From: alvalent@husc9.harvard.edu (Alvin Valentine)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: The katana...
Date: 29 Aug 92 14:16:46 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc3.1992Aug29.101648.15206
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

Alright, Carl, you snagged my attention.  Now all of this is PURE speculation.
Still, I will try.  First, I will not give you a detailed guess on the # of
times a katana is folded.  Second, I shall not engage in a discussion of
armored vs. unarmored targets: a) because another reader covered it in great
detail and b) because AD&D does take it into account--by Weapon vs. Armor
mods which appear in both versions of AD&D but which were more detailed in
1st ed (though more of a pain to work with).  Thus instead of having a system
which does different types of damage vs. various ACs, the designers chose
to put in AC mods, meaning that no damage will occur more often in
certain cases (although admittedly this was handled on a weapon-by-weapon
basis in far more detail in 1st ed.)

Next point--the draw cut.  As pointed out by others, the longsword is more
designed for some cutting, but also a HEAVY amount of crushing/cutting damage.
The katana does some crushing, but is designed to cut, penetrate, and leave
large bleeding gashes (as another poster pointed out--the size of a peasant's
waist across.).  Now other gaming systems handle the topic of different
type of weapons doing more damage due to the large number of arteries which
are gonna be severed etc.  I.e. sticking a knife does type X damage.  Wielding
a straight razor does more for it's size in certain systems (see GURPS which 
again I know embarrassingly litle about, but...).  This may or may not be what
the game designers were trying to simulate.

Then ther is the argument on the style of wielding the two weapons.  The long
sword is swung with a snap of the arm and  by swiveling the hips, the blade
is brought to bear (from the side) in a reaping motion, or from a downward 
swing in a more crushing fashion.  The katana (and most weapons wielded by the
Japanese) were designed not for a swing of the arm, but for a hip thrust 
through your arms and through your opponent, channelling all of your weight and
personal key, through the sword --which in practical martial arts terms is
considered for many maneuvers little more than a very sharp extension of one's
own arm.  If you question what the hips can do when properly trained to direct the
whole fo the body's ki through a single pint, wander into your local
aikido class for a demonstration, for all of the moves done thre which
are taken from aiki-jutsu can be duplicated witha sharp knife, a staff, or a 
sword. This may be what the writer's were thinking of.

Then if we go to the original description of hitpoints in the first ed. DMG:
hit points in this game (which most clearly was designed for heroic level 
fantasy) says that HP are not the sheer amount of damage that one can take,
but a measure of skill, luck, favor of the gods, etc, in addition to 
sheer capacity to take damage.  As one takes 10 HP out of your 120 HP
total, one has not been cut in half as the guy with 8 HP would have been.
Instead, bruises, scratches, appear.  Now at 50 HP you are covered with
such cuts and are aching.  At 3 HP you have been wounded seriously (as the
guy who had 8 HP would have been had you knocked him down to 3).
Now if we combine any two of these (for example that the katana will leave you
with many little cuts, which bleed profusely, all over your body if you are
a hero, or one big cut if you are a peasant), then you may get at what the 
designers were trying to simulate.

Still the truth is it most likely depends not just on fact, but on the legends
surrounding the weapon--for that is also going to be the source of info for
a heroic fantasy game rather than a real world let's go beat the crap out
of each other game and find out how bad it hurts.  So if they heard peasant's
getting cut in half legends, then there ya go.  Yeah, I know there are great 
long sword stories, but it doesn't matter what's out there, it matters what
Westerners studying the Far East, heard of which tales.  If one watches
TV then one would likely get the opinion that he katana is a dude's weapon.
In Henry the 5th, they get hit and stagger back or continue
fighting from one knee while the catch there breath.  In martial arts films, 
three cuts and your body parts fall into  nicely grouped categories on the 
floor.

Remember, the katana was originally developed in AD&D for Oriental Adventures
which let ninja's run on water and walk through walls.  Martial artists
could spin a sash so fast it was a deadly weapon.  Clearly a legendary
element is present here, wouldn't you agree?  In the 2nd ed. things are 
transferred to kits and such instead of classes, but weapons were imported
pretty much as is.  And as a game designing point, to make the game more
streamlined, Weapon vs. Armor mods are dictated by the Armor rather than by
having ten for each weapon (or twenty or what have you).  This means that
the weapon-vs-armor argument on the katana is gonna get lost quite a bit,
but this was more a point of practical game
design rather than  anything else.  If you want more
detail look to the 1st ed. Weapon mods. And remember, in AD&D "A katana does
more damage vs. an unarmored opponent than a long sword, but a long sword
does more damage against full plate" argument is traditionally dealt with
by saying the katana will more often than the long sword do no damage to
the guy in plate, but whene a kit occurs, it will do more damage.

Remember, hit rolls in AD&D combine ability to hit, with weapon penetration,
with the damage absorbing capacity of various armors.  Hit points also do not
necessarily mean damage--losing 5 Hps out of your 120 may mean the guy MISSED,
but that your supply of luck and godly favor is running out, slowly but
surely.  Take these things into account, and you'll realize that HP and TH
rolls include so many varied things that they just don't represent damage
dealing.  Hell a katana wielder may just look so much cooler than a sword
wielder that you lose more HPs.  Who knows?
Hope that helps.  PS print this out, 'cause somebody gets in this katana
argument once a semester at school and at worst, this is good BS. (I hope) 

 

 
Later,
 
Lee Valentine