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Old 07-12-2019, 07:20 AM   #1
Stormcro
 
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Default advice for Oriental characters in Melee

My Kids bought me the new Melee-Wizard Pocketbox , so I can retire my very beat up 40 year old sets. anyway we've been trying new characters with Oriental settings in mind. I was wondering if anyone has done the same. for example Samurai/Ronin versus Oni (demon) monsters and dragons? thinking of adding Wizard into the mix too, but I'm not sure on how to spec a Katana for my Samurai ( I've been using the standard 'bastard sword' as a Katana being that its mostly a shorter sword for two handed 1d6 and give it a +1.
then Armour for a Samurai is supposed to be very light and doesn't interfere with movement as much as European type of armour.
My son (23 now) and daughter (9) and I love the Okko Comic books and the whole Oriental settings. and this is what we are aiming for. I'd like to make a setting to play this setting in Cidri for In The Labyrinth. wondering if anyone has any specs for Oriental characters,weapons etc. thank you for reading.
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Old 07-12-2019, 07:57 AM   #2
xane
 
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

"Other names for weapons" is on ITL p111
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Old 07-12-2019, 10:58 AM   #3
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

Quote:
Originally Posted by xane View Post
"Other names for weapons" is on ITL p111
I'm Behind the times, I still have my original copy of ITL ( I scanned and reprinted it for myself about 20 years ago the old copy was falling apart) my old book doesn't have that section just weapons table. I hope to get the new book soon, I'd like to get the hard backed copy someday. :)
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Old 07-12-2019, 04:09 PM   #4
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcro View Post
I'm Behind the times, I still have my original copy of ITL ( I scanned and reprinted it for myself about 20 years ago the old copy was falling apart) my old book doesn't have that section just weapons table. I hope to get the new book soon, I'd like to get the hard backed copy someday. :)
Advanced Melee p12 then.
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Old 07-12-2019, 09:04 PM   #5
Stormcro
 
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

I found my GURPS Japan 2nd ed. book it shows
for a Katana :
Str: 11
for Cutting Swing +1 and 1,2 hex swing
for impail Throw +1 with 1 hex area
and if Scabbarded for Crushing type weapon and
that is listed as swing +1 I don't think that I'd
use that +1 modifier with the scabbard on the sword.
do you guys think that's pretty fair stats (other than
the scabbard) and only allow a +1 modifier for a
fine sword or a Unique character for the swords hand-
led by Samarai.
Advanced Melee calls for a Broadsword for a Katana with
2 dice no modifier and a Str: 12

Naganata is a pretty brutal weapon only downfall is it
takes a turn to ready the weapon after an attack but
I feel I should give it a +2 because you're wide open
after you've made your attack. GURPS gives it a +3 but
probably too much for TFT.

the Kusari that Skarg mentioned above is pretty brutal too
GURPS gives it +2

a +4 on a Nodachi ! yikes - I think the Nodachi swords were used by Bushi or Samurai on Horseback anyway doubt anyone would want to be caught up in a Melee on the ground with a Nodachi.

I want to thank everyone for your help getting me and my kids up to speed on our Oriental fighters. I'm going to make up a few characters, some Samurai and Ronin along with some Bushi and have them try to clean out a local village of some sinister
Oni and see how it turns out. I'm still open for ideas and references. I've read the boards for quite a long time but finally got up the nerve to ask some questions. thanks for your kindness and time.
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Old 07-13-2019, 11:36 AM   #6
ldorn
 
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

You might also want to check out these Space Gamer articles:

Harmonious Fists in Melee by David James Ritchie #16 pg 12-13
More Harmony for Fists in Melee by Ronald Pehr #18 pg 17
Letters, re: Oriental Weapons by Ronald Pehr #24 pg 30
Again, Harmonious Fists by David James Ritchie #25 pg 16-18

Some of this has been added into Advanced Melee/Legacy Edition ITL but is still interesting.
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Old 07-13-2019, 06:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

Comparing GURPS and TFT oriental weapon stats is a bit tricky because:

1) the game systems work differently (engagement, skills, active defenses, retreats, damage types, maneuvers, etc)

2) the scale is different (5-second TFT turns vs. 1-second GURPS turns, 4-foot (or originally, 1.3m) TFT hexes vs. 3-foot GURPS hexes), which affects both reach and GURPS readying times.

