236: Sistemy

ENTRY 236: Sistemy

Modern professional military organizations recognize the importance of training in multiple related martial skills: close quarters combat using knives, hand-to-hand, and small arts, attacking at range, and overall strategic and tactical thinking are typically emphasized and increasingly integrated into a single block of training, with periodic refreshers and optional advanced courses in selected skills for promising or dedicated students. As a concept, these sistemy (singular: systema) allow the rapid development of a group of related skills in a relatively short period of time, and with a focus on utility and adaptability often absent from the more artistic contemporary martial arts intended solely for exhibition, exercise, and formal competition.

Mechanics

The sistemy concept is an option for gamemasters and players to help simplify combat in Eclipse Phase. Instead of having individual combat skills like Blades, Clubs, Fray, Kinetic Weapons, Unarmed Combat, etc. the character has a Systema skill which represents their basic block of training in multiple forms of combat. When attacking, the character would roll their Systema skill instead of the typical individual combat skill.

Example

Sixjane needs to cut a Ruster bitch and pops her cyberclaws. Sixjane has Systema 44 and her player rolls 38—a success!—and is rewarded with a spray of arterial blood as her victim screams in pain…

Extras

Players and gamemasters interested in a slightly more complex approach to sistemy combat can include some of these optional extra rules.

Individual Advanced Training: The character’s Systema skill maxes out at 60, and cannot be improved beyond that. Characters wishing to improve their skills must take individual advanced training in specific skills to further develop them past this point. While the character retains their Systema skill at max, they can then develop individual skills (Blades, Clubs, Fray, Kinetic Weapons, Unarmed Combat, etc.) further, with each skill having a base rating equal to their Systema skill.

Example

After years of hard training, Sixjane has topped out at Systema 60. Now she qualifies for individual advanced training in Blades. By spending 2 Rez points, Sixjane now has Blades 61.

Specific Systema: There is no one Systema skill; rather there are multiple sistemy, each of which has its own skill, and each of which has its own culture and heritage depending on the military that developed it. Contemporary examples would include the systema of the Russian Spetznatz, krav maga of the Israeli military, and the MCMAP program of the United States Marine Corps, though in Eclipse Phase systems would probably include more training in recoilless and beam weapons, implant weapons, different morphs, etc. The specifics of each Systema skill should be worked out between the player and the gamemaster, but in general each should focus on certain areas—this is effectively represented by a free specialization in the chosen Systema skill which cannot be changed, though it does not apply to advanced skills obtained through Individual Advanced Training. Typically, certain exotic or unusual weapons or skills are not covered by these specific Systema—Kinetic weapons in particular are rare in space, and few systems cover Spray Weapons for example.

Example

Zapato: The systema of the Jovian Army, Zapato is a comprehensive fighting system developed for both close-quarters and ranged combat in microgravity environments and incorporates close-quarters combat training as well as ranged training with beam weapons, though training with firearms is neglected due to their general absence in the Jovian armory. [Free Specialization: Microgravity, Not Covered: Kinetic Weapons]