As fantasy swords go, those in the Witcher are at least for the most part plausible - though they just HAVE to put them on their back (the only design I have seen in a game where this kind of worked was in Shadows of Mordor). Here's some of the best, and the worst..

In case you did not know, Wuxia are a popular style of Chinese cinema that features mythical heros and magical swords, with he Wests first real exposure to it in the movie Crouching Dragon Hidden Tiger. But this far more subtle movie is a tribute to the roots of Wuxia, which only becomes more popular in China every passing year.

Like anytime you claim a list of the best movies, songs, games or whatever - you know you are going to get some people who completely disagree. But you may find something you didn't know, and for many younger enthusiasts (and the young at heart) there are plenty of sword games, some more realistic than others..

It seems that in the boredom many face in the lockdown, some unusual new hobbies are starting to pop up. We already talked about 'bardcore' in a previous issue, but how about these creative little swords made by twisting paperclips? Redditors are certainly mildly impressed..!

In true 'Franzetta' Swords and Sorcery style, the original death dealing warrior princess who leaves Zena/Xena or whatever her name was for dead - Red Sonja is back in Dynamite Entertainments pending new series, "Red Sonja: the SuperPowers"

Naturally when we think of history, we think of events that have passed that cannot - of course - be changed. But sometimes the only way to truly understand just how important certain key events were is to look at what the world would be like if they had gone a different way.. This article explores 8 such key moments that defined the so called 'Dark Ages' to the late medieval period.

If you have a spare $8K to drop on a watch, why not one made in Japan that's design is painstakingly hand carved in the fashion and techniques to recreate and re-invent the traditional Kabuto Samurai helmet. But what's more, most if not all of these artisans have long celebrated Japanese craftsmanship, with previous models being made with Japanese swordsmiths.

It's not really a surprise that us Aussies like a bit of rough-housing more often than what the rest of the world does or understands.. But recently we have taken up arms in Toowoomba, Queensland - so crocodiles beware!

It's no secret that I am a fan of the Katana. And many of you will know that I also enjoyed a lot of pen and pencil role-playing back in the day, and in a couple of game systems - Cyberpunk and Shadowrun specifically, the mean streets were awash red with the blood shed from monofiliment sharp blades..

Now while it may not be monofilament, Forged in Fire Champion Keaton Goddard from the faraway forge documents how he created his own glowing Cyberpunk style blade..!

Always interesting to watch a unique sword being made from scratch, and they don't get much more unique than this one..! Now, if only we had Shadowruns' Dikote™ technology..

It's odd that for a company that makes so many Katana and is promoted by many vendors as great quality and excellent value for money, that there are practically no reviews of them out there. Well, there is now - check it out for the lowdown if you have ever wondered about this brand.

As far as swords go, for many the Katana is still considered to be the most beautiful, interesting and deadly sword of them all. But even the most die hard fans have a pet hate. Here's what bugs SBG forumites the most.

The Fantasy swords seen in the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies are arguably some of the best, most realistic fantasy swords ever made. Which one do you like the best and why? Here's what the community has to say.

Interesting thought experiment and a poll - what do you think is the most likely situation you may find yourself in where you HAD to use a sword? Dog Attack? Riots? the Zombie Apocalypse? a Home Invader? Cast your vote or just see what members think.

We take it for granted that the art of Tameshigiri - formalized test cutting - is performed on a thick, soaked and heavy rolled tatami mat, often with a center of thick green bamboo..

The goal is two-fold, one is to test the sword itself - the other - the skill of the swordsman wielding it. It is not just a case of swinging away, its very focused - and just swinging away is not all that smart, for as you may have seen from an infamous video clip doing the rounds where a young foreign gentleman 'plays' at test cutting with a real Nihonto - and through bad technique breaks it!! (yes, even a $5K Nihonto sword can break. Any sword can break - to think otherwise is like thinking you can crash two cars together and they will just bounce off each other with no problems).

So we know two things - one, that a rolled tatami mat is the standard target for Tameshigiri and two, technique is critical to good cutting - and when a sword breaks, it may have nothing to do with it being faulty - you just cut with it using a made up technique that caused enough shock-waves or weirdness on the microscopic level for the steel to break apart.

But before tatami mats, Tameshigiri was practiced on the bodies of executed criminals, and the results marked on the tang of the sword..

In some cases, test cutting was less formal and even more horrific - and while not frequently, it was not unheard of for commoners to be brutally and suddenly cut down in the street for no reason other than a Samurai wanted to test his new sword.. (Samurai basically had the right of killing anyone of a lower station for any reason whatsoever, which is I believe the source of why the Japanese to this day are exceptionally polite and do not wish to cause offense.. Offend a Samurai and he can kill you with no legal repercussions)..

The downloadable eBook, which is an academic paper written by Kazuhiro Sakaue of the Tokyo National Museum of Nature and Science, examines the skeletal remains of two exhumed skeletal remains who were extensively 'tested' - and shows exactly what kind of damage these swords were capable of inflicting.

While it is academic in tone, the findings and the research is both disturbing and also fascinating - and shows that this practice was indeed very, very real..

I hope you enjoyed this slightly shorter than usual edition of the digest. There is a LOT going on behind the scenes as we gear up towards the end of the year, from site updates, review of the current reviews and many new projects we are working on that we haven't even mentioned yet.

So stay tuned - stay safe, and as always, Happy Swordening.