Crossbows

[The Ferg]

What the hell is the point of them?!? I mean, yeah, they're useful against vampires, I can see this, but when Buffy tries to use them against Demons I just want to slap her in the face. Like in Hush she tries a crossbow against one of the minion guys and it does no good at all, then Riley used the little shocky thing and totally owns them.

Also, in the Angel episode, "Apocalypse Nowish" Lorne and Wesley both use them and they, ALSO don't do any good at all. Why don't they just get rid of them, they obviously do no good...

[littlewilly]

and whats the chances they are gonna hit alot of vamps right in the heart? not that good.
if i had to go to fight a vamp/demon id want a sword. best all round weapon.

i liked the way in Ats, wes starts using guns alot

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

Helloooo flying fatality...

Its just a good way to injure something from a distance i would assume, instead of rushing into hand to hand. Even if you miss the heart on vamps, an arrow is still going to hurt which could be an advantage when it becomes close combat.

Also, it'd work great as a distraction. Someone shoots em from one direction, demon turns in that direction, and someone else attacks from the other.

Also... they look so badass lol.

[littlewilly]

if its just to hurt them before going in for the kill. wouldnt uzi's be better?

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

I guess but uzis werent exactly traditional. I mean, Buffy was trained in the art of combat with more traditional weapons, not brought to a firing range. It just wasn't her style... or the style of most Buffyverse fighters. Maybe because guns are seen as far more destructive.

Besides, remember in season 6 when the demon charges into the bank so the trio can rob it? The security guard tries to use a gun and it fails to do anything (but cause more chaos). And Buffy picks it up and says "these? never good." (which was also foreshadowing of Tara's death).

So... i don't know if guns are necessarily the best route always.

[Joyce Summers]

Would it be a terribly simplistic answer if I said 'They just look COOL'.

Crossbows just fit into the Buffy dynamic the way more modern and more destructive weapons don't. The blasters from the Initiative were effective and very high-tech but they made me feel iffy I suppose, I didn't trust them. There's something solid in a crossbow (and the numerous other old-fashioned weapons Buffy and co use) and it fits in with the tradition of the Slayer.

The Slayer has existed for eons and while the world changes we're shown that the Slayers techinques and weapons don't because demons don't. I mean you never see a demon with a gun (I don't think...) so why should the Slayer be any different. They are fighting on the same mystical turf; hence crossbow. It's also a form of comfort zone for Buffy I think in the same way the stake was for her in 'I will Remember you' despite the fact that Angel points out it would be useless against the demon.

I think the only time Buffy makes an acception for traditional weapons is Innocence with the Rocket Launcher.

[The Ferg]

In response to everyone::
leethehost: I agree with the first post. There's like a 25% chance that's it's actually gonna hit the vamp if the vamp is even remotely athletic. However, I do not agree with your 2nd post. Guns just do not fit into the Buffy world. I can't stand it when they're shown. Like in Apocalypse Nowish I literally cringed when Wesley pulled out the shotgun. The two pistols were okay because he was probably thinking, "Well, I better try something different now", but the shotgun was just to much for me... And if you didn't notice, Angel fist fight did a LOT more damage than Wes' guns. :)
LittleMissLikesToFight: I do think that the crossbow is traditional and Buffy had a DAMN good shot with them, but I don't understand if she does so much better hand-to-hand, why does she even use the crossbow. (Besides the couple of points you said) She should just drop the thing after one or two shots imo.
Joyce Summers: I didn't like the shocking things much either, but what I was saying was Buffy kinda looked like a dork when the crossbow did literally no damage at all. Also, this is part of the reason why I like Buffy so much, I really can't stand guns in action anymore. Yeah, it's cool sometimes, but I'd much rather see an old-fashioned hand-to-hand or sword-to-sword (huh?) fight.

(And yes, they do look badass, I'll admit)

[white avenger]

In defense of crossbows, even the antique sort favored by Buffy and her crew, medieval crossbows were able to either kill or incapacitate an armored knight at a range of a hundred yards or more. The problem is that, as depicted and used on both "Buffy" and "Angel," they are used improperly. Crossbows are not close range weapons. They're too slow to aim or to reload for a second shot. Fire your one bolt, if, of course it doesn't fall out of the guide before the trigger is depressed, and you have what is basically a rather unwieldy club.

As Leethehost pointed out, of the antiquated weapons provided to Buffy by Giles, a good broadsword is the best universal weapon, followed by an axe, since either one will handle just about anything in the demon/vampire category. As for uzis or modern firearms in general, as was pointed out, Wesley used them to quite good effect on more than one occasion. The only real reason that I can see for them not to be used on "Buffy" is that in the first seasons, she and her friends were teenagers and the image of a bunch of high school kids Ramboing across the tube wasn't something Joss wanted to create. By the time they were old enough to use guns, the pattern of stakes, swords, axes, and crossbows was set and there was just no reason to change it. Of course, Buffy's rocket launcher was a one shot deal, never repeated.

[The Ferg]

I totally agree with your post "white avenger".

(Hey, when is Joss gonna make a wooden sword? The Scythe doesn't count!)

[Lyri]

Of course, Buffy's rocket launcher was a one shot deal, never repeated.

She tried to use it to take out Principle Wood in 'Him'. Spike took it from her. Not exactly the same thing as blowing up the HJudge, but still...;)

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

Hey hey now! No hating on Robin Wood! i am one of like 5 buffy fans in the known universe who liked him.

And I think WA may have killed the other four off... *barricades the front door*

[The Ferg]

white avenger agrees: Wooden swords wouldn't be anything more than oversized stakes. No ccutting edge and too fragile to penetrate scales, hide, armor, etc. Good for vamps, not much else...
That's kinda what I meant... ;)

[caitaintdead]

I thought Buffy's use of crossbows was great. In Season 1 she made it pretty clear herself that she liked crossbows because they look cool.

I agree with LMLTF, shooting from a distance is a good way to do damage first, which means you're going to be ahead in the fighting game.

The Ferg, you said that you can't stand to see guns in action scenes anymore, you'd prefer to see a sword fight or fistycuffs. Don't you think 7 seasons of sword fights and fist fights would get boring? Joss has said he's always looking for new weaponry for Buffy. Crossbows looks good on screen and I think a crossbow suits Buffy, it seems like a natural fit in her hands.

[The Ferg]

The Ferg, you said that you can't stand to see guns in action scenes anymore, you'd prefer to see a sword fight or fistycuffs. Don't you think 7 seasons of sword fights and fist fights would get boring? Joss has said he's always looking for new weaponry for Buffy. Crossbows looks good on screen and I think a crossbow suits Buffy, it seems like a natural fit in her hands.
I understand Joss looking for new weaponry, but like I said before, the way Buffy/Wesley/etc. use the crossbow is, I'm sorry, stupid. I do think new weapons are a great addition, but if you're gonna use a crossbow, use it right...

[white avenger]

Joss has said he's always looking for new weaponry for Buffy. Crossbows looks good on screen and I think a crossbow suits Buffy, it seems like a natural fit in her hands.

I would love to see a Slayer skilled in the Japanese naginata, a sort of combination sword and spear, similar to the European halberd. One technique is to twirl it in a manner similar to the Chinese bo, or quarterstaff. That allows the sword blade to be used for slashing and stabbing (in feudal times in Japan, a warrior armed with a naginata could decapitate either a cavalry soldier or the horse he was riding), while the butt end could be sharpened to use as a stake with a very long reach. Satsu would be a good candidate to use it, and she could be teaching Buffy.

(Sorry, sometimes I get carried away on the subject of weaponry.)