[mcv]

I've got a player who wanted to throw his assault rifle at an opponent, quick draw his katana and slice him up. I had to disappoint him that you can only use quick draw with pistols (though I allowed it this one time because it was cool). But, I remembered, I read about a iaijutsu ability somewhere that did allow you to quick draw a katana. Looked it up, turns out to be in Run & Gun, which I own but hadn't read yet (I'm still trying to get a handle on the core rules).

So I read the Martial Arts section from Run & Gun, and I'm confused.

7 points gets you the style, which comes free with a technique and a specialization that gives a +2 on all techniques within the style? It doesn't quite say that, but that's what it feels like to me. Is the specialization still tied to a single skill? Some Martial Arts use multiple techniques (unarmed, gymnastics and blades, for example). Does it give that bonus on one of those skills or all of them? Or only on the actual techniques within that style? Because many styles don't have a regular attack technique, so you'd only get the bonus when you do something weird. Of course many of the techniques are simply a +1 bonus on an existing action, so would that become a +3?

This stuff is not very clear from the text. I think I like how Martial Arts are implemented (it seems neither overpowered nor a complete waste of points, though that varies per technique), but exactly how this relates to the specialization it also offers is not entirely clear to me.

[Michael Chandra]

If I read this right:

Martial Arts is 7 to learn the Style and 1 Technique. You can also buy a Martial Arts as specialization, which is not the same even though they happen to cost the same: That is a normal Specialization on a skill, but instead of with a certain type of weapon/attack it gives a bonus when you use a technique. So you don't get a free +2.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

If I read this right:

Martial Arts is 7 to learn the Style and 1 Technique. You can also buy a Martial Arts as specialization, which is not the same even though they happen to cost the same: That is a normal Specialization on a skill, but instead of with a certain type of weapon/attack it gives a bonus when you use a technique. So you don't get a free +2.

Yeah that's how I read it too.  It costs 7 karma to buy the "Karate" specialization for Unarmed Combat.  It costs another 7 karma to purchase Karate as an "ability", which comes with 1 free technique for that price.

[mcv]

I guess that makes more sense. Thanks.

That still leaves the question when exactly you get the specialization bonus. Is the specialization still tied to a skill? If so, which one? And does it still boost techniques that use different skills?

If I've got Blades with the specialization Kenjitsu, for example, and, let's assume Kenjitsu has a technique that uses Gymnastics (I don't know if it does, don't have my book with me here), do I still get the bonus on that technique? Do I also still get it on regular katana attacks?

If there's a martial art that uses both unarmed and weapon attacks, and I want the bonus on both, do I need to take the specialization for that style on both skills? Or is once enough (and if so, does it matter which skill?).

[Michael Chandra]

If you have Blades specialization Kenjitsu, you only get the bonus when using the Blades Skill together with a Kenjitsu technique. That does make it rather limited.

[mcv]

If you have Blades specialization Kenjitsu, you only get the bonus when using the Blades Skill together with a Kenjitsu technique. That does make it rather limited.

Not when you use the Blades skill for a normal attack? Presumably Kenjitsu covers normal attacks despite not having special techniques for it. If so, that sounds very limited.

But if it's normal use plus special techniques that use the Blades skill, I think that would be okay. Then again, if it really covers normal use, then what's the limitation of the specialization?

[Michael Chandra]

If it were to cover any normal attack, that'd be overpowered compared to normal specializations. Especially when specializations are normally subtyped, and now people would argue they'd always get it. So I don't think it should cover normal attacks.

[mcv]

Blades (katana) is a valid specialization, isn't it? That covers all your attacks as long as you use a katana for them. But you're right, a style doesn't always specify a specific weapon, so that could make it way to broad.

Alright, just the techniques, then. If you picked a useful style with multiple techniques you use regularly, that's still pretty sweet. The specialization is of course the primary thing that makes it attractive to take multiple techniques from the same style, instead of cherry-picking techniques by picking a new style every time.

I think I've got this part straight now. Next step is figuring out the differences between the different kinds of techniques, which seem to include regular actions, actions restricted to trained martial artists, called shots, techniques which give a bonus to an action, and other kinds of techniques. I don't entirely grasp the differences yet.

I did find a Reddit post that uses its own classification for different kind of techniques, but I noticed it skipped some (including Iaijutsu at least).

[Shinobi Killfist]

I’ve never read the rules like Michael has.

If you specialize in boxing I’m giving it to you when you punch people and with the special maneuvers.

Aikido any subdual attack and the special maneuvers.

Kenjitsu any katana maybe katana like blades and the moves.

It does make some martial arts that are more broad a better specialization value. But semi auto is a pistol spec, they’ve already shown they cover different ranges.

You could specialize in martial arts before there was martial art rules. It required some real world knowledge to make judgement calls on when it would apply. I have not seen anything that implies or states it changes post martial art rules. Though I may have missed it.