Back to the main page

Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: TopCat <topcat@**.CENCOM.NET>
Subject: Re: 2 handed combat
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 1995 17:50:27 -0500
Since I'm kinda rushed and have everything on digest, I may be misquoting
something... if I do, correct me. Now, on with the show...

Someone said something to the effect of... "I would never allow a two handed
unarmed style as I consider all unarmed combat to be two handed." To which
I present martial arts such as Jung Fang (Wing Chun), Jeet Kune Do,
Kali/Arnis/Escrima, and too many more to list. These arts concentrate on
combining an attack with a defensive move. As opposed to many other styles
which concentrate on combat as "steps" (e.g. block, grab, throw... block,
attack... etc). The "combined" styles have an advantage over the
"step"
styles in that you are using everything you can at once as opposed to
concentrating on only one facet of the fight at a time. So, in closing,
there should be a two handed unarmed combat style allowed.

Another problem that arises quickly if you limit unarmed is the use of
cyber-implant weaponry. Two sets of hand razors are far more deadly than
one. If the two-handed style is not allowed, then it is worthless to have
more than one set (not to mention unrealistic.. have I mentioned that I like
realism? <G>).

-- TopCat <topcat@******.net>
Message no. 2
From: Menard Steve <menars@***.UMONTREAL.CA>
Subject: Re: 2 handed combat
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 1995 19:06:02 -0400
On Tue, 27 Jun 1995, TopCat wrote:

> Since I'm kinda rushed and have everything on digest, I may be misquoting
> something... if I do, correct me. Now, on with the show...
>
> Someone said something to the effect of... "I would never allow a two handed
> unarmed style as I consider all unarmed combat to be two handed." To which
> I present martial arts such as Jung Fang (Wing Chun), Jeet Kune Do,
> Kali/Arnis/Escrima, and too many more to list. These arts concentrate on
> combining an attack with a defensive move. As opposed to many other styles
> which concentrate on combat as "steps" (e.g. block, grab, throw... block,
> attack... etc). The "combined" styles have an advantage over the
"step"
> styles in that you are using everything you can at once as opposed to
> concentrating on only one facet of the fight at a time. So, in closing,
> there should be a two handed unarmed combat style allowed.
>
> Another problem that arises quickly if you limit unarmed is the use of
> cyber-implant weaponry. Two sets of hand razors are far more deadly than
> one. If the two-handed style is not allowed, then it is worthless to have
> more than one set (not to mention unrealistic.. have I mentioned that I like
> realism? <G>).

I'm not a martial arts expert, but I have yet to find a martial art
that tells you to use only one fist! If teh art itself says "use
everything you can", thanyou don't need a 2-weapon combat style, its
already factored in!

As for cyber-implants, in my game I allow twi-weapon with the
cyber-implant concentration. Makes sense that you can use two-weapons,
since the damage is figured for a SINGLE weapon, as opposed to martial
arts, which abstract all appandages in a single attack.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- |\_/| Still The One and Only Wolfbane! ---
--- |o o| " Hey! Why ya lookin' at me so weird? Ain't ya 'ver seen a ---
--- \ / decker witha horn ?" --- Scy, Troll decker with a CC ---
--- 0 Steve Menard menars@***.UMontreal.Ca ---
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message no. 3
From: Marc A Renouf <jormung@*****.UMICH.EDU>
Subject: Re: 2 handed combat
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 1995 11:02:54 -0400
On Tue, 27 Jun 1995, TopCat wrote:

> Someone said something to the effect of... "I would never allow a two handed
> unarmed style as I consider all unarmed combat to be two handed." To which
> I present martial arts such as Jung Fang (Wing Chun), Jeet Kune Do,
> Kali/Arnis/Escrima, and too many more to list.

Jeet Kune Do and Wing Chun are really not all that terribly
different from your typical martial arts. Different emphasis, but
similar practice. And Kali/Arnis/Escrima are all *weapon* styles. Thus,
they are *armed* combat, in which we all pretty much agree that the two
weapon style is plenty OK.

> These arts concentrate on
> combining an attack with a defensive move. As opposed to many other styles
> which concentrate on combat as "steps" (e.g. block, grab, throw... block,
> attack... etc). The "combined" styles have an advantage over the
"step"
> styles in that you are using everything you can at once as opposed to
> concentrating on only one facet of the fight at a time.

Sorry, I've gotta hit this one. Pretty much every martial art
I've participated in combines an attack with a defensive move. Or
combines multiple, simultaneous attacks. They're just not so obvious
about it. The "steps" that you talk about are nothing more than a way to
train you in a specific maneuver, such that you can use it later in
different situations without totally hosing up. If you watch someone
with extensive martial art experience in a fight, they don't go through
the "steps" one by one. They use them in mixes and multiples as
appropriate. The only difference is that some martial arts teach you
this fluidity and adaptability from the beginning and others teach it at
higher levels of understanding.
The point that people are trying to make is that there really
aren't any one-handed martial arts, so they're all assumed to be two
handed. Thus, no two-handed unarmed special skills.

> Another problem that arises quickly if you limit unarmed is the use of
> cyber-implant weaponry. Two sets of hand razors are far more deadly than
> one. If the two-handed style is not allowed, then it is worthless to have
> more than one set (not to mention unrealistic.. have I mentioned that I like
> realism? <G>).

For hand razors, I assume that you automatically get them
installed in both hands. For spurs, it would make sense to have them
split, and two are better than one. Spurs I think is the only exception
I have which allows a two-handed weapon skill for a skill in unarmed
combat.

Marc

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about 2 handed combat, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.