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Old 08-23-2016, 03:13 PM   #7
kmunoz
 
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Seattle, Washington
Default Re: [Martial Arts] Should a Beat prevent using a weapon to attack?

The answers being given tend to ignore the fact that GURPS works in turns, so the descriptions of actual methods are not 100% applicable. (For example, in cases of aesir23's beat-and-attack example, that's ignoring the fact that in GURPS the defender gets an attack before you get yours, unless you're doing a rapid strike, but beats in GURPS are allowed without rapid strike... so it has to cover both cases.)

But, it's not just the physics, I think. It's also the psychology.

If you beat someone's weapon, they're now less inclined (briefly) to defend with it. But that doesn't necessarily affect their inclination to attack, since that's putting your weapon in a position where it isn't beating.

Think of it cinematically. Mr. Zweihander is smacking around Mr. Shortsword, beating his weapon constantly, and so Mr. Shortsword starts ducking and dodging instead, because parries just aren't doing the job. But that doesn't have to change how Mr. Shortsword attacks: after all, his opponent's weapon is ungainly, and the chances of Mr. Zweihander successfully defending against Mr. Shortsword are much lower. Mr. S's need to worry about Mr. Z's power is reduced during his attacks, even as it's increased during his defenses.
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Last edited by kmunoz; 08-23-2016 at 03:20 PM.
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