(07-03-2013, 02:09 AM)Myal Wrote: I'm not saying that he'd be ridiculously slow with a dagger. I'm saying that he'd be slower. And that he doesn't really have any reason to do so, considering that knives have served him well.Getting stronger muscles wouldn't actually make him slower with a dagger. Stronger muscles usually makes you faster. If you learn to whip around something twice as big at speed, grabbing something light is usually much easier! I think the point to be made is that different weapons are generally used differently, and the styles don't overlap as much.
NFL players learn MMA to gain edge in the field, but would a skill in axe-swinging lend anything to a knife fight? You said that an MMA athlete outperform others who only train in one particular style, but aren't they all hand-to-hand combat? Wouldn't a person who is skilled in sword arts be better served in learning other various sword styles rather than suddenly picking up a lance?
Bear in mind that I have nothing against those who want a character that's proficient in multiple weapons, especially if it's related to their livelihood. I'm just explaining the rationale behind a character who prefer to just hone their skill with a single weapon.
That isn't to say you gain nothing. Learning to use an axe proficiently is beneficial when fighting against other people who are using an axe. Knowing how a weapon works can help you fend against it. You could always just knife fight against axemen and learn that way, but situations for formal instruction are usually helpful!
As to specialization, this game is unique in that each weapon is a "class", and each class is a specialist. Other games have classes that are a kind of warrior, and that warrior has a variety of proficient weapons to specialize in or not. Depending on a character's background, it might make more or less sense to specialize. Someone who had a single weapon on the road or grew up in a very specific school or tradition might be more inclined to use a single weapon, or your average person who picks one up. Someone who is in the military is probably more likely to pick up multiple weapons as part of training. If you ever lose your weapon on the field, knowing how to use whatever you can pick up is handy.
So I think both arguments are valid - they are just different concerns to different types of characters, and doing either one makes as much sense as the other. Except the muscle thing. I think having stronger muscles makes you stronger at physical things. Flexibility might be different if you don't stretch enough while working out...
Sorry to butt in. I just like the discussion.
I'm a treasure hunter!
