Age of Napoleon Martial Arts

[Dangerious P. Cats]

I'm possibly getting involved in an Age of Napoleon campaign and have begun thinking about what martial arts might be applicable in the period. Beyond what is martial arts what could styles be made for in the period. Hell, how did violence work during the period? What were people trying to during battles and how was combat changing?

[mlangsdorf]

Obvious styles for AoN include Bare Knuckle Boxing, French Smallsword, Transitional French School (antiquated through most of the period, though), Savate, and Jukenjutsu (Bayonet Fighting). European cavalrymen would probably learn a riding style similar to Bajutsu, and the general sword drill might be similar to Early Medieval Knightly Mounted Combat, perhaps replacing Wrestling with Boxing or Brawling. Muslims would learn Furusiyya.

Military combat was based around the infantry, marching in a column, shooting in a line of 2-3 ranks, and defending in a square. Cannon would do more damage to a closely packed square of infantry, so cavalry would menace infantry until it formed up, then cannon would shoot it, another infantry formation would charge it in melee with fixed bayonets, and then the cavalry would chase down any survivors. Well-drilled infantry would constantly be changing formation to deal with the appropriate threat, and could defeat uncoordinated attacks by waves of enemy cavalry, infantry, and cannon.

Common infantry fought with bayonets and clubbed muskets. Officers fought with sabers, broadswords, and sometimes lances from horseback or on foot, backed up by single shot pistols. The fighting styles were documented in the drill manuals of the time, some of which must have survived so you could look this stuff up...

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Obvious styles for AoN include Bare Knuckle Boxing, French Smallsword, Transitional French School (antiquated through most of the period, though), Savate, and Jukenjutsu (Bayonet Fighting). European cavalrymen would probably learn a riding style similar to Bajutsu, and the general sword drill might be similar to Early Medieval Knightly Mounted Combat, perhaps replacing Wrestling with Boxing or Brawling. Muslims would learn Furusiyya.

I was looking at Martial arts from the perspective of a Steampunk character and I believe I would modify some of these recommendations.

Until they're fully replaced with sabers, light edged rapiers make up most officer's swords so the Trans French school is certainly possible.

Bajutsu is certainly possible but none of the mounted styles in MA is really quite right. The shield is not used and the (relatively rare) lances used are used with Lance skill, couched under the right arm though they are only 9 to 10 feet long. No Spear work except for infantry with bayonet.

Bow is replaced with Guns (flintlock pistol) and the Mounted Shooting is adjusted accordingly of course. The Combat Riding and most of the other Techniques can be used as is.

Wrestling is as likely as ever in practical training.

[jason taylor]

Bayonet fighting really wasn't a martial art. People just went forward and did the best they could.

Saber fighting is closer as cavalry was a fashionable service and a well-born person had time to train.

Lance-work took a lot of time to learn well so that might realistically be considered.

However AoN was on the whole a time of mass combat, not of martial arts.

[Dangerious P. Cats]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

However AoN was on the whole a time of mass combat, not of martial arts.

Could we build martial arts on the training someone recieved for mass combat? I assume that soldiers during the period went to battle being given more than a musket and positive reinforcement. Even if not terribly useful it would round out a soldier character quite well.

On a similar note does anyone know a source of translations of continental military and martial arts from the time. I've got a good deal of English stuff but it would be improper to create Nepoleonic era martial arts without including and French systems, and the inclusion of Prussian systems would be desirable as well.

[Daeglan]

Well the horsemanship officers learn is called Dressage.

[Eltharon]

Originally Posted by Dangerious P. Cats

Could we build martial arts on the training someone recieved for mass combat? I assume that soldiers during the period went to battle being given more than a musket and positive reinforcement. Even if not terribly useful it would round out a soldier character quite well.

That's actually pretty much all they got. Lots of drill, as in marching, wheeling, forming lines and squares and such, because that's what was important. Some soldiers never fired live ammo before their first battle--because accuracy was not important, it was the massed firepower that was. There might have been a bayonet drill, too, but it was probably little more than stabbing dummies...maybe enough to qualify for a point in spear.

Cavalry and artillery got more training, though an artilleryman's training is usually beyond the scope of an RPG campaign.
Officers would often hire instructors to train with swords, or had been trained in the past due to their noble blood.

As for actual martial arts...boxing had begun in England, smallswords were the dueling weapon of choice, the saber was the military sword of choice for cavalry and officers.
Infantry would only learn martial arts by being grizzled veterans, or by being part of an elite unit like the Sharpe's 95th Rifles, or the Coldstream Guards.

[Polydamas]

The "rarely practiced with live ammo" thing is because powder and lead were expensive, and a whole army of men with big-barreled muskets burns a lot of powder in practice. The British had good access to nitrates and plenty of money so they could use more powder in practice than was normal. I would give most 18th century infantry lots of Hiking, Soldier, and Fast-Draw (Ammo) but only a point or two of Guns. Maybe you could lump Spear, Guns (Musket), Soldier, and Fast-Draw (Ammo) into one style per set of drill.

Its not my period, but the Schola Gladiatoria forums have a list of online WMA sources which is fairly comprehensive.

There should be lots of Smallsword and Broadsword styles to choose from, boxing and wrestling, informal street styles with unarmed combat and knives and clubs.

[Eltharon]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

The "rarely practiced with live ammo" thing is because powder and lead were expensive, and a whole army of men with big-barreled muskets burns a lot of powder in practice. The British had good access to nitrates and plenty of money so they could use more powder in practice than was normal. I would give most 18th century infantry lots of Hiking, Soldier, and Fast-Draw (Ammo) but only a point or two of Guns. Maybe you could lump Spear, Guns (Musket), Soldier, and Fast-Draw (Ammo) into one style per set of drill.
.

Wow, I completely forgot about shot drills. Yeah, fast draw (ammo) would be part of a new recruits training.

[macphersonrants]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Bayonet fighting really wasn't a martial art. People just went forward and did the best they could.

I don't know about the official position in 4e, but in 3e you had martial arts like Streetfighting that reflects the skills someone picked up by simply surviving combat with a certain weapons set or unarmed approach over time. Something like that might apply in this case. If you survive a few fights you would probably pick up some of the applicable techniques that work with a rifle and bayonet. Experienced troops would probably have something like a system.