Hello, all you GURPS fans! This review is not for you, but for a class of Roleplayers which has gotten the shaft as far as Martial Arts is concerned. You know who these are: they play the D20 Fantasy Game System (or
Dungeons and Dragons, 3rd Edition).
The purpose of this review is not to sell to GURPS fans, which probably already has this book, but to show others, primarily D20 fans and players, what GURPS: Martial Arts has in it and what it can do to a D20 game.
As you all know, when Dungeons and Dragons, 3rd Edition came out, they reintroduced the Monk to the world of D&D. Although the Monk class was fantastic, those gamers who are Martial Artists or study Martial Arts (I'm one of them) probably was disappointed on how little treatment Martial Arts actually got and how unrealistic the Monk was designed to be.
As a Gamer and someone who studies Martial Arts (I have a Yellow Obi) I was expecting more out of the Monk class than what I've seen. And I was disappointed. After all, I go for Fantasy that is: 1. Austere in it's presentation (don't tell me that D&D can't be that way!), 2. Have a historical basis as well as fictional, and 3. I think it's more fun to roleplay a Fantasy Campaign based on Earth rather than some other world (Excepting Krynn and Cerilia of course! :-)
I also go for games that can make the best stories! D&D is an example, Pendragon another example, and Blue Planet is another. So why am I recommending a GURPS world book?
Because this particular book, GURPS Martial Arts, is fodder for D20 Campaigns. So lets take a look inside.
THE GRAND TOUR!
Lets start with overall. Like the other GURPS world books I own: from Space, to Illuminati , to Ancient Rome, to Fantasy, GURPS Martial Arts stands up to the usual GURPS quality. Side bars with optional rules, ideas, and characters and other pertinent information stand side by side with text on game rules and information on the Genre.
The book is written by C.J. Carella, who is very qualified to do this book (other than Erik Wujik, who designed Ninjas and Superspies for Palladium Books) and by the inestimable Dr. Kromm. It is divide into Six Chapters.
Chapter 1 deals with the history of the Martial Arts in the real world. It is presented in a gaming perspective (which is good for the publication) rather than to a Martial Artist. From the founding of Shao-lin Temple Boxing to legends and myths of the present day that revolve around the martial arts, it presents gamers with a basic knowledge of the history of the Martial Arts. Want to learn more? Talk to any teacher of the martial arts that operates a school or dojo in your area.
Chapter 2 deals with character types, generating a character with martial art skills, and more. It introduces new Ads and Disads, only for GURPS players though, and a host of new skills (most of which are D20 feats).
Chapter 3, however, has all the feats that a Martial Artist made with D20 should be capable of. From jump kicking to drunken fighting to the Shuto Strike (KARATE CHOP!), all of these combat manuevers can be transformed into D20 Feats. Easily. Chapter 4 has what a d20 book on martial artists should have: every exotic combat system from both East and West (Sans Ancient Egyptian empty hand techniques, Gaelic, and Native American wrestling, of course). Plus a few fantasy and science fiction martial arts to get your creative juices flowing.
Chapter 5 has the dibs on Martial Arts weapons and equipment from around the globe. From Chinese weapons to ninja gimmicks, this chapter has what you need. Want to arm your character with a chinese longsword (as well as the knowhow to use it)? It's described in the book. Want to play a character learned in the Ito School of Kenjutsu? He'd better have that Katana. Want to play a Street Fighter? Get yourself a pair of brass knuckles.
Chapter 6, Campaigns, gives you suggestions on Cross-over campaigns, using the material in the book in such campaigns like a Swashbuckling campaign (Fencing anyone?), a Fantasy Campaign (Euro, Chinese, or Japanese Fantasy), a Roman campaign, a Silly Campaign, the ideas this chapter spawns is endless. And of course, there is the Bibliography in the back, which lists Star Wars and it's sequels and prequels as Martial Arts movies. Which they are (what, Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan are martial artists!?!)
Suitability for D20
Very suitable. DMs would find enough material to make their D20 Monks more realistic. With some conversion, and a lot of work, you can have a lot of fun playing realistic Martial Artists or Cinematic Martial Artists without all the inconvenience of having your Monk turn into an Outsider when she reaches 20th level. And you can do all the martial arts manuevers you dreamed of: like hitting your head against some planks (OUCH!), breaking bricks with the side of your hand (OW!), or the ultimate . . . Throwing yourself against a bunch of crazy lunatic men who work for the evil overlord of Situational Ethics just to save your pride. (yeah right! run!)
Overall
The Art was basically the same as you find in any GURPS world book, dull but exciting. It added to the feel of the book and the genre of Martial Arts, but wasn't too inspiring like the art found in GURPS: Illuminati.
The writing was very good, and there were a few errors. But most importantly, it is a game catalog of various martial arts that can be adapted to any Generic roleplaying system. And for certain DMs, that especially goes for D20. It's easier to convert than Ninjas and Superspies, and maybe easier to get right now. I give this a 5 for style and a 4 for substance because it contains a lot of great info on using the Martial Arts in an RPG, but it seems confusing when you first read it.
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