Melee weapons serve as the core armament for most people in the Old World. From the trusty woodsman’s axe to the knight’s broadsword, they are preferred over unreliable gunpowder weapons, and while missile weapons like crossbows and bows are useful, they often lack the stopping power of a well-placed sword stroke.

The polearm is a heavy bladed weapon mounted on a sturdy shaft. The steel blade often has a point like a spear as well as a heavy cutting edge like an axe. It is held in both hands and used to chop as well as thrust. There are many different kinds of polearms, from halberds and bills, to glaives and pole axes.

Great weapons are especially large and heavy weapons wielded with both hands. This includes great hammers, great axes, two-handed swords and suchlike. A blow from a great weapon can cut a foe in half and break apart the thickest armour. It takes a long time to learn how to use these weapons and even then only extremely strong men are able to wield them effectively.

A flail is a cumbersome, heavy weapon used with both hands. It consists of heavy weights, often spiked, attached to a pole or handle by heavy chains. A flail drains the user's stamina quickly, but is incredibly destructive on the charge, its impact smashing shields and splintering bones.

Spears are long shafts of wood with a sharp metal tip. Because braced spearmen can fight in an additional rank and allow the wielder to keep their opponents at a distance, spears are ideal defensive weapons for infantry.

Twice as long as a normal spear and longer than a cavalryman’s lance, the front of a unit of pikes is an impenetrable wall of steel.

Riders armed with spears ride down footmen, spitting them as they gallop into their ranks.

Lances are long, heavy spears used by mounted shock troops to rip through armour and fling their foes to the ground. They are the chosen weapons of Knights and other wealthy warriors. To use a lance requires great skill and strength, and only the richest warriors ride the heavy warhorses needed to wield these mighty weapons effectively.

Some warriors carry two hand weapons, one in each hand, and can rain down even more blows on their enemy while parrying their strikes.

Missile weapons are an important part of any warrior’s arsenal. They allow combatants to attack from a distance, possibly allowing a few hits before opponents close for melee. Missile weapons include any weapon that is thrown like throwing knives, bottles, or spears; or fired, like bows, crossbows and handguns.

Shortbows are small, short-ranged bows that are cheap and require little strength to use. Some cavalry carry a shortened bow which is easier to shoot from horseback than a larger bow.

The bow is carried by most races and used extensively in warfare. It is a compact yet powerful weapon, that is cheap to make and easy to maintain.

A longbow is made of alternating layers of either yew or elm. A skilled archer can hit a chosen leaf on a tree from three hundred paces with this weapon. The long bow is favoured by experienced archers due to its great reach and accuracy.

A crossbow consists of a short, strong bow stave mounted on a wooden or metal stock. It takes a long time to load and wind a crossbow, but each shot has tremendous range and power.

The blowpipe is a short hollow tube which can be used to shoot poisoned darts. While the darts by themselves are too small to cause significant damage, the poison used can cause searing agony and eventual death.

A handgun is a simple firearm consisting of a metal barrel mounted on a wooden stock. Some of the more advanced versions have levers and springs that hold the burning match or flint and release the firing mechanism to trigger the gun. Handguns have a long range and hit very hard, making them valued weapons indeed.

Pistols are small weapons that employ a noxious and unreliable form of gunpowder to propel a small lead or stone ball. They can also be used as a weapon in close combat in combination with a hand weapon.

Javelins are short throwing spears specially weighted to travel quite a distance. Although they have a much reduced range when compared to an arrow they can cause quite considerable damage when thrown by a person of great strength.

Throwing weapons, such as stars and knives, are small, easily concealed weapons and, consequently, they are favoured by assassins and lightly armed infiltrators.

These weapons are keenly balanced so they can be thrown accurately despite their weight. Even so, the strongest warrior cannot throw such a weapon very far, but if a throwing axe hits its target, the effect is devastating.

A sling is little more than a looped strip of cloth or leather into which a stone is placed. The sling is whirled about the slinger’s head and the sling stone is then released towards the target with surprising strength and accuracy, crushing bones beneath armour.