Why do some MA styles have 'optional' techniques and perks?
 

Surely all of a style's techniques and perks are optional, but many styles in Martial Arts and Gun Fu list some of their techniques and perks in the usual section and some of them under optional traits.

What is the difference?

Re: Why do some MA styles have 'optional' techniques and perks?
 

As far as I've understood (and used) it:

The usual section details what a character should definitely aim to acquire, to represent the martial art in question. These are the traits that form the very base of that fighting style. The optional traits are meant to represent different training programs within the fighting style that the fighter might or might not be familiar with, or they represent traits that there's some doubt whether practitioners actually should posses.

Re: Why do some MA styles have 'optional' techniques and perks?
 

It's not that all of the techniques and perks are optional in the sense that you don't have to take them to be a stylist, they're "optional" in the sense that not all schools using that name teach them or teach them to all students.

In other words, they're style variations as taught that aren't big enough to really consider an entirely new style writeup.

Re: Why do some MA styles have 'optional' techniques and perks?
 

Listed techniques and perks are taught by (pretty much) every master or school that teaches that particular martial art.

Optional techniques and perks are only taught by a few masters or schools. They represent a variant of the martial art. Think of them as "house rules" that a few teachers bring into the style. :)

Re: Why do some MA styles have 'optional' techniques and perks?
 

This also brings up opportunities for the GM to have an adventure for a character to gain one of those techniques/perks that was unavailable to them at chargen time.