Brawling under STR is dumb

[SaintBryan]

so. someone remind me why Brawling is a strength skill, wheras brawling parry, melee and melee parry are all under dex.

just a couple days ago, I switched brawling over to a dex skill for my group. I feel it makes a lot more sense because just because youre really strong doesnt necessarily make you good at hitting things. it just means you pack more punch.

The more I think about it the more it makes sense.
so. why?
Did WEG stick it under STR cause they thought there were too few STR skills already and it could use some more?

:?: :?: :?:

[Son of Fire]

I think it was strictly for game balance.
Which is a nice way of saying that the strength stat have very little under its jurisdiction.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Ray]

Dexterity is an already over-skilled area... And over-important as all the basic attack skills are there.

That being said, from my personal experience, most "Brawling" is done through Brute Strength (The more Dexteritous types require *ALOT* of training), and Parrying is more of a Dexterity thing. Makes sense from that angle.

[cheshire]

Just as kind of a rule of thumb think about two guys getting ready to fight. Let's say you have a 6'5" 250 lb. guy, all muscle vs. me (a 6'3" 145 lb. twig boy). Who would you put your money on? Assuming that I have no specialized training in martial arts, boxing, etc. if the big guy ever gets ahold of me, I'm pretty well toast. Fortunately, I am a pretty fast guy and I'm hard to get ahold of (enter dexterity).

I'm not saying that the skill is just like real life, but at the same time it's not completely unreasonable.

[Rathe Ehtar]

Right. Avoiding the hits is a speed thing, ie Dexterity, while dishing and taking hits is about brute force. Strength is not just an area of macho-ness, it covers many physical skills, acrobatics, gymnastics (if you dig that sort of thing), climbing, jumping, stamina, lifting, and of course brawling. Many other games use strength as the source of the brawling skill, White Wolf games and D&D to name a few. More than game balance, I think it was common sense that brawling is a strength skill.
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"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings." -Max Payne

"I don't buy that cluck like a dog, bark like a chicken stuff." -Col. Jack O'Neill

[Esoomian]

I agree. Strength plays a very important roll in Brawling however if you wanted to spar where the objective is to contact the sparing partner without doing any damage that would be a dex skill.

It's much harder to hit someone who is actively trying to avoid it when you cannot put all your muscle/weight behind your attempts.

Also if you have more strength/mass than someone else (assuming they are not well trained and thats where brawling parry comes into it) you can sometimes 'strike through' someones defences just through the virtue of your superior strength/mass.

Dex plays a part but Strength isn't just for the causing of damage

[Son of Fire]

Don’t forget that they wanted a very simple and streamlined system. And having too many stats, skills or what-have-you it kind of defeats the purpose.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Volar the Healer]

I think brawling DOES belong under strength. In a fist fight between brawlers, the stronger usually wins. (Being a retired US Marine, I've seen one or two brawls. )

Now a martial artist fights with his skill and I think his damage should be related to his skill, not his strength. But brawlers don't train up any skills. They just...well...brawl.
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Ray]

Hey! There's a grand tradition in my Heritidge of Martial Arts.

The Irish "Way of the Drunken Fist" Martial Arts.

First rule... Cheat, and get yourself a wackin' stick!!! Preferably one that's nice and spiny!

[Volar the Healer]

While I honour the great Irish tradition of brawling, I have to point out once you pick up a stick you are no longer brawling under the Star Wars RPG rules. You are now using the melee combat skill.
_________________
Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Hellstorm]

[Son of Fire]

Ah…bottles to the head.
It brings back memories, both in the giving and receiving.

But being Scottish I would take a claymore over a stick any day… if I could wield the damn thing.
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Esoomian]

Being Irish I have to say that the tradition of hand(foot/knee/barstool) to groin combat is a ancient and respected tradition.

With that in mind just because holding a stick doesn't stop you trying to hit someone with your hand/head/elbow/knee/foot in fact sometimes the stick (bottle/claymore/barstool) doesn't even need to connect. But perhaps that tradition isn't widespread

I certainly can't see a starwars character with the brawling specialization Hand to groin combat

[Son of Fire]

That's too easy.
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Vartax]

Brawling specializations (I think) comfortably fall under STR. Take Martial Arts for one. Yes it does pay to be quick, and when my wife did Martial Arts there were young kids under the age of 8 that were black belts. Now just saying they knew how to use what they learned doesn't strike too much fear in me. All I would need is one solid hit and it's over. But it's the strength behind the hits and blocks that make it powerful. Boxing is the other. I know jack about boxing besides the Rocky instruction, but I imagine that just being fast, doesn't out do having the power behind the quickness.