GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling is out

[Kromm]

This thread has drifted far enough off topic to need closing. It started as a discussion of a new release, which we truly appreciate whether you're writing to congratulate, criticize, or simply chime in with "Me, too!" Oscar Wilde said it best: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." However, the thread has since mutated into the "What is SM worth?" discussion that has been around since 2004. Feel free to restart that in another thread that doesn't drag in GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling by naming it in the title. Here are some seed topics for you:

High SM is good because it . . .

• allows you to hurdle larger objects as a free action (p. B352).
• enables trampling (p. B404) and overruns (p. B432).
• entitles you to buy cheaper ST (p. B15), Arm ST (p. B40), Lifting ST (p. B65), Striking ST (p. B88), and HP (p. B16).
• gives you extra reach in melee combat (p. B402) and lets you fight at a height advantage (p. B403).
• grants bonus DX and ST when grappling, whatever grappling rules you prefer.
• makes you more costly to affect with harmful Regular spells (p. B239).
• means you have no penalty to wield higher-SM melee weapons that enjoy improved damage, whichever weapon-scaling rules you prefer.
• renders you more intimidating and less likely to be intimidated (p. B202), and allows you to shrug off the fear effect of being charged (p. B397).
• slows the effects of poison (p. B438).

High SM is bad because it . . .

• amplifies the effects of being crushed by high pressure (p. B435).
• causes you to be hit by more fragments from explosions (p. B415).
• leaves you more susceptible to high-RoF attacks when motionless (p. B409).
• makes you easier to hit (p. B19), whatever version of the rules you prefer.
• makes you more costly to affect with helpful Regular spells (p. B239).
• means you must pay more to eat, if using the optional rules for that.
• raises the cost and weight of your gear (p. B20).
• renders you easier to see (p. B19).