Backstage - OOC Forums
EVE-Online RP Discussion and Resources => Player Driven Content => Topic started by: Saede Riordan on 11 Mar 2011, 17:48
-
This is a brainstorming session, that I sort of hope to turn out a few styles of martial arts native to new eden. Once we have something firmly established we can hammer out a pdf or something. So to provide a starting point, lets look at each race:
Amarrian:
Amarrian martial arts strikes me like it would be very focused on directing blows, keeping your opponent knocked off balance, like kickboxing, only more refined. It would focus on strength of mind and body, being able to take one blow in order to inflict two more. There would probably be less a focus on dodging a blow and more a focus on deflecting it. Something interesting to note is that Martial arts develops in style as it ages. Ammarian martial arts are likely to be very old, and therefore very flowery. Steeped in tradition and custom. This might make it marginally weaker compared to a newer style, but also means it would be harder to progress, meaning that when you are a master, you are really a master.
Caldari:
The name of the game with the Caldari strikes me as efficiency. How to dispatch an enemy using as little force as possible. It would focus on using the enemy's strength against him, dodges that move one as little as possible, and blocks that turn the opponents momentum against him, similar to Aikido or Tai Chi. It would likely also be steeped in tradition, but in a different way then the Amarrians, it would teach a sort of quiet dignity. The Caldari lived in a brutal climate for most of their history, and their combat would be more refined due to this. Combat would be turned into an artform, the quiet dance of limbs, rending an enemy with as little force as possible.
Gallente:
I was hoping to collaborate with Seriphyn on this, since my knowledge of Gallente PF is lacking. However, the Gallentean mainstream Martial arts would likely suffer some of the problems of Amarrian ones. the Gallente enjoyed a fairly peaceful existance through most of history, giving much time for a martial art to turn from a practiced method of combat into more of a tradition then an actual combat style. There is also the possibility of a martial art suffering a sort of commercialization, with the school churning out masters who aren't terribly well trained (its interesting to note that because of the differing culture values, this likely wouldn't happen in Caldari martial arts. Something like Karate would not be terribly out of place in Gallentean culture.
Minmatar:
The Minmatar martial arts would be rather different then the other three races. Coming from a culture that treated being a warrior with reverence, It would be a much more direct style. Again, more focused on taking a blow to give another then to deflect that blow and not strike back. Their blows would possibly designed less to harm outright, and more to inflict pain. They would also likely have a higher focus on weapons then other styles, as well as learning to use anything as a weapon. That trashcan? Its a weapon? That pipe? weapon? the other person? they can be a weapon too.
Guristas:
Honestly, I lack much knowledge of the Guristas, but "thug fu" immediately comes to mind. Their styles are likely to be lacking any subtlety and focus on outright brutality. Knocking someone down and smashing them into a pulp.
Angels:
The angels would likely have a style equal brutal to the Guristas, but with a bit more planning. Something like Krav Maga comes to mind. It doesn't screw around with flowery moves, a knee to the crotch, an elbow to the throat, nothing is off limits. Its designed to chew someone up as fast a possible, take down multiple opponents quickly, and generally not screw around in combat.
Blood Raiders:
The blood raiders strike me as having a highly efficient style, but in a different way. Lighting fast strikes to incapacitate or kill before the opponent even has a chance to throw a punch. A jab to the solarplexus, a forearm to the neck, hit pressure points, and dance around your opponent.
Sansha's Nation:
They've probably got something but I have no idea.
There are several groups I haven't included, and many of the subfactions likely have their own styles, but this is as far as I can get and I feel provides a decent starting point. My hope would be in the end, we have at least 1 fighting style per bloodline, and one for each of the other factions that it would make sense to have one.
Well, lets get to it
-
In 21st century IRL, a lot of the martial arts today are immediately stereotyped with the Far East...but in EVE I think all cultures will have some degree of martial arts...
If we want to go with lolAsian, we know that Khanid does stuff. Jin-Mei might to, they are a quite militaristic culture if only by virtue of being Federation nationalists...
Hm, sort of drawing a blank on this one. I would say that the pirates would likely have lifted the styles from the empires, as opposed to invent their own. Most of their stuff is like so, but twisted for their own purposes.
