Why do I see most people carrying swords?

It has been bothering me for a while now, it seems like in most stories I read that the majority of people are armed with melee weapons. Now, I am aware that a majority of the people in felarya simply stumbled here and weren't armed, but what about the people who have been here for a while and have access to firearms?

I'm not asking why everyone doesn't have a BFG9000, just why do these people prefer cold steel over hot lead in the wilderness. Swords and the like have been dissolved from our modern day armories, after we started to abandon Napoleonic strategies the rifles short fling with the cutlass came to a close. So, why would someone pass up on ballistic weapons?

It just seems...well, stupid to move a caravan of goods through a land where everything between you and your destination wants to kill and or eat you and not armor up your vehicles and slap some high caliber weapons on it. Keep it simple, around three trucks armored up and equipped with a .50 cal to carry the goods with four armored cars escorting you. Yet, all I seem to read about is a single lone vehicle hauling the goods with a few mix matched mercs marching along side.

Well, Felarya is incredibly diverse and technology is very isolated. Some humans come from other worlds, which have various high-tech weapons and vehicles, etc. Others might only be limited to swords and spears. Others may prefer magic or other means of defense. A good many humans probably just don't have access to that kinda stuff.

Hmmm... A valid question. Some theories of why could include,

Swords are quiet. Avoiding predator notice is always a valid strategy. Sure you can blast a Kensha beast on full auto and reduce him to a mist, but that just attracts more enemies. Which leads to...

Limited ammo. Swords can get worn down, and guns can jam. But swords never run our of ammo.

Utility. Swords can be used to cut through foliage, and other impediments that may be blocking your path. Not to mention, a gun won't do much to a carnivorous plant.

Range and line of sight. Being a jungle setting for the most part, a gun's effectiveness is reduced to near close quarters. And if you're that close already, having a gun is close to useless.

And of course,

Equally useless. The largest and most dangerous preds, this being the giant naga, dridder, harpy, etc, are mostly immune to most small arm fire and average melee weapons. Magic or tech enhanced weaponry have a good chance, but not a great one. Although such big sentient threats are much more rare than coming across some podmaws, it's still a valid concern. And both weapons won't do much to such a large creature, so why not take the less expensive and more useful sword?

It just seems less effective in some scenarios to swing a sword than to unsling a gun. In all actuality it seems extremely dumb not to just carry both; if my rifle runs dry I can hit him with a sword, if the blade breaks I can blow him away with my rifle. I understand its all about cost for many people, but i wanted to try and focus more on the "professionals", like caravan guards or mercs.

a good few of these guys show up with a claymore or short sword when they get attacked by something a few hundred times bigger then them when their job is to stand their ground and friggin kill it. The caravan example I gave is probably the best, why not just have some heavy weapons with your group (or at least loud, many people dont seem to forget the sound of a few hundred .50 cal bullets whizzing by. It inst always about the kill, sometimes just shooting enough for them to shit them selves and run.)

No offense but I doubt the sound of a gun is loud enough to scare the giant predators ^^; I mean think how large they are then how small the gun is.

nightgolem wrote:

No offense but I doubt the sound of a gun is loud enough to scare the giant predators ^^; I mean think how large they are then how small the gun is.

When I said that, I referring to the higher end weapons, like a .50 cal. Trust me, if you wanna spook the shit out of something, spray a volley of .50 over their heads

But do you have anything to say about any of my points? Like what about the fact that shooting the gun won't scare anything away. You might as well be ringing a dinner bell. Preds will hear that and think "Yum, humans that way."

Also, caravans are rare. Especially in the jungle. Like, really rare. It's too dangerous. Caravans are big and cumbersome. And guns won't do anything to a fairy. The most common well armed group in the jungles are adventurers. Entrepreneurs. Treasure Hunters. Armed guards and caravans and mercs are very very rare comparatively.

Hmmm, I good question. Silent Eric raises several good possibilities, but here are a couple more.

Unreliability. As we know, the metal the Delurans use doesn't hold up well in Felarya, so it stands to reason that some technology brought in from other worlds could also have... unpredictable effects here as well. In complex, high-powered weapons, if even one of the materials being used doesn't work quite like it's supposed to: catastrophic failure. Low-tech weapons like bows and swords on the other hand: not so much. When you're not exactly sure what world your gun came from, it could make you mighty nervous knowing it might just... blow up the next time you used it.

But the most important factor to consider, is that Felarya runs on a set of rules not altogether dissimilar to anime physics. AKA: never bring a gun to a sword fight.

Silent_eric wrote:

And guns won't do anything to a fairy.

Actually assuming the fairy is either tiny or human sized, a shotgun would be most effective.

JohnDoe wrote:

Silent_eric wrote:

And guns won't do anything to a fairy.

Actually assuming the fairy is either tiny or human sized, a shotgun would be most effective.

It is most effective. However, that doesn't make it effective in the first place. It's still a random spray trying to hit a moving target the size of a thimble. Fairies still have magic. And you can't pull the trigger when you are one inch high.

Well, you should remember that Felarya isn't in a constant state of war. It's more of a test of survival. if you run into a predator alone, there really isn't much that can be done, besides avoiding the one billion mistakes humans often do in felarya fanfiction. XD

Swords can multitask in this world very well. They can cut through debris, slash down irritating flora, create escape paths through most predator stomachs (except those armored like a rock or with really strong organs), the noise they make is very minimal and they even guest star in comics thanks to guys named Eric.

Of course, they can also help with the simpler tasks, like maintaining foliage or even your small garden, plus they're a saving grace in the morning when you need to cut butter for your toast.

