GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling

Master Grappling . . . or Face Defeat!

The canny warrior knows that grappling is fundamental to fighting. Any melee – from a brawl to a swordfight – could suddenly move into the clinch. Some fighters even specialize in such tactics!

This is a hard subject to get a hold on, however; volumes have been written about leverage alone. GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling brings this depth to GURPS. Expansions to the GURPS Basic Set and GURPS Martial Arts rules include:

• Trained Strength. Discover how technical proficiency complements raw power.
• Control Points. Transform grappling from an all-or-nothing affair to a matter of degree.
• Position Revisited. Achieve leverage by jockeying for not only posture, but also facing and orientation.
• Armed Grappling. Control and entangle your foes with a surprising variety of melee weapons.
• Combat Options. Narrow your focus with the One Foe option, exploit Committed Attack to force a posture change, pass a limb to trap your opponent, and more.
• Techniques. More than 30 of them – some new, some modified. Use an Escaping Parry to break a clinch, or Change Position to establish a weight advantage.
• Fighting Styles. Learn Jacket Wrestling or Shuai Jiao – and distinguish between between bear and lion attacks – with six classic styles plus four specifically for animals.

Whether your campaign features athletes wrestling for prizes and honor, lawmen who must control and disarm suspects, or historical warriors trained to fight to the death, Martial Arts: Technical Grappling will add detail and realism to your battles.

This supplement requires GURPS Martial Arts for GURPS Fourth Edition.

Written by Douglas H. Cole