It's funny, no really (slightly edited)

[alexmegami]

Alex says: Why would you EVER use Brawl when everything except *one* Mega-Strength move can use Martial Arts?
Alex says: You still get your autodamage.
Alex says: (Once you hit, anyway)
Patrick says: Mega-Strength has a few uses.
Patrick says: Same as Mega-Charisma.
Alex says: Brawl is a functionally useless category except for Smackdown.
Alex says: Mega-Charisma has taint-negating uses outside of combat.
Alex says: That doesn't exactly make up for it, but it is good.
Patrick says: I mean, Soothe is your most used power.
Alex says: I can see why Strength isn't tied to anything (power-monkeys), but the same reason (power-monkeys) appears to be the reason why Charisma and Appearance aren't tied to anything.
Alex says: Yes, but that's because Vicki hates conflict.
Alex says: I could just as easily have gotten Disorient and Mega-Manipulation instead.
Alex says: Same effect.
Patrick says: Disorient doesn't destroy Taint.
Alex says: True. Technically neither does Soothe (it just lessens the negative; the taint is still -there-, it just doesn't stress anyone out.)
Alex says: "Hey! Radiation poisoning! I'm cool with that, dude."
Alex says: I prefer your way though.
Patrick says: I've figured it eliminates non-physical aberrations.
Alex says: Mostly because I am the TaintNegator~
Alex says: It's like the Terminator, for taint.

Comments

[alexmegami]

Admittedly, there are good story reasons to have it.

Tactically, it's shit.

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

Was that to my repeatedly revised statement, which I deleted and rewrote twice?

Martial Arts shouldn't be as uber as they make it out to be. If anything, Brawl should go with Mega-Strength and Martial Arts should go with Mega-Dexterity and both should be allowed to use Mega-dice to attack. I think White Wolf and their ilk have romanticized Martial Arts and Eastern stuff in general. If you believe what they say, everything Asian is better.

I think this sentiment reflects on published mechanics.

[alexmegami]

I agree about both being able to use their Mega-Dice. I have no idea why they aren't.

I do think, though, that they're just playing to their audience. Eastern influences are HUGE right now; just as Vampire pandered to goths, Aberrant panders to comic book and movie geeks that want to get their roundhouse kick thang on.

[user-lain.livejournal.com]

Like how guns were back "in" after the Matrix but will probably be phased out because of the sword thing in Kill Bill?

[alexmegami]

Yes, exactly that sort of thing.

Also why Exalted has a more "anime" quality to it than most of the other WW games. Angst stopped being cool. Time to go Asian.

I predict the next big thing will be a Lord-of-the-Flies-eque setting. (Survivor/reality shows, don'tcha know.)

[achpsident.livejournal.com]

Battle Royale the RPG? Excellent.

[alexmegami]

Exactly!

Possibly with fewer guns. Though that would be an awesome game.

[achpsident.livejournal.com]

That'd pretty much be the sequel, actually.