Why do current RPGs not have scythes?

[ecoho]

ok first off id like to say both sides of this argument have valid points a scythe is not the idel weapon but if forged right it is an effective one. now remmeber the ninjas of japan(not the dam fake black robed guys the real deal)were farmers and pesents they killed with farm equipment all the time. What im getting at here is anything can be used as an effective weapon if:
1) well made and sterdy. as in the blade is made thiker and the wood pole is ether reinforced or flat out replaced by metal.
2)they know how to use it. ok people i need to make this clear even with armor the human body is very fragile. one cut in the right place and your dead in 60 seconds or less.
3)you use it against the right type of armor. scythes would be very effective at going through plate armor do to the fact that you need to get the blade caught on the target.Such as the armpits, groin, and neck were very little armor is.
4)lastly if your not considered a threat useing it. Lets face it if you saw someone with a scythe and you had say a sword you realy wouldnt take them seriously and trust me that can get you killed.

now am i saying it would be the come all end all? No.
could you cut a pompuse knight from groin to chest with one? YES!

 

[Einherion]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythes

why would anyone use him as a weapon?

lol all jokes aside, im kinda appalled at all of the conjecture presented as fact here. no citation....BUT ANYWAY.

see this for some history;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe

check these guys out for some more info on origin;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians

check this out for war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythed_chariot

this guy made a book on how to fence with a scythe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulus_Hector_Mair

and here is the WAR SCYTHE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe


enjoy.

Yea... read through all of that...
Still not seeing how scythe is a practical weapon, oh and war scythe is different from a scythe.

well some dude wrote a book about it... idk man if you will reread my post i was giving background info. not explanation. and hand scythes were used as weapons i think. i believe the egyptians used them. not so sure.

I believe the might have... What I do know is that they used a khopesh aka sickle sword. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopesh
But that was, once again, designed for battle, NOT like a scythe.

lol okay, new thread, why dont they have KHOPESH. that looks awesome.

 

[masseyguy911]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythes

why would anyone use him as a weapon?

lol all jokes aside, im kinda appalled at all of the conjecture presented as fact here. no citation....BUT ANYWAY.

see this for some history;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythe

check these guys out for some more info on origin;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians

check this out for war
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythed_chariot

this guy made a book on how to fence with a scythe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulus_Hector_Mair

and here is the WAR SCYTHE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_scythe


enjoy.

Yea... read through all of that...
Still not seeing how scythe is a practical weapon, oh and war scythe is different from a scythe.

well some dude wrote a book about it... idk man if you will reread my post i was giving background info. not explanation. and hand scythes were used as weapons i think. i believe the egyptians used them. not so sure.

I believe the might have... What I do know is that they used a khopesh aka sickle sword. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopesh
But that was, once again, designed for battle, NOT like a scythe.

lol okay, new thread, why dont they have KHOPESH. that looks awesome.

Lol yea why don't they?
The Egyptians built these babies for war and used them all the time, why can't I use one?

 

[Firia]

Because scythes aren't weapons. They're farming tools. Only an idiot would fight with a scythe.

Exactly, why go into a fight with scythe, a FARMING tool, when you could use... oh lets say a halberd, you know something thats actually made to be used as a weapon?

It's sharp and can cut stuff. Sound like a perfect weapon. Also, knives were cooking tools and are considered weapons.

This is a scythe.


Swords were weapons. Axes were tools and weapons. Spears were hunting tools and weapons. A scythe is a reaping farm tool first, and only. It is an improvised weapon at best.

The Scythe in gaming was a stylized adoption from known users of the scythe, and probably the story of the Reaper of Souls [Death]. Farmers that had to defend their home could use one having nothing else on hand, but if you look at how the farmers in the video were using their tool effectively, it would probably be far more effective to use a wood axe, or a hoe. The Scythe is just damn unwieldy.

So while other weapons in history have a basis as being a tool somewhere in their life, you don't hear stories about sickles and scythes, and probably for good reason. They're sharp, and totally dangerous. A good swing could ruin a limb, and probably kill someone. But no one that wants to live past the night will take one up as a professional weapon. They'd get murdered by the first person using a sword, axe, or polearm.

Stylized scythes do look damn cool though. I will admit.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Now your just being a smarty......... practicality ,reasonable reasonableness and logical logic(X common world thing to the nth degree) is the antithesis to fiction. Fiction runs on its own set of rules either enjoy what you get or ....remain a smarty...... LOL

Oh I love fiction but a scythe as a weapon wouldn't be any fun to use because it's a pokey stick. Now a naginata is a katana on a stick, that'd be fun! Or a scythe like Sparda from DMC1, a transforming sword/spear/scythe.

Or the gun/scythe.

it's still unrealistic though.

Stylized weapons tend to be unrealistic at best.....

http://fav.me/d2twn9z
But so wut they are cool

 

[Hawgh]

Because you very rarely fight grains and grasses.

 

[ender214]

Because the hitbox really wouldn't work really well. When you think about it, enemies would be able to avoid a scythes hitbox by standing either close to you or just out of your scythes reached. Which means you have to have impeccable timing, especially since scythes are large and thus slow weapons.

Though a nice symbolic weapon, it really isn't very practical.

