[Note: I would prefer not to have to make this disclaimer since this is the Roleplaying forum, but just in case you think I perhaps am posting in the wrong place rest assured the following is entirely in character.]
Greetings all,
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Brian Simonson though I am better known in these parts by my adventuring persona Dr. Simian. There is an aspect of my fellow travelers that I have been wondering about and perhaps you would be able to help me. My question is directed at other uses of weapons, primarily swords but also others tools of the trade. There seems to be a wide variety of swords used by members of our profession, every thing from ancient heirlooms handed down for generations to high tech electronic devices to strange artifacts possessing an intelligence all their own.
Why did you choose a weapon and why that particular one?
Allow me to begin the discussion with my personal experience. When a schoolteacher finds himself transformed into a large primate, what must be done when one makes the decision to join the ranks of the costumed adventurers? (I realize the colloquial term is "heroes" but I am loathe to use it self-referentially.)
Originally I thought simply my natural strength, agility, and resilience would suffice but the more I investigated the situation the more I realized I need more to truly be effective. I looked into martial arts but I quickly realized this would not work well for myself. Most martial arts are very specific to human physiology, and did not mesh well with the differences with my gorilla proportions. Moreover, the redirection of energies did not take advantages of primate form, specifically the massive strength (and largely upper body strength at that.)
My gorilla body seemed ideally suited to Western boxing techniques with my longer reach, higher strength, and larger mass. In practice though boxing seemed to be very difficult to apply in situations when one faces multiple opponents, a situation faced often in our profession. At this point I turned to weapon use.
Gorillas (unlike chimpanzees and other primates) do not make use of weapons in the wild so I was only concerned with human weaponry. I originally considered a fencing foil, having been something of a fencer in my college days and occasionally teaching a class myself. This turned out to be a poor choice for a large ape in a real combat situation for what should have been obvious reasons. At the advice of a colleague in our Asian Studies department I tried a katana and this turned out to work remarkable well. The long grip fit my enormous hands well, and my extended reach and strength added much to the fighting technique.
My first two katana were simply ordered from an online catalog. I believe they were intended as wall decorations but were reasonably well constructed. One was broken during a particularly ugly brawl but the other held up admirably. Currently I use one specially made by an engineer rescued from a band of clockworks. It is an unusual alloy of titanium and steel and remarkably sturdy. I am quite pleased with it.
Anyway, that is my story, I am most curious to hear of how you acquired your particular weapon.
[Note: I would prefer not to have to make this disclaimer since this is the Roleplaying forum, but just in case you think I perhaps am posting in the wrong place rest assured the following is entirely in character.]
Greetings all,
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Brian Simonson though I am better known in these parts by my adventuring persona Dr. Simian. There is an aspect of my fellow travelers that I have been wondering about and perhaps you would be able to help me. My question is directed at other uses of weapons, primarily swords but also others tools of the trade. There seems to be a wide variety of swords used by members of our profession, every thing from ancient heirlooms handed down for generations to high tech electronic devices to strange artifacts possessing an intelligence all their own.
Why did you choose a weapon and why that particular one?
Allow me to begin the discussion with my personal experience. When a schoolteacher finds himself transformed into a large primate, what must be done when one makes the decision to join the ranks of the costumed adventurers? (I realize the colloquial term is "heroes" but I am loathe to use it self-referentially.)
Originally I thought simply my natural strength, agility, and resilience would suffice but the more I investigated the situation the more I realized I need more to truly be effective. I looked into martial arts but I quickly realized this would not work well for myself. Most martial arts are very specific to human physiology, and did not mesh well with the differences with my gorilla proportions. Moreover, the redirection of energies did not take advantages of primate form, specifically the massive strength (and largely upper body strength at that.)
My gorilla body seemed ideally suited to Western boxing techniques with my longer reach, higher strength, and larger mass. In practice though boxing seemed to be very difficult to apply in situations when one faces multiple opponents, a situation faced often in our profession. At this point I turned to weapon use.
Gorillas (unlike chimpanzees and other primates) do not make use of weapons in the wild so I was only concerned with human weaponry. I originally considered a fencing foil, having been something of a fencer in my college days and occasionally teaching a class myself. This turned out to be a poor choice for a large ape in a real combat situation for what should have been obvious reasons. At the advice of a colleague in our Asian Studies department I tried a katana and this turned out to work remarkable well. The long grip fit my enormous hands well, and my extended reach and strength added much to the fighting technique.
My first two katana were simply ordered from an online catalog. I believe they were intended as wall decorations but were reasonably well constructed. One was broken during a particularly ugly brawl but the other held up admirably. Currently I use one specially made by an engineer rescued from a band of clockworks. It is an unusual alloy of titanium and steel and remarkably sturdy. I am quite pleased with it.
Anyway, that is my story, I am most curious to hear of how you acquired your particular weapon.