[g4e] Using Size and Weight to Your Advantage

[chris1982]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Finally, note that it's mostly myth that a big guy can't be touched owing to his size. I can assure you that a knockout punch is a knockout punch. If Mas Oyama could kayo bulls, then Bruce Lee could kayo Andre the Giant. The big guy's advantage turns heavily on grappling the small guy ASAP to prevent strikes, at which point the rules handily favor him; the most common result is a one-shot Neck Snap or Wrench Spine kill. Of course, it goes both ways . . . the small guy can't really afford to trade punches with a mountain.

Thats why they have weight classes in almost all combat sports - to prevent the nimble featherweights from smashing the slow heavyweights...

[Stripe]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Yes, the build table on pp 18. The description of the Growth advantage expands on this and describes the minimum St to support your frame as 5 X height (in yards).

Thanks so much. :)

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by chris1982

Thats why they have weight classes in almost all combat sports - to prevent the nimble featherweights from smashing the slow heavyweights...

Well, probably because the big guys could hurt the small guys terribly. :)

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In game terms, this is evidenced by my examples of large ST inflicting scary damage relative to small HP totals in strikes, and large ST being scary vs. modest ST or HT in dangerous grappling techniques. Against each other, large guys are taking big ST up against big ST/HP, and it's less likely to result in a lawsuit. The trouble is that sometimes gamers conclude that "big guys could hurt small guys a lot" as implying "small guys couldn't hurt big guys much." This isn't really true; it'll take a few more shots, owing to the lower damage vs. the greater HP total, but if a heavyweight just stood there and let a featherweight punch him in the face, he'd be messed up good. Being big doesn't grant you the equivalent of limited DR.

[The_Nightwatch]

The other thing is reach. If larger can keep smaller from closing by using jabs, footwork, etc. but still tag him from there, shorty is in deep trouble. You could reflect this in GURPS if you wanted to get really, really granular with arm lengths, etc. I don't think it's worth it, myself, but give it a shot if you want to.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by The_Nightwatch

The other thing is reach. If larger can keep smaller from closing by using jabs, footwork, etc. but still tag him from there, shorty is in deep trouble. You could reflect this in GURPS if you wanted to get really, really granular with arm lengths, etc. I don't think it's worth it, myself, but give it a shot if you want to.

GURPS keeps this simple: SM +1 beefs your Reach C attacks up to Reach 1. Thus, a really huge fighter can punch from a yard out, while his smaller rival must close. This lets a careful big guy constantly strike, move out, and force his smaller opponent to rush in. This denies the smaller guy a lot of options. Below SM +1, there's no effect. Some tales of the tape make a big deal out of a few inches of reach, but it isn't really the same kind of decision-maker as a fighter's record, which presumably reflects his skill. I suppose you could have a "Long Reach" perk that means a fighter gets the edge in all those extra-hairy rules for reach in Martial Arts. Unless his foe has it too, of course, or has a full SM on him. Heck, you could allow it in levels, I suppose, so that Long Reach 3 guy gets the edge over Long Reach 0-2 guys, but at some point it would get fairly silly.