Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Main-gauche vs. Dagger

Nils_Lindeberg · 06-18-2021, 04:08 AM

I am still a little bit confused.

First, some of you say that MG is the only left-handed weapon that gives a defense bonus. Then you say that MG is not included in the Knife talent, so you need Fencing to be able to use it.

If that is the case, MG is way worse to have in your left hand than literally any other weapon by a wide margin.
Normally a left-handed weapon with Two-Weapon talent gives you a 2 point parry. But a Fencer has that talent for free and it is the only way to use a MG. So if that is true, you get 1 point of parry at the cost of 1 DX. And yes, the difference between a left-handed rapier that requires the same talent point investment would give you 2 parry for free, about as powerful as a two point enchantment worth of difference.

Again I don't think this makes sense.
It could make sense if Knife gives you MG use, because then anyone could pick up the MG in their left hand and get a 1p/-1DX as a baseline. And if daggers can't give you a bonus in this manner, it would still be better than nothing, even though it is way worse than a shield, it is still a socially more acceptable armament. So, a small niche for the MG.

But that would also mean that once you get the Fencing Talent and the Two-Weapon talent for free, you could get 2 parry/-0DX penalty, or maybe 3 parry/-1DX. Again a viable option that makes it comparable to a left-handed Rapier, especially if you want to go mostly defensive and not attack with the left hand that much. Again a good choice, not better, not worse than two rapiers.

And if people get Knife and Two Weapon Fighting, they should be able to use a MG with any other weapon in their right hand. Again, any other weapon would be 2p/-0DX, but the MG would be 3p/-1DX. Not better, not worse, but a good and balanced option compared to a shield or another left-handed weapon. And the MG would not be way worse than a left-handed dagger that can, with the talent, be used for 2 parry/-0 (RAW).

So, the dagger in the left-hand giving you a parry bonus or not is kind of beside the point, we still have questions about the MG that has not been answered.

06-18-2021, 04:08 AM	#3
Nils_Lindeberg Join Date: Jul 2018	Re: Main-gauche vs. Dagger I am still a little bit confused. First, some of you say that MG is the only left-handed weapon that gives a defense bonus. Then you say that MG is not included in the Knife talent, so you need Fencing to be able to use it. If that is the case, MG is way worse to have in your left hand than literally any other weapon by a wide margin. Normally a left-handed weapon with Two-Weapon talent gives you a 2 point parry. But a Fencer has that talent for free and it is the only way to use a MG. So if that is true, you get 1 point of parry at the cost of 1 DX. And yes, the difference between a left-handed rapier that requires the same talent point investment would give you 2 parry for free, about as powerful as a two point enchantment worth of difference. Again I don't think this makes sense. It could make sense if Knife gives you MG use, because then anyone could pick up the MG in their left hand and get a 1p/-1DX as a baseline. And if daggers can't give you a bonus in this manner, it would still be better than nothing, even though it is way worse than a shield, it is still a socially more acceptable armament. So, a small niche for the MG. But that would also mean that once you get the Fencing Talent and the Two-Weapon talent for free, you could get 2 parry/-0DX penalty, or maybe 3 parry/-1DX. Again a viable option that makes it comparable to a left-handed Rapier, especially if you want to go mostly defensive and not attack with the left hand that much. Again a good choice, not better, not worse than two rapiers. And if people get Knife and Two Weapon Fighting, they should be able to use a MG with any other weapon in their right hand. Again, any other weapon would be 2p/-0DX, but the MG would be 3p/-1DX. Not better, not worse, but a good and balanced option compared to a shield or another left-handed weapon. And the MG would not be way worse than a left-handed dagger that can, with the talent, be used for 2 parry/-0 (RAW). So, the dagger in the left-hand giving you a parry bonus or not is kind of beside the point, we still have questions about the MG that has not been answered.