Well, neither are that practical for general use...
I would choose, say, a longsword over anything, but I'd take a katana over a zweihander or nodachi any day.
Swordsman Troper — Reclaiming The Blade — WatchNonsense! A true Lancer wields a spear!
I'll meet the concept halfway at a naginata, how 'bout that.
Swordsman Troper — Reclaiming The Blade — Watch[insert guns vs swords argument]
[rabblerabblerabblewank]
[we learn nothing of value]
Swordsman Troper — Reclaiming The Blade — WatchPersonality wise, I lean towards The Chick, but I tend to play The Lancer to people more often. I have a lot of people who I act as the right-hand man to.
Which is odd, since in an actual band I play drums, but hey.
Real life BF Ss aren't as heavy as assumed.
The weight isn't the issue.
A length like that limits a weapon for indoor use and makes redoubling strikes much more difficult. While zweihanders were fantastic in formation for demolishing other formations, your run-of-the-mill two-handed longsword only gives away a little offensive ability (if any, considering it's much better to thrust with) for greater versatility and speed.
I know this because I am a swordsman who specialises in longsword. I have a particular affinity for German blades in particular.
EDIT: To explain further, a zweihander's size would make undercuts very awkward if not completely impractical, so you can cross two cuts out of your eight. In addition, the dispersal of the weight could make it ungainly on horiztonal cuts if you overextended, meaning that all the best cuts came from above, whether directly down or diagonal. Don't get me wrong — this works fine in formation, but a longsword is simply more versatile and nimble. In fact, the landsknecht troops that made zweihanders famous eventually phased them out for the shorter longswords.
edited 4th Jun '11 7:31:10 AM by MadassAlex
Swordsman Troper — Reclaiming The Blade — WatchI always end up being somewhere between The Smart Guy and The Chick in set-ups like this. It's probably where I'm best suited anyway.
That's assuming I'm not The Load or the Tagalong Kid instead. :x
This is not a signature.Which coincides with metallurgy techniques which made sword production easier. Viking swords were good, but very time intensive to make. Making an extra-big one would be excessive even for a king.
Swordsman Troper — Reclaiming The Blade — WatchIn most of my posses, I tend to be The Lancer.
but The Chick fits me nicely as well.
One of my few regrets about being born female is the inability to grow a handlebar mustache. -LandstanderI'd try to be the Smart Guy, but I would fail and inevitably end up as the Tagalong Kid
2012 will never happen, instead it will go straight to 2013@Alex - actually, yes, Team Pet would probably fit me quite well in more than one social group I've been in too
... I think this group of tropes somewhat falls down when I attempt to categorise real people into it

I think I'd either be The Lancer with a side of The Medic, or The Smart Guy.
Feminist in the streets, sex slave in the sheets