ummm…well, that depends on the art as well. In Ninjutsu, you're movements and actions don't change if you hold a sword or a hanbo or nothing at all. ALL attacks are based on a series of leg works and *blah blah blah*
Just because you can shoot a gun really well doesn't mean you can't use a sword too. My Sensei is an expert marksman (trained and certified by H&K and Smith and Wesson), is in the Military, and is a 6th Dan blackbelt in Ninjutsu. He can use a sword or staff or knife or gun at almost the same level of skill, which is frighteningly good. But then, he's been at it for 20-30 years.
Frankly, If you give me a shuriken or a knife or a staff, I'll be able to use them all (though mighty shitily!). But that is because of the martial art I take. Kung Fu specializes heavely in a manner that requires you to learn entirely differant movement patterns to use a weapon. A Staff master would be less efficiant with a blade. But then Kung Fu is currently a tournament/display martial art. Ninjutsu is a war martial art.
One other thing, Multiple attackers. (Tonights class was a multiple attacker theme.) A good martial artist, hell a street brawler, can deal with multiple attackers. Currently if you are gang attacked, You only attack one person, then move on to the next when they go down. There are TONNES of techniques and movements that can take out 2, 3, 4 or more attackers at the same time. (Hatsumi has been attacked by up to 6-7 of his students and beaten them down with minimal effort, but that is why he is the Grandmaster.) Just brining that up.
Frankly, combat and martial arts can be infinately complicated. Compare Cappoera and Shoalin Kung Fu. Two completely differant martial arts, evolved out of differant situations. pit them against eachother. How would the fight work? Who would have the upper hand? Who would win? The infinite variables involved would kill the MOO. And frankly, right now there are no 'defensive couterattacks'. Combat is set up in a you hit, I hit, you hit, I hit system based on stat and skill checks. But really, If the average person throws a punch at me, I evade and counter attack. Then while they are stunned from the first attack, I continue to inflict pain untill they fall, die, cry for mama, or whatever. Throw me against another martial artist and it'll be nutter. I'll attack, he'll evade and counter, I'll counter the counter finding an opening, he will counter that, and so on. Combat is....well...probably the most complex and difficult thing to code realistically in my opinion. Just too much to deal with. So. For the mean time, or for all time if all the other MOO's I've seen are a judge, MOO's are you hit, I hit, You hit, I hit combat senarios.
I think I am done ranting now.
oh, wait....what was my initial point when I started this?!
Oh, yeah. Gally: You are right. There doesn't need to be a coded dissadvantage for specialization in a weapon/martial art. The penalty is that you have to sink gobs of UE into it to -GET- good. You wanna be good at sword, pistol, rifle, driving, SMG, explosives, and security systems. Well, enjoy the long wait till you are hot shit at it all, cause that is spreadin the UE around. Not to mention the stats you'd need to feed. Look at Nicadeamus. That guy has a fucking pile of skills, a pile of stats. Sure, long run he is more versitile, but can he take Devon or Gally or Lucifer or Casey in a fight? No. Can he beat Gally at appraising the street value of an item? Yes. Luc too. And Casey. That's just how your character is. You train in things, your UE goes into them. No need to code penalties, the experiance system has it covered indirectly.
Now that I have ranted and repeated myself at -least- three times, I am finito. And I laugh at Dominik in advance knowing full well he hasn't read all this, and probably missed all the insults I gave to him. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAaaaaaaa.....
