[Spanko]

Basically the currently online shields should be renamed, E.G. Pirate shield would be a Buckler, Samurai shield a Scale Shield, and the Iron shield should stay the same. Plus each one should unique advantages and disadvantages, E.G:

Buckler - The lightest of the shields and the only one which doesn't have speed loss when using, however it only has a 50% chance to block attacks.
Scale Shield - Somewhat heavier then the buckler, giving a 25% speed loss, this shield however blocks all attacks except for strong enough stabbing attacks (E.G. if a stab attack did mroe then 30 damage, it'd go right through the shield)
Iron Shield - The heaviest of the shield, reducing your speed by half when used, however it can block all physical attacks while you're using it.

These are just ideas, but it'd make some more differences between the different kinds of shield, and thus put in some consideration beyond what people think looks the best.