What are we doing here, people? On melee.



What you see is the N-Force sword, Thunderfury. Decent, got it on price-break for $10. Handles nicely, scuffs easily though so it's limited use for sure. But that's not what I'm writing about. I'd like to address the growing prevalency for melee weapons during NERF wars. Ok, ok, I know, I know we're here already running around with children's plastic toys but there is something I see a bit off here.

It's one thing to want to use a melee weapon of some sort as a gag, but when I think of nerf fights, it involves blasters. Barrel taps, sure. Being smacked at with a pool noodle or having a sword thrown at me? It just makes me wonder why I even bothered to mod anything in the first place. It adds a dimension to battle, fine. It makes you want to compensate with a higher ROF and Range, ok.

But with someone who opts to NOT carry a melee weapon WITH their blaster, half the time gun hits count or they don't want to have to resort to blocking with their blaster. Running the risk of possibly getting charged at by some douchebag who doesn't know their own strength and swings for the fences on a blaster that, made of plastic, may not stand up well to a downward swing from a piece of PVC or balsa wood wrapped in pool noodle and duct tape. I know, crazy. Maybe we should all run around with scabbards and the like? But again, why did we even bother with our blasters if we're going to be in CQC all day?

Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of melee weapons, especially now with the inclusion of the N-force swords. BUT there's the focus of the blasters we came out to use to tag people with, and not show off our sword-fighting skills. Or end up getting shot at by someone after you've already engaged another person with a melee weapon. Great way to spend a round... not really.

Bottom line: If I wanted to start swinging a sword in a mob of people, I'd just go LARP or something. But I'm not. I'm there to shoot and be shot at. Dare I say it, we know what to expect getting shot at with a high-powered nerf blaster. We don't really know how everyone's going to use a sword in the heat of battle.

This might sound like sour grapes, but it really isn't. I'm not upset about being hit with a sword in a gunfight. It feels like the melee weapons take away from the blaster side of a nerf fight, especially since unless we carry melee weapons there's very little to do against someone hard-charging close quarters with a sword. We could go for the barrel tap or a block, but again our blasters then become at risk. Breaking my +bow because I went for a roll or a jumping shot are okay offenses. Having my +bow broken because Johnny Moron decided to swing hard is UNDESIRABLE.

They're your fights, do what you wanna do. You want melee, allow melee. Personally, I'm not a fan and will not allow them in rounds I host nor will I participate in melee-only rounds. If I wanted to sword fight, I'd go to a sword-fight focused group, not here. Ah well, take care and keep your breeches clean. Oh wait, swords don't have breeches.

*click*
RELOAD.

-Stampede

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