Question About Kuritans and Swordfighting

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

Yeah, and in a pinch you can use a sword to clean fish.

[Kidd]

Yes, but they're not as iconic or attractive as a sword.  ;)

There are ceremonial maces too.

[Elmoth]

Maces and morningstars come from 2 common civilian families: large stick and farm implement.

A dedicated military item like an axe can look and act very different from a civilian one in balance, hitting power, endurance.... The difference with swords is what has been pointed above: swords can ONLY be used to kill people while other weapons have secondary uses. Or their cousins have. Oh, and swords tend to be more expensive. Or at least were more expensive when first introduced since they required all that straight metal. Not a real argument anymore given our tech base, but at the time it was quite important and turned swords into status symbols of the warrior and the rich.

ranting now. In any case, a vibrokatana or wakisashi looks great for a universe like BT. This is how they will appear in my universe if I ever use one for combat. In a wedding you carry your 300 year old weapon. In your cockpit it is a high tech item that can help you exit the cockpit even if the hatch is jammed.

[Caedis Animus]

ranting now. In any case, a vibrokatana or wakisashi looks great for a universe like BT. This is how they will appear in my universe if I ever use one for combat. In a wedding you carry your 300 year old weapon. In your cockpit it is a high tech item that can help you exit the cockpit even if the hatch is jammed.

Or you can just get a machete or survival axe for less than a third of the price. Only the Vibroblade might actually help you get out of a cockpit, maybe-Wakizashi isn't going to do crap for that, even if it's a better choice than the much larger Katana.

[jklantern]

Look, if we WANTED practical, would we be IN BattleTech?   ;D

[Caedis Animus]

Look, if we WANTED practical, would we be IN BattleTech?   ;D

Considering the discussion has turned to the practicality, or lack theorof, of a Katana in a cockpit or a theoretical survival situation post-ejection... Yes. Very much yes.

I actually like facepalming at and pointing out the weird, random stuff that happens in Battletech for no reason other than 'cuz rules' or 'rule of cool', such as the sheer absurdity of the Atlas AS7-K's lack of DHS.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

The single heatsinks on the AS7-K weren't for "coolness" (nice pun), they were because the Combine allegedly couldn't produce enough double heatsinks and chose to focus that production toward outfitting already over-sinked ASFs without doing anything to improve those ASFs' firepower, armor, or thrust.

[Elmoth]

Thanks seems to go against the Evil Overlord trope of the combine. It disappoints me.

Vibtoweapins carried by kurita MechWarrior a are a thing in my BT universe after this thread. Will introduce them shortly in my RPG campaign.

[haesslich]

Look, if we WANTED practical, would we be IN BattleTech?   ;D

Yes, because if we weren't, we wouldn't be dealing with interstellar wars using people and instead would be doing info war or nuking while planets.

[Caedis Animus]

The single heatsinks on the AS7-K weren't for "coolness" (nice pun), they were because the Combine allegedly couldn't produce enough double heatsinks and chose to focus that production toward outfitting already over-sinked ASFs without doing anything to improve those ASFs' firepower, armor, or thrust.

Eh, that was meant more as 'weird' and was a bad example.

[Jonathan Cyr]

Playing Battletech as an RPG as well as the TT, our characters use swords and hand-held weapons all the time. They are quieter than grenades and they are allowed on planets or on board jumpships, etc. when the normal handgun, riffle or rocket launcher isn't.

Recently, a party member got into a head-butting contest with a biker in an elevator, while a second biker pulled a .45 revolver on another. Our hero quick-drew her vibro-katana and cut the dude's arm clean off! I had elevator music playing the entire time from my laptop.  Epic scene!  ;D

[Caedis Animus]

Gm's discretion really doesn't mesh too well with the topic, as 'cool' as that may be for some people.