-
First thing that comes to mind is this (http://www.gifsoup.com/view/329121/indiana-jones-vs-sword-o.gif).
Now that part of my daily smartass quota has been filled, I've never really spent much time thinking about the subject. I figured the Blood Raiders (if not Sabik in general) perhaps had a bit more focus on weapon-based martial arts, particularly bladed weapons, but then again, that's probably just taking the whole thing a step too far in the "lol" direction... about the others, not sure - I figure that at this point there are probably a few "commercialized" (as you put it) strains of martial arts for each empire/faction that are widely popular or commonly used, but given we're talking about groups that encompass hundreds of planets more populated than our own, I get the feeling that one could find all of those flavors of martial arts within the space of a single empire or faction just by looking around.
I do like the idea of Minmatar martial arts being based on a concept of parkour-fu, however. :P
-
In 21st century IRL, a lot of the martial arts today are immediately stereotyped with the Far East...but in EVE I think all cultures will have some degree of martial arts...
If we want to go with lolAsian, we know that Khanid does stuff. Jin-Mei might to, they are a quite militaristic culture if only by virtue of being Federation nationalists...
You'll notice I didn't say lolAsian for all of them, and honestly, none of them would be really "Asian" but since what we think of as Martial arts today stems from Asian, its easiest to list Asian martial arts as a starting point.
I would say that the pirates would likely have lifted the styles from the empires, as opposed to invent their own. Most of their stuff is like so, but twisted for their own purposes.
I rather disagree with you. I mean, specifically with the Blood Raiders, they are an old, old group, they've been around the block and will have likely developed Their own martial arts styles. As for the Sansha and Angels, they're fairly new groups, but their very much their own cultures, and will have very likely developed their own styles. As I said with the Cartel, Krav Maga is a style is only roughly 50 years old, but it is one of the most respected forms of martial arts in terms of its combat efficiency.
-
No, you didn't say lolAsian, I said lolAsian :P
Even Blood Raiders are historically Amarrian. The nature of martial arts, as far as I know anyway, is that it's very tradition-based. Thus it's tied to civilization...the way it's passed down from generation-to-generation etc. The two major pirate groups, Cartel and Guristas, emerged in the modern era, and are not civilizations. Overall, across New Eden, there likely isn't a great demand for martial arts outside of tradition. Their "martial arts" of the pirate groups, if they have any, would more likely just be "hand-to-hand combat", something designed to be used in the last resort, versus more traditional, ceremonial practices of the "historical" bloodlines.
-
that's not exactly true though, at its core, a martial art is an organized system of combat used to take down an opponent. It has nothing to do with tradition, or ceremony, or any of that, at its core, its just the combat, look at kickboxing, Krav Maga, and Jeet Kune Do, they're completely devoid of ceremony, yet they're still a style of martial arts. Also, the angels, and the sansha (no offense to the guristas players, but I'm not sure if the same arguement could apply to them) definitely qualify as having a civilization.
-
The Caldari - Systema. (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=fa8_1299723285) Definitely.
-
Considering how many arts and styles of martial arts there are on Earth, one could, in my eyes, make a reasonable assumption that there are thousands of techniques and maneuvers (with plenty of overlap) throughout New Eden. Room for some variation and avoiding stereotypes? Hell yes!
And while Terran styles vary considerably, each method can be broken down into what it favors most. You have your direct hit styles (strikes), throws, joint locks, pinning techniques (grappling), or fighting styles designed with specific weapons in mind (weaponry). But physical moves shouldn't be the sole focus in these styles; you have to take into account the additional disciplines that come with the art, such as medicinal practice, breathing exercises, and mental preparation required to engage in hand-to-hand combat. There's a spiritual aspect to take into account; what is the philosophy and meaning behind the physical act?
Considering the technological advantage in New Eden, how does this affect martial arts? We have intense and extreme body modification that enable people to be stronger and faster, or even bend in ways that humans would otherwise not be able to. We have exotic weapons and blades of all shapes and sizes, and what about gun arts? The possibilities are endless.
Also, are all arts made for war? Dance, tradition and ceremony, rituals, and arts are another use for such techniques. Not all methods are made to kill.
