[MH] Caribbean by Night

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Although did you notice that the Americans who swear that their training is purely rational and instrumental and they don't care about appearances have 'a look'? And that look is very different from say knights in Chaucer's day, or veterans of the Penninsular War or even the Korean War? Scratch a martial art and it bleeds culture and taste, even if part of that culture and taste is insisting that what you do is purely instrumental and you wear the black and the cargo pants because they are functional.

Or listen to how much energy they spend telling the world that something that people who are as good at them at solving the same problem do is hurting wrong moving. There are many good ways to solve any problem in martial arts, and after martial arts pick one to focus on they tend to convince themselves that it is the only way. And that is all about identity and self-assurance not becoming better tools.

This is largely why I'm defining it as a Style.

Also, because a Style, in GURPS terms, is the basis for a Teamwork Perk for people who have had the same training and know how to work together, e.g. to wrestle something much stronger than they are.

Originally Posted by Polydamas

It could be ... or it could just be some weapon skills added to whatever other arts they train.

Whatever other arts they train is their own personal business. This will be their primary hand-to-hand training, because even as a backup to firearms, punching supernatural things is generally not enough. Many of them do combatives training, sure, but it's not like they are trained to do much of anything unarmed, specifically. At minimum, they are expected to grab improvised weapons, if caught unarmed.

Basically, this is the vocabulary and body of techniques that they'll all share, for purposes of Teamwork Perks and the like.

Originally Posted by Polydamas

It sounds like the skills they need are:

Wrestling or Judo
Knife
A medium-length weapon skill such as Axe/Mace or Shortsword
Maybe Fast-Draw
Arm Lock [to get threats in position to cut bits off them], Hit Location (weaponName Swing/Neck, Arm, Leg), and Retain Weapon.

Retain Weapon (Knife or Shortsword) won't be emphasized beyond any combative style, really. It's probably more of a focus for cops than for Night Riders.

Otherwise, it's spot-on. Probably Judo and Wrestling, given that Wrestling is much better for muscling people or things around, but Judo has techniques that Wrestling lacks that are useful against inhuman beings much stronger for their weight than humans.

Brawling and Karate are both Optional Skills, not being emphasized, but usually being known from whatever military combatives training that the 'recruits' (generally SOF personnel with 8+ years of experience) already have.

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Is there a technique for reducing penalties for wresting things with different anatomy than your species?

It's a matter of familiarities in GURPS rules, which Night Riders might have, but normal soldiers or martial artist wouldn't.

Originally Posted by Polydamas

There are all kinds of ways to pick up those skills, and the ones who like martial arts enough to get a Style Familiarity will train several anyways. In the 1980s in the United States the mix will probably include FMA and Japanese martial arts but I don't have the cultural knowledge of the Caribbean in the 1980s to suggest what else would be in the mix.

So, if a lot of men with military hand-to-hand training and combat experience put their heads together trying to figure out what kind of people to hire to teach special operators to use knives and machetes in the 1980s and 1990s, what kind of people might they hire?

They're working for a billionaire who just realized that the supernatural exists and poses a serious danger. Said billionaire has a lot of security contracts, because he's been making his money in dangerous areas of the world, i.e. mining in conflict areas, exclusive contracts from repressive governments, etc.

I think that one option is definitely agricultural workers from Caribbean islands who use machetes as part of their daily labors. What else would be practical?

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Now you are talking about bayonet drills. Modern assault rifles and carbines aren't really built for that, but if MCMAP or 1930s bayonet fencing can be a style, I suppose that the Night Riders' hand-to-hand course could be ... but the parts that make it a style won't be the ones that do those two scenarios you were talking about.

Bayonet drills would be Optional Skills, clearly.

That being said, modern assault rifles and carbines cannot practically be enchanted (it's a lot more difficult, at least, and generally results in them becoming unreliable) and malfunction more often in high Mana areas, so some of the older Night Riders carry heirloom weapons, surplus weapons they've tracked down used in various wars and the like. TL6 and TL7 weapons with history can be linked to the metaphysical essence of a person and Strengthen Weapon (that prevents firearms from being damaged when firing unusual ammunition) is not a difficult enchantment, comparatively.

Most Night Riders still prefer modern weapons and equipment, but there is a definite tendency to develop sentimental attachment to old gear and even in 2018, there are men who go into battle with a Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle or an M1 Garand used in WWII. Hell, one PC tracked down the M1 Garand used by his grandfather in his national service in Denmark, which was sold as surplus, and engraved it with runes.