Guns can't cut butter like that. And if you try, you're cleaning up the ensuing mess, buddy.

Pendragon wrote:

create escape paths through most predator stomachs

Some stomachs. Like maybe frogs. If you can maneuver in there.

I think most people carry swords because, personally, I think thieves and raiders are far more of a common threat than we give them credit for. With all the treasure hunters, explorers and off-worlders coming and going, its a thief's paradise. Not to mention the shipments of Ascarlin that run back and forth between the Ascarlin mines and Negav.

Swords, spears, axes, etc, are easy to get ahold of, and are reliable. They don't jam and they don't run out of ammo. Also, keep in mind that native Felaryans exist on roughly a medieval level of technology for the most part. Most of them are likely far more comfortable and skilled with melee weapons and magic, than some loud, flashy thing from another world.

Some people will have guns, but I have suspicion that guns are semi-rare amongst the average Felaryan. Groups like the Isolon Fist would have much easier access to them, but who knows what merchants charge for even hanguns on Felarya. Guns aren't exactly cheap in the US, and they're fairly common and easy to get ahold of. In Felarya, they are largely imports from off-world. Handguns, and maybe shotguns or hunting rifles would be about as armed as the average person can afford to get. Assault rifles would likely be only really used by military groups, either from off-world, or local ones like the Isolon Fist.

Magic would help fill in the gaps some too. A good mage can be just as lethal as a handgun.

My avatar for example, carries a sword and a gun, not to say its effective, but it creates more versatility options in situations .

My story is fairly all over the place. A couple mages, a swordsman, a wielder of poison daggers, and a man with a high-tech sniper rifle. Depends on where you're from, who you meet, etc. ^^;

Well, I'd say the people who aren't using guns are not using guns because...

...they don't have guns, maybe? Other people may have guns, but they don't.

well rcs619 does a pretty good job of explaining it.

felarya's tech level is far lower than most people seem to realize. they get their technology from shipments, because it's too hard to find the natural resources and survive at the same time. also, since there is much magic, the technology has developed in a different direction than earth's.

on top of this, only military really have any sort of advanced technology, a civilian or adventurer carrying a gun is highly unlikely. ammo would be incredibly expensive, and you would need to be a successful adventurer to pull this off (which is hard enough). magic is more reliable than guns are in felarya, especially because the thick jungle/forest environment makes it difficult to fight in with a gun. you'd end up hitting trees more than a fairy, naga, or human. but that's saved for another discussion entirely.

Im gonna answer the thread. SWORDS ARE TIMELESS WEAPONS

alliance wrote:

Im gonna answer the thread. SWORDS ARE TIMELESS WEAPONS

no they're not... they rust, chip, break and bend

Reptillian wrote:

alliance wrote:

Im gonna answer the thread. SWORDS ARE TIMELESS WEAPONS

no they're not... they rust, chip, break and bend

But.....but....according to every anime I've ever watched, a good katana can easily cut through tanks and giant mechs! My worldview is now shattered! D:

rcs619 wrote:

Reptillian wrote:

alliance wrote:

Im gonna answer the thread. SWORDS ARE TIMELESS WEAPONS

no they're not... they rust, chip, break and bend

But.....but....according to every anime I've ever watched, a good katana can easily cut through tanks and giant mechs! My worldview is now shattered! D:

XD

so, basically firearms are semi-rare and if found are usually limited to side arms, hunting rifles, and shotguns (excluding military groups or military contractors). Their general ease of use and versatility in the felaryan wilderness has made their wide spread use even further rare.

Now, is it in the realm of possibility for more low-tech homemade fire arms to be slightly more common than manufactured firearms (like the pipe-gun from fallout 2).

I'm less surprised that people are using swords because of the Tech-Level (It's been pretty much confirmed that, barring a few factions (Oth, Miratans, possible Delurans, the guards of Negav, etcetera), the people aren't much better than Renaissance tech), and more because they're using swords. Where's the Battle Axes? Pikes?

Axes would seemingly be more effective than a sword, if only because they can put more weight behind the swing and - against most Preds - it's brawn not finesse that'll help you (Not many people can take a rapier and swish it in a Spine Beetle's eye. Swing a large axe into their body? That's something else). Sure, it won't do much grievous damage to a Giant Pred (Barring either superhuman strength or an enchanted axe to lop off fingers, in which case the longer blade on a sword could probably help more), but for things like Spine Beetles you'd actually be able to hurt them reliably with an axe - especially two-handed.

As for Pikes? Well, their advantage is even less lethality (not to say they aren't lethal weapons) but that a regiment of people can (comparatively cheaply) be armed with such and suddenly become a big discouragement to several sentient Predators. What do I mean? Would you turn your hand into a veritable pin-cushion just for what amounts to a small chicken strip? The weapons don't need to hurt the Giant Predator - they merely need to make using its hands highly discouraging. If it uses a limb to cast aside the spears, odds are it's still going to be jabbed in at least one place, and more importantly the Vore-fix "Oh I love to feel them squirm" Preds would have just defeated such an endeavor as smacking through a couple dozen people that hard is probably going to leave many of them dead or dazed enough that it's "just" a meal now.

I guess its just one of those "Why the hell didn't I think of that?" things. Pikes would be an amazing deterrent not just to preds but anything else that has to physically get right up to your face before eating you and a good old fashion war axe can smash bone and crack skulls better than any sword given the right circumstances.

Plus, a good axe or pike is easier to make than a good sword. Less metal is needed and a good sword is a more elaborate process. The first weapons to be widely used were axes and spears.