‘Weapon’ families

[esThr]

The trope can work but most of the time all it does is limit the characters from that family and act like a bad excuse when something else could be done imo

 

[ThrillingHuman]

If it's a main branch + weapon magic then sure it makes sense. If it's some side branch that's like in charge of trading then it gets weird

 

[Kenjona]

Historically? It did happen. But those guys were not regular soldiers or knights. But either duelists or specific weapon type specialists, who would concentrate their training to the nth degree on a type of weapon. Whilst they could wield other weapons though. They just did not train with or use them under normal circumstances.

The biggest European centric example I know of would be longbowmen. Longbowmen trained for generations, and while they were not prevented from learning how to wield hand weapons, the longbow took up all their training time. As the saying goes: "If you want to train a longbowman, start with his grandfather."

Other Specialists would include those on the Tournament/Jousting circuit, they would be specialists who would compete in specific competitions. There were some who would ONLY fight in specific categories due to how they trained in only that event.

 

[Jemini]

Historically? It did happen. But those guys were not regular soldiers or knights. But either duelists or specific weapon type specialists, who would concentrate their training to the nth degree on a type of weapon. Whilst they could wield other weapons though. They just did not train with or use them under normal circumstances.

The biggest European centric example I know of would be longbowmen. Longbowmen trained for generations, and while they were not prevented from learning how to wield hand weapons, the longbow took up all their training time. As the saying goes: "If you want to train a longbowman, start with his grandfather."

Other Specialists would include those on the Tournament/Jousting circuit, they would be specialists who would compete in specific competitions. There were some who would ONLY fight in specific categories due to how they trained in only that event.

And this is exactly why the Aquebus, and later the Musket, was able to come into popularity. The longbow is a powerful weapon. The early Aquebus was even inferior to the longbow in every way. However, the MAJOR advantage that the Aquebus had over the longbow was that it required next to no training time for it's users. You could just supply an entire regiment with the things and have them go line up and shoot down the other side in human wave tactics and it would win the war easy over a few trained longbowmen.

 

[BigBadBoi]

Depends if it's a fantasy story and they have a family technique that uses a specific weapon. Even then it's kinda dumb because it's just as simple as modifying the technique to fit a different weapon. Some stories do this but who needs common sense when you can just pump out generic wish fulfillment powerfantasy slop?

 

[Agentt]

I really love this trope in comedies. Read MarriageToxin, it's all about families who used their weapons so much they evolved to use just that.

 

[So_Indecisive]

Seen this troupe in a lot of fantasy web novels and comics. Usually has to do with a noble character. It usually goes something along the lines of

‘This is a sword household no son of mine will be using a Warhammer!’

I just find the idea of an entire blood line only dedicated to a single weapon kind of absurd. I feel like if you went to medieval Europe, and said that you were a Knight who only used swords you get laughed at and then have the your shit kicked in. Because not only can every knight use swords they can use pretty much every other weapon as well.

Do you like this troupe? Personally don’t, but it’s never a deal breaker for me, I’d never stop reading something if it included this.

It's understandable in a fantasy world especially when there's esoteric energies involved.

Now these families have been passed down for a long time, they've compiled training methodologies, many sword arts, resources which aid sword training and experienced teachers who will help you on your sword weilding journey.

On the other hand dedicating yourself to the sword for so long doesn't mean you may not have the resources to train a weilder of another weapon type but it is basically certain that the family does not possess the depth of resources to train let's say a Warhammer user in comparison to a sword user.

Then we have xianxia and xuanhan worlds where there are things like sword energies, sword intents and sword laws.

So yeah it'd be pretty stupid for any sane parent to let their child pursue such an inefficient path when they possess the resources to let them go far on a trodden path.

 

[Daitengu]

It really depends upon one main factor if single weapon use families makes sense.

If there is war or not. That is it.

Historically, war beats the pride out of people or they die, so everyone has trained in atleast two weapons. Archery/gun/magic at range with some sort of melee training in knives/sword/mace/spear/etc often with a shield of some sort.

In peace time however is when schools in certain weapons grow. Around which families start specializing in.

Doesn't help that there's many mythical stories of a specific weapon using heroes. Like King Author, Thor, Jubei, Masamune, Artemis, etc

 

[Kenjona]

And this is exactly why the Aquebus, and later the Musket, was able to come into popularity. The longbow is a powerful weapon. The early Aquebus was even inferior to the longbow in every way. However, the MAJOR advantage that the Aquebus had over the longbow was that it required next to no training time for it's users. You could just supply an entire regiment with the things and have them go line up and shoot down the other side in human wave tactics and it would win the war easy over a few trained longbowmen.

Which is also why the crossbow was so popular in the rest of Europe, before the Aquebus truly came into play. Even though crossbows did go under a Papal ban. Which is I think the first technically international banning of a weapon à la Geneva Convention; and like any other Geneva Convention violation, it was only brought up as an issue when the other guy had them and you did not.

 

[RepresentingWrath]

Which is also why the crossbow was so popular in the rest of Europe, before the Aquebus truly came into play. Even though crossbows did go under a Papal ban. Which is I think the first technically international banning of a weapon à la Geneva Convention; and like any other Geneva Convention violation, it was only brought up as an issue when the other guy had them and you did not.

Wait, didn't flamberge got banned as well? Or am I imagining things? This is not a sarcastic remark, I don't remember and am curious.

 

[Kenjona]

Wait, didn't flamberge got banned as well? Or am I imagining things? This is not a sarcastic remark, I don't remember and am curious.

Was starting to type this out and I am like I know this; but I have to google it to be sure. I am not a real weapons expert I just stayed at a Holiday Inn last night. But from my memory and a quick perusal.
If there was a Papal ban it might have been flame-bladed weapons in general as the Flamberge is usually a type of one; though that word is also used for "very big" sword. Zweihänders were banned by the Swiss; they are at the top end of the "Very Big Sword" tree; even though the Landsknecht still used them. Zweihänders could be of the wavy/flame style and as I typed above they were banned by the Swiss. But that is not a Papal ban and only required that they not be used inside the Swiss Confederacy.