Say, like me, you are caught by a mass attack of Zs in England, where guns are an extremely rare find (Seriously, even eBay doesn't have any). What weapons do you have?
Kitchen Knives are generally too short to be used effectively, and most, despite being engraved 'samurai', will break off extremely easily. Lead piping and other kinds are too unwieldy and are difficult to use with any kind of precision. Granted, we've got the largest store of ingredients for Molotov Cocktails, but that's not a good idea.
I recommend taking a simple broomstick, and removing the brush end. This provides you with a sturdy staff. Anyone who's watched Matrix knows how to use a staff. Break it in two and anyone who's watched Mortal Kombat or again Matrix can use it. Anyone with training or the right mindset can use these weapons, because they were originally designed to be used by peasants.
Weapons like these are good for holding off Zs for a time, but evacuation is still recommended. If all else fails, they can be used to barr doors and other openings by placing one end against the opening and the other against a parralel wall.
Watching the matrix or playing mortal combat WILL NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO WEILD A QUORTER STAFF how ever it is one of th easyest weapons to learn to use effectively. The way I learned was I put a 10 foot metal pole in my back yard and pratced about 3 or 4 times a week for about an hour each time for the past 8 years. Now I can beat most master martal artist's with the amount of skill I have gained with doing this for the past 8 years.
Will you hold me back? If need be I will leave you behind...
I would say that all but the most trained martial artist would have a very difficult time dispatching zombies with such weaponry. Those weapons are designed to incapacitate a living being by either a) striking certain areas and causing intense pain, or b) striking certain areas and knocking the target out. Any type of blunt weaponry used to fend off zombies needs to be heavy enough (or swung hard enough) to crush the zombie's skull within a reasonable amount of blows and needs to be resilient enough to do that many times in a row. Frankly, most 'martial' weapons, as we are calling them here, fail to meet both those criteria. They are designed for fast, accurate strikes that cause intense pain in the target, NOT for crushing the human skull and puncturing the brain.
Alright, let me illustrate my point a bit:
Alright, now this image gives us a number of long range piercing weapons, easily achieved by firmly attaching a kitchen blade to the end of a severed broomstick. The kama weapon seen in the top right can be achieved with a similar method using a shorter stick, or by using a common household axe (At least, they're common around here, pretty small). Scythes are also simple weapons and can be used to great effect against swathes of them.
Quarterstaff makes an appearance here too, but remember that the technique with the quarterstaff is to follow the momentum of the staff, which leads to almost perfect control and effect on a circular region around the wielder. It can also be used to fend off Zs around you whilst you deal with it's friends. Other weapons shown here are either useless against them or harder to make than most Z invasion victims will be able.
Next image:
Okay, now we get to the hack & slash goodness. Axes are very good against Zs, especially of the can get in a cleave or two. The Trident and Halberd also make an appearance, and can be subsituted with Pitchforks and adapted fireaxes. The Spiked Chain is better used to entangle than actually harm, but in the right situation can be used to deal some very good damage.
Last one:
The items in this image are probably the least available. Swords and Warhammers are pretty rare, and Maces get stuck in bodies too easily. However, the relatively common sickle can be used to great effect. My particular favourite appears here: The Two-Bladed Sword. This one is particularly hard to make, but when used properly can create a swirling swathe of hacky goodness
All images provided with copyrights to Wizards of the Coast
Contrary to popular 8-Bit belief, the notion of attaching two swords together with a length of chain is completely insane. The swirling blades would be almost impossible to control in typical nunchuck fashion, and would be dangerous to wield as individual swords. It would be much better to instead wield two separate swords or one Two-Bladed Sword
Alright, I'm just going to break down your post here, to keep things easy.
Quote:
Alright, now this image gives us a number of long range piercing weapons, easily achieved by firmly attaching a kitchen blade to the end of a severed broomstick. The kama weapon seen in the top right can be achieved with a similar method using a shorter stick, or by using a common household axe (At least, they're common around here, pretty small). Scythes are also simple weapons and can be used to great effect against swathes of them.
