What is the best Hand to hand weapon?

[tundro]

Have to go with machete.

[csbioborg]

bat no chance of getting stuck in there bones if that happens the others will overwhelm you

[Ectoplasmic Bidet]

I'm trying to decide between a baseball bat, machete, or bush axe. Kinda leaning towards the bush axe, though.

[tundro]

A well made and balanced machete ought to go through a skinny zombie neck like butter, besides they're fast and made for chopping. A blunt instrument would be great as long as it had the ability to cave in a skull without a lot of repeated bashing, but something that heavy might be a little unwieldy unless you're a pretty big boy. A good, thick hunk of pipe would be a close second for me.

[tundro]

The more I think about it, the more I like the pipe idea...thread the ends, fill it 3/4 full of sand and cap that bad boy...dead blow doozie. Easy to make and very effective. If you got a drill laying around, drill holes in one end for bolts, have the heads in the pipe with the threads out, and nylock them so they don't come loose. Could even seal the holes with sealant and still do the sand....I think pipe just edged out machete.

[Shawn Merrow]

Guess I will have to pick machete but my real pick is the briefcase with the launch codes.

[gunslinger]

I'd have to go with an axe, good reach and plenty of skull cracking weight...maybe not a wooden handle though. An aluminum baseball bat would be fun too, it'd make an awesome thunking sound, it'd be a little light for my liking.

[Library Ogre]

Other: Rifle ****. Might not cut as well as a machete but the rifle has alternative uses that make up for it.

edit- hmmm, the board doesn't like me talking about my rifle's b u t t

Yeah, try talking about the actual act of hitting someone with a rifle butt... the butt stroke.

[tundro]

Bats/ Pipes/ Machettes will tire you out when your dealing with alot of zombies, you need to conserve strength and energy to beat a retreat. Also u have to worry about getting that close to the zombies. What if you role a 1 and drop your weapon, or your weapon breaks (they are ordinary items, they will wear down over time) or if it gets stuck in a skull or neck.

Thats why my choice was neither of those. A nice polearm would do the trick perfectly i think. Where could u get one u say? Museum for sure, no one would think of goign there for weapons either. The reasoning behind a polearm is this, you are able to assualt the undead at a distance without them being able to get their hands on you.

I agree with you that the polearms reach would be an advantage, but a polearm is going to be quite a bit heavier than a bat/ pipe or machete. Also, the scarcity of them and that fact that if you get swarmed, a polearm is no good in close combat. At the very least, I would have a good close quarter weapon as a backup. I'm still with the trusty ol' pipe...easy to find, many different configurations, and tough as hell.

[Reagren Wright]

The crowbar. You will find 101 different uses for it besiding hitting zombies in the head.
We sure enough did at Kevin's Gallowscon adventure. Plus you can find them everywhere.

[Nightbreed]

I'm thinking sledgehammer. Granted it's a bit heavy, but it's good to crack open someone's head with.

I'm shying away from the edged weapons in this case as there is always a chance of it getting stuck (unless you're that good with said edged weapon) I'll stick with the blunt ones and a crowbar is a cool idea.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I have 3 Stanly crowbars. One in the house under the couch, One in the car and one I use for a "tool" Yes the other two are for protection.

1) It's solid, no matter how hard a human swings this thing and no matter what they hit with it. They're not going to break it. At most they might scuff the yellow paint on the head.
2) It's cheep. Cost me less than $10 per.
3) You don't have to keep an edge on it. Swords Machettes ect all have to be regularly sharpened. Wet stones arn't easy to find today with walmart being open 24/7. and belive it or not most people do NOT know how to use them. You loose your edge on that sword (( and you will after hitting 3 or 4 things with it)) and you'll need to resharpen.
4) Less accidental injury. Machette's are great but if your hand slips up the blade you're cut and your blood and zombie blood are mixing. Boo.
5) As somone else pointed out. they're easy to get.
6) Also as somone else mentioned they're multi tasker. A) Zombie skull crusher B) Pry bar to get into locked doors. C) makeshift hammer. D) Wedge to hold doors closed. E) Lever, ect ect ect... ANd my crow bar isn't one of the little tire iron looning ones. It's about 3 feet long. So you have the range of any machette or sword (( Not a great sword but wtfrak? lol Those are too big and unweildly anyway for survival horror))

Do I have swords around the house? For sure. Will I take them if the rise happens? foshizzel. But I'm taking my 3 crowbars first. Gotta love a multitasker that has no upkeep and is about 5 times as sturdy as any sword or bushwacker.

