custom weapon questions

I'm preparing for my first DW game and the players are excited about their characters.  I'm allowing them to substitute starting weapons to suit the personality of their character.  For example, there will be a dwarf cleric with an axe instead of a mace or hammer.   One player wants to have a two handed Maul for his Paladin (instead of a halbard).  Appropriate for crushing the unrighteous.   He suggested to me the tags two handed, +1 to damage, close, forceful.

I'm instantly on-board except that I'm uncertain on the forceful tag.   I'm afraid to approve it without some thought.  So I hoped you experienced players and GMs might have opinions on this and would share with me your thoughts.  I totally get "The fiction comes first".  On a D10 roll of 9 or 10 I'm certainly going to inflict a forceful result to that sad Orc regardless of the tag.  But I also don't see any other weapons in the manual with a forceful tag.  The fighter can have one on his signature weapon.  The Barbarian gets forceful for any weapon.  So my impression is that it has more to do with the operator than the weapon. 

I want to just say "Yes" and not worry about it.  Perhaps I'm over thinking this.  What's one weapon? I'm afraid to break the game.  Perhaps if it's too much, I'll give him a chance to heroically part with it later in the campaign.

What do you think?

What weapons have you created?  Anything similar?

I just realized that maybe the player wants a chance to forcefully smash the unrighteous doers of evil.  In which case, denying him one tag for one weapon means cramping his style.  I already expect interesting role-play dynamics between the Barbarian and the Paladin.  Not to mention an excellent cinematic of the two of them:  The chaotic Barbarian, the Lawful Paladin, slogging it out against a horde of icky bad things to protect their friends, arguing with each other about some point or other during the whole fight but coming out of it with a mutual admiration and respect. 

So I answered my own question. I'd still like to hear your answers so I may gain wisdom (I put my 8 in wisdom). 

Not that is needs to be said, since you've already answered your own questions to your satisfaction, but "be a fan of the characters."

If you're worried about "balance," you could give the paladin's big-ass maul two tags: forceful and awkward.

Yeah, I'm with Jeremy. Forceful & Clumsy. Hit those tags on a golden opportunity every chance you get.

Another related question, this time armor.  Our noble Paladin player wrote an interesting little background for his character and drew an amazing fierce looking Paladin covered in plate armor and bearing the symbols of his order on the pauldrons, his maul engraved with the symbols of his order.   He described his Paladin's order as one that would burn down a whole village to rout out one witch.  He's excited about the game.  And that's wonderful.

Would it unbalance the game if I gave him Plate to start?  He didn't ask for it.  But his picture is a fantastic imagining of plate armor.  Or could I perhaps turn the default Scale Armor into "light plate", armor 2, weight 2, to just help him live out the fantasy all the better?

Sure! Be a fan! Give him the plate, but ask LOTS of questions. You can make GM moves right from the get go. 'Tell him the consequences and ask', remember?
Where did you get your armour?
Which armourer made it?
What does it mean to you?
What would you do if it was damaged or stolen?

Tie in bonds. Do you have a thief? Ask provocative questions. 'Hey thief? Did you steal the Paladin's armour once? Why?'
Then open the game with action, remember? Have the armourless paladin confront the witch who purloined his armour (instant stake question - why did she do that?!), with the townsfolk selling her out to safe their own necks, (given the paladin's history). Except that the witch is the wizard's mentor, or the fighter's mum, or the armourer's wife or something tied in to the player's playbooks. Front load the situation with tension and conflict and make the paladin's armour the big deal the player wants it to be :)