As we all know, the weapons here at KH are divided into "kind" - or types of weapons; for example, swords are blade weapons, axes are slash weapons, spears are stake weapons etc.
And when you choose the type you want to use, you are also chosing not to use the other types: If for example a kinght has 100% skills with blade weapon - the same knight has only 30% skills(or 50%...I don't know) with a slash weapon....basically the knight sucks with all other types. This means that the player pretty much is stuck with the choise he has made.

A knight with 100% skills with a sword, that picks up an axe, has basically no clue how to use the axe: That dosen't sound right! There are after all some similarities between using a sword and an ax!
Similarities between sword and ax:
1. Both are held with one hand.
2. Both use the swinging motion...do slashing damage (I don't know the right word...hope you know what I mean)
3.
4. Both are basically short stake weapons

That makes 3 out of 4, which in turn means that a knight with 100% sword skills would have 75% axe skills with the new weapon system.

The new weapon system:
1. One or two hands
2. Type of damage
3. Type of damage
4. Type of weapon (short stake, stake, chain etc.)

A sword would be a: 1-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / short stake weapon.
An axe would be a: 1-hand / slashing damage / crushing damage / short stake weapon.
Thus a 100% sword would be 75% axe, or vice versa.

A Flail would be a: 1-hand / slashing damage / crushing damage / chain weapon.
This would make a 100% "Axe-man" into a 75% "Flail-man", but the 100% Sword-man would only be a 50% "Flail-man" (the Axe-man has 3 out of 4, and the Sword-man has 2 out of 4).

If a 100% swordsman chose to switch to the ax before a duel, he would go down to 97% swordskills and go up to 78% axeskills.

Bonuses in battle
1. Long stake weapons get bonus during the short-range combat phase.
2. Long chain weapons get bonus during the battle phase (last phase).
3. Long slash weapons get bonus during the battle phase (last phase).
4. Long blade weapons get bonus during the battle phase (last phase).

More weapons
If we were to implement this new weapon system an those bonuses, we would need more weapons to choose from.
Smelgar's "Bastard Sword" is an excellent idea: It could be the duel-variant of the Great sword.
The Bastard Sword would be a: 2-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / short stake weapon.
Whereas the Great sword would be a: 2-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / long blade weapon.
This would give the player to choise to use the Great sword in a battle with 75% skills (if he had 100% with Bastard Sword), and thus get the "Long blade weapons" bonus during the battle phase (last phase).

And a duel-variant of the Halberd as I suggested in another thread; we could call it Glaive or Fauchard or something like that.
This weapon would be a: 2-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / stake weapon.
Whereas the Halberd would be a: 2-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / long stake weapon.
This would give the player to choise to use the Halberd in a battle with 75% skills (if he had 100% with Glaive or Fauchard), and thus get the "Long stake weapons" bonus during the short-range combat phase.

We should also have a 2-handed version of the Triple flail; this being the duel-variant of the Great flail, so that players with this weapon would have the option of getting the "Long chain weapons" bonus.

The same goes for the Doublebladed axe.

Then there is the Spear...and I'm afraid the spear is a "dead end" in this new system.
The spear would be a: 1-hand / thrusting damage / stake weapon.
As you can see, there is only one type of damage. So players who choose the spear as their weapon, are pretty much stuck with the spear.
And 100% "Spearmen" only has 50% with the Long spear.

Since many of the weapons that were used in medieval times were a further development of farming tools, I think it is only fair that we can use farming tools as weapons in KH.
And these farming tool weapons should be for free!
Yep you read correctly...they should't cost anything and it should not be possible to repair them.
Take the "cudgel" for example: Why on earth would I want to buy a wooden stick for 5 silvercoins?! Why can't I just pick one of the ground?! And repairing it, even makes lesser sence; I would simply throw it away and pick up a new one!

Since we all own a fiefdom, we must assume that we also own the tools needed to get the harvest in, the tools needed to get our animals slaughter, the tools needed to chop firewood etc.