[tundro]

I'll agree that a crowbar would be invaluable, and I would probably have one (or two of varying sizes) on me. But as a weapon, I would still go for the pipe. Most crowbars have an angled end and a hooked end. If you strike with the hooked end the chances of it getting caught in a zombie would be pretty good. You can flip it over, but then the hooked end interferes with you wrist when swinging it. I have a Gorilla Bar at home that would definetly do some damage (love that thing), but I can see how unweildy it would be as a weapon. A pipe you can cut to length, cap it off, and wrap one end in rawhide for grip, and it'll probably outlast you..in fact, during a zombie outbreak, it would almost ASSUREDLY outlast you. My votes still for the trusty pipe.

[The Galactus Kid]

Nailbat

[Razzinold]

How about a Nodachi
or Naginata

nice reach on them, I'd look for them in a museum for an authentic one, maybe a katana or something as well.
I'd also carry and use a pipe/crowbar or bat as a back up weapon.

[Ectoplasmic Bidet]

One of these or these would be a lot easier to come by than a functional old-style melee weapon.

[DtMK]

Okay, admittedly it might not be the BEST choice, especially once it runs out of fuel. But I can't be the only one that, just once, wants to wield a chainsaw! Make like Dennis Hopper in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 with two smaller ones for paired hand to hand, and a BIG one to rock and roll with the best of them!

[Pepsi Jedi]

You also have to think of logistics. Long japanease pole arms might look pretty but can't be used unless you have a 10 foot circle around you to weild it. Even jabbing straight forward you'd still need 5 to 8 feet of clearance. It just doesn't happen unless you're camping in the middle of a football field. What if you have to run. Can that pole arm bend? Heck you'll get clipped trying to get into a standard size door. Much less crawling though a window or something. It's just impractical.

The chainsaw idea is probably a joke but if not, it's not viable. You're not going to waste gas you might use in a car or to cook with or warm yourselfin the dead of winter on a chainsaw. And they make very very impractical weapons. One slip and you've accidently sawed into your leg or foot and.. well you're dead. No E.R.s are open during the Zombie war. and even the best doctor in the world isn't going to be able to fix you up before Zack gets ya. and if by some miricle the zombie you were fighting was the last one in 20 miles and your buddy is a trauma surgen before the rise, and you got injured in a hospital... you're still gonna die. You can't wander around with a chainsawed leg and even Zack can catch you. if normal infection doesn't get you first. Or you starve. Chainsaws are... heck they're a bad idea in the best of times to anyone not very very very skilled in cutting trees with them. Trying to use them as a weapon? Ugg just shoot yourself in the head and be done with it. at least then you won't re-animate and add to the problem.

As for the hook end of the crow bar, just pivot it 180 around the vertical. Don't hold it by the hook. Just have the hook facing backwards. The iron will cave a skull on the blut side just as easy. and you retain your multitool. I've also got a FUBAR. They're very nice. *S* Purposefully made as a destruction tool. Houses are alot harder to take appart than humans.

[cyber-yukongil v2.5]

I say shovel or crowbar. Plenty of weight from both for cracking skulls, and decaps are a possibiity to a downed zombie with the shovel, plus the tool uses of them are too good to pass up.

[Spinachcat]

Chainsaw polearms!

The baseball bat is probably the best weapon because most everyone has used one and it is perfectly balanced for two handed use for powerful swings. Unlike crowbars, an aluminum bat will not tire you out as easily as you swing and smash.