-
Good starting point Kita. Guess I'll add my own 2 cents.
Cladari - I very much agree with Istvaan that Systema is very Caldari-ish. I would also add Krav Maga in there as well. I doubt they would have very much tradition to it though. Aside from being efficient the Caldari are also practical so I would see them more as watch this, practice it, learn it, and be prepared to regurgitate it in the morning. At least for the Civire and Deteis.
The Achura probably have their own style, and I would imagine it is more of a martial art that is steeped in tradition. I would guess something like Kung-Fu since they have monks, but each sect probably has their own personal style. Another idea is something like Japanese samurai. Forms focusing on weapons like swords, spears, bows and the like, but that's also present in Kung-Fu as well. So perhaps a mix of the two depending on the monk group they belong in. Personally I view the Achuran philosophy(at least part of it) like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMT1r9IpIf0).(specifically the part about perfection at about 1:40, so no matter what style they may practice they are devoted to perfecting it with both mind and body) Given the lack of PF about Achura you could probably go crazy with em and about anything would be considered plausible, but this is my take.
Amarr - Kickboxing is reasonable, but instead of Muay Thai, I would see them using something more refined like Savate( Ex. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YGJ-GE-46E), Ex. 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NACXru-gJ_o) and maybe also some Pankration ( Examples (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a7eS6DfbLo) ) thrown into the mix as well.
The Khanid I see as being somewhat similar to the the Achura. No Kung-Fu but very heavy into weapons with a samurai feel. Though I see them as being less spiritual about it and more ferocious in how they do it. Less devotion to perfection and more devotion to taking someones head off.
Minmatar - Muay Thai all the way with some Bokator ( Ex.1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g40lzYfHBF4), Ex. 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPURNL5DnLA) ) thrown in for good measure.
Gallente - I would say they would be a melting pot of sorts given that at least some members from all the other empires do make residence in the federation. The Intaki would probably have their own thing and for them Tai Chi comes to mind, but I know little to nothing about the Intaki other than they have a liberation front :D. The Jin-Mei would probably have something of their own as well, but I know even less about them than I do the Intaki. :bash: For their military I would suggest a military martial art. ( Ex. 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfauTWYuI6g), Ex 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtBH0RMO3iM) )
The Guristas, and Cartel would most likely be a mix of all the empires. The Guristas would probably be more heavy on the Caldari martial arts, but given that both do take in members from all the empires I would imagine alot of cross training would take place. The same hold true for the Serpentis as well. I would imagine given both the Gallente and Cartel influences they are most definately a melting pot of all the martial arts styles.
The Blood Raiders would probably be heavy in Amarr and Minmatar influence, but the only reasoning I have for that is that you have to have Amarr and Minmatar ship skills to fly the Blood Raider ships. :ugh:
Nation - From what I remember of TBL I doubt they would really have one. I distinctly remember the child(?) I believe it was in the giant rolling ball(?) ( I really need to read it again). If anything, and I hate to make the reference, I would see them as being somewhat Borg-ish in their fighting. Not so much taking alot of blows and modulating their shield frequency, but since they would be enhanced and modified in some way(Ghost Hunters spikes for example) they would most likely just overpower anyone foolish enough to come into one of their stations without an invitation with sheer numbers and intimidation given their reputation.
-
Note: written from a fiction writing perspective.
You would most likely find a huge variety of styles represented in each bloodline, race, and Empire. A True Amarr Holder fighting his neighbor over some allegation of wrong-doing would most likely fight very differently than a Khanid Cyber-Knight orchestrating a corporate takeover, for instance. Traditional duel-based styles, functional military training ("Just enough to get you killed," as a couple friends have stated about their respective military hand-to-hand training), and the various tournament leagues that most likely exist across New Eden.... I see the landscape of martial training (or lack thereof) available to the denizens of EVE as a place ripe for literary exploitation.
Two excellent examples:
Sand Giants (http://www.eveonline.com/background/potw/default.asp?cid=23-04-07)
The Rite (http://www.eveonline.com/background/potw/default.asp?cid=26-07-10)
Shades of gray FTW. In all things EVE. :yar:
When creating a martial art though, a few things to consider:
1. Where did it originate?
2. What were the conditions (culture, economics, etc.) surrounding it's creation?
3. What makes it different and unique?
4. Most importantly: is it really necessary to flesh this out? This is actually an important thing to consider; do you need to name the style? (Aptly demonstrated in "The Rite").
