Dan:
>I would tend to disagree... for several reasons.
>Physical:
>- - Trolls tend to be kinda roundish, physically more suited to a
>wide round swing than a stabbing motion. I will whole heartedly agree
>that Uz are the best Slappers in the world (and would pack a pretty mean=
>Haymaker) but I feel pretty strongly that the stabbing motion required
>by most punches would be Very alien to your average Uz.
A jab is merely a straightening of the arm with a clenched fist and given=
the arm length of a troll they would be able to get a hell of a snap into=
the punch. I agree that they would be able to deliver tremendous hooks
given their shoulder structure and mass distribution but there is no
physical reason why they can't jab or cross. Remember that punching is n=
ot
exactly a trained response in any human. To punch without slapping
requires training for anyone, trolls could learn too and the range it giv=
es
is a benefit it would be foolhardy to ignore if you were a troll interest=
ed
in unarmed combat.
>- - Those protruding Tusks... do YOU wanna punch a couple of pointy
>spikes? I imagine that the Tusks exist largely as a defence for the
>trolls (relatively) fragile Nose. Just keep your head low and get free
>Bite damage every time your opponent attempts to punch. =
I agree with here to a point but a jab can go lowline to hit the stomach,=
take the wind and legs out of the opponent and the jab could easily hit t=
he
eye, upper snout area and a cross would be used against the side of the
head. =
>- - Trolls tend to hunch over when stressed. Not the best posture
>for fisticuffs, but wonderful for Wrestling. This indicates that a
>"fistfight" between trolls is likely to look more like Sumo than Thai
>Boxing.
Hunching over is a good stance for fist-work depending on your style. I prefer to maintain a head-down posture myself as it leave the forehead to=
absorb damage and the shoulders to take hooks rather than the side of the=
head. I imagine that a troll who had trained in a boxing style would be =
a
complete bastard to hit and injure through head hits. =
>But it's really hard for the friend to hit you while you're grappling
>his buddy. "I parry with your friends face..." and the bite is the
>Perfect way to avoid wasting time "sitting on him" Grapple, immobalize,=
>bite his head off, and pummel the friend with the corpse. Or in
>friendly combat, skip the bite and just ask "how come you hitting your
>friend Ulg?"
Hmmm, not really realistic, if one can target a standing, moving target bobbing and weaving with a 60% hit rate with the jab, its a hell of a lot=
easier to hit a guy rolling around on the floor when someone else is
holding them too! All the fellow being grappled has to do is hold his fo=
e
for a few moments in one static position to allow his buddy to kick his
friends opponent in the head or body. The bottom line in any fight, if y=
ou
are outnumbered _and_ down you are in deep shit.
>- - The other weapons used by trolls are all Swing/Smash sort of
>things. It makes sence to me that they would use the same sort of
>movements for armed and unarmed combat.
You don't think a troll knows how to do a straight smash with the head of=
his mace or a two-handed jab with a maul? Thats like saying a saber weilder can never use the point - ie cutting the value of the weapon severely. The principles of thrust, slash or swing work for hands, feet _and_ their extensions which is really what any weapon is.
>- - It's much easier to bite something that isn't moving anymore.
>And you don't risk breaking a tooth. I consider Bite to be a finishing
>move... not used untill the opponent is subdued. =
I would agree very much with this thought.
>Cultural:
>- - Trolls fight ALOT... if they habitually attempted to inflict
>permanent damage, there would be even fewer Uz than there are now.
>Wrestling and Slapping are a perfectly effective way of establishing
>dominance without Killing each other. Like I mentiond before, Sumo is
>the obvious choice of Fighting style for Trolls. Face off, Cast
>spells, slap each other silly, or push the other guy around or over.
>(note: anyone who thinks that slapping is silly of "sissy" has never
>been slapped by anyone who knew how to put their weight into it ;-)
I don't buy this. Trolls are really tough as well as strong and their
power is scaled according to their own species. They would be no more
likely to damage each other in a fun fight as would any human fighting
another. I would agree that headbutts are a step above fun fighting give=
n
the likely damage caused but they would be perfectly acceptable in a real=
fight of which there are lots in troll society.
I agree that wresting and slapping would have its place but just because
they do doesn't mean that punching and other strking forms of attack cann=
ot
be used too.
>- - Punching in the Gut is also very poor form against the
>females... Trolls simply CANNOT afford to abort a pregnancy under any
>circumstances. It's very likely "just not done." The Boys prolly avoid=
>punching each others tummy too, just to ensure there arn't any accidents=
>when Big Sis gets ornery.
Hmmm, can't say I've ever held back from punching a guy in the guts for
fear of building habits that would lead me to punch a pregnant woman in t=
he
stomach! I kinda think that doing something like that is a conscious
decision! I can't imagine trolls being so dumb that they can't
differentiate a combat situation with a male to that of a row with a
pregnant female!
We as humans have cultural taboos against punching women and certainly
pregnant women - those taboos have never stopped me or millions of othe
rfolk from learning how to punch or to actually punch people. Its simply=
a
standard and effective combat technique like any other and there is no
reason that I can see that trolls wouldn't use it or be masters at it.
Martin Laurie
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