyle? That’s a better ballpark and an easier strike zone to nail. Check yourself against history. Don’t stop at “did these people use this weapon” ask “who did these people use this weapon against and why did they use it and not that?”.

The most confusing part about combat that is meant to be inferred is that combat is circumstantial. The spear worked great for the Greeks because they used them in a regimented formation that made it difficult to harm them, also certain parts of their history involved invasion by nomadic cultures on horseback. If your characters come from a society with a limited supply of metal, but a lot of leather and wood then a spear or a whip is going to be a good option for a primary weapon. It’s available, it’s affordable, and it’s got good utility usage outside of combat. A character in a post-apocalyptic setting can choose to use a black powder musket they’ve scrounged from a local museum, but the lack of ammunition and appropriate materials makes it a less suitable choice than a crowbar.