[MA] Italian fencing description and the riposte

DeathDaisy · 09-07-2017, 06:13 PM

The description for the Italian school of fencing (MA156) says two things about defense using this style: stylists make extensive use of the riposte and stylists rarely parry with the main weapon but use an off-hand weapon or dodge. Having read Agrippa and working through Capo Ferro (solely for use in roleplaying :P) this makes sense, you avoid the opponents blade and attack into their attack and make them impale themselves on your blade, as Agrippa says on every other page. He explicitly, repeatedly says to avoid parrying with your main blade.

However, the Riposte (MA124-125) requires you to attack with the weapon you defended with to gain the penalty to your opponents defense. So the style suggests things that are clearly incompatible. The riposte works as described for how swashbuckling often looks in the movies, but it doesnt fit with fencing as described in the fencing manuals, nor with how it's described in Martial Arts. It feels like they tried to describe both the historical style and the swashbuckling movie style at the same time.

So my question I guess is how do I make the style so that it penalizes the opponents defense without using my main blade to parry? Just a dodge and deceptive attack? A feint of some kind? I don't mind it being cinematic and jumping around like a true swashbuckler, but I'd like it to keep at least fairly true to the core philosophies of the historical style.

Thoughts?

09-07-2017, 06:13 PM	#1
DeathDaisy Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Sweden	[MA] Italian fencing description and the riposte The description for the Italian school of fencing (MA156) says two things about defense using this style: stylists make extensive use of the riposte and stylists rarely parry with the main weapon but use an off-hand weapon or dodge. Having read Agrippa and working through Capo Ferro (solely for use in roleplaying :P) this makes sense, you avoid the opponents blade and attack into their attack and make them impale themselves on your blade, as Agrippa says on every other page. He explicitly, repeatedly says to avoid parrying with your main blade. However, the Riposte (MA124-125) requires you to attack with the weapon you defended with to gain the penalty to your opponents defense. So the style suggests things that are clearly incompatible. The riposte works as described for how swashbuckling often looks in the movies, but it doesnt fit with fencing as described in the fencing manuals, nor with how it's described in Martial Arts. It feels like they tried to describe both the historical style and the swashbuckling movie style at the same time. So my question I guess is how do I make the style so that it penalizes the opponents defense without using my main blade to parry? Just a dodge and deceptive attack? A feint of some kind? I don't mind it being cinematic and jumping around like a true swashbuckler, but I'd like it to keep at least fairly true to the core philosophies of the historical style. Thoughts? Last edited by DeathDaisy; 09-07-2017 at 06:16 PM.