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Friday, March 1, 2019

Shin Kicking in Armor

So, this:

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This is just amusing. In case you wondered if kicks can, in fact, work in armor . . . yeah. Yeah they can. Both an armored kicker and an armored target. It's a good combo, too, using the threat of the blade as an opener to allow a shin kick to the head. That in turn provides the cascade of openings necessary for everything that follows.

One thing games don't model that well, generally - including GURPS - is the impact damage of attacks. That headgear provides a lot of DR against blades, axes, etc., but armor is necessarily good for cushioning the brain from impact. I suppose you could D&D-type games, with AC, do this better - if you can land the blow effectively despite the armor, you do and effects ensue. A middle ground like Rolemaster - you might stop a crit but not stop a blow and still take concussion damage - might work better here. It's an interesting issue. So often we think "kick in armor" and might picture a booted foot trying a front kick on a steel breastplate. Then you see a shin kick to the head where the rigidity of the armor is no boon for the victim and see what a kick can do sometimes.

Fun, fun stuff. I'm not likely to watch matches of that sport. But I will look for highlights sometimes. That's one right there.

4 comments:

  1. In GURPS I'd call that a Beat followed by a pair of attacks. Just because the Beat was delivered via the foot...

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    1. For all we know, that kick caused a concussion. The shield bash and sword swings were more like finishing moves . . . the defender was going down and to the side . . . he wasn't in the same fighting condition after that kick.

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  2. Of course it works in a dojo. I couldn't help but feel that trying that kick that on a muddy battlefield or dank uneven cavern floor is a maneuver unlikely to end well for anyone who trys it.

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    1. Your point about head kicks on bad footing is well taken - the less regular the floor underneath you the less advisable a high kick is going to be.

      But saying "Of course it works in a dojo" is too dismissive, I feel. It's not a dojo, for one - it's a multi-combatant combat sport environment with opponents attempt real violence on each other. That's far more chaotic than what "dojo" implies. But also, that it can be done in a more controlled environment opens up the possibility that it can be done in a less controlled environment, given sufficient training, skill, and the correct circumstances. And that's the point of this post - you can armor someone up, and they can still execute a head kick if they have the right training. Karate may take a penalty in GURPS for armor, but there is a place for Armor Familiarity as a perk and here is some demonstration as to why that is.

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