Can a swordsman use a baseball bat as a weapon?

[chris1982]

There should be a catchall default of for every melee weapon skill to each other melee weapon skill (even if only best melee skill -8 or something) - There are some basic concepts that melee fighters learn that are true for every weapon: distance, parry concepts, reflexes, attack modes, feints etc.

I find the notion of the great swordmaster with 25 broadsword skill that hits at DX-5 when using an Axe or DX-4 for a knife rather unrealistic...

[jacobmuller]

G-U-Melee-Default: find the worst skill-default and put it one point worse?

Is the technique for making a baseball bat more "agile" called Choking Up? You don't hold it by the usual bottom of bat grip - more like 1/3 up - and this provides a more balanced bat/ lowers the ST requirement at the expense of reach and a certain degree of clumsiness.
How about Broadsword-3, ie a baton as per shortsword; that would put you @ broadsword-2 and an extra -1 for awkwardness, with Sw or Th damage.

[Gurps Fan]

Thanks to all for the replies.

Is "balancedness" really a primary factor in determining which skill should be used? As a counterexample, Knobbed Club is a balanced ("Parry 0") weapon but is listed under Axe/Mace, while Dao and Large Falchion are unbalanced ("Parry 0U") weapons that fall under Broadsword (Martial Arts, pp. 226-227).

I think that the authors should have simply listed "borderline" weapon like Knobbed Club under both Axe/Mace and Broadswoad, just like Long Knife, which is listed under Knife and Shortsword (pp. 228-229). And of course, there should be set of default skills applicable to every melee skills, as pointed out by chris1982.

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

What setting has a guy who uses a broadsword as his primary weapon and baseball bats?

My gaming group often runs campaigns in a modern world plus something fantastic. Off the top of my head, as a GM, I could build a necromancer who turns street thugs into zombies -- equipped with baseball bats, bicycle chains, tire irons, etc. -- and commands them to raid PCs, who might be master swordsmen, wizards, werewolves, aliens, espers, time travellers, or whatever. If you prefer a pure-fantasy setting, for "a baseball bat up from a dead mook" read "a knobbed club up from a dead orc soldier".

Originally Posted by Molokh

Probably more likely a Defensive Grip to get to use the Broadsword skill. (Assuming we can use high ST/two hands to make it sort of balanced . . .)

That has inspired me with a further question:

Basic Set says that Two-Handed Axe/Mace is useable for "Any long, two-handed impact weapon, such as a baseball bat" (p. B208). A baseball bat is Knobbed Club in game terms (Martial Arts, p. 219).

However, while wielding a one-handed weapon with Defensive Grip, using two hands, the fighter still uses the one-handed skill (so Kromm says). Further, the Two-Handed Axe/Mace section in the weapon table has no entry for two-handed use of Knobbed Club (Martial Arts, p. 230). Therefore, Two-Handed Axe/Mace is of no use when wielding a knobbed club, even with two hands.

What should I understand this contradiction? Can I safely say that baseball bats were supposed to be under Two-Handed Axe/Mace when Basic Set was originally written, but the authors have changed the rules and bats have become a one-handed Axe/Mace weapon since the moment they published Martial Arts?

[Sam Baughn]

Huh, I never noticed that knobbed clubs were balanced before. That actually makes them pretty handy.

EDIT: so is the hatchet. How the hell did I miss that?

[The Mage of Macungie]

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

What setting has a guy who uses a broadsword as his primary weapon and baseball bats?

Although it was not his primary weapon, a 3e Cliffhangers character of mine always had a baseball bat, along with the mitt and ball, in the trunk of his car. He had studied savate which taught broadsword and IIRC 3e used broadsword skill for baseball bats.

[martinl]

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

Huh, I never noticed that knobbed clubs were balanced before. That actually makes them pretty handy.

EDIT: so is the hatchet. How the hell did I miss that?

Imperfection? ;P

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

What setting has a guy who uses a broadsword as his primary weapon and baseball bats?

Mad Max?
Dies the Fire?
Modern with secret magic?

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by The Mage of Macungie

IIRC 3e used broadsword skill for baseball bats.

It sure did, I just checked.

[nik1979]

Baseball bats weigh almost as much as arming/braodswords. Given the difference in weight, if there was a polem to move the balance of the bat closer to the base then a -2 unfamiliarity penalty would be ok, but at its balance probably a -3 unfamiliarity penalty for broadsword or -2 for axe/mace.

Personally, i won't throw away any +1 DX bonus from any weapons training as one defaults to another weapon. At that level, the character starts to have hand callouses, thicker forearms, and a strong grip in a hearty handshake. 800-6400 hours guideline for 4cp of practice will do that. As a GM I would default it all from what ever weapon skill, starting at -4 at worse.

[pawsplay]

Originally Posted by Perfect Organism

What setting has a guy who uses a broadsword as his primary weapon and baseball bats?

Shop smart, shop S-Mart.

I think having all melee weapons default at DX-6 is probably reasonable, and borderline cases should be usable with Axe/Mace or Broadsword. Technically, I have Broadsword Sport (from Amtgard) which defaults to ... absolutely nothing with regards to a baseball bat, but I have no trouble visualizing how I would use one in real life if I had to. I have some self-taught armed skills, but those also relate to swordsmanship, not clubs per se.