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my RPGs Page.Issue 12 of Valkyrie magazine contains an interesting article by Marcus L. Rowland on Japanese Martial Arts in late Victorian Britain, and particularly "Bartitsu," a fighting system developed by one of the UK's first Judokas. I'm not going to violate copyright by reproducing the article here; anyone who's interested should track down a copy of the magazine.
However, Marcus only provides game details for Forgotten Futures, his own RPG, while providing enough data to permit the style to be adapted for many other systems. The following is my adaptation of it for the Hero System; I've also done something similar for GURPS. It could be taken by characters living in the UK in the late nineteenth century.
These notes refer solely to manoeuvres and rules described in the Hero standard rulebook. I don't believe that anyone should be obliged to buy Ninja Hero or The Ultimate Martial Artist in order to use these things, and I find the core rules quite sufficient. Anyone wishing to modify them to fit in with the extended rules is welcome to do so.
Bartitsu can be viewed in two ways. Realistically, it's a pragmatic set of self-defence techniques, combined with a bunch of "party tricks" that can be used to make the proponent look impressive. On the other hand, if one takes Barton-Wright's claims seriously, it's a comprehensive and dramatic style that can defeat almost any other art.
Bartitsu experts may optionally train with two weapons, Cloak and Stick, and possibly also Fencing Swords. Notes on these aspects of the art are given below.
Jab (with stick or fist).................(Defensive Strike -- 5 points)
Punch/Stick Strike.......................(Martial Strike -- 4 points)
Block (with stick, or as Judo counter)...(Martial Block -- 4 points)
Judo Slam................................(Martial Throw -- 3 points)
Judo Choke...............................(Choke Hold -- 5 points)
Judo Escape..............................(Martial Escape -- 4 points)
Wrestling Hold...........................(Martial Grab -- 3 points)
Breakfall
Familiarity w/Cloak Fighting
Weapon Element: Stick/Cane
Weapon Element: Cloak
KS: Judo
For added realism, note that the Stick would only usually be used to Jab, Strike, or Block, and would probably have to be dropped once either fighter successfully grappled the other, while a Cloak might well only be used with a Grab in Bartitsu, not with other manoeuvres. Other techniques might be drawn from Dirty Infighting, Judo or Wrestling, or from other styles. (On the other hand, most students probably didn't master the full range of manoeuvres listed above -- and even Judo was probably still evolving at this date.)
In fact, Bartitsu fighters would probably usually be all-round "physical culture" enthusiasts, and hence could have studied many other sports and fighting arts, such Boxing, Fencing, and Wrestling, along with athletics or weight-lifting (so they could have good physical characteristics).
The creator of the style also gave a number of public demonstrations and exhibition fights, so he presumably developed a range of "showman" skills.
The walking-stick or gentleman's cane is treated as an ordinary Stick (adding 2D6 normal damage to strikes if the full weapon rules are not being used). The techniques used with this are based on European singlestick fighting, and might well resemble European fencing; it is also very possible that enthusiastic students of Bartitsu would also be hobbyist fencers. Therefore, GMs may optionally permit characters to take Fencing Sword as a Weapon Element with this style. (Naturally, they must first buy Familiarity with Swords.) Most such swords will be quite light -- 1D6 HKA, with +1 OCV and a STR Min (if applicable) of 10.
Bartitsu includes combat manoeuvres based on the use of a cloak or coat to baffle and entangle an opponent. Obviously, however, such tricks are not limited to this art; they are actually likely to be used by melodramatic fighters in many "swashbuckling" campaigns and stories. Simple rules for this "weapon" are therefore given here.
Many historical-style characters (along with traditionalist superheroes) will wear cloaks, coats, or capes suitable for use with this technique, but actually doing anything useful with it requires practice; an untrained fighter trying to swirl a cloak around in the middle of a melee is probably wasting dangerous amounts of time and energy to no good purpose. Therefore, in heroic-level campaigns at least, a character must buy Familiarity with the cloak as a weapon.
Furthermore, the garment used must be suited to the purpose -- light enough to move fast, heavy enough to provide a genuine impediment to an attack. The GM is the final arbiter on what is or isn't suitable. Forward-thinking fighters may have a garment adapted specially, with a weighted hem that can build up real momentum. This could be worth a small CV bonus with some manoeuvres -- or, more realistically, an unmodified, off-the-shelf cloak could suffer penalties.
Generally, cloaks and coats are not heavy enough to absorb significant amounts of damage. (Magical cloaks, or garments made of high-tech materials, are another matter.) However, a thick, stiff woolen garment might be worth a point or two of non-resistant DEF, and any garment could be folded or wrapped to provide such protection to a small area of the body -- often an arm. This could even be treated as resistant defence, against melee weapons at least, if the fabric is tough enough; knife-fighters supposedly use this trick to enable them to block and deflect with their off-hand arms.
If used by somebody with the appropriate Familiarity (or at large penalties, by someone without), and held in the correct way (usually requiring at least one phase to prepare), a cloak provides the equivalent of +2 Skill Levels with Block, Grab, Martial Block or Martial Grab, and +1 Skill Level with Disarm, Martial Disarm, and Defensive Strike. (These levels can only be applied to OCV or DCV, not to damage.) It also provides an effective +5 STR, only for purposes of holding onto or pulling a victim, after any kind of Grab (not for damage), at no END cost.
In a superheroic campaign, this could be purchased as +2 Skill Levels at 5 points each, with the Limitations OAF Cloak (+1) and Only as Described for Cloak (+½), giving a Real Cost of 4 points, and also +5 STR at 0 END, with the Limitations OAF Cloak (+1) and Only to Hold On or Pull After a Grab (+1), giving a Real Cost of 2 points. Thus the total Real Cost of a cloak used in this way is 6 points.
Most of these manoeuvres involve throwing, swinging, or flicking the garment around the opponent. A Defensive Strike in a Martial Art which permits the cloak as a Weapon Element is usually a quick jab delivered from behind or within the cloak, while using the cloth to distract the opponent from a fully effective counter-strike or to baffle any blows that do come. (Swashbuckling fencers would be typical users of this trick.)
Really advanced cloak-fighters, especially in pulp-era or superhero campaigns or those which emphasise swashbuckling, may develop all sorts of advanced tricks, such as blinding foes by flicking the cloak in their eyes or wrapping it round their heads, or even confusing attackers with missile weapons into firing at the swirling cloak rather than the wearer. These can be built as Powers -- small, no-range flash attacks, levels in DCV bought with the cloak as an OAF, and so on. Kind GMs may permit them to be attempted as improvised combat moves, at least occasionally. Such techniques should by rights have built-in CV penalties if used too blatantly and often; on the other hand, they could also be worth a surprise bonus if used sparingly and cleverly.