 July 27, 2013 - 7:56am | Caught this on Netflix and it is available on PBS: http://video.pbs.org/video/2265039786 Discusses alot of sword manufacturing and fighting techniques. Partly how the Vikings possibly using trade and skill made the greatest sword in the world. Since we have a race that has an honor sword makes you wonder how the Yazirians might have changed their techniques once they met the other races. PS For those who automatically disagree, in the first five minutes the show demonstrates why katanas are inferior to European bastard swords. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 July 27, 2013 - 9:55am | I saw the end but not the beginning, when the sword smith did the oil quench that was cool. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 27, 2013 - 9:59am | Also its not that all viking swords are better than the katana just that one style of sword. It was so good there were imitators but not all the imitators approached the quality of the famous blade. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
July 28, 2013 - 6:36am | Same thing with katanas. Only a few master swordmakers could make the truly exceptional swords for those who could afford them. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 August 2, 2013 - 10:00pm | That episode is available on Netflixs. Sorry, RT already said that. I saw it and it was very cool. The sword quench in the oil was awesome, my daughter that the flaming sword was very cool. But it gives you a different view on what makes a good sword. Each type of sword had one that was made the best, and then there were the rest. I did not realize that a flexible sword would be a good fighting sword for instance. |
August 3, 2013 - 4:17am | Its actually pretty complicated as to what makes a sword great. For example the Roman conquered the world with what was essentially a short sword. Is that a great sword? Well in truth it was the "system" of fighting in which that particulare sword was used that was great but no other sword would have been suitable for that system. In history you get a technical innovation that comes along and makes a weapon shine at that time. However it might not have allowed that sword to shine as an elite blade at another time in history, in other contexts and so on. All in all the Viking Ulfberht and the Japanese Katana are great swords for their place in history. BTW anyone ever hear that the katana was tested in mid eval Japan by seeing how many criminals/prisoners it could chop through in one chop. The were rated for the number of men it could cut through. There are pieces in museums that are claimed to be rated at "7" which despite that rather grisley practice is pretty impressive to me. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 3, 2013 - 1:31pm | I actually read the heads chopped off to test a blade in a book I had to read in elementary school. Something about a horse and his stable boy and their adventures. Think it was called Ride Like the Wind. Of course the boy was Arabic and so was the horse and the head chopper was the Sultan of Arabia. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
