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<blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 6793859" data-attributes="member: 6787503">The AD&amp;D Players Handbook (1978) contradicts itself somewhat on this. On page 37, it says the shortsword 'includes all pointed cutting &amp; thrusting weapons with blade length between 15” and 24”.' That makes it sound like 24&quot; is the upper limit on length, but on page 38, it gives a length for the shortsword of around 2 feet. The longword and broadsword, by way of contrast, are said to be around 3 1/2 feet. To me, this means that if something is truly a sword, and not just a &quot;pointed cutting &amp; thrusting&quot; weapon, then it can be longer than 2 feet, as long as it doesn't extend into the longsword/broadsword range, say at around 33&quot;.Now, the knightly sword, with which the arming sword is synonymous, is a bit longer at 33-36&quot;, so I think you're correct in establishing an intermediate category between the shortsword and the longsword. Also, this quote from a Wikipedia article on the classification of swords caught my eye: &quot;It must be noted that the term broadsword was never used historically to describe the one-handed arming sword.[citation needed] The arming sword was wrongly labelled a broadsword by antiquarians as the medieval swords were similar in blade width to the military swords of the day (that were also sometimes labeled as broadswords) and broader than the dueling swords and ceremonial dress swords.[citation needed]&quot; It occurs to me that Gygax may have been following some of these antiquarians in mislabeling the arming sword as a broadsword. I'm actually very pleased, if this is indeed true, to find that he was referring to a medieval sword rather than an early modern one.Agreed, and yet that is the terminology that seems to be currently in use. As evidence of how misleading it is, I am only now discovering that Gygax very likely did not mean the basket-hilted broadsword, but was rather misusing the term broadsword to refer to the arming/knightly sword.In honor of Gygax, I'll probably continue to call it a broadsword. Thanks.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hriston, post: 6793859, member: 6787503"] The AD&D Players Handbook (1978) contradicts itself somewhat on this. On page 37, it says the shortsword 'includes all pointed cutting & thrusting weapons with blade length between 15” and 24”.' That makes it sound like 24" is the upper limit on length, but on page 38, it gives a length for the shortsword of around 2 feet. The longword and broadsword, by way of contrast, are said to be around 3 1/2 feet. To me, this means that if something is truly a sword, and not just a "pointed cutting & thrusting" weapon, then it can be longer than 2 feet, as long as it doesn't extend into the longsword/broadsword range, say at around 33". Now, the knightly sword, with which the arming sword is synonymous, is a bit longer at 33-36", so I think you're correct in establishing an intermediate category between the shortsword and the longsword. Also, this quote from a Wikipedia article on the classification of swords caught my eye: "It must be noted that the term broadsword was never used historically to describe the one-handed arming sword.[citation needed] The arming sword was wrongly labelled a broadsword by antiquarians as the medieval swords were similar in blade width to the military swords of the day (that were also sometimes labeled as broadswords) and broader than the dueling swords and ceremonial dress swords.[citation needed]" It occurs to me that Gygax may have been following some of these antiquarians in mislabeling the arming sword as a broadsword. I'm actually very pleased, if this is indeed true, to find that he was referring to a medieval sword rather than an early modern one. Agreed, and yet that is the terminology that seems to be currently in use. As evidence of how misleading it is, I am only now discovering that Gygax very likely did not mean the basket-hilted broadsword, but was rather misusing the term broadsword to refer to the arming/knightly sword. In honor of Gygax, I'll probably continue to call it a broadsword. Thanks. [/QUOTE]

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