Just to start off, I would like to bring up my previously-mentioned point in that in order to hold off a horde of zombies, the weapon in question absolutely MUST be able to take some serious punishment. We are talking crushing (or in the particular instances above, piercing) the human skull, one of the hardest bones on the planet. This is the kind of task that I wouldn't trust to an aluminum bat, let alone a broken broomstick, as you were so eager to bring up. As for the scythe, absolutely. That is a wonderful idea, assuming you can get your hands on one. They are sturdy, powerful instruments that can easily decapitate in one clean swing and are more than hardy enough to handle fighting off a horde of undead. The scythe does, however, have two major drawbacks. The aforementioned lack of availability means that you won't find a scythe in any old store. They are archaic tools, long since treated as any realistic form of instrument, weaponry or otherwise. This means that you are pretty much going to have to have one custom-ordered, which means high prices, making it somewhat impractical. Another major problem is that, while the weapon itself can be made very sturdy, you need a lot of room to swing those about effectively, making it somewhat less desireable in my eyes at least.
Quote:
Quarterstaff makes an appearance here too, but remember that the technique with the quarterstaff is to follow the momentum of the staff, which leads to almost perfect control and effect on a circular region around the wielder. It can also be used to fend off Zs around you whilst you deal with it's friends. Other weapons shown here are either useless against them or harder to make than most Z invasion victims will be able.
As I said earlier, the quarterstaff is really more of a pressure-based weapon, making it virtually ineffective against zombies. You did bring up a good point however, in mentioning that it would be useful in holding the undead back while your friends deal the lethal blow. While I wouldn't go around training for such a situation, I can see it being likely for something like that to happen. As such, the quarterstaff should not be entirely neglected as a weapon as I previously suggested.
Quote:
Okay, now we get to the hack & slash goodness. Axes are very good against Zs, especially of the can get in a cleave or two. The Trident and Halberd also make an appearance, and can be subsituted with Pitchforks and adapted fireaxes. The Spiked Chain is better used to entangle than actually harm, but in the right situation can be used to deal some very good damage.
I will agree with you in saying that axes are a good choice of weponry. This does not mean that they are the best, however. Axes take a lot of force to swing, and even more to puncture the skull, as I said above. When employed properly, however, they can remove a head with quite some ease, making close combat something less of a fear for those with proper technique and sufficient strenght. For those without a good knowledge of how to execute such a swing though, I would strongly recommend staying away from. Tridents, pitchforks, and halberds again present the room problem, requiring a large space to employ effectively, making them unnatractive to a survivor preparing for anything. The spiked chain is designed to destroy non cranium-based wounds, and thus should be disregarded entirely.
Quote:
The items in this image are probably the least available. Swords and Warhammers are pretty rare, and Maces get stuck in bodies too easily. However, the relatively common sickle can be used to great effect. My particular favourite appears here: The Two-Bladed Sword. This one is particularly hard to make, but when used properly can create a swirling swathe of hacky goodness
I will agree with most of your points brought up here, but I have a few problems at a couple of spots. First off, the sickle works much like an axe and should be treated, accepting its shape, as such in all regards. In regards to the double-bladed sword, I could not possibly disagree with you more. I would leave one of these behind under all circumstances, even if it meant going around unarmed. The mere concept behind this weapon is silly; the idea of utilizing it against the living dead is even moreso. In order for this weapon to be even a remote threat to zombies, one would have to practice for countless hours upon countless hours. Plus, once mastered, in order for it to be any more effective than a simple one-bladed sword, one would have to surround oneself with zombies, an unecessary risk at best. Considering it performs best when completely surrounded (something I plan on never allowing to happen to me) AND the amount of training needed, I would avoid this weapon at all costs.
Assuming that you have put at least a bit of time into training with your weapon and that you are at least somewhat physically fit, a small handheld axe, such as a hatchet, would be your best bet. Anything else and you are limiting yourself as well as your options.
however, they can remove a head with quite some ease, making close combat something less of a fear for those with proper technique and sufficient strenght. For those without a good knowledge of how to execute such a swing though
Untrue an axe CAN NOT decapatate with one blow four or five can but not one. In medevil times when people were beheaded it was better for you to receve the sword then the axe the sword would cut your head off in one stroke where as the axe took 4 or 5 blows to sever the spinle collum so you are mistaken about the decapatateing effects of the axe. How ever all the other theroy's are sound.
