Pratchett's Law of Weapon Design is sheer brilliance. I love it.
It's interesting to note that the massive on-line fantasy games out there have drawn upon every culture imaginable in order to populate their weapons and armour inventory. And in order to be useful, any of these weapons must provide a fully functional and efficient means to fight and kill. I've seen instances of an 8 foot long pike being wielded in virtual hand to hand (hand to claw?) combat.
I have a feeling these games are misrepresenting the purpose, strengths, weaknesses and usage of many ethnographic weapons, all in the name of providing some flavour.
Rick
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