Besides from being able to chop off various parts of your opponent s body, and even use the chopped-off limbs as a weapon, enemies in Rune will feature various hit areas, some of which will carry more hit points than others. We were kind of speculating how much of an influence the weapon s weight will have during combat. If the axe is heavier than a sword, and would that mean that the lighter weapons have less power, but can be wielded more frequently. He said that the basic logic behind that suggestion is one of the foundations of the Rune weapon system. Hammers are the heaviest, and swing the slowest.
Axes are a hybrid of heft and blade, and are factored accordingly.
Swords swing the fastest. The creatures and their armor types have to be considered, as well. Many creatures move quickly enough to warrant unsheathing your sword. Other creatures bear certain types of armor that would justify unslinging your hammer or axe. And there are of course weapons of certain abilities, which may or may not work best in certain situations.