3) the thinking about what some of the weapons are is different (GURPS naginata is a polearm, while TFT naginata is a light "peculiar" weapon, and the nunchucks difference I mentioned before).

I'd note too that GURPS stats for katanas have also changed in later editions, which (if you have GURPS Basic Set Campaigns and GURPS Martial Arts 4e) have early and late versions, the post-Tokugawa-era ones being shorter. Essentially they're rated as either bastard swords (the Tokugawa and earlier ones) or broadswords (the later ones) but doing 1 point less impaling damage than a Western/straight thrusting sword.

In TFT I just do the same and decide they vary and can either have broadsword or bastardsword stats as desired, and than they can be finely made (up to the usual limits of +2 damage, +1 DX).

I would not try to import GURPS stats into TFT unless I were doing it for all weapons & armor, or via some comparison/conversion process.

Kusari in GURPS MA is listed as range 1-4. I'd might have it therefore be reach 1-3 in TFT, and like TFT whips but I'd want to give victims some DX roll to avoid just being made automatically helpless on a hit. I like crunchy mechanics so I'd probably want something where people with weapons in hand are more likely to resist but may get their weapon entangled etc.
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Old 07-12-2019, 08:42 AM   #8
DouglasCole
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormcro View Post
My Kids bought me the new Melee-Wizard Pocketbox , so I can retire my very beat up 40 year old sets. anyway we've been trying new characters with Oriental settings in mind. I was wondering if anyone has done the same. for example Samurai/Ronin versus Oni (demon) monsters and dragons? thinking of adding Wizard into the mix too, but I'm not sure on how to spec a Katana for my Samurai ( I've been using the standard 'bastard sword' as a Katana being that its mostly a shorter sword for two handed 1d6 and give it a +1.
then Armour for a Samurai is supposed to be very light and doesn't interfere with movement as much as European type of armour.
My son (23 now) and daughter (9) and I love the Okko Comic books and the whole Oriental settings. and this is what we are aiming for. I'd like to make a setting to play this setting in Cidri for In The Labyrinth. wondering if anyone has any specs for Oriental characters,weapons etc. thank you for reading.
Yah. Map a katana to a bastard sword, a no-dachi to a two-handed sword, and a wakisashi to a short sword or long dagger. Don't slap on a +1 unless folks pay for a fine blade; there were plenty of lousy samurai swords too - they just only preserved the historical ones.

The Japanese would nab western chain mail when they could, so I'd not take the marketing copy too far on the armor bit.

O-yoroi was "great armor" and could weigh 55-65 lbs, made of iron scales. Call that plate or fine plate.

Do-Maru was about 45 lbs, with metal and leather scales. Call that half-plate.

There was a Tachi-dou which seemed to come in at about 35 lbs . . . calling that chainmail seems not-wrong

http://gunbai-militaryhistory.blogsp...or-weight.html

In short, you can probably map the stuff directly to the weapon tables as-is.
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Old 07-12-2019, 09:38 AM   #9
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

The answers provided above are good, but if you want more I have a pretty extensive set of east-Asian weapons and armors stated up to be compatible with the core rules (i.e., there are lots of fun alternate choices, but none of them give you a free super power). I have intended to post these expanded equipment lists here for some weeks but have been busy at work and so haven't been able to finish off the formatting and other fine details. But if you send me a contact in a PM I will send you a 'rough draft' that has all the game-relevant info.
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Old 07-12-2019, 09:51 AM   #10
DouglasCole
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Default Re: advice for Oriental characters in Melee

Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdangly View Post
The answers provided above are good, but if you want more I have a pretty extensive set of east-Asian weapons and armors stated up to be compatible with the core rules (i.e., there are lots of fun alternate choices, but none of them give you a free super power). I have intended to post these expanded equipment lists here for some weeks but have been busy at work and so haven't been able to finish off the formatting and other fine details. But if you send me a contact in a PM I will send you a 'rough draft' that has all the game-relevant info.
I'd be interested in seeing this myself.
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