For instance: Guy A and Guy B get in a fight. Are they going to notice the style of the other fighter? Does it matter if Guy A is using a "South Khanid Grappling Stance" or Guy B "obviously took a 6 week course in Spacelane Patrol CQB Tactics I(R)"? I know if I get in a fight I'm noticing the stance, but rarely does it occur to me what style the guy's practicing.
"He's in a low stance, get ready for a grappler," or "Arms high, legs limber, definitely get this guy down fast" goes through my head, not "This guy's got to be a 6th Dan Hapkido practitioner."
For RP purposes, I've never named Amann's style. He was trained in hand to hand combat, most definitely practiced a specific style, but I've never had a need to name it. The character has also probably picked up a few tricks and techniques from other styles, and knew how to mix it up when the situation demanded. He favors low kicks, blocks, grappling and holds, as well as knives. He's also an "old man", and despite his physique feels his age. The one RP fight the character got into, he got one of his knees badly injured.
That's how I approach martial arts in fiction and roleplay though. Your mileage may vary. ;)
-
Earlier musings:
http://www.eve-chatsubo.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4518 (http://www.eve-chatsubo.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4518) - Caldari
http://www.eve-chatsubo.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4529 (http://www.eve-chatsubo.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4529) - in general
In fiction, there's some limited details of Caldari using a two-sword (longsword and an off-hand) fighting style. (See Herko's stories.)
-
I always pictured the Amarrians using something similar in philosophy to Hung-Gar (or one of it's variants), focusing on slow steady approaches. Usually a reactionary method that means they take a blow in exchange for placing a more powerful blow; "why sure, you can punch me in the chest, but while you do that my fist is hitting your obliques." Rather artful in execution, fights that could result in several hours of patient holding of form waiting for a flaw to appear and/or the other person to attack at a perceived flaw.
I can also see the Kingdom using something similar to Dune-esque shield fighting, ceremonial fights based more on the ability to outwit your opponent rather than overpower.
A couple things from PF to take into consideration (at least for Jin-mei and the Achurans) are the Ancient Painblades and Ceremonial Brushes.
This antique weapon is the traditional precursor to the modern day's Painblade.
In ancient times, Jin-Mei soldiers riding to the field used to plunge their swords into filth, in the well-founded expectation that the wounds they inflicted would cause infection and rot. This nasty tactic was given new life when royal technicians (in those days referred to as Nuyin, something akin to "wizards") developed a blade whose surface, when unsheathed, swiftly attracted and encouraged bacterial growth, giving life to all kinds of deadly filth.
Nowadays, these items are mostly used in theatrical plays, and anyone who gets within a hand's reach of their swinging blades usually spends half an act wailing about it before finally dropping dead.
and
Before the advent of electronics, these writing tools were used throughout the Achuran continent. In times of war, it was not at all uncommon for a victor to use a brush-like pen to draw stylized icons representing the outcome of the battle and the heroics performed by his side. These icons would then be copied and molded onto an ivory or metal stamp, which was dipped into hot wax and used to stamp the victor's seal on the final agreement.
It should be noted that the brushes and stamps are not the only tools in this box. Cleaning implements are of course included, and so are tiny pliers and some manner of disinfectant, for it was traditional that the victor's brush be inset with eyelashes drawn from the screaming conquered.
The indications I pick up from these two items is the Jin-Mei are fans of the more 'theatrical' and psychological arts. Yes, deadly, but the ability to scare observers (or those that see the results afterwards) seems almost as important. However, I would imagine the actual art of 'killing' would be more towards the practical side than artistic.
And the Achurans appear to have an affinity for personal conquest in battle, even when it's army against army, the victor is the commanding officer who claims his trophy from the fallen enemy commanding officer. When going 'trophy hunting' in battle, typically throughout history, certain rules of engagement were followed; a lot of philosophical/spiritual guidelines to consider; attacking from a hidden position would probably not have been as favorable as knocking on their door during dinner and demanding they satisfy honor... Then proceeding to disembowel them in front of their family (or get disemboweled). The form and process is likely to be just as, if not more, important than winning/losing; killing a warlord in his sleep might win the fight, but lose the respect of those following you.