Unlike machete or sword that may get caught in bone and meat, the bat crushes and more importantly, the fast swinging force will most likely knock a foe aside or to the ground. Equally important is the blood splatter. Bladed weapons cause unexpected angles of splatter which could surprise or panic the user of a machete. The blunt force trauma of a baseball bat is unlikely to cause cuts.

Plus, you get to use corny baseball references with each action. And I get to play Old Man MacGillicutty who played in the minor leagues in the 1950s and now goes around cracking heads between complaining about darn zombie kids on his lawn!

[sHaka]

Cricket Bat.

The one item I have definitely got the WP for.

Ah, the gentle "thwack" of leather on willow.

[Mech-Viper Prime]

hand weapon vs the dead then baseball bat

an aluminum bat can be drilled and put water in it for extra weight to hit harder and a neat canteen too

crowbar is more of a multi-purpose tool

[mrloucifer]

A crowbar and a bad attitude go hand in hand when zombie dropping!

[Pepsi Jedi]

While baseball bats can and do kill (( more people die from Baseball bats in the US every year than guns...)) I wouldn't use one for long term combat.

1) Wooden ones would break... quickly. Maybe not even a day or two.

2) Aluminum ones wouldn't really last that much longer. You might get a week out of um. Maybe two or three but not in the long run. They're just not made for hitting solid things like skulls. But relitivly soft things like baseballs. Growing up, not even playing baseball much at all, we went though quite a few aluminum bats. Either cracking them or denting them by hitting something other than a baseball. PING big ol dent in the bat and then the balance is wonky.

Would they work in a pinch? Most definatly. Oh yes. Wack wack wack.. but would I choose one on purpose? no. Just doesn't have the long term strength I'd need. Lets face it, if you're crushing skulls with a bat, you're going to be swinging as hard as you bloody can, and sooner or later you'll hit a skull wrong and it'll put a huge skull size dent in your bat.

You can hit a tank as hard as you possibly can with a crow bar and it's not going to hurt the crow bar at all. (( other than chipping paint)) might break your own hands, but the crow bar will be fine. It's also got good weight to add to the crush damage. It might take 2... 3... 4... 5 even more swings with a ball bat to 'destroy the brain" A crow bar, will take a good deal less.

[Wōdwulf Seaxaning]

pipe small but hard enough to pulp a zombie skull with...juicy!

[Wōdwulf Seaxaning]

Darn I missed the crowbar LOL I should've voted for that.

[gordyzx9r]

Hockey Stick...long reach, and I just really like the Casey Jones character.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Hockey Stick...long reach, and I just really like the Casey Jones character.

And when it breaks on your 3rd zombie, what then? *G*

[Brian Manning]

Pepsi Jedi is the voice of reason here. I thought you all read the Zombie Survival Guide (those that have chosen it in the poll clearly have). It clearly states all the advantages posted on this very thread (multi-purpose, durable, easy to find and any surface on that badboy is good for dispatching zombies). The entire crowbar is the "business end", so when you're reaching blind for it, any part you grab can serve as the handle, and anypart you swing will do damage.

Crowbar eff tee dub (FTW). By the way, my boss bought a FUBAR at target for less than $10 and that thing looks like it's full of ill intent. I know it's for tearing houses down, but if I see someone holding that thing and there is no drywall or studs to pull out, I'm calling the cops, because that thing looks wicked (also, the human wrist fits perfectly in the stud wrenching part, so you can do some awesome Steven Segal throws and takedowns with it...What? Yes I was testing it out, but not for real).

[Nxla666]

I went with the machete, the crowbar is a great secondary weapon but I'd carry it more for it use as a tool, the machete works best for splitting skull and for the odd decapitation you might need to do.

Also considering the sheer amount of bacteria that would be building up even a simple scratch from a jagged piece of metal can turn gangrenous, try amputating with a crowbar.

[Pepsi Jedi]

See there is a problem with edged weapons.

