A Sword is a Tool for Killing
Consider thus: a sword is a tool for killing.
I had a mental breakthrough years ago when I saw a guy carrying his bike in one hand before setting it down, straddling it, and cycling off, all in one fluid motion. It made me realise that a bike isn't a "vehicle" or anything special: it's just a tool for getting around. Just like an umbrella is a tool that you use not to get wet, and a bowl is a tool for holding food. They are objects that augment the capabilities of a human body, take you beyond 'Bare Life'.
Anyway I was watching Jerma play Thief Gold and was shocked at the way it reconceptualises what in any other game would be a "weapon loadout". You are a thief. You have a sword, a bow, and a blackjack. You kinda just carry them around though, as if they're just a few selections in your toolbox that you dip into to address specific problems. You take out your blackjack because you want to hit a guy in the back of the head with it so you can get past him without leaving blood. You bring out your sword if a guard spots you, or you find a tarantula in the tunnel with you. You even hold the sword quite effetely. Your weapons aren't glued to your hand: they aren't your window into the world. They're just the way you solve some problems (problems that, you have to remember, are avoidable in the first place). You mostly interact with the world by sneaking between shadows and peeking around corners. It's cool.
Thus, a sword is a tool for killing. Consider how this is relevant to table-top role-playing-games.
Yours,
Hags