-
Well...
Minmatar - i think some kind of Capoeira, you know thet they were slaves and still are do you :P
Caldari - well i would say that Caldari don't want to waist time, "you know time is money" so i would say some matrial art that are easy to learn.
Gallente - well i really don't know but im sure one thing, the Federation has immigrants from all other races for sure, so maby some of them kno art of their own empire and they try to make a living teaching them in the federation
Amarr - i would say maby their arts would be part of the religion...
PS. In RL Amarr do this. (http://choochoomaterial.com/uploads/AmarrLogo_Color.jpg)
-
-Truncated-
You missed a faction :(
-
I am pretty sure not to do a mistake by saying amarrian martial arts have to be countless. I mean, you have the whole huge amarr Empire with already a lot of different cultures inside (Udorian, Ni-Kunni, etc), then the Khanid and the whole samurai-like cyberknight thing, and even the kameiras and the ammatar mandate that must have kept some of the tribal more refined components (by refined I mean convoluted and aristocratic). Plus add to that a lot of parts of the PF tend to show that amarrian ground forces are generally considered as one of the best of all New Eden (cyberknights, kameiras, elite amarrian counter-boarding units, etc).
-
-Truncated-
You missed a faction :(
I missed a few, I left the serps out cause I couldn't picture them having a martial art. Like, an arguement could be made that the Angels, Sansha, and Guristas are their own empires, the Serpentis....them having a martial art struck me akin to a corporation having a martial art. I don't know if they would or not though, they are a pirate group, so it would be in their best interest...I honestly don't know, you're the serp expert, lets here your thoughts
-
Look at the spread of martial arts in the real world, when east met west. I think that any martial art that exists in New Eden would be practiced by every empire in some numbers. Like, in the real world you have Americans learning Karate and Japanese learning to box - so I think cultural currents would carry any unique fighting style from its point of origin right across the galaxy.
You could have Gallente yuppies learning brutal Amarr slave-suppression techniques and pain compliance methods, because it's trendy all of a sudden.
-
Hmmm, martial arts.
I doubt in a lot of the societies that there would be none outside the military.
Most of the current ones we have is from the military or from a time and a space in a society where technological advancement had plateaued and certain classes of people were not allowed to arm themselves.
Main reason for people learning them through the ages has been to protect oneself from bandits, robbers and other malcontents. If a society would reach a balance where the security forces and societal indoctrination would eradicate infighting within the population, the need for any martial arts would be eradicated.
In a thousand years of peace within a population you would have nothing left except dueling and physical culture exercises among the lines of yoga or chi-gong outside the military.
Let's see the Empires of New Eden and their characteristics.
One tribal.
Some Native American tribes did not even know how to hit people when they encountered the barbaric westerners. Their 'warfare' was based on 'counting coup' by touching the opponent with a long stick or with a painted hand.
Tribal warriors usually consider personal development and achievements to be the primary way of showing you how to be good at what you do. Therefore a tribal society would reject any formal way of training as something that would take away from that aspect of personal development. Modifying hunting skills for raiding neighboring tribes, using speed and wits to outsmart/maneuver the opposition to steal something of value. Avoiding loss of life being quite essential in the whole conflict, because if a hunter dies in a hunter-gatherer society then their family dies.
No wonder they were steamrolled by the Amarrians.
One communal.
After the collapse the terraforming was not finished. The whole society was confined to limited resources. Survival of the many was more important than the survival of the individual. After the terraforming was finished the population spread out forming small collectives, going through a tribal phase and later united into a one big collective.
In all likelyhood the whole society went through lengthy periods of peace and security. Causing less and less need for any kind of violence outside of the old military traditions.
No wonder they were steamrolled by the Gallenteans.
One fractional.
The kingdoms of Gallente prime in all likelyhood took pretty much very similar path that Europe did while they climbed from the post-collapse division of the population to the Federation. Constant civil war through millennia turned the population into individuals that sought be skillful enough to protect what was theirs. Even after the Federation was formed, the smaller states within the Gallentean population were in constant state of upmanship against the others when it comes to martial skills and technology.
