Holy Avenger.

I'd have to go with the knife. The most basic tool in the hominid toolbox. There has been some for of sharp, hand held blade for the past 2 million+ years. In a fantasy or modern setting I would choose a single edged, fixed blade knife with around a 4" blade. Second choice would be a hand axe. Though they are *far* more dangerous to the user than a knife or a saw. If you aren't trained in the proper use of an axe, don't use one. With either a knife or a hand axe I can make my third choice, a staff.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;322981Even today when the tiniest nail file is prohibited from aircraft, a man may take a solid cane with him.

They took me mum's cane at the gate.

Quote from: aramis;323012They took me mum's cane at the gate.

I may well need to use a cane in the future. I have a bum knee that shows no sign of ever improving. I even have two canes awaiting that need. If an airline attempted to take my cane from me, which I needed to walk I would give them two options: Check my cane and carry me to my seat and to the rest room as needed OR refund my money completely, in cash, on the spot.

*Anything* can be turned into a weapon. Ask any prison guard. Security theater benefits no one and protects nothing.

There's no such thing as a "best weapon". Each is a tool designed to be optimal in a specific sort of warfare, against a specific sort of opposition, within the specific technological constraints of the time and place. Saying that one is uniformly better than all others is just as absurd as saying that a French key is the best tool all around, even when what you want to do is tighten a screw or cut a wire.

Quote from: Tetsubo;323014I may well need to use a cane in the future. I have a bum knee that shows no sign of ever improving. I even have two canes awaiting that need. If an airline attempted to take my cane from me, which I needed to walk I would give them two options: Check my cane and carry me to my seat and to the rest room as needed OR refund my money completely, in cash, on the spot.

*Anything* can be turned into a weapon. Ask any prison guard. Security theater benefits no one and protects nothing.

I fly a lot, and I can tell you that giving "choices" like this to the airline would end with you out the cost of your plane ticket and looking for a cab home. At the airport, normal folks don't have even the illusion of a shred of power.

Quote from: Aos;323060I fly a lot, and I can tell you that giving "choices" like this to the airline would end with you out the cost of your plane ticket and looking for a cab home. At the airport, normal folks don't have even the illusion of a shred of power.

Which is why I do not fly and will not fly until such a time that the airlines cease to treat their paying customers like criminals. Planes are glorified buses.

Quote from: Premier;323051There's no such thing as a "best weapon". Each is a tool designed to be optimal in a specific sort of warfare, against a specific sort of opposition, within the specific technological constraints of the time and place. Saying that one is uniformly better than all others is just as absurd as saying that a French key is the best tool all around, even when what you want to do is tighten a screw or cut a wire.

But certain designs have evolved time and time again for a reason, they work. The spear and axe come to mind. Show me a metal using culture that didn't use them prior to gunpowder.

Quote from: Tetsubo;323197Which is why I do not fly and will not fly until such a time that the airlines cease to treat their paying customers like criminals. Planes are glorified buses.

That time will never come. Ever. The law has more to do with it that the airlines. When you enter the airport you are essentially guilty until proven innocent.  It sucks, but they've got all the planes.
I tried to catch a bus for Europe; it didn't work out so well.

AK-47.

Hey, you have your fantasy realm, I have mine.

The Whip.

A good, 10-foot long whip can serve a great variety of uses.

With a whip you can:

System Dependent:
*  Inflict lethal damage
*  Inflict non-lethal damage
*  Disarm
*  Entangle
*  Trip

Cinematic Acts:
*  Extinguish candles
*  Swing across chasms
*  Catch a falling mulligan
*  Trigger a known trap at a distance

As a ten foot length of rope:
*  Bind a foe
*  Bind your PC's half-orc girlfriend for some light bondage play
*  Hoist a companion up a steep slope
*  Lower a lantern into an unlit pit/tunnel
*  Interrogate a prisoner
*  Climb a tree lumberjack style

Ray Mears always said the machete was the ultimate survival tool. Since it can be used as a weapon and is basically a knife/axe combo and Ray knows all things I will go with that.

Since it came up, the AK 47 is a nasty, nasty gun in Rolemaster.  Lots of damage, autofire, and of course beautiful, lethal, Ballistic criticals.

Of course I disagree that Rolemaster is complex or slow.  There are far fewer rules instances to track than GURPS, HERO, or D&D 3.5 or D&Dish 4.  The tables are no slower than looking up a table or a rule in any other rpg and I know from experience that you'll wind up doing so in any of the above.

As for slow, yes chart checking and double digit math can slow things down a bit.  But when you hit things suffer horribly and then die.  And Rolemaster has a very low whiff factor.

Now then, on to the best weapon in Rolemaster, excluding autofire lasers because long range, acurate, autofire weapons that do Raking criticals won't be turning up in your arabian nights game if your GM has a shred of decency.

Quarter Staffs are really pretty good.  They're easy to hit with, do decent damage, and are long enough to get an initiative bonus against that guy with the sword.  But you can't throw them effectively.  You can try to parry against thrown stuff like that hand axe but they're short on reach out and touch someone.

Rapiers are also easy to hit with, mainly do puncture crits, and do fairly well against heavier armour.

Scimitars and falcheons really get short shrift in Rolemaster which is sad in an Arabian setting.

Personally I like a rock and Power Throwing skill.  I've always thought a professional pitcher (90mph fast ball) with a good supply of rocks would really be a scary fantasy character.

If you're using The Armoury I also suggest getting some ranks in Fish (yes I said FISH) It's a lovely one handed concussion weapon and I even wrote up a critical table for it.  

Quote from: Aos;323209That time will never come. Ever. The law has more to do with it that the airlines. When you enter the airport you are essentially guilty until proven innocent.  It sucks, but they've got all the planes.
I tried to catch a bus for Europe; it didn't work out so well.

Which runs counter to a thousand years of legal tradition and the entire age of America. I guess I won't be going to Europe. Pity really, I always wanted to stand on Hadrian's Wall.

I go every year. The fifteen minutes I spend passing through security doesn't bother me, really. The flight is far more inconvenient and unpleasant.

The good news is that in Europe the security is considerably more relaxed. They don't even check to see if your guns are clean.