 

[orangebandguy]

Only Death wields a scythe you fool!


Everyone else has to make do with clubs and swords and things.

 

[King Kupofried]

I do love scythes myself. I never once thoughts of them as a real weapon, knowing they have really no practicality and will forever be nothing more than farming tools; but I think we can all agree that when we started playing games where it is not uncommon to see people swinging swords that turn into bladed whips, whips that burst out into flames, and flames burst forth from the ground in terrifying pillars at the somewhat unenthusiastic swish of a robed man's hand, that realism and practicality aren't really high up on the priorities.

The problem with scythes is that they are always in the hands of the most generic and dreadfully boring characters. I understand that the Grim Reaper is cool and all but seriously, not every single character that picks up a scythe needs to be a gloomy, robed, solemn and/or evil person who casts a veil of darkness in his/her wake.

That aside, I agree we need to see them more as an option, along with many other weapons; and not simply as a different model of weapons you are already using.

 

[stormcrow5]

I love scythes myself, people say they are farming tools and stuff that may be true but they are modded vers for killing people insted of crops, lots of tools for farming and the like are wepons in there own way, Axe? spear/pitchfork? so what if they were farm tools they can kill with the sharp and pointy bits just the same the scythe is just another pollarm but insted of a point or axe head on top it has a blade, so why not use it to kill stuff and look awesome

 

[warprincenataku]

Most weapons were in fact farm tools, especially Japanese weaponry.

Nunchucks, sais, kamas and other weapons all had double-duty as tools of some sort.

Scythes, although a bit unwieldy, could double as a weapon in the right hands.

 

[blarghblarghhhhh]

Because scythes aren't weapons. They're farming tools. Only an idiot would fight with a scythe.

Exactly, why go into a fight with scythe, a FARMING tool, when you could use... oh lets say a halberd, you know something thats actually made to be used as a weapon?

It's sharp and can cut stuff. Sound like a perfect weapon. Also, knives were cooking tools and are considered weapons.

also axes are used to cut wood. Im assuming that was there first use.

Some people just cant respect ninjas, thats why you dont see scythes or sais(sp?) in modern games.

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

Well to be fair, Scythes (Not War scythes but just regular old harvesting Scythes) have been used as weapons in real life (see the Peasants' War of the mid 1500's) it's just that you had to go through a lot of training to be able to fence with them (See Fencing with scythes techniques from 1541). So in real life they are pretty damn unwieldy and impractical, but you guys do realize he's talking about your typical Fantasy RPG right? The kinds where you can shoot Fire from your eyes, and you poo lightning so why not use a Scythe? :/

 

[SsilverR]

Because scythes aren't weapons. They're farming tools. Only an idiot would fight with a scythe.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.70517-Scythes#694172
The real question is why do RPGs neglect polearms and axes? Historically they were the most commonly used melee weapons. Swords were the equivalent of an officers pistol.

most of the eastern martial arts weapons to date are farmers tools people developed techniques to use during combat for

i did kung fu for a majority of my life and i know you can be deadly if you used a sythe for cane or beggars cane techniques

 

[Arisato-kun]

Record of Agarest War does.

 

[Estolcles]

People forget the grandfather of 3d MMORPGs, EVERQUEST, had Scythes. And various versions of them too.

Granted, they weren't the greatest weapons, but if you had a decent 2hs skill level, they were dandy in a pinch.

Go EverCrack!

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

...lazyness?

scythes do work a bit differently then most weapons. they have great reach but if your enemy is closer then the effective killing range then your kind of fucked, un like a spear a scythe isn't really designed to be used as a quater staff in case of emergencies. I guess you could just make it so that it hits enemies no matter where they be in the swing but then what the hell is point of using a sword?...ok i guess you could use a shield with it but what about two handed swords?

Really i think scythes would work just as well as any other weapon (especially in a turnbased rpg)so again the explanation i can think of is lazyness.

 

[crabdog62482]

A scythe is a tool, not a weapon. and unlike a knife, it's a tool that doesn't even make a good improvised weapon. Plus, the rule of cool says: Chainsaws and swords > scythes and spears.

 

[Trivun]

Because scythes aren't weapons. They're farming tools. Only an idiot would fight with a scythe.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.70517-Scythes#694172
The real question is why do RPGs neglect polearms and axes? Historically they were the most commonly used melee weapons. Swords were the equivalent of an officers pistol.

According to the History Channel, swords were the elite weapon used by officers and those of noble birth until about the Middle Ages, when suddenly they became a more common weapon due to the development of new methods of making swords, that were quicker and cheaper. So swords could be produced in larger quantities, and quicker, so they started to become the weapon of choice around then for most armies, foregoing the more traditional spears and halberds as used by older armies. By the end of the Middle Ages, swords were a common weapon, and by the time of the Renaissance, they were used by almost everyone as a weapon of personal safety and protection, right up until the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, when they were all but replaced by guns as firearms became more common in manufacturing and usage.

So really, using swords as a common weapon in RPGs fits, historically speaking. And there are plenty of RPGs anyway where you can still use things like axes, though not so much halberds or polearms. That said, most RPGs take place in different fictional worlds anyway, so the development of weapons technology could easily be vastly different to the way it went on Earth, in real life. Thus explaining why non-sword weapons are excluded so much...