Probably the most likely to have wide range of different martial arts traditions outside of the military, probably the most aggressive of the all Empires.
One religious.
After the collapse there were three factions on Athra. Two of them religious, Khanid and the Amarrians. Third the more technologically oriented Udorians. All three populations grew, Amarrians met the Khanid, Khanid had similar religion, joined the Amarrians. They kicked Udorian butt. Nature of the Scriptures basically states 'Never forget.' The military traditions that rose in the civil war became something to be revered and upheld. The nature of their religion proved to be right, when they came across other races and steamrolled them. Constantly adding more and more information about warfare into their Scriptures, learning from them, studying them, becoming more and more adept with them. Because of the nature of the society, martial arts outside the military completely unheard of. Ways of controlling the livestock, on the other hand. Quite common.
So, I would hazard a theory that there are roughly three types of martial arts in the cluster.
Military based, where you utilize all means necessary to kill the opponent. Weapons, no weapons.
Traditional, esoteric rules on conducting the conflict, even more esoteric rules about determining the victor.
Utilitarian, greatest amount of pain possible with minimum amount of permanent damage. Fast takedowns without permanent damage. Using the superior strength of the opponent against them.
As I stated before, I believe that very few would actually have any martial arts training.
Only third of the schools for the capsuleers in any Empire is military.
Usually any kind of military specialist training does not entail any hand to hand training, unless it is for a specialty where such training is needed. Wasting resources on teaching pilots to know how to have fisticuffs is wasted resources. Militaries work on efficiency.
I guess that pretty much sums up my current thoughts on the matter for the time being.
-
Tribal, communal, fractional and religious is a good way to describe the big four.
I think everyone here has got differing pictures of martial arts, I certainly though of "lolBruceLee" initially, but on further thought, stuff like sword-fighting and fencing would be practiced by the Gallenteans as a hobby/sport. Then there's "martial traditions" of the Brutor and so on...
Perhaps there should be a distinction between "martial arts" and "physical combat". To me, martial arts is all the tradition and ceremony stuff, while physical combat is literally just that. Like the Serpentis would just have a physical combat style purely for getting the job done; since the pirate factions are not civilizations, they wouldn't have developed the whole traditional/ceremonial side of things.
-
I really don't think about this stuff. Surely you cannot assume that practices that exist today will exist twenty thousand year into the future.
-
Main reason for people learning them through the ages has been to protect oneself from bandits, robbers and other malcontents. If a society would reach a balance where the security forces and societal indoctrination would eradicate infighting within the population, the need for any martial arts would be eradicated.
Thankfully, no society in New Eden has reached a point where conflict was eradicated.
Bandits, robbers, other malcontents? Well, wouldn't that be like, for instance, the Blood Raiders, Serpentis, Guristas...?
There's plenty of impetus for private martial training. The Minmatar are a prime example; conquered by the Amarr, do you think they would have been allowed weapons? Would there have been differences in training from planet to planet, region to region, etc.?
Before Aduner could do anything, Sadrede made a beeline for a nearby dancer. The Minmatar had a tradition of physical expression ranging all the way from the delicate, symbolic flights of trained dancers to the coarse, even violent, dances of tribal warriors. This one, plying his trade on a frictionless mat, was doing the exhibition form of Ruhste, an old and extremely physical dance art that more often than not had the exhibitor spinning in the air. It had been banned during the Amarr occupation due to fears that it might be used as a tool to train fighters, but was now permitted as a cultural sport, although the government had adamantly refused to give it any grants or official backing. (http://www.eveonline.com/background/potw/default.asp?cid=23-04-07)
If it was banned, how did it survive as an art form (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira)? ;)
Looking at Martial Arts as an actual art form is an idea in and of itself. Wushu for instance. If you want to really develop a fictional martial art, think about it in a "wiki" sense.
An example. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_martial_arts)
Another example. (http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Mok'bara)
To recap: There's plenty of examples in EVE PF to support martial arts training. I also agree that, on the whole, few would really "master" such styles. However, there are probably many more who actively train in them. There's probably a far greater number of people who know how to beat the **** out of anyone they want; not from any specific style, but from a lifetime of fighting, and simply trying to survive in less-than-ideal circumstances.
