Cut back to the Page of the Twelve SwordsPerhaps the most intriguing thing about the Twelve Swords is the complex interplay of magical powers involved when they interact with one another. Naturally, Saberhagen never got the chance to pit each Sword against each other, so we are left wondering what might occur in such cases. A few readers no doubt were also less than convinced with a few of the Sword-Sword interactions that were featured in the books (probably the most controversial of these meetings is the Shieldbreaker vs. Woundhealer battle in the Last Book of Swords).
So what of those other meetings -- happenings we never saw but could have happened in the Game? Having worked for quite some time on the mechanics of the Game of Swords, with the intent to create a real-life game based on the premise of the books, I have worked through many of these interactions, trying to preserve the irony and surprise often associated with these grandest of blades. If you have read the Books of Swords, some of these outcomes may surprise you, but I feel each is consistent with the "character" of each Sword, the idea that weaknesses are balanced with strengths, and vice versa, and the notion that each Sword is matchless while in its "element" (something I feel makes sense when designing a game for maximum value of intrigue).
Keep in mind that it's sometimes very difficult to know which Sword an opponent is wielding, and please bear with all my parenthetical inclusions.
Townsaver always seemed a weak Sword, of sorts. Granted, it can hold off an army, under special circumstances, and granted, it can be amusing -- especially in that deciding to use it might just result in your body falling into bite-size pieces when the attackers give up (or are all dead), and its magic fades out. I always felt it should have one additional (and surprising) trait to counter (and in ways, to complement) this tragic drawback. Sword purists may balk, but I feel that this Blade, when doing its job (defending innocents), should be momentarily second to none (as is the "stamina" of its wielder).
Thus, the scenario goes as such: the evil wielder of Shieldbreaker decides to go and slaughter some innocents (with mundane weapons -- but the Sword of Force stays at his side, just in case...). He and his band of thugs find a helpless-looking village and attack, but are met by a young lad wielding Townsaver. Smoking and glowing, Townsaver fends off the thugs for quite some time. Tiring of this (and of losing comrades), the evil wielder of Shieldbreaker steps forth, brandishing his Blade, and relishing Townsaver's imminent destruction. Sword heads for Sword, and... *CLANK*. That's it!? the evil one thinks. Townsaver is still intact, and beating him back (though unable to hurt him).
Distraught, the leader of the thugs orders a retreat. His comrades, all too happy to leave the reach of the screaming Townsaver, run off with great speed, vowing never to return to this village,... and leaving their leader behind. He, too, would flee, except that he finds he can't. Shieldbreaker, as it always does, has drawn all of his energy into the fight. The attacker is now stuck, unable to win, but also unable to run.
How long the epic battle of Swords continues is anyone's guess. Perhaps eventually, one of the unarmed innocents runs to the aid of the wielder of Townsaver, attempting to help. The unarmed one steps a little too close to Shieldbreaker, though, and...
*SWOOSH* Lo and behold, the villager is unharmed. With a sudden burst of confidence, the unarmed folk attack Shieldbreaker's master. He is now doomed.
The ruffians gone and their leader nearly dead, a victory cheer goes up,... just as Shieldbreaker slips from a lifeless hand, and Townsaver explodes in a flash of light and metal, taking the wielder (who was in bad shape anyway) with it, but (of course) harming none of the innocents. For indeed, though he didn't realize it, the wielder of Shieldbreaker had struck the death blow to Townsaver when the two Swords met. The only catch was that Townsaver wouldn't be smashed while there were still innocents relying on it. Holding on for its few final minutes, much as it held together the young fighter in whose grip it stuck fast, Townsaver first made sure the innocents were safe, then resigned itself to the inevitable fate that comes when any weapon clashes with Shieldbreaker.
And that, my friends, is how Townsaver could rule supreme, even over the likes of Shieldbreaker... if only for a while.
Realizing his good fortune (good fortune? Wow, never would have guessed...), the attacked becomes the attacker as Coinspinner's former wielder lunges bare-handed at the other's throat, while Shieldbreaker passes harmlessly through his body. We know the result... the wielder of Shieldbreaker is choked to death (well, maybe just unconscious), and the other claims the Sword of Force from his lifeless grip. Gleefully, he turns to pick up the instrument of his good fortune... and (as you've guessed) comes to realize it's nowhere to be found. Coinspinner has fled, and so two Swords have changed hand in the course of a single battle.
1. Destroy Coinspinner
while wielding both it and Shieldbreaker.
However, being that it is Coinspinner, if you did destroy it, you'd likely "get hosed" (experience exceptionally bad luck) just after it goes. I base this on the fact that people tend to suffer very bad luck, or at the least, insult, (again, see the example of Wood) upon losing Coinspinner, particularly if they sought to control it. So, hypothetically, let's say you do destroy Coinspinner when it's in your own hand, and as you sit and gloat triumphantly, a mob of angry villagers overtakes you (where'd they come from?), and stupidly, yet instinctively, you try and strike with the Blade you still hold. You are now locked in to a battle with unarmed folk. Wielding Shieldbreaker, you will lose. Hope they treat you well after you've been knocked unconscious {snicker}.