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[Mathra Hiede]

That last one looks like it could be from Dust : so very much EVE.

[lallara zhuul]

I would think that the tradition of knighthood would be like all traditions, something from the past.

As far as I can tell being a knight is about following a certain code of conduct in life and in the battlefield.

For example here's a few simple ones:
-Never refuse a duel.
-Never strike someone from the behind.
-Never retreat.
-Never kill women and children.
-Never lie.
-Never talk to a heathen.

Then a few harder ones:
-Always wield a sword in your right arm.
-Always have the banner of your house displayed on your chest.
-Always sing the hymn of the Saint Atheroth when in combat.

A few ridiculous ones.
-To honor the founder of the Order you must never have a weapon in your left hand.
-To honor the sacrifice of your fallen brothers you must never wear a helmet.
-To honor the True Amarr and their journey through the desert you must never wear any footwear.

The cyber part is just about making these archaic loonies be viable in a wartime situation.

The cyber part is not the thing that is cool, Robocop wasn't cool because he could deflect bullets and shoot accurate ricochets. Robocop was cool because he had heart and the honor code of a good policeman stuck in a body that was designed to be nothing but a cold law enforcer.

[Mithfindel]

Noteworthily, it is just Europe where knights were expected to fight honourably hand-to-hand. In Japan, for example, archery was considered to be more important during wartime.

On swords: Using effectively a sword is a status symbol. I cannot see why some wouldn't still strive to use a sword effectively in close combat - but this doesn't rule out using such things as using ranged weapons, a command role (mindlinks?) or some other roles for the cyberknights. The modernists, though, might be special in abandoning keeping a sword altogether, but even the traditionalists (with exceptions) might realize that they can't rely solely on hand-to-hand combat.

Edit: Also, if we consider that the Khanid possibly take some hints from Mongolians - then practice in using ranged weapons might be very important. Implant assisted archery? Mounted on a combat vehicle instead of an animal? The "Three Manly Skills" traditional to Mongolia are wrestling, riding and archery.

[Silas Vitalia]

Successful portrayals of Cyberknights will take care to encompass the main dichotomy of many Khanid in general: A fervent support of tradition, the past, and honor, while at the same time wholly embracing modern technology and a practical approach to problem solving.

I'd see this in some knights using the past as more of a 'reference' in their individual armaments, code of conduct, etc.  The ideals of the 14th Century knight updated to modern warfare.

And I'd imagine you'd have some real die-hards who have had some man or woman with a sword as a weapon in their family for 3,000 years and they'll be damned if they don't have an edge weapon on them of some sort at-all-times.

The 'traditional' aspects I'd also imagine being much more important for mental training and conditioning. Learning to sword fight before a gun is even placed in your hands, etc.

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

"This ship is my sword.  My faith is my armor.  Like my brothers and sisters before me, I go into battle in an exoskeleton of steel for which I have been adapted.  Space is my battleground.  My life is not my own, my service belongs to Holder and God.  Let my enemies know fear for I am implacable.  Khanid Victor!"

[Silas Vitalia]

Rawr!

Sounds good Tib.

I think we'd have to separate the space-based capsuleer 'cyberknights' vs the ground-pounders, though. 

With the Khanid people being the ground-force vanguard for the Empire since the first wars on Athra I feel like most of these men and women are of the boots-on-the-ground tradition.

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

I'm not sure we do, to be honest.  Cyberknights are unique in that they have been changed to suit the job that needs doing.  In a way, theres no difference between implanting yourself into a suit of power armor, and carrying a laser rifle and a giant fuck-off sword, and getting capsuleer implants to allow yourself to operate in space.

[Silas Vitalia]

Right, I guess it just matters how the term is eventually defined.  I like the more loose interpretation that there are many different kinds and that the 'tradition' continues in the modern age, and that there are many different varieties to explore

[Tiberious Thessalonia]

I imagine that the tradition could be loosely adapted from the cavalry sorts of knights (most of them).  Your ship is your steed!

[Silas Vitalia]

Giddyup!

I think what I was trying to say is that I imagine the space-based Khanids to be a very small minority in comparison to their ground forces.  They have a small (but tough) space force, and their 'strength' militarily is still centered around ground/planetary forces.  I'd imagine then that the ground commanders are still the 'favorites' as far as notoriety goes, but it is slowly being eroded in the capsuleer era. 

Much in the same way that in the beginning of the 20th century the British Navy and Army and their commanders were by far the more 'important' branches, with the first air divisions getting little love initially, but eventually becoming more and more important. 