EVE is not a utopia. I could go on and on listing why specific Empires would not have a "unified" fighting style, both out of necessity and cultural influences. I've said what I need to say, and I'll leave you by repeating this; Martial Arts in EVE are ripe for literary exploitation. :D
-
Tribal warriors usually consider personal development and achievements to be the primary way of showing you how to be good at what you do. Therefore a tribal society would reject any formal way of training as something that would take away from that aspect of personal development. Modifying hunting skills for raiding neighboring tribes, using speed and wits to outsmart/maneuver the opposition to steal something of value. Avoiding loss of life being quite essential in the whole conflict, because if a hunter dies in a hunter-gatherer society then their family dies.
There's a lot that's problematic about this. There's plenty of evidence that tribal warriors practiced formal training, both in Africa and among the Germanic tribes in Europe, to pick out a few examples. It's also ...odd... to conflate hunter-gatherer with tribal, when neither one needs to be the other. The pre-contact Minmatar had spaceships; I doubt their entire martial tradition was rooted in assuring that food-producers weren't killed in single combat.
To address the original topic, I think that every group probably practices, in some shape or way, pretty much every variant and style of fighting. Certain martial arts may better typify the attitude of one group or another (which is kind of the point of selecting them, Benjamin, not actual continuity with present traditions), but I have a hard time imagining that interstellar empires spanning scores of planets would be less internally generative than single continents.
-
Not so much for speculation as just history, Wren (who, sadly, appears to have been sold to someone else) did a bunch of writing on Sebiestor martial arts way back in the day. Here are a couple pieces:
The Seven Forms (http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=40901)
A Seven Forms Morning (http://www.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=4930)
-
I've also got to wonder about zero gravity martial arts. Certainly most action involves planetary surfaces or structures with artificial gravity, but I can see where martial arts intended for use in zero gravity would be useful. Some habitats (especially older ones) may not have gravity. Likewise, pirates might train in zero gravity - upon boarding a ship, they might try to disable the artificial gravity in order to throw off defenders.
Bruce Sterling came up with some interesting principles of zero gravity martial arts in Schismatrix. The main one is a sort of altered haragei, of keeping awareness of your center of gravity:
"This is what haragei is for." The President slapped his own belly. "This is your center of gravity, your center of torque. You meet some enemy in free fall, and you grapple with him, well, your head is just a stalk, see? What happens depends on your center of mass. Your haragei, your actions, the places where you can punch out with hands and feet, form a sphere. And that sphere is centered on your belly. You think of that bubble around you all the time."
Another big part of zero gravity martial arts would be grounding. If you're floating free, any action you perform will result in a reaction to your own body. You punch someone and you are pushing yourself back. If you are grounded to a surface, so that the reaction to the force you exert goes through you to the wall/floor/ceiling/whatever you're touching, then you can apply that much more force. Strike someone in free fall while you're not grounded and you might break their nose. Strike someone in free fall while you're firmly planted on a surface and you might break their neck.
-
There's only so many to break people, and I expect that every culture in the Eve cluster will have some martial art or other that uses each of them.
Consider Japan, a single small, relatively homogenous culture, that produced hundreds of different martial arts with different emphasis, from strikes to throws to joint locks, direct attacks and defence.
Aikido, Kenjutsu, Judo, Sumo, ninjitsu etc.
To suggest that any of the cultures of Eve with billions of people in will have less variation seems to me to be mistaken.
-
Tribal warriors usually consider personal development and achievements to be the primary way of showing you how to be good at what you do. Therefore a tribal society would reject any formal way of training as something that would take away from that aspect of personal development. Modifying hunting skills for raiding neighboring tribes, using speed and wits to outsmart/maneuver the opposition to steal something of value. Avoiding loss of life being quite essential in the whole conflict, because if a hunter dies in a hunter-gatherer society then their family dies.
