i did this before but i was a noob and didn't do any pictures or anything an it just wasn't a good thread. but its dead now so here is a better version!
so here is what you do. 2 warriors fight in a one on one battle in flat terrain they are both equally skilled and have no armor but they have different weapons you vote on which one would win.
I would give the edge to the Longsword for greater maneuverability and maybe reach, not sure as I've only ever held a broad (at least I'm pretty sure its a broad)
Interestingly, the Viking type sword depicted here does not correspond to what Wikipedia calls a broadsword. According to a short browsing session in Wikipedia, a broadsword is another term for a basket-hilted sword.
But I guess they are vaguely similar to Viking type sword concerning the rough blade morphology... what I know is that Viking swords were relatively flexible, so would shatter less easily than a thinner blade. However it is not much of a piercing weapon, compared to some of the latter longswords. So if we consider solely a duel, I would say the longsword would win as it is a more modern sword type.
This battle is entirely one sided. Allow me to explain...
Katanas actually sucked, because the steel they were made from was very weak, and would often break. The reason japanese swordsmiths are legendary for their skills is because only master swordsmiths could make such weak swords viable. So, even though a Katana will have been made by a more skilled smith than a Claymore would have been, the Claymore would actually have been much stronger, because European smiths had access to much stronger steel.
I also think the katana is a little bit overrated... even though it looks cool when handled by a prof, but so does a claymore. The katana has a very sharp edge, but even if it is made of good steel, the claymore still has the strength and a bigger guard, which always comes in handy. And the Scottish touch sort of appeals more to me than the Japanese.
I dont know that much about the weapons THEMSELVES, but i can use them effectively. I like everything in the Claymore much more than the Katana. So yea...
Ok I gotta be fair here. A katana is likely to break at the handle when struck by such a very large blade, however a skilled swordsman would easily be able to put a Japanese curved sword (Katana is the Japanese word for sword not the official name of the weapon) between the mans ribs before he could bring it down his head. I would have to cast my vote for the quick execution of the Curved Sword. To correct some things I saw on the last page a hand and half sword has a slightly longer handle so that you can better balance using fingers from your other hand. A broadsword is just a sword with a broad blade. And I think a better match up would have been the claymore and the Zweihander (the zwiehander is really just like a skinny claymore) and the Japanese curved sword versus the Chinese Doa.
easily be able to put a Japanese curved sword (Katana is the Japanese word for sword not the official name of the weapon) between the mans ribs
What was japanese armour made from? Papier Mache? A katana would be useless against European plate. It's not strong enough to give the repeated concussive blows needed to injure a wearer. It's also too unwieldy to be useful for poking into gaps in armour. (And could snap doing so)