[Repentence Tyrathlion]

Mortis was made a Cyberknight... accidentally.  I might be dreaming, but I don't remember picking that option when I first created him in the days of yore.

Since then, I kind of turned the whole thing into a family tradition which has been watered down over the years.  All my Tyrathlion characters (both the two capsuleers and various NPCs) have been more-than-average implanted, but not much beyond that.  Repentence has moved in the direction of combat training, and I figure that they're generally 'better' than the average human, but they're not exactly true Cyber Knights, I think.

With the whole 'swords' thing, though... I think they still have a place and function in the Eve universe.  Bayonets are still commonly distributed in modern militaries, even if their use is very much a tertiary consideration - and that's bearing in mind that warfare doesn't get much more enclosed than streets, and the occasional building.  Fair enough - groundpounders wouldn't have that much use for a full-on sword unless it was something like the ME3 omniblades.  But on a space station, or starship boarding?  Confined corridors?  A well armoured, fast and skilled soldier with a blade could be just as dangerous, if not more so, than someone with a gun.

Not saying it would be a standard thing, but to say that 'modern soldier is to sword as tank is to horse' is the wrong analogy.  Cyber Knight shock infantry could well go with archaic traditions and suchlike, but with the right gear and training, they'd be mildly scary.

[Publius Valerius]

Not saying it would be a standard thing, but to say that 'modern soldier is to sword as tank is to horse' is the wrong analogy.

Ehm No.... is actually the one line which I have search for.....

Totally forget about my comment here... this link (here, 18:55)... I agree it looks awesome and the Schah had taste....

As economist I must say it is just waste scarce resources. If I was the Schah... I would do this too... and some Donald Trump palace... etc... but dont sell it as something what can actually fight an army... (or you will end up like the poor polnish cavelary soldier, which had to fight the german tanks).

If there was a place for sword fights in modern warfare....WE WOULD SEE IT... belive me. That we dont see them is the sign that maybe a axiom is in work; or two, or more... what you think?... (I know, I know... so positivistic to make laws based on reality )

So overall swords can be from use.... BUT are they better as other options?.... Dont forget we life in reality... in a world of opportunity costs [like I said on pic 3.. just land with an imperor on the monster (imagine a cartoony landing where the ship destroys the monster like a small bug)].

Edit: Or see it that way: During my school time was it so, that one week before the summer vactions started; that all grades were already made. So turing the last week we had other things to do; for example a chess seminar, tracks and field and so on... my favourite was a memory competition (and yes I was bad in it). But was I have learned in it was: That the technic how you memorize stuff is very importent, and that it has almost its own darwinistic rules... (like tanks in WW2)... they develop very fast and you have -- like I said about the army -- to be up to date.

Example: See here. P.S. I would love to have those classes ingame.

[Saikoyu]

When I was messing around with a cyber knight character, I did have thoughts mixing both european and asian standards of knights, though I probably ended up adding to much ninja in the mix.  She eventually came out as some sort of nobility in that she had lands/holdings she had to take care of, and became a capsuleer to support that rather than becuase the ship was an extension of her cyber warrior status.  She also uses a halbard/naginata (japanese influence), and while it is mostly cerimonial, she can use it to kill, she just needs to get in close (ninja influence, probably not a very good one).  She would also have armor, which I figured would be tough enough to survive some modern weapons, but not in the modern battlefield.  So again, functional, but mostly used in cerimony.  Anyway, all of that was my own creation, just throwing things out. 

[Silas Vitalia]

Regarding edged weapons, it depends entirely on the relative level of weapons vs armor we are talking about.

IE: Edged weapons are essentially useless nowadays (and in the future) for 90% of ground combat since infantry guns can perforate other infantry from range and safety.

Now IF we had a technological armor breakthrough where regular infantry weapons were no longer penetrating and killing other infantry so easily, and you combine that with super-fast and enhanced bionics, then you could imagine seeing much more of a 'space marine' with a chainsword for lack of a better reference.

This all begins to stretch credibility, but it's a line that can be explored perhaps!  If regular infantry weapons aren't really scratching a cyberknight and they can run up and start bushido-blading people, then it starts making more 'sense'.

[Arnulf Ogunkoya]

I should hold my hand up as being ever so slightly hypocritical here. I've always had as Arnulf as a hobbyist martial artist. More as a mental focus tool and to keep his bodies in shape than in any expectation of using it in anger.

I just figure being an actual warrior knight (as opposed to the RL ones these days) is more about the code of conduct than what weapons you use. Still, I guess a suitable high-tech blade would make a useful hull breaching tool.