There's a lot that's problematic about this. There's plenty of evidence that tribal warriors practiced formal training, both in Africa and among the Germanic tribes in Europe, to pick out a few examples. It's also ...odd... to conflate hunter-gatherer with tribal, when neither one needs to be the other. The pre-contact Minmatar had spaceships; I doubt their entire martial tradition was rooted in assuring that food-producers weren't killed in single combat.
^^ This.
Iraq was a relatively modern Tribal society with fighter pilots, tank drivers, nuclear scientists, bridgebuilders etc. tribal does not (always) equal primitive. Afgrandstand is another tribal society, though a bit more fucked up, and they seem to be nothing like a walk-over to technologicaly superior attackers.
-
There's only so many to break people, and I expect that every culture in the Eve cluster will have some martial art or other that uses each of them.
Consider Japan, a single small, relatively homogenous culture, that produced hundreds of different martial arts with different emphasis, from strikes to throws to joint locks, direct attacks and defence.
Aikido, Kenjutsu, Judo, Sumo, ninjitsu etc.
To suggest that any of the cultures of Eve with billions of people in will have less variation seems to me to be mistaken.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but this spread of martials arts is/was found everywhere around the globe when those weapons were in use, the japanese just still make a big fuss about calling everything "an ancient an honourable martial art taught by the old and wise masters of (insert random japanese word here)". ;)
-
Sansha's Nation:
They've probably got something but I have no idea.
Two different extremes seem within their ideology:
A form that maximizes disabling the enemy. It fits the True Slave mentality to disable an enemy, but not destroy them, in order to harvest them for resources / enslavement.
Conversely, a form that focuses on completely devastating a person's body may also be applicable. Breaking bones, fractures, etc. The Sansha can replace extensive portions of the body (and even forgo whole sections as unneeded) so if damaging the person is less resource intensive than repairing the harvester, it would make sense.
Of course if the Sansha really do have a martial form, this is where I foreshadow the possibility of cybernetic ninja zombies.
-
There's only so many to break people, and I expect that every culture in the Eve cluster will have some martial art or other that uses each of them.
Consider Japan, ... snip ...
To suggest that any of the cultures of Eve with billions of people in will have less variation seems to me to be mistaken.
I don't want to rain on your parade, but this spread of martials arts is/was found everywhere around the globe when those weapons were in use, the japanese just still make a big fuss about calling everything "an ancient an honourable martial art taught by the old and wise masters of (insert random japanese word here)". ;)
I don't disagree, and indeed I've done some study in some of the medieval european stuff, but for the purposes of illumination I was trying to point out the variation within a single culture.
-
Systema and Krav Maga are two completely different fighting systems with different styles of fighting, training and preformance. not to say it isn't possible. I think khanid/Caldari would be similar in many ways of martial arts as they train together quite abit.
-
Sani sabik civilians may have a form of martial arts, the primary purpose of which would be fitness and basic hand to hand training, as the Blood Raiders (and other groups) draw from them for their recruits.
Even when not in the Blood Raiders or other paramilitary, the Sani Sabik also have numerous infiltrators and other agents, where unarmed combat skills would be important, for avoiding detection in the first place, and for escape/evasion. A person carrying a weapon is far more conspicuous.
There'd be an emphasis on observation, reading people to watch for muscles tensing, that sort of thing. As well as improvised weaponry. The correct way to use a chair as a weapon, without overextending and exposing you to counterattacks, etc.
But that goes for practically all military or paramilitary groups, Federal Intelligence, etc. It's not like there'd be unique special styles.
The Blood Raiders though, would have some of the better shipboard close quarters fighters. Zero-G, Zero-pressure combat training, that sort of thing. Again, much emphasis on observation, as they have to be able to seize a ship quickly, they don't have time to be fiddling about.
But most professional space troops would have such training anyway.
There is one group which I'd believe to be quite different, and that's the Sansha's Nation.
What their nature allows is not really a martial art, but it's all to do with their unique nature as a networked group.
Group combat. Each unit covering the vulnerable spots of the others. This provides an efficiency and effectiveness far greater than any other force could manage.
-
I would think that Amarrian martial arts and combat training would be more like what the "Clerics" in the movie Equilibrium go through.
-
I would think that Amarrian martial arts and combat training would be more like what the "Clerics" in the movie Equilibrium go through.
Quoted for Truth.