Will you hold me back? If need be I will leave you behind...
a good axe can sever the spinal column and thats waht counts. you're thinking of a hatchet, we'(i assume)re thinking of the large and narrow bladed battle axes. with a long handle you get reduced recoil and fast "cooldown" aka its eazy to pull out
dont underestimate the axe
one important point: dont let a sharp weapon hit the f*cking ground! i know it must seem tempting to swing a 15 lb sword cutting a zombie in half and hear the crushing sound the steel makes against concrete... but after a few swings it will be useless! respect your weapons guys...
and dont forget what i said about a scythe... take a guess why the death carried a scythe and not swordchucks (im jk i know how much the idea is stupid) in the medieval times, a scythe was a threat to a mounted armored knight. it can jab through most armor, slice limbs without effort and best of all, in professional hands it can stop crowds. so, be the angel of death. im jsut kidding practice with whats best for you
Say, like me, you are caught by a mass attack of Zs in England, where guns are an extremely rare find (Seriously, even eBay doesn't have any). What weapons do you have?
Kitchen Knives are generally too short to be used effectively, and most, despite being engraved 'samurai', will break off extremely easily. Lead piping and other kinds are too unwieldy and are difficult to use with any kind of precision. Granted, we've got the largest store of ingredients for Molotov Cocktails, but that's not a good idea.
I recommend taking a simple broomstick, and removing the brush end. This provides you with a sturdy staff. Anyone who's watched Matrix knows how to use a staff. Break it in two and anyone who's watched Mortal Kombat or again Matrix can use it. Anyone with training or the right mindset can use these weapons, because they were originally designed to be used by peasants.
Weapons like these are good for holding off Zs for a time, but evacuation is still recommended. If all else fails, they can be used to barr doors and other openings by placing one end against the opening and the other against a parralel wall.
Any other ideas for martial weapons?
Bury deep, pile on the stones
Yet I will, dig up the bones
Watching the matrix or playing mortal combat WILL NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO WEILD A QUORTER STAFF how ever it is one of th easyest weapons to learn to use effectively. The way I learned was I put a 10 foot metal pole in my back yard and pratced about 3 or 4 times a week for about an hour each time for the past 8 years. Now I can beat most master martal artist's with the amount of skill I have gained with doing this for the past 8 years.
Will you hold me back? If need be I will leave you behind...
The cricket bat (a la Shaun of the Dead) would likely be a pretty good blunt instrument, until it broke...
The battle rages but they fight in vain
When all is done it must begin again
-"Freya", the Sword
I would say that all but the most trained martial artist would have a very difficult time dispatching zombies with such weaponry. Those weapons are designed to incapacitate a living being by either a) striking certain areas and causing intense pain, or b) striking certain areas and knocking the target out. Any type of blunt weaponry used to fend off zombies needs to be heavy enough (or swung hard enough) to crush the zombie's skull within a reasonable amount of blows and needs to be resilient enough to do that many times in a row. Frankly, most 'martial' weapons, as we are calling them here, fail to meet both those criteria. They are designed for fast, accurate strikes that cause intense pain in the target, NOT for crushing the human skull and puncturing the brain.
"Is everyone dead?"
"Dead-ish."
Alright, let me illustrate my point a bit:
Alright, now this image gives us a number of long range piercing weapons, easily achieved by firmly attaching a kitchen blade to the end of a severed broomstick. The kama weapon seen in the top right can be achieved with a similar method using a shorter stick, or by using a common household axe (At least, they're common around here, pretty small). Scythes are also simple weapons and can be used to great effect against swathes of them.
Quarterstaff makes an appearance here too, but remember that the technique with the quarterstaff is to follow the momentum of the staff, which leads to almost perfect control and effect on a circular region around the wielder. It can also be used to fend off Zs around you whilst you deal with it's friends. Other weapons shown here are either useless against them or harder to make than most Z invasion victims will be able.
Next image:
Okay, now we get to the hack & slash goodness. Axes are very good against Zs, especially of the can get in a cleave or two. The Trident and Halberd also make an appearance, and can be subsituted with Pitchforks and adapted fireaxes. The Spiked Chain is better used to entangle than actually harm, but in the right situation can be used to deal some very good damage.
Last one:
The items in this image are probably the least available. Swords and Warhammers are pretty rare, and Maces get stuck in bodies too easily. However, the relatively common sickle can be used to great effect. My particular favourite appears here: The Two-Bladed Sword. This one is particularly hard to make, but when used properly can create a swirling swathe of hacky goodness
All images provided with copyrights to Wizards of the Coast
Bury deep, pile on the stones
Yet I will, dig up the bones
swordchucks?
war's my game
destruction by no other name
Contrary to popular 8-Bit belief, the notion of attaching two swords together with a length of chain is completely insane. The swirling blades would be almost impossible to control in typical nunchuck fashion, and would be dangerous to wield as individual swords. It would be much better to instead wield two separate swords or one Two-Bladed Sword
Bury deep, pile on the stones
Yet I will, dig up the bones
Alright, I'm just going to break down your post here, to keep things easy.
