The problem I have with ancient weapons in modern settings is that apart from daggers, pretty much all ancient weapons are... shall we say... conspicuous!
There's no way you can hide a long sword under a trenchcoat. Not if you are under 6'4''.
However, last week I presented a poster at a conference and discovered the poster tube. It can extend to over a metre in length and has a diameter of about the same size of a cd.
You couldn't put a sword with a big hilt in it, but you could put something like a ninja-to.
On another note, I saw my first flamberge and claymore, up close and personal. THEY WERE BLOODY HUGE! over 6 ft in length. I once asked on another thread about the possibility of a dagger man fighting a 2hander. I had thought that the dagger man might have a chance if he stayed out of the way long enough for the man to tire out. I was told that the dagger man would tire himself out from all the dodging.
Now that I have seen a 2 handed sword and seen its size. I don't think any normal person could swing it for very long.
And just to keep that last bit on thread, there's no way ANYONE could disguise those 2handed swords in a poster tube.
Not to open old wounds but a katana might be workable. A proper sized katana isn't very big. Historically the blade should reach from your hand in a relaxed position at your side to about 3-4 inches above the floor. For me (at 6'2" tall) this gives me a blade about 2 feet long. A wakizashi would be between 12 to 18 inches.
Of course if you want something cheaper and less conspicuous you could always make a trip to the old hardware store. A firebreaker's axe can be had for less than $100 and it will cut through anything given time. When they tore down our old store the local fire department used the building for a training exercise. They hacked a hole in the cinderblock wall.
If you insist on moving a Scottish Claymore through busy city streets unnoticed put it inside an empty water heater box. Most people will see what you have and get out of your way rather than be bumped into by something so large and heavy.
I once walked through Cambridge with an axe (one-handed) tucked into my coat. It's actually pretty easy to hide if you're not concerned about quick-drawing.
You could mess up your coat lining, though, if you don't wrap something soft around the head.
__________________
-- James Holloway
"It's ok. You can clobber on the Sabbath." -- old hat lays it down on being a Jewish superhero
"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it. " -- Malcolm X
Originally posted by James Holloway I once walked through Cambridge with an axe (one-handed) tucked into my coat. It's actually pretty easy to hide if you're not concerned about quick-drawing.
Through various Re-enactment (blunt steel weapons) and Live RolePlay (latex weapons) requirements, I have hauled a fair variety of ancient weapons, swords, axes, claymores, even a couple of halberds, through city streets. As noted, if access isn't an issue, it's fairly easy to wrap them up to disguise the shape, even a full-size claymore. Shields are a bit harder to conceal, but cover them up and suddenly you're carying a coffee table...
The only time I have ever been stopped by the police was when carrying a proper, purpose-built, archery case for a modern takedown bow. Apparently he thought it was a shotgun (you could get a half dozen shotguns in an archery case...) when I told him it was a bow, he asked "A crossbow?" He seemed totally oblivious to the possibility of a bow that could break into 3 pieces.
On another note, I saw my first flamberge and claymore, up close and personal. THEY WERE BLOODY HUGE! over 6 ft in length. I once asked on another thread about the possibility of a dagger man fighting a 2hander. I had thought that the dagger man might have a chance if he stayed out of the way long enough for the man to tire out. I was told that the dagger man would tire himself out from all the dodging.
Closing the distance. Similar to fighting unarmed against someone taller (and thus a longer reach), though on a different scale of difficulty.
Rather than hopping around the place dodging, the dagger-man would be looking to get inside the swordsman's reach as quickly as possible. Don't forget those huge swords are tiring to swing, and slower to swing and readdress than a shorter, lighter blade.
The deadliest part of the blade is the last few inches, gets safer the closer you are to the hilt. At a foot or two, the swordsman can't really hurt the dagger-man with his sword, whereas the dagger-man is at his deadly range.
So while difficult, not quite as hopeless as you suggest.
Of course, back when these weapons were cutting-edge (so to speak), there were two kinds of people: those who could afford a sword (or were afforded the duty of bearing one), and those who couldn't. Those who had the swords had the time to put into getting ridiculously fit (the sort of 'don plate mail, vault onto warhorse' fit - contrary to popular belief, I am told that cranes weren't used for mounting horses). Those who didn't have the swords spent their time tilling the fields, tending sheep, or dying of a variety of quaint and curious afflictions.
Thus, someone with a sword normally has the advantage of being super-fit and well-trained (and probably well-armoured), wheras the poor schmuck with the dagger will be lucky if they've ever worn armour in their life, let alone had formal training.
That said, two equally trained opponents? Yes, one's going to try to get inside. The sword is a better weapon, of course - the arc of the swing is ridiculously big. Like a steel windmill, as Terry Pratchett put it once. Try getting through that with a little knife.
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In the big sword v. dagger example, the dagger-guy's chief advantage is going to be mobility, by which I mean that he can run away faster than heavy-sword-guy can chase him, hopefully. It could work in an RPG, I guess, but in the real world I think most people would not like to run the risk of trying to "get inside" and winding up dead. Running away and trying to get a better weapon or a shield or something would be the best bet.
That, or sneaking up behind him and shivving him when he's not looking. Or getting a couple of friends and gang-beating him. No one ever intended someone carrying a dagger to be able to fight someone with a proper weapon. On the other hand, duels between two guys with very different weapons on level ground were never exactly frequent.
__________________
-- James Holloway
"It's ok. You can clobber on the Sabbath." -- old hat lays it down on being a Jewish superhero
"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it. " -- Malcolm X
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