GURPS Martial Arts - Home

The Purpose of Military Hand-to-Hand
Many traditional martial arts have a battlefield
history and could justly claim to be “military.” For game
purposes, however, “military hand-to-hand” specifically
describes the melee combat styles taught to TL6+
troops armed with firearms. That is, it refers to modern
military styles.
The biggest difference here is that the arts practiced by
pre-gunpowder warriors were primary skill sets, while
those learned by modern soldiers are last resorts. A hightech
infantryman carries a rifle, grenades, and often a pistol.
He enjoys the support of machine guns, mines, and
mortars. He can radio for a fire mission. He’ll use all of
these tools before joining hand-to-hand combat, because
they’re all more efficient at killing the enemy. A samurai
or a Roman legionary, on the other hand, starts with a
spear or a sword!
This is important for soldier characters. Modern military
training doesn’t spend as much time on hand-to-hand
combat as on firearms. Thus, a Marine PC shouldn’t have
many more points in MCMAP than in Guns skills. Elite
troops who are highly trained at melee combat have different
skills and techniques from their historical brothers,
too. The GM who wants to design his own military styles
should be aware of the goals of such arts.
Disarming and Weapon Retention
Modern warfare is all about firearms. If you have a
gun and the other guy doesn’t – and he doesn’t surrender
before he gets close enough to be a threat – shoot him. In
close-quarters battle, though, any tight corner could conceal
an enemy close enough to grab your weapon. To
counter this, military styles teach how to keep weapons
away from unfriendly hands; that is, the Retain Weapon
technique.
If the other guy has the gun, the correct response is to
take away his weapon and shoot him with it – not to
attack with a knife or a jump kick. Thus, military styles
teach ways to gain control of an opponent’s firearm, too.
This is the Disarming technique.
This emphasis on keeping and taking away weapons
explains why most military styles favor grappling skills
over striking skills, with few exceptions.
Knife, Rifle Butt,
and Entrenching Tool
This doesn’t mean that melee weapons are worthless.
When you’re out of ammo, you don’t walk around
empty-handed, hoping to take away an enemy’s weapon.
You use what you have. To kill the other guy before he
kills you, a long weapon is best. Typical Melee Weapon
skills taught by military styles – in order from longest to
shortest reach – are Spear (for the fixed bayonet);
Axe/Mace (for entrenching tools, or a rifle butt used as a
club) or Shortsword (for a machete or unfixed sword
bayonet); and Knife (for fighting knives and unfixed
knife bayonets).
184 STYLES
Military styles prioritize these skills in order of reach.
Training for military police is sometimes an exception, as
it might focus on Shortsword or Tonfa for use with a
baton. If weapon techniques are taught, they’re similar to
those for unarmed combat – Disarming and Retain
Weapon – possibly with the addition of Close Combat.
The Mk. I Boot
Barehanded combat training is good for aggression
and morale. Troops learn Brawling or Karate primarily
for this reason. Military styles focus on techniques with
the booted foot: Jam, Kicking, Stamp Kick, etc. Hand
techniques involve brutal mauling, like Eye-Gouging and
Neck Snap, not breaking fists on helmets.
Unarmed striking is truly the last resort. If you’re fighting
without a weapon – and can’t take somebody else’s –
you’re probably doomed. The most realistic use of
unarmed strikes is as “finishing moves”: stomping on the
head or windpipe of a fallen foe.
Sentry Removal
Silently neutralizing a sentry is the only situation
where a melee weapon is preferable to a firearm. This
arises less often in reality than in action movies, which is
why ordinary troops don’t carry silencers, glove pistols,
and similar exotica. When necessary, a knife will do and
the goal is to kill, not to fight. If you can’t silence the target
without a struggle, shoot him – a single shot is no less
stealthy than a screaming brawl. The Knife skill is all
that’s needed here, but techniques such as TA (Knife
Swing/Throat) and TA (Knife Thrust/Vitals) aren’t
unknown.
Some styles teach the Garrote skill, but a garrote is
tricky to use on someone wearing bulky body armor and
web gear. Thus, the skill is typically optional.