These "free of charge" farming tools would be of great benefit for our young kinghts; this would mean they could be training their weapon skills and develop their fiefdom at the same time.

These farming tools should of course have low stats; the important thing being that they could train towards a specific type of weapon.
For example: The "cudgel" would be a: 1-hand / slashing damage / thrusting damage / short stake weapon.
And the young knight would use the cudgel if he wanted to become a "swordsman"

A Pitch Fork would be a: 1-hand / thrusting damage / stake weapon. (Spear)

A Sledge-hammer would be a: 2-hand / slashing damage / crushing damage / short stake weapon. (2-hand axe )
etc.etc.
(I don't know that many farming tool, but I'm sure that we'll find an alternative to all weapons)

Combining this with Gregory's "giving-the-young-knights-a-weapon" idea, could maybe encourage our young knights to stay active. The young knight could be given the weapon when he had expanded his fiefdom past the leve 1 buildings or something like that.

I'm 100% with Al Hakam Azzam conclusions and I proposed already a new wepons map, similar with AE, but the Tech team was interested only in advantages of the archery!
A diversity of weapons with all kind of properties, not only a small change in stats definitely will make the game more interesting.
There should be weapons against horses, shield offer protection against arrows but do less damage, archers more effective (they are useless against heavy armored knights at the moment, who cannot be damaged by arrows)
There is a contradiction in the game at the moment, archers use a 1 H sword in the combat, not heavy claymore or other 2 H weapons!
Weapons with high reach as spears and halberds do more damage against cavalry, but was less effective against infantry.
That way the knights can have more than 1 weapon and use it in the battles depending of the enemy. A good tactics and choice of weapons can be they way to victory in the battles, not only the number of heavy armored knights like it is now.


* it's piercing for the arrows

Realize I'm pulling this thread out of the bin, but it's worth it to consider.

I think one of the things that's not considered with the Ax versus sword is the way the weight is distributed. With the axe it's very top heavy and the sword tends to favor a balanced weight centered at the base of the hilt... this means the actual act of swinging the weapon is a very different experience.

A sword uses a lot of wrist and forearm to direct that balanced weight... while an ax is much more dependent... like a hammer in a smithy for example on shoulder and putting your weight against it to deliver the strongest possible blow.

However perhaps there could be a way to select a "secondary" weapon.

Wherein a knight might use a bow in the opening long range... then charge with a spear or lance... then go with a sword for the close combat etc etc. Thus speaking to the diversity idea as well. Perhaps some mechanism can be thought up such as a cost in silver to maintain "training" in a secondary weapon that would maintain his acquired skill (up to say 65%) with it so long as that fee is paid. Leaving it to the knight to decide if this is worth it for them to keep it for that fee, split his time so as to keep both weapons as high as he can with trading off duels, or specialize which would allow him to acquire mastery with a given weapon.

I wholeheartedly agree with Al Hakam Azzam and Gregory I.

Also I suggest to remove double bitten axe. It's like pulled out of fantasy game. Why? Just think, if you try to attack someone with such a heavy axe and miss then.. Well, you're dead, because your opponent will have a lot of time to just chop your arm off. More, axe heads were TINY!
Two points:
Double Bitten Axe
Battle Axes

I think that this guy is right.

Allen Brzeczyszczykiewicz wrote:

QUOTE:
...
Double Bitten Axe
Battle Axes

I think that this guy is right. :)

And I think this guy is an idiot

But I like the idea of Al Hakam Azzam

To say it's an idiot seems a bit too much, the guy make a point there, not to mention it was fun. Thanks Allen for pointing this.
Still, we play a game, not a real battle and what can I say.. such axes looks cool.
If more players will suggest such axes don't look real and affect their game-play, Tech Team will take in consideration your request.

Still, worth to see the movies.

yes... a couple of those axes do look a little bit comical considering they're listed as one handed weapons.

As for the youtube vids...interesting... the guy is a little bit spastic but all in all an interesting watch. Good link to illustrate.