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Practitioners of Hoplomachia often acted as
teachers, offering their services to young men
seeking training in the style as well as in unarmed
combat styles; see Pankration (pp. 188-189) and
Ancient Greek Boxing (p. 153). Greek society was
divided on their status: some thought them essential
to a city’s military strength while others
regarded them as dangerous men of doubtful
morals. Indeed, a number of philosophers agued
that this kind of training was detrimental to a soldier
because it taught him how to defend himself
rather than to rely on his comrades in a firm battle
line. Whatever the prevailing view, a teacher
would not be difficult to find in ancient Greece.
Skills: Shield; Shortsword; Spear; Wrestling.
Techniques: Close Combat (Shortsword);
Feint (Shield); Spinning Strike (Spear);
Targeted Attack (Spear Thrust/Face); Targeted
Attack (Spear Thrust/Neck).
Cinematic Skills: Immovable Stance; Push,
used with shield.
Perks: Grip Mastery (Spear); Naval Training,
for elite epibatai, or marines, aboard triremes;
Teamwork (Hoplomachia).
Optional Traits
Advantages: Combat Reflexes; Cultural
Familiarity (Ancient Greece); Enhanced Block;
Language (Ancient Greek).
Disadvantages: Duty (Polis); Reputation
(Dangerous man of doubtful morals); Sense of
Duty (Polis).
Skills: Boxing; Brawling; Broadsword;
Hobby Skill (Feats of Strength); Running.
HSING I CHUAN 3 points
Hsing I Chuan (also known as Hsing-yi or
Xingyichuan) is one of China’s three main
“internal,” or Taoist, styles. Unlike its sister arts
Pa Kua Chuan (pp. 187-188) and T’ai Chi Chuan
(pp. 200-201), Hsing I Chuan is linear and
direct. Modern research traces its origins to a teacher in
mid-17th century Shanghai, who developed it from spear
techniques. However, legend attributes its invention to
General Yue Fei in the Song Dynasty (960-1127), who created
it as a style for army officers. Supposedly, masters passed
down the art in secret until the mid-1600s, when it became
widespread.
Hsing I Chuan is organized around five “fists” (strikes)
and 12 animal styles. The fists are named for the five traditional
Taoist elements and the type of strike used: water
(“drilling”), wood (“penetrating”), earth (“crossing”), metal
(“splitting”), and fire (“pounding”). This focus on strikes
makes Hsing I Chuan unusual for an “internal” style. The
style is linear and depends on very firm stances; Hsing I
Chuan fighters are famously hard to budge. The stylist
relaxes his body until the last instant, when he tenses to
strike, defend, or throw. In training, forms are less common
than two-person drills aimed at teaching the proper feel for
combat.
162 STYLES
External vs. Internal,
Hard vs. Soft
Martial artists often distinguish between “external” and “internal”
styles. External arts stress physical achievement and strong attacks.
Internal ones emphasize spiritual development, and sometimes have
deep philosophical underpinnings (e.g., in Taoism or Buddhism).
This distinction originated in China, which traditionally sorted the
martial arts into the Wudong schools (Taoism-based styles such as
Hsing I Chuan, Pa Kua Chuan, and T’ai Chi Chuan), which were
deemed “internal,” and the Shaolin schools (all other Chinese
styles), which were identified as “external.”
Another common way of classifying the martial arts is to dub
them either “hard” or “soft.” Hard styles are those that meet force
with force in an effort to overwhelm the opponent, while soft ones
are those that yield to aggression and attempt to redirect the enemy’s
force. Faced with an attacker, a hard school defends and then counterattacks
– or even seizes the initiative and attempts to defeat the
foe before he can attack. A soft stylist seeks to avoid confrontation,
and responds with a throw, trip, or lock if attacked.
The “external vs. internal” split is more legendary than actual. An
external style might counsel spiritual development; for instance,
Nito Ryu Kenjutsu (pp. 174-175) is solidly external but its creator
wrote a deeply philosophical work on the martial arts: A Book of Five
Rings. The “hard vs. soft” dichotomy is similarly idealized; few
“hard” styles lack “soft” parries and retreats. And while external
styles tend to be hard and internal ones tend to be soft, this isn’t universal.
Hsing I Chuan (see below) is hard and internal, while Judo
(p. 166) and Wrestling (pp. 204-206) are soft and external. A single
art might have elements from each of these four categories!
Today, these terms describe a style’s methodology more than anything
else. “Hard” is another way of saying that the art makes heavy
use of striking (Boxing, Brawling, Karate, and Melee Weapon skills),
as exemplified by Boxing (pp. 152-153), Jeet Kune Do (pp. 164-165),
Karate (pp. 169-172), Wing Chun (pp. 203-204), and most armed
styles. “Soft” suggests a preference for grappling (Judo, Sumo
Wrestling, and Wrestling skills); Aikido (p. 149), Chin Na (p. 154), Pa
Kua Chuan (pp. 187-188), and T’ai Chi Chuan (pp. 200-201) are good
examples. “External” and “internal” are used the same way by everyone
but purists.
Hsing I Chuan is an offensive-minded martial art. Its
normal stance is compact, faces the foe, and keeps the
hands up to defend the vitals and face. Practitioners seek to
attack first. If this is impossible, the stylist attempts to avoid
his enemy’s attack and then launch an overwhelming counterattack
into his assailant’s motion. The most common
methods of doing so are the Counterattack technique and
the Riposte option (pp. 124-125). Typical follow-ups to parries
include Exotic Hand Strike (usually aimed at the torso),
Sweep, and Arm Lock.
Hsing I Chuan makes more use of the hands than the
feet, and kicks are uncommon. The style also favors crippling
and killing attacks over throws and merely painful
locks. After injuring a foe with a lock, a Hsing I Chuan stylist
releases his grip in order to free both hands for defense.
Practitioners tend to favor a single, powerful attack over
multiple strikes; a straightforward Attack or Committed
Attack (Strong) is common, only rarely with the Rapid
Strike option.