[BARBAREN!] Revised Playtest Edition and Power 19

I hear ya, Emperor! What's the limp-wristed game author going to tell me if I go totally Slaine on my foes, gnaw the giant dead with my teeth and bash his brother's head in with the first one's skull? "No no, Eero, you can't do that, you have to pick your weapon from this list over here." Or is it "Well, yeah, you can gnaw him with your teeth, but you're going to take a -4 to damage for using an improvised weapon." Whatever.

Even if we leave the extravagant stylisms out of it, I don't readily see where the significance of weapon type comes in as anything other than color or a transient tactical bonus. Even if running a grim and gritty game of barbaric combat it's pretty dull and unrealistic to just give these flat bonuses to different types of weapons, completely ignoring the fact that terrain, skill, weather, allies, courage and a multitude of other factors are much more important on a case-by-case basis for exciting combat. As Ron said at some point in his numerous sword and sorcery rhapsodies, Conan stories were never about how an axe "does more damage" but "hits slower" in combat (both of which are total gamer conventions with no basis whatsoever in reality or literature).

I can totally see how a traditionally trained player would want his weapon choice to have some mechanical impact, but what I want to know is whether Frank is that player. Because the rest of that system doesn't look it at all. If something, the system looks like you should have a list of wooing tools to complement the weapons, if you really think that such a list is a good idea. All the other mechanics are mirrored, and as far as I can see the weapon stuff is only there because weapons are a traditional focus for some pretty dull gamer fetishes. Is that really something you want to encourage?

Hmm... I wonder if I'm bashing the weapon stuff too discourteously. Don't mind me too much.