KATANA UP

[Fluffy_Muffin]

Theoretically even with your peasant cutter katana (ridiculous, talking about realism, that this shitty "sword" can cut down an armored guy or even a armored horse even with only 3 power strike in 1 or 2 hits) you can do your usual thing, spam spam spam, its only the fear factor to get 1 shotted why you die.

Real tamahagane katanas can cut down a man in half with a single swing.

Talking about realism it should be superior because it is; in terms of balance, weight and sharpness the katana is unmatched.

Edit: if you ask me the tanto, nagimake, yari and tachi should also be introduced for more variety

[EponiCo]

Real tamahagane katanas can cut down a tank in half with a single swing.

Fixed.

[Konrax]

Real tamahagane katanas can cut down a man in half with a single swing.

Talking about realism it should be superior because it is; in terms of balance, weight and sharpness the katana is unmatched.

Edit: if you ask me the tanto, nagimake, yari and tachi should also be introduced for more variety

Too bad most slash type weapons are rendered useless against chain armour or higher.

Only way to really kill a tincan with a sword was to stab them.

[bruce]

Too bad most slash type weapons are rendered useless against chain armour or higher.

Only way to really kill a tincan with a sword was to stab them.

You could also grab it by the blade and hit them in the head with the pommel or the handguard, effectively using your sword as a mace, another technique used to deal with armour.

Would be epic if it was the overhead when you're using a sword in half-sworded mode (except someone would have to make the animations and you can't make it have a different damage/damage type on some specific swings without ugly kludges using on-hit trigger).

[Boss_Awesome]

Real tamahagane katanas can cut down a man in half with a single swing.

Talking about realism it should be superior because it is; in terms of balance, weight and sharpness the katana is unmatched.

Edit: if you ask me the tanto, nagimake, yari and tachi should also be introduced for more variety

The Katana, while being the undisputed greatest type of sword ever made, is not the true engineering marvel in this situation.  The true engineering marvel is in fact the scabbard made to hold a katana.  The Katana was known about for centuries before it could be effectively used.  This is because the Katana was so sharp that it would almost instantaneously cut through even the finest scabbards.  It took many generations of Japan's finest armorsmiths to find a way to interweave fibers in a compact enough fashion to prevent a scabbard from instantly being sliced in twain when a Katana was sheathed.  Armor stood almost no chance at all.

[bruce]

I heard if you drop a REAL KATANA on the floor, it'll slice to the center of the planet. I heard it on the internets.

[Noctivagant]

We should all get katanas, I'm constantly being robed by Ninjas and Tincans on armored horses when walking down the street in broad daylight...it would come in handy

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[Siiem]

The katana is a useless weapon irl and I'll prove it with this picture.
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[Grey]

The Katana, while being the undisputed greatest type of sword ever made, is not the true engineering marvel in this situation.  The true engineering marvel is in fact the scabbard made to hold a katana.  The Katana was known about for centuries before it could be effectively used.  This is because the Katana was so sharp that it would almost instantaneously cut through even the finest scabbards.  It took many generations of Japan's finest armorsmiths to find a way to interweave fibers in a compact enough fashion to prevent a scabbard from instantly being sliced in twain when a Katana was sheathed.  Armor stood almost no chance at all.

trololol. smoke more. then go buy a sword, any sword, with a composite sheath, or wooden sheath, and see that the blade's edge doesnt touch the sheath at any point.....neither in europe nor asia. The blade is held at the blunt side by sidepreasure, and at the hilt and tip by its close fit to the leatherembossed wood there.....

Asian armour could deflect most strikes from a katana by the 1700's. European armoured warriors of the previous centuries would have trolled the japanese VERY hard if they had ever entered into actual combat.

The thing to remember is that the katana is not lightweight and fast by choice, but simply because japan has NO steel in it. They had to make the smallest amount be useful, so super lightweiht weapons was the answer. Attemp to damage the armour of anyone in mail, mail and plate, and you will just break your katana. A fully plated warrior with no mailcoat beneath, would in theory, be vulnerable to the speed of the katana, if its user knew where the weakest joints in the plate were and could get at them unnoposed. Unlikely.

Europeans would have smashed the living shit out of Japan if they had fought in the middle ages, much as they did 600 years later in WW2. Sheer lack of materials stopped Japan being a superpower on more than one occasion.

And, as we all know, girls in thongs can made Katana's useless in seconds.....

[Hauptmann]

Grey just made the best post I ever could have expected out of this community.

[Fluffy_Muffin]

The Katana, while being the undisputed greatest type of sword ever made, is not the true engineering marvel in this situation.  The true engineering marvel is in fact the scabbard made to hold a katana.  The Katana was known about for centuries before it could be effectively used.  This is because the Katana was so sharp that it would almost instantaneously cut through even the finest scabbards.  It took many generations of Japan's finest armorsmiths to find a way to interweave fibers in a compact enough fashion to prevent a scabbard from instantly being sliced in twain when a Katana was sheathed.  Armor stood almost no chance at all.

I didnt know this, thx for sharing. Also the magnolia and ray skin hilt is also impressing, i never wielded a real one but they say the grip on the hilt is fantastic.

Its fascinating and intricate work, there was a great documentary on Japanese masters, dont remember the name of it now but it showed just how much work and dedication it takes.

From the miners and the furnace that creates tamahagane, to the smiths that bend the metal over and over again creating the 2 layer core (which is said to give the flex and durabilitay to the blade) to the master who work with little shaprening stones and finaly to the artists that give that final touch to the blade.

You cant help but respect that kind of dedication.

[krampe]

The Katana, while being the undisputed greatest type of sword ever made, is not the true engineering marvel in this situation.  The true engineering marvel is in fact the scabbard made to hold a katana.  The Katana was known about for centuries before it could be effectively used.  This is because the Katana was so sharp that it would almost instantaneously cut through even the finest scabbards.  It took many generations of Japan's finest armorsmiths to find a way to interweave fibers in a compact enough fashion to prevent a scabbard from instantly being sliced in twain when a Katana was sheathed.  Armor stood almost no chance at all.

I salute you,well done, you fooled the OP.

[Magikarp]

This whole realism thing again?

Do you really believe that shit? That Katanas are the greatest swords ever? lol

[Fluffy_Muffin]

This whole realism thing again?

Do you really believe that shit? That Katanas are the greatest swords ever? lol

Name a more finely crafted and efficient sword

[bruce]

Name a more finely crafted

Swords are tools for killing, not for showing off, and are not considered by how much time it takes to craft one by some exquisite method but how efficient as killing tools they are.

and efficient sword

Just about every european twohanded sword from the period?

The Katana is only really efficient at cutting unarmoured people. Hell, even the Japanese started using polearms en masse instead when they had to face a real army (the Chinese) instead of internal squabbling and massacring peasantry. Then they switched back to using katanas when they decided they don't really want to squabble with anyone outside Japan and would prefer to cut their own peasants instead.

Here's what a proper twohander looks like (I'll probably get one if I manage to scrounge the cash before they get out of stock): http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/nextgen/sword-medieval-danish-2-hander.htm