> > It's also the name of a lovely Scottish bas.tard sword (content violation my arse) with long quillions, to which I was referring. ;-}
>
> Bas.tard swords are so-called, not because they're a mean illegitimate offspring of a weapon, but because they can be wielded by either one hand or two. Not so with the claymore. The good old heavy, traditional Scots claymore can reach from 4 to 6 feet in length -- it's strictly a two-handed job. When's the last time you did a decent perusal of the inventory armory in any RPG game?

Hmm... two days ago. I also perused some real arms on Thursday, and I can assure you that the claymore ranges from forty-four inches (3'8") to a little bit over seventy-two (6') in length. Granted, the larger styles are strictly two-handed (*you* swing a six-foot sword in one hand), but the smaller (and more common) varieties are perfectly usable in one (provided that the wielder is, unlike me, of a reasonable size to do so - I can't fight with a three-foot broad sword very effectively in one hand).