1) Being HONEST.. 99.9% of people don't know how to use them as real weapons. Sure you and your RP buddies have swords hanging on the walls but most of you don't know how to use them even to movie actor proficiency. much less for real. You just don't

2) 99.9% of the swords and stuff in the US are not real. As in cannot take sustained real world combat. Even the "Full tang" ones you get from catalogs. They're just not made for real combat. They won't hold an edge, they will bend, if not break and shatter.

3) Edged weapons can stick in bone. Chopping off heads is not.... not.... NOT as easy as most people seem to think. I blame movies for this. I worked in a vet's office for 2 years as a surgical assitant (( Which ment I cleaned up poop 99% of the time and held stuff during surgery for the other 1%. )) if dogs were suspected of having rabies there's only one real test for it. You have to sever their heads and send them off to be tested. Sounds gross I know but I'm going some where with it. I clearly remember the first german shepard we had to process. We put it to sleep. Very respectful and all and once he'd passed on, the vet used a scaple to cut away the muscel and flesh from the neck. Then when it was cleaned we tried to cut though the vertibre... We had a hacksaw that had cut though a 3 inch lead pipe in about 2 minutes a week or two before.. and after a half hour we still couldnt' get though the spine. We had to twist the head around. CRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH SAW SAW SAW CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH CRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUNCH CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUNCH SAW SAW SAW. We ended up having to get a hatchet and a block of wood to slip under to chop though it eventually. Took us over an hour.

Now this wont' happen every time. Swords can and do chop off heads, but it's much more likely you'd swing and go halfway though and CHINK stick in the spine. It's not cool. People don't talk about it and it never happens in movies.. but in reality it's much more likely. Now your Zombie has your sword and you're going "OH ****!"

4) Upkeep.. You hack one or two zombies and you need to sit down and tend to your sword. Work out the nicks that bone cause in edged metal. keep it from rusting. Keep it sharp. We're talking an hour or two each day. that's if they don't break. You're running and fighting for your life. You don't have time for that. Much less hauling equipment and what not for it. What happens if you have to bug out in a hurry. You think REAL sharpening stones grow on trees? They're hard to find now with a phone and a walmart. After a Rise? You're fraked. A dull sword is pretty much worthless.

5) You don't want to try and chop into a head with a sword. All the stuff about spines but worse. the top of the head is the hardest part of the body. You're not just going to hack though with no problem then go happily on your way. It'll slide off. get caught, chip, ect. You COULD go though the eye with a small enough sword but that's not what people are talking about here.

6) For machettes, people also need to realize that MOST Machettes in the US these days are for clearing light brush. They're just a slip of steel with an edge on one side and a grip. They're not going to have the weight and mass to do what people are talking about here. They're for cutting though leaves and tiny twigs and small branches.

You'd need a big ol honkin bush machette to do real damage in a fight. They can be found but they're not what you'd call common. and again your'e back to keeping an edge on them. MOST bush machettes don't have a cross guard, so if you're in a fight your hand can slip up onto the blade. Now you have your blood and Zombie blood (( or goo or body bits)) mixing. Something you generally don't want. In modern stabbing deaths, something like 80% of the time, the murderer cuts himself on his own knife stabbing the person he's killing.

Want to apply that percentage to your machette and a zombie? god knows I don't.

Edged weapons are cool. They look cool and rock in movies. With sufficent training they are quite deadly, but they take alot of skill to use right, and a lot of upkeep to keep viable. Real ones are few and far between and they're not easy to make or maintain. Just like "polearms" sound great sitting in your nice heated house sippin' a yoohoo on a saturday night. in the real world how many times are you going to have like 10 foot clearance to really use one? Not often. How are you going to craw though a partially borded up window to escape some zombies with one? you arn't. How are you going to even manuver in hallways with one? you're not. They are unweildly. And not for nothing where the hell are you going to find a real WEAPON grade Pole arm in the us?

