If we were to make a review and discussion of all the weapons available in Anno Domini 1666, it would turn into a small encyclopedia instead of a post. So instead, we’ll focus on a few issues related to combat and provide some examples.

The first significant concept is ‘Superiority.’ Most games either ignore the range of weapons, assuming that it’s purely up to the character’s skill, or build it into the stats, often limited to damage, which doesn’t always reflect reality. However, the creators of Anno Domini 1666 are enthusiasts of HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), emphasizing the realism of weapon combat, while always prioritizing gameplay fun.

When facing an armed opponent, you’ll quickly realize that size matters. As the saying goes, “the best thing about fighting with a spear is that it happens far away from you.” In the game, this is represented by the three-tiered attribute known as “Superiority.”

Longinus’s two-handed sword is a classic example of the longest weapons category, with an “Superiority” rating of “***.” Most weapons of this type require two hands to wield, which rules out the use of a shield. However, this trade-off grants superior reach and striking power. A blow from the Zerwikaptur is guaranteed to be devastating. In the game, this is represented by high damage stats and the “Mighty Blow” ability.

A spear demonstrates that long weapons don’t always require two hands to wield. The effectiveness of this weapon is best proven by its presence on battlefields for thousands of years, appearing in various forms. However, it’s worth noting that using such a long weapon one-handed doesn’t deliver strikes with the same force as a two-handed weapon. This is reflected in the game’s weapon stats and the absence of the “Mighty Blow” ability.

The most popular weapons in Anno Domini 1666 are medium-length ones with an “Advantage” of “**”. This category includes the majority of bladed weapons, the most notable examples being the rapier (common in Western Europe) and the sabre (dominant in the rest of Europe and Asia Minor).

It’s easy to imagine that facing someone armed with a Zerwikaptur while wielding a medium-length weapon like a sabre would be a daunting task. All it takes is for the opponent to reduce the distance slightly, and the threat becomes imminent. To counter, you would need to close the distance considerably to pose a threat. In the game, this is represented by a rule granting +1 to the combat total of the character with a weapon boasting a higher “Superiority” attribute.

One benefit of using a weapon like a sabre is having a free hand, which can hold a shield, warhammer, parrying dagger, or any other tool you might choose. We’ll explore this topic in another post. For now, let’s focus on the shortest weapons in Anno Domini 1666.

The weapon with the “Advantage” “*”, is usually any kind of knives and daggers, such as the khanjar.

Why our opponent armed with a blade of this length makes our rapier deserve a +1 to the combat total is something we don’t need to explain. However, why don’t we gain +2 when we grab, for example, a spear? Well, combat is not elementary school-level math. Practice shows that, yes, closing the distance in such a situation is difficult and dangerous (hence the +1 for longer weapons), but if it succeeds, the dagger becomes much more maneuverable. There were even techniques that involved bringing the fight to a “clinch” (when two opponents are fighting with, for example, longswords) and drawing a dagger to end the fight with a close-range thrust. Thus, +1 to the combat total accurately reflects the situation in which the fighting characters find themselves.

It is also worth adding that when fighting without a weapon in Anno Domini 1666, we have the “Superiority” “0”, meaning we are in a worse position than an armed opponent. According to the realities of the time, although quite different from most films, where losing a weapon and removing a helmet is the best way to win.