Why Katanas? Options

[RHat]

I imagine it's something to do with them being called 'street samurai' and not 'street highlanders' or 'street knights'.

... And now I have to put together and play a street highlander, just because you said that. Thanks so much.

I saw a documentary on the katana. Supposedly the curved blade was much better at cutting through things.

They are pretty good at their thing. Of course, they're kind of terrible for a number of other things (for instance, they're terrible stabbing swords). The thing that they're good at, though, does make them seem really cool.

Then call it a Claymore and move on.

Any two-handed sword with a crummy concealability can use the "katana" stats. Just like a "combat knife" can be a tantō, and just like how the "sword" is listed as being "Available in a wide variety of styles (wakizashi, seax, scimitar, jian, machete, and so on and so forth)". Reskin the weapon however you like, so long as it still operates the same mechanically.

~Umi

Or just port over the (better) stats for the Claymore from SR4, improve it's AP to suit the increases in AP to other weapons, and give it an Accuracy value.

[FuelDrop]

Wait a minute...

A monofilament whip is basically a superthin wire.

If I go wireless, all I have is a handle!!

How is that going to be useful at all? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

It's a very expensive paperweight.

[RHat]

It's a very expensive paperweight.

At least it's not a bricked Excalibur.

[Umidori]

Or just port over the (better) stats for the Claymore from SR4, improve it's AP to suit the increases in AP to other weapons, and give it an Accuracy value.

Actually, I just looked it up, there is a listing for Claymores in the Concealability table. A katana is rated +6, while a claymore is rated, and I quote, "+10/Forget about it". So yeah, for 4 points of concealability, I would agree, it needs to be better than the katana. Odd that they'd give the item partial crunch like that, though. Maybe it used to be in the corebook but got cut?

~Umi

[FuelDrop]

Actually, I just looked it up, there is a listing for Claymores in the Concealability table. A katana is rated +6, while a claymore is rated, and I quote, "+10/Forget about it". So yeah, for 4 points of concealability, I would agree, it needs to be better than the katana. Odd that they'd give the item partial crunch like that, though. Maybe it used to be in the corebook but got cut?

~Umi

You'll find the same problem with flamethrowers, who get their AP value (-6) mentioned but don't get statted up.
I can only assume that they'll be in a future splat book.

[RHat]

Actually, I just looked it up, there is a listing for Claymores in the Concealability table. A katana is rated +6, while a claymore is rated, and I quote, "+10/Forget about it". So yeah, for 4 points of concealability, I would agree, it needs to be better than the katana. Odd that they'd give the item partial crunch like that, though. Maybe it used to be in the corebook but got cut?

~Umi

Could be. In SR4, it wasn't seen until Arsenal - providing basically the same stats as the Combat Axe. I suspext the SR5 version will end up with a better Accuracy stat than the Combat Axe.

[Slide]

I'm going to strait up call BS on a katana having more armor pen than a European sword. The Katana was made for dealing with leather and wooden armor.

[bannockburn]

In my games, only poser(NPC)s use katanas.
Oh, and real samurai. Of the red persuasion.

Players don't usually get a sword, and even if they do, they'd rather go for a machete, a cougar fine blade, a kukri (as examples for concealable ones), or a really big one like the claymore or no-dachi.
Hell, my players scoff at (non-implanted) blade weapons so much that I was able to sell them SHARK KNIFE and KNUCK KNIFE for outrageous prices with no intent to ever use them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Katanas are nice to look at, and quality weapons, but they are nowhere near as outrageously good as they're made up to be. Hell, viking swords from the 8th century had very similar quality and craftsmanship.

Using them? Cheesy like the moon. My characters are not Michael Dudikoff, SR is not American Ninja and only people with 80s movies as a guilty pleasure actually consider taking one with them on a run.*
IMO, you're much better off with a gun, and if you ever need a knife (and you really often do, as a tool) the cougar blades are the go-to tool / weapon combination.

*Only applies to my games. YMMV

[Elfenlied]

The most commonly used melee weapons in my games tend to be:
unarmed (possibly with Hardliners/Knucks)
extendable batons
various combat knives
shock gloves
monowhip

All these weapons are easy to conceal. If someone can bring a katana to a fight, another can bring a shotgun/assault rifle. Personally, I'd rather have the latter in a serious fight.

[Tanegar]

My street sam might wear a katana to meet a Johnson, just because it's the expected thing. On the job, though, the long-pattern Cougar Fineblade is the last word in edged weapons, IMO.

[Sengir]

I think it's the whole romanticized "Samurai" deal in western culture. A claymore or a zweihander can be just as effective at cleaving a person in two, but it's that Eastern mystique, that lone warrior who can cut down enemies by the dozen, that seems to really draw us towards a weapon like a katana.

Don't forget the gear porn aspect, it's folded 90 gazillion times and (because for most people, folds = awesome) better than any other steel, millennia of ancient wisdom went into the design, bla bla...

[Sendaz]

Forget katana, when is someone bringing out a workable Chainsword? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Sengir]

Vibro Sword in Arsenal...but no axe, makes the blood god sad (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

[Sendaz]

Vibro Sword in Arsenal...but no axe, makes the blood god sad (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

Those are good, but just lack the bone chattering thrum of power when cutting through someone.

A very sad blood god indeed.

[FuelDrop]

Yeah, we so need some chain-weapons! Chainswords, Chainaxes, Chainvibroswords, Chainvibroaxes, you get my drift.

