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Sorry, this probably has been explained before, but I can't find anything by searching: can you learn entirely new weapon skills? Weapon skills which you don't get from character creation when you chose one of the two alternative packages but which would have been in the other alternative? Or skills which aren't there at all?

For example, I have a companion wood-elf who chose the package with the bow, but later on wants to learn the spear... is this possible? Either as cultural weapon or otherwise? What about weapons which aren't available in either start package, like a woodman wanting to learn the sword?

From memory, the rulebook doesn't mention anything like this, so I'd say no to both, but I could really go either way if persuaded?

Character can learn weapon skills outside of their cultural groups. It's really up to each gaming group how this works - ie, just buy the skill during a Fellowship Phase or if you want to add something in where the character in question has to approach someone and learn it; a good opportunity for a training montage. Also, it may be interesting to the character and game as to why they want to do this. I mean, cultural weapons are so because they are the common weapons used by the people in question - often due to economic and regional circumstance but also because of cultural norms, etc. I certainly wouldn't say 'no' to, say, a Woodman wanting to learn to use a sword. I would however explore why because you may get some interesting outcomes and ideas from such explorations.

As Rich says above, choosing a weapon outside of one's initially-chosen weapon skill set can be as simple as simply spending the appropriate Experience point cost during the Fellowship phase. If that seems too easy (especially in the case of using a weapon not normally found within that Culture) then you can impose additional conditions. For example:
- the character must have already encountered the weapon.
- the character must take a Training undertaking that might cost of additional EP and/or Treasure and might even require finding a trainer.
- there might be negative consequences for carrying a weapon closely associated with the Shadow or an enemy Culture.

In this way characters might even learn to use a weapon taken from an Adversary to which they might have taken a fancy--even including exotic weapons not found in RAW (say, just for the sake of argument, that you have introduced a foreigner from a distant land who wielded a two-handed Great Sword that the Woodman Slayer really wants to keep and use).

What you cannot learn is a group of weapons, like (Swords), if it's not your starting skills.

Everything else can be learned by spending the required XP. And as Rich and Otaku say, use the chance to develop the motivations of the PC further.

Alright, thanks guys. I am gonna allow individual skills but not cultural weapon groups, as you say Falenthal.

I don't think that a weapon skill group--(Swords), (Spears), (Bows), etc.--is the same thing as a cultural weapon group (if you meant that as 'Weapon skill set'), but I am confident that Falenthal's advice should apply to both.

Yes sorry, that's what I meant.