Bartitsu in GURPS Martial Arts ============================== Copyright (c) 1996 by Phil Masters --------------- Introduction ------------ Issue 12 of *Valkyrie* magazine contains an interesting article by Marcus L. Rowland on Japanese Martial Arts in late Victorian Britain, and particularly "Bartitsu," a fighting system developed by one of the UK's first Judokas. I'm not going to violate copyright by reproducing the article here; anyone who's interested should purchase a copy of the magazine. However, Marcus only provides game details for *Forgotten Futures*, his own RPG, while providing enough data to permit the art to be adapted for many other systems. The following is my adaptation of it for GURPS Martial Arts; I'll also do something similar for the Hero System. It could be learnt by characters brought up in the UK late in the nineteenth century. I should confess that I'm working from a first edition copy of GURPS Martial Arts here (along with GURPS Compendium I); if anyone wants to tell me that I've missed something important from the second edition, please e-mail me. Bartitsu 5 points/10 points ---------------------------------------------- The two different game versions of this style really are very different things. In its realistic "standard" version, Bartitsu is a pragmatic method of self-defence, using a combination of Judo and rough-house tricks; students may also learn singlestick techniques, partly derived from European fencing (which is itself also studied by many of the same fighters), employed with the common gentleman's cane or walking-stick of the period. This is treated as using the Short Staff skill for game purposes; although the cane or stick may be a little longer than (say) an Escrima Stick, its light weight, and the probable use of Fencing moves, makes it just as effective. However, Bartitsu practitioners usually train with only a single stick, so unlike other Short Staff fighters, they may not be able to parry with full effect using their off hands (GM's option). A cane usually does unmodified thrust or swing crushing damage. (Alternatively, the GM may rule that Bartitsu fighters learn to use the stick with Fencing skill. In that case, Fencing shifts from the style's Optional Skills to replace Short Staff in the Primary or Secondary category - and Short Staff might become an Optional Skill, as some students could adapt their stick-fighting knowledge to a wider range of blunt instruments, some used in the off hand.) The tricks with a cloak or coat that Barton-Wright also taught justify the inclusion of Cloak skill in the definition of the style (see below for further notes), and his "Strong Man" party tricks should also be noted. Victorian unarmed combat enthusiasts in Europe would generally also study the better-known sports of Boxing and Wrestling, and would probably be all-round "Physical Culture" enthusiasts; this, along with Barton-Wright's public exhibitions and stage demonstrations, justifies the wide range of Optional Skills, although they would probably be picked up casually rather than being studied as part of the style. The "Cinematic" version of Bartitsu is rather different, being based on Barton-Wright's more outrageous claims for his creation. Despite its array of fairly brutal manoeuvres, this version of the art must be assumed to be as rich and subtle as most other techniques; even in a realistic game, it should be noted that Barton-Wright certainly tested his skills successfully against experts and champions in both Oriental and European fighting techniques. Primary Skills: Brawling, Judo. The Cinematic version adds Short Staff. Secondary Skills: Cloak, Short Staff (in the non-Cinematic version). Optional Skills: Boxing, Fencing, Lifting, Running, Stage Combat, Tournament Law (for Boxing, Judo, and Wrestling), Wrestling, Wrestling Sport. Manoeuvres: Arm/Wrist Lock, Head Butt, Knee Strike. Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance, Power Blow, Push. Cinematic Manoeuvres: Enhanced Parry (optional; can be taken with bare hands and/or stick), Head Lock. Cloak and Coat Fighting ----------------------- Many Bartitsu practitioners who have trained in the Cloak Combat Skill would use it with a nineteenth-century gentleman's overcoat, rather than a cloak or cape as such (although opera capes and traveling cloaks were also worn in this period). This garment is treated as a Heavy Cloak. Many coats might be a little clumsy and badly shaped for this purpose, but the expert could be assumed to wear one chosen (and perhaps even adapted with weighted hems and suchlike) for use in combat. A fighter forced to use an unsuitable coat could be assigned a skill penalty at the GM's option, especially when attempting to throw it.