I wonder if you could get a chainvibromonowhip?

[Elfenlied]

Katanas and Vibroswords, to me, just scream unprofessional pink mohawk team, with the Johnsons more likely to hire you for meatgrinders instead of professional runs.

But then again, I've never liked pink mohawk and try to discourage it in my games, so I may be biased here.

[FuelDrop]

Katanas and Vibroswords, to me, just scream unprofessional pink mohawk team, with the Johnsons more likely to hire you for meatgrinders instead of professional runs.

But then again, I've never liked pink mohawk and try to discourage it in my games, so I may be biased here.

Yeah, but they make brilliant bribes for gangs when you need some muscle ect (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Elfenlied]

Yeah, but they make brilliant bribes for gangs when you need some muscle ect (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Hmm, the last time of my PCs bribed some gangers, it involved a crate of Ingram Smartguns and a couple of LAWs. After all, you can't spell slaughter without laughter!

[Moirdryd]

Both the Katana and Viking Longsword share a whole bunch of the same forging techniques, the same matallurgical properties and are usually of very high craftsmanship and well designed and weighted to their appropriate fighting styles. Having used both I find the Katana the more versatile weapon as the Viking Longsword (who's actual name escapes me) is designed to be used in conjunction with a shield and is very much a limited grip, one hand only affair.

Now, Iirc the Ares Monosword used to be very similar in the stat line to the Katana and there is probabley a good reason for this which has been touched upon. Swords are a rather uncommon item as combat pieces in the 21st century and even in the Sixth World with only a few organisation (mostly historical) employing them. Eastern weapons are more common to be functional because of the Martial Arts that use them and the proliferation of that schooling. In both cases the Status Symbol of these things are pretty much null out here in the west. Mostly Knives are the order of the day fir Western blade requirements.

The Katana however has retained its status symbology of the Samurai, even in an era where the Samurai are a fading cultural nuance and in the Sixth World the Japanacorps played a big role as the triple A Megas (Fuchi, Renraku, Yamatetsu, Shiawase, Mitsuhama, that's Five of the Big Eight as was). Even today some Japanese security and law enforcement forces are taught to actually use No-Kendo or Kenjuitsu and still are issued with bladed weapons. So these weapons as both functional and status implements would evolve to bear mono edging, the latest alloying blending techniques, lighter, faster, stronger and sharper than the average weapon of a millennia ago.

Now before people mention the "old katanas having the same stats" do remember that surviving weapons from a millennia before are often those few Exceptional pieces of craftsmanship that are by far superior to the more "common" blades to be found.

Ergo the SotA Ares Monosword sharing stats the the Japanacorps Katanas, because the Ares Monosword is the Modern version of the Viking Longsword, matching up statewide with these new oriental weapons. Same alloys, techniques and mono edging.

The other swords out there were always just functional lengths of sharpened folded metal (or injection forged!) without the other expensive and shiny techniques, materials and mono edging applied.

At least that's what makes sense to me.

[Isath]

But then again, I've never liked pink mohawk and try to discourage it in my games, so I may be biased here.

Right there with you. For me, the pink mo' doesn't integrate very well into what I understand Shadowrun to be about, at least not beyond gang-level.

[Slide]

Now before people mention the "old katanas having the same stats" do remember that surviving weapons from a millennia before are often those few Exceptional pieces of craftsmanship that are by far superior to the more "common" blades to be found.

They didn't start making Katanas till the 1600s.

[Isath]

Well I prefer the good old "long sword" with a grip of 25 - 30 cm and a blade of about 90 cm. In a fight there is no reason other than preference, to want a Katana instead. Being nice and all, a Katana can be a nice sword, it still remains a sword though. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Putting myself into the position of a shadowrunner, I would clearly leave both of them at home and prefer perception and deception, unarmed combat (if need be) and the gun, for the shit and fan thing. I really like swords though.

[Moirdryd]

First reference to Katana is made in the 12th century with the crafting of such really getting started in the 14th century using the "katana signature". So okay not a Millenua on some cases but still 500-800 years. There are also older examples from the period of 900ad.

[ElFenrir]

Meanwhile, as someone who wears the pink mohawk proudly, I am all about doing fun stuff with weapons. (I wear a trenchcoat with the mohawk, however. I am not against being quiet and doing Other Things besides blowing stuff up, but there is always a measure of mohawk to our games, since it's what we have the most fun with.) We try to strike a balance of either 'Trenchoat with added explosives' or 'Mohawk with added planning'. After trying both styles of games-Ice Cold Pro and Total Chaos-I found the former get boring(for us), the latter actually get silly after more than a few sessions, so the middle ground seems to be where we're at.

Katanas and vibro-swords end up working quite well in the balance. It's more the 'Super Serious Ice Cold Pro' games I guess they start falling out of favor. (And, honestly, they aren't quite silly enough for Super Pink Mohawk Extravaganzas. THAT'S when you need Monofilament Chainswords. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif) )

[Mäx]

Katanas and Vibroswords, to me, just scream unprofessional pink mohawk team, with the Johnsons more likely to hire you for meatgrinders instead of professional runs.

But then again, I've never liked pink mohawk and try to discourage it in my games, so I may be biased here.

What exactly makes Katanas and Vibroswords more pink mohawk then some other melee weapon?
Or are you implying that using melee weapons in the first place is unprofessional?

Heck working at Neo Tokyo you can carry katana as your standard walking around weapon.