Gamers are geeks. I'm proud to be a geek but sometimes we overlook such things. Think about it. most ceilings in the US are 7 to 9 feet. You can't use a pole arm in there. lol most swords you'll need to be careful with.

[bradshaw]

I say shovel or crowbar. Plenty of weight from both for cracking skulls, and decaps are a possibiity to a downed zombie with the shovel, plus the tool uses of them are too good to pass up.

Second the shovel. A good mid lenth spade swung properly can lob a rotten skull clean off, dig a path under a fence for a quick escape, cover a fire with dirt in a heatbeat, be used to fend of dangerious animals, used to grab objects from a distance (like a top shelf box or apple in a tree), and burry your dead. Plus unlike a firearm, bloodstained chainsaw or goofy ninja spear a shovel won't need gas or bullets and in all but the rarest circumstances shovels are veiwed as a tool not a weapon.

-bradshaw

[Levi]

I´d go with the crowbar...
Lots n lots of other good uses too...
try to pry open a door with a sword or machete

crowbar before axe, then the rest... ^^
for me

I agree. Survival will be more than just killing zombies. You will need to carry flashlights, food, water, weapons, and tools. Anything that can perform double duty is a huge win.

Now, if you were in a good solid group, have different members carry different weapons/tools.

[Jefram_denkar]

Crowbars are the best.

[Shawn Merrow]

On crowbars what do you guys think the damage should be for one? I'm going to try 1D10 at first since its a rather solid piece of metal figure it would do a good deal of blunt trauma.

[velcRomanceR]

On crowbars what do you guys think the damage should be for one? I'm going to try 1D10 at first since its a rather solid piece of metal figure it would do a good deal of blunt trauma.

1D8.
You can do a great deal of damage with a crowbar, but, realistically, not 10 points.

Plus, how many times do we use a d8, the diamond die?

[velcRomanceR]

On crowbars what do you guys think the damage should be for one? I'm going to try 1D10 at first since its a rather solid piece of metal figure it would do a good deal of blunt trauma.

1D8.
You can do a great deal of damage with a crowbar, but, realistically, not 10 points.

Plus, how many times do we use a d8, the diamond die?

After a little more deliberation..

I think 1D8+2 is adequate. I know the maximum is now 10 points but seems reasonable now.

[Deckard1973]

Halligan bar. Think of a crowbar on steroids. Fire Fighters use them.

[Robroy]

I have to say sword first with crowbar second. If for no other reason then for when a zombie grabs your buddy you can cut off the zombies arm easer (or your buddies ).

My character carries both.

[psam_rage]

I voted hammer thinking of a Sledgehammer... but on second thought I would rather have a Morning star (not flail like 75% of people think it is....)

[Zwolf]

I would go for the FUBAR myself. It has all the advantages of a crowbar and then some. You got the prying end to pop open doors, windows, and what nots. The claw, normally used for taking out wall studs, is also suitable for wrapping onto a wrist and either breaking it or as leverage to pull a friend free from Zed grip. Then you have the hammer head, well, you should know how to use that end. With all that, what more could you really ask for? Oh, wait, with a pocket full of nails you can hammer doors and windows shut rather than abandoning your crowbar to wedge the door shut. It's incredibly durable, I took out a brick and cement {Not mortar, but cement} like it was butter and nothing but a few nicks in the claw end. The balance is unbelievable, spent about 6 hours straight driving through that brick wall with little arm fatigue. And the best part you ask? Well, you can dig through a well with it to get away. Because this thing was designed to demo walls, it cuts through drywall, plaster, metal lathe, regular lathe, bricks, and even wires like nothing.

Sorry if I seem overzealous about this beast of a tool, but out of everything we got to remodel our home, this was the best thing ever, bar none. Here's a link to it if you don't know what it is yet:

Spoiler:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100488979

I stuck it in a spoiler... cause well, I've never used the spoiler option before.

[rat_bastard]

I like the Dead on Annihilator, Or the Fubar wrecking bar. Both serve the basic functions of a hammer and a pry bar, useful as both a tool and a weapon.