Just throwing in an update on the game:
The server we're playing on has developed very well, the majority of the major settlements are mass producing leather and rope and have walls + buildings established. It's interesting to see how the combat and gameplay is evolving as these items become more common, as a large portion of the players have started dropping their two-handed weapons and are now using crossbows in full plate with one-handed swords. Crossbows seem to be very deadly in LiF, one-shotting everything that isn't in tier 2+ armor.
I fear that LiF may one day be plagued by the same problem as cRPG.
The nice thing is that your bolts and crossbow have to be equipped on your back, so you can't use a two-handed weapon with a crossbow. 2h swords aren't too ridiculous, but the 2h axes are insane, you can easily 2 - 3 shot people in chainmail with them. 1h weapons are pretty good, the swords don't do too much damage, but picks and maces are extremely effective.