Just to start off, I would like to bring up my previously-mentioned point in that in order to hold off a horde of zombies, the weapon in question absolutely MUST be able to take some serious punishment. We are talking crushing (or in the particular instances above, piercing) the human skull, one of the hardest bones on the planet. This is the kind of task that I wouldn't trust to an aluminum bat, let alone a broken broomstick, as you were so eager to bring up. As for the scythe, absolutely. That is a wonderful idea, assuming you can get your hands on one. They are sturdy, powerful instruments that can easily decapitate in one clean swing and are more than hardy enough to handle fighting off a horde of undead. The scythe does, however, have two major drawbacks. The aforementioned lack of availability means that you won't find a scythe in any old store. They are archaic tools, long since treated as any realistic form of instrument, weaponry or otherwise. This means that you are pretty much going to have to have one custom-ordered, which means high prices, making it somewhat impractical. Another major problem is that, while the weapon itself can be made very sturdy, you need a lot of room to swing those about effectively, making it somewhat less desireable in my eyes at least.
As I said earlier, the quarterstaff is really more of a pressure-based weapon, making it virtually ineffective against zombies. You did bring up a good point however, in mentioning that it would be useful in holding the undead back while your friends deal the lethal blow. While I wouldn't go around training for such a situation, I can see it being likely for something like that to happen. As such, the quarterstaff should not be entirely neglected as a weapon as I previously suggested.
I will agree with you in saying that axes are a good choice of weponry. This does not mean that they are the best, however. Axes take a lot of force to swing, and even more to puncture the skull, as I said above. When employed properly, however, they can remove a head with quite some ease, making close combat something less of a fear for those with proper technique and sufficient strenght. For those without a good knowledge of how to execute such a swing though, I would strongly recommend staying away from. Tridents, pitchforks, and halberds again present the room problem, requiring a large space to employ effectively, making them unnatractive to a survivor preparing for anything. The spiked chain is designed to destroy non cranium-based wounds, and thus should be disregarded entirely.
I will agree with most of your points brought up here, but I have a few problems at a couple of spots. First off, the sickle works much like an axe and should be treated, accepting its shape, as such in all regards. In regards to the double-bladed sword, I could not possibly disagree with you more. I would leave one of these behind under all circumstances, even if it meant going around unarmed. The mere concept behind this weapon is silly; the idea of utilizing it against the living dead is even moreso. In order for this weapon to be even a remote threat to zombies, one would have to practice for countless hours upon countless hours. Plus, once mastered, in order for it to be any more effective than a simple one-bladed sword, one would have to surround oneself with zombies, an unecessary risk at best. Considering it performs best when completely surrounded (something I plan on never allowing to happen to me) AND the amount of training needed, I would avoid this weapon at all costs.
Assuming that you have put at least a bit of time into training with your weapon and that you are at least somewhat physically fit, a small handheld axe, such as a hatchet, would be your best bet. Anything else and you are limiting yourself as well as your options.
"Is everyone dead?"
"Dead-ish."
Untrue an axe CAN NOT decapatate with one blow four or five can but not one. In medevil times when people were beheaded it was better for you to receve the sword then the axe the sword would cut your head off in one stroke where as the axe took 4 or 5 blows to sever the spinle collum so you are mistaken about the decapatateing effects of the axe. How ever all the other theroy's are sound.
Will you hold me back? If need be I will leave you behind...
a good axe can sever the spinal column and thats waht counts. you're thinking of a hatchet, we'(i assume)re thinking of the large and narrow bladed battle axes. with a long handle you get reduced recoil and fast "cooldown" aka its eazy to pull out
dont underestimate the axe
one important point: dont let a sharp weapon hit the f*cking ground! i know it must seem tempting to swing a 15 lb sword cutting a zombie in half and hear the crushing sound the steel makes against concrete... but after a few swings it will be useless! respect your weapons guys...
and dont forget what i said about a scythe... take a guess why the death carried a scythe and not swordchucks (im jk i know how much the idea is stupid) in the medieval times, a scythe was a threat to a mounted armored knight. it can jab through most armor, slice limbs without effort and best of all, in professional hands it can stop crowds. so, be the angel of death. im jsut kidding practice with whats best for you
war's my game
destruction by no other name