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Cube Warfare: Melee Weapons

You don't bring a knife to a gunfight, but you can always bring a sword to a Nerf fight. Foam darts are always fun, but there's just something unmistakably satisfying about hitting your friends with a padded stick.

You can use pretty much anything for melee cube warfare. Your weapons can be as cheap and simple as foam pool noodles, or as expensive and ornate as replica lightsabers and latex LARP swords. As long as it's rigid enough to keep its shape and soft enough to not hurt anyone, it can be a good melee weapon.

Hasbro produces several good weapons that neither look like duct taped crap nor will drain your wallet. Nerf N-Force products offer the satisfying and safe thwack of foam with the design of vaguely medieval weapons, while Star Wars Force Action lightsabers offer glowing hollow plastic and Star Wars noises.

The Nerf N-Force line is relatively new. While once Nerf only meant foam dart guns and footballs, now Hasbro offers a full line of close-combat weapons under the Nerf name. Nerf N-Force weapons come in three flavors: Fury sword, Marauder longsword, and Warlock axe. The Fury swords are short, slender, and inexpensive, and they're available in two-packs for dual wielding. The Marauder longsword is bigger, bulkier, and more satisfying to swing. I used a Marauder to make the Master Sword a few months ago. Finally, the Warlock axe is huge and nasty, the ideal "intimidator" weapon. Just be careful when swinging it; the axe's shaft is surprisingly hard, and a sharp crack without the foam blades to pad it can easily sting.

For more of a sci-fi flair, you can't go wrong with a toy lightsaber. They aren't padded foam like the Nerf weapons, but they're light enough to still be very office-safe. Hasbro makes several kinds of lightsabers, but the best ones by far are the spring-loaded Force Action series. The plastic blades completely disappear into the handles of Force Action lightsabers, and they pop out at the push of a button. They also light up, make lightsaber noises, and even flicker and crackle when you hit them against each other. For about half the price, you can pick up a basic lightsaber. Basic lightsabers light up, but they don't make noises and you have to extend the blade manually by whipping your wrist.

If you're willing to spend a bit more money on your weapons, both Hasbro and Museum Replicas offer some very compelling products for $40 and up. Museum Replicas produces a full line of latex swords and other weapons, from daggers to maces. The highlight of Museum Replicas' selection is the $149 life-size latex version of Frostmourne from World of Warcraft. Yes, you can get a replica of the corrupting sword of the former Lich King and beat your friends with it.

Finally, Hasbro sells the Force FX line of lightsabers. These are designed to be replicas and collectibles, not toys, with metal handles and polycarbonate blades. They're the best looking and best sounding of all lightsabers, with great sound effects and and a lighted blade effect that looks like the lightsaber's glow climbs up and down the blade when it's turned on and off. Unfortunately, they're the most expensive and the least cube warfare-friendly. Their blades are hard enough to hurt if you swing them, and their electronics are more easily damaged than the toy lightsabers. They're designed more for stage combat and costumes than real brawling.