Poll: Swords or Guns?

[Ithera]

Swords are an anachronism and have no place in anything resembling modern combat.Swords should be seen as nothing else but a last resort weapon (if you find yourself fortunate enough to be fighting in a museum).

So why do we still have Knives then?
They if anything is anachronismis-tic.

There is a difference between a knife and a sword. While the sword remains outdated the knife retains certain useful characteristics. For example, the avid outdoors man might find a knife very useful.

 

[maninahat]

Ah, give me a revolver over a sword, any day. Or a harpoon gun (combining the best of both worlds).

Spoiler:

 

[Syphous]

In video games I usually pick melee weapons over guns. Of course in real life I would carry a gun and not even consider carrying a friggin sword.

 

[Frungy]

It's hellishly difficult to conceal a gun or sword and still get to it in good time. What this means in practical terms is that either:
a) Unconcealed gun/sword - People act really polite until they're standing behind you and can hit you over the head with chair, beer bottle or combine harvester.
b) Concealed gun/sword - People get mighty suspicious when you start groping in your pants, on your ankle, or drawing your sword cane and get really close and hit you with a chair, beer bottle or combine harvester, or they run away really fast and tell the cops. Either way not good.

Personally I prefer a folding knife up my sleeve. It slides easily into my hand and is invisible right up until the point where I stick it in someone, with little or no forewarning apart from my massive friendly smile.

 

[Jamash]

Spoiler: Snip

Not necessarily, it all depends on how you write your fiction.

unfortunatly, this is impossible, you can't do that with anything (mythbusters)
i'm going to go with guns.
big assed guns.

Not true, anything is possible in video games, it's all about how you write the code.

but this was for real life wasn't it? wait i'll go check.
nope. i am sorry for wasting your time.

Don't worry about. I kind of hate myself for posting that, since I hate all the bullshitdo myths surrounding the Samurai and Katana, but it was the best example I could find of how, in video games, swords can be on par with guns.

 

[Antitonic]

And don't give me the "You can throw a Knife" because you can throw a sword too

If Lost Odyssey has taught us anything, swords can replace arrows, too.

 

[kampori]

Guns are the obvious choice for evolutionary progression in killing people.. as us humans love to do so well.

But I'd take the sword any day. It requiers skill to wield in itself, let alone use it to attack or defend. Armies of sword-wielders, especially people so specialised in it, such as the Japanese Samurai or Arab knights, the skill of those swords can cut down entire armies.

Look at the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 1500s- Korea and China were armed to the teeth with the most modern guns invented in China.. Japan had VERY rudimentary firearms, but armed to the teeth in swords and bows.. and the Korean armies were slaughtered.. cut down like butter with a hot knife. They didn't stand a chance against the sword...

But to be fair, they were the FIRST guns ever invented, and so were very shoddy.. but again as the Japanese prove- there is honour in the sword. Honour if fighting our enemy, seeing their eyes as you duel. Guns have none of this.

Look at the Samurai, look at the Jedi.. they ultimately chose the sword over the gun through honour.

 

[IsraelRocks]

Light-saber

 

[Arkhangelsk]

There's a time and place for everything. I have different preferences at different times. Sometimes I like going stabby, other times I like being a gun-nut.

 

[madmick22]

big stick is the best

 

[Wintermoot]

a shotgun with a katana attached to it

 

[Ithera]

Swords are an anachronism and have no place in anything resembling modern combat.Swords should be seen as nothing else but a last resort weapon (if you find yourself fortunate enough to be fighting in a museum).

So why do we still have Knives then?
They if anything is anachronismis-tic.

There is a difference between a knife and a sword. While the sword remains outdated the knife retains certain useful characteristics. For example, the avid outdoors man might find a knife very useful.

This wasn't a question about outdoorsmen, this was a question of war.
If we should abolish swords as a thing of the past, why should we not abolish knives since they're less usefull against guns.

And don't give me the "You can throw a Knife" because you can throw a sword too

Your answer was not very clear on that point, so I gave a general answer. Soldiers do a lot more than just fight, and have many tools to assist them in their daily work/routines. Knives being one of them. But you had little interest in mundane tasks? Very well, let's move on to combat. Knives fare little better than swords in modern combat, but if things take a turn for the worse, a low tech option can perhaps help avoid disaster.

Knives unlike swords don't weigh a lot, and are thus an attractive low-tech option for the fighting man. What would you prefer? A bulky sword in addition to your other equipment, or a easier to carry knife?

 

[Weslebear]

I will know point your attention to FLCL

Flying Guitar Gun Swords > All

 

[Jamash]

Spoiler: Snip

Not necessarily, it all depends on how you write your fiction.

unfortunatly, this is impossible, you can't do that with anything (mythbusters)
i'm going to go with guns.
big assed guns.

Not true, anything is possible in video games, it's all about how you write the code.

but this was for real life wasn't it? wait i'll go check.
nope. i am sorry for wasting your time.

Don't worry about. I kind of hate myself for posting that, since I hate all the bullshitdo myths surrounding the Samurai and Katana, but it was the best example I could find of how, in video games, swords can be on par with guns.

Actually you can cut a bullet in two using a katana.
But that's stupid since you'll only end up breaking the sword.

I get what you're saying, a softer lead bullet will split if fired at a blade... they shatter and break when hitting bone, but obviously no swordsman would have the skill to cut a bullet out of the air, and even if they did, no swordsman would ruin their blade to block or cut a bullet when they could just their God-like reflexes to move out of the bullet's path completely.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't. That's about all I had to say on the topic.

 

[Oneirius]

Both are very cool. Can't I have both? Well guns then, because I have a feeling that everybody else would say swords.

 

[Lotet]

Guns, if I have to kill somebody I don't want to hear or see them die if I can help it. I'm also a fan of anything the ancients would have called magic.

hmm, interesting, I never thought of it that way. a strong person with a melee weapon can horribly butcher others by lobbing off limbs and possibly cutting people in half if you're some sort of body building barbarian with a battle axe, but frankly, while cool looking, would be somewhat disturbing to see it done, especially if I was his enemy

still, it's much more fun to wave a sword about and it's not like any gun one of these forumites will ever get to wield can bust through a reinforced steel shield (at least any you could get past border customs). trust me, I can carry a shield, but where the fun in shooting you from there?

moving on, unless we get invaded by Zombies, Ogres or Vampires then guns will have to do