Almost Normal

Messer as in langes messer, or grosse messer. People argue about what the difference is, but the reality is that there are one-handed, two-handed, and hand-and-a-half versions. I like all three, but they are all variations on the type that bears a resemblance to the sabre. I'm compiling in typed form my ideas on "fixing" BRP combat (as they have until now been notes in a notebook). I'll post them at some point, just not today. I actually met Sandy Petersen once, and he said he liked the idea of what I was doing (while acknowledging that EVERYONE homebrews to some extent). I'm still going through the BRP manual to see what I want to update from my old RQ3 manual.

Well, I study a bit of everything (longsword, ringen, dagger, sidesword, sword & buckler, staff) but my favorite is the messer. Another game I have seen try to implement something vaguely HEMA-like was Witch Hunter: The Invisible World. And then there is the computer game Mount & Blade.

I'm new to this forum, but not to BRP systems (I remember the fateful day I found RQ3 on clearance in a book store in the 90s; D&D was never the same afterwards). My other main hobbies are Texas-style BBQ and HEMA (which stands for Historical European Martial Arts, if you are not aware). Anyone else out there into HEMA at all? We sometimes note on our forums how many people into studying historical martial arts are also into gaming, so I'm curious if I might already know anyone here. HEMA is also sometimes known as "WMA" (for Western Martial Arts, though WMA is somewhat broader than HEMA, technically), or "historical fencing" (which is a little misleading because it seemingly ignores the rich tradition of grappling), or "Kunst des Fechtens" (translated from German as Art of Fighting/Fencing; we tend to throw around a lot of German terminology because so many period texts are in that language). Lest you be confused, the hobby is something somewhat related to but still very distinctive from historical re-enactment, LARP/SCA, or sport fencing. That and different HEMA groups have a different take on it all. Some of us HEMAists have tried to take what we know (or think we know) about historical fighting and implement it into gaming. Some have published their ideas in games like The Riddle of Steel, and Codex Martialis (which is a supplement for D&D 3.5, and makes the game bearable, even if I still prefer BRP mechanics). I've homebrewed my own ideas on this into RQ3 for a while, and am updating them into BRP, but I'm curious as to whether anyone else out there is already doing this. Or if there is interest in seeing the results. Or if there are just kindred spirits I can bounce ideas off of. Looking forward to getting to know everybody!