On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Note that I mention the possibility in my house rules. As you'll note in MA, no style includes Weapon Adaptation (Broadsword with Rapier), even though there might be historical evidence for such for some of them.

I think that this is partly realism and partly game balance. Using a weapon in a fencing stance and with a fencing grip probably should not allow for full Broadsword damage. While I allow the aformentioned Weapon Adaptation Perk, I reduce damage for any weapon used in a fencing mode to the maximum base damage of sw cut and thr+1 imp (other bonuses add normally).

So a broadsword used with Weapon Adaptation would actually have the exact same stats as a Cut-and-Thrust Sword. The difference is simply that such a weapon (slightly shorter and broader than the Cut-and-Thrust Sword, by default) could also be used with Broadsword skill for a +1 to damage.

I can see a reason for reducing swung damage, but not thrust. The tip is the same size (probably wider for a Thrusting Broadsword than an Edged Rapier or Short Edged Rapier), and guards with the point in line allow powerful thrusts.

The difference in cutting between fencing in Fiore dei Liberi's day and fencing in Salvator Fabris' is more about weapons and guard positions than grip (hooking a finger over the crossguard or placing it along the blade is attested a long way back). The stretta (point towards the enemy's chest or head) guards of 17th century rapier require you to raise or lower your point before delivering a cut, and the start point of a cut tends to be more conservative than in 15th century martial arts because of this (the time you spend preparing the cut is a tempo for your opponent to strike you in). Also, 15th century styles accompany most blows with a pace, which makes it easy to put your hips into a strike.

Originally Posted by Icelander

Spears are a good example of weapons where the listed Reach in GURPS is simply wrong. If a one-handed longsword, jian or Basic Set katana is Reach 1,2; then a one-handed Spear is certainly Reach 1,2*.

I'm hoping CCoI fixes this.

I agreed with you when you brought it up on the playtest list. I'll make the change in any future GURPS games I run.

Originally Posted by Icelander

It also depends on how it's used. In general, you need only a few inches of blade to make a thrusting attack, but you can't make a full-power swing at full-extension. So a weapon with Reach 1,2 for both the swing and the thrust needs to be longer than a weapon which gets Reach 1,2 only for the thrust and Reach 1 for the swing.

Agreed.