For a universal RPG where advancement is based on usage, I would recomend a multiple tiered system like so:

---- General Combat Experiance

Whether the charachter is a saddle-maker or a space marine, the more combat they have seen, the better they are prepared for future combat.

This tier should account for no more than 15% of the maximum possible combat proficiency, and should be specific to the BASIC WEAPON CLASS (which I will explain later) which the charachter actually used in previous combat. Thus, a merchant who got in many knife fights as a youth will have experiance in the general category of Meelee Weapons and will be better prepared to pick up a club and fight than if he had no previous experiance fighting.

In addition, this experiance level should be rolled against once at the beginning of combat to determine if the charachter is routed automatically. Thus, a totally green soldier is likely to soil himself and cower in fear the first time he gets shot at for real, no matter how much training he has recieved.

---- Culture and Training in Arms:

Weapons training should be organised into schools of combat which reflect the culture from which the charachter derives. Each school should reflect a specific technology level, group of weapons used, and style of fighting.

A charachter should get up to 15% of the maximum possible combat proficiency from the fighting style he is trained in. Thus, a renaissance pikeman will be accustomed to the general condition of fighting with meelee weapons in a large organised unit, and will have an advantage even if he finds himself fighting in a unit in the roman tower-sheild-and-gladius style.

A charachter should get up to 15% of the maximum possible combat proficiency from using a weapon specifically used by his school (or class) of warrior. Thus a modern U.S. soldier will remember to pull the pin and release the safety clip before throwing a grenade even if he has spent his career specialising as a medic.

A charachter should get up to 15% of the maximum possible combat proficiency from a fighting man's general farmilliarity with the wepons of his time and place. Thus, a late medeival Knight will understand the fundamentals of loading and firing a crossbow even though his culture and trining would have forbade him even touching such a "dishonorable" weapon.

These two tiers of combat proficiency should be rolled ONCE at the beginning of each combat given a certain weaponand situation to create a modifier which will apply to all subsequent combat rolls. Parts of this modifier will be re-rolled if the charachter switches weapons. Actual hit/miss or parry/struck rolls will then be made against the weapon skill plus the modifier.

---- Weapons Skills

These should not be determined from a target oriented standpoint (slashing, bashing, etc) but from a user-oriented standpoint (what does the user do to make the weapon kill things).

I reject the basic catetgories of meelee/missile/thrown. A javelin is thrown, but it is a straight-aimed weapon like an arrow or a bullet, rather than a tumbling-trajectory weapon like a bola, sling stone, throwing axe, or boomerang.

My Basic Weapons Classes are as follows, each BWC should account for up to 10% of total combat proficiency:

* Unarmed-
Any style of hand-to-hand combat.

* Meelee Weapon-
Self-explanatory.

* Direct-Fire Missile Weapon-
Includes any weapon with a straight, relatively flat trajectory, includes the abillity to offset ones shot for range and windage.

* Indirect-Fire Missile weapon-
Includes any weapon where the target is within visible range (though not necessarily visible) where the weapon is offset-launched (sling, bola), tumbling (throwing knife or axe, potato-masher grenade), or parabolic trajectory(seige mortar, catapult, grenade launcher).

* Programmable-
Any weapon where the key skill lies in manipulation of the weapon itself. This includes firing a howitzer over the horizon in response to radioed directions, effectively placing and igniting a petard, laying land-mines, launching guided missiles, etc...

Secondary Weapon Skills should be based on the specific actions used in weilding the weapon and should account for 10% of total combat proficiency. The exception being in unarmed combat, where it is assumed that the charachter uses the combat style he knows to the extent of his abillities. With Unarmed combat, secondary, tertiary, and specific skill are pooled into a single 30% tier.

It is in this secondary Weapons Skill tier that you make distinctions between slashing and poking, between firearms and bows, etc...

Tertiary Weapons Skills should be classes of closely related weapons such as "Assault Rifles", "Dueling Swords", "heavy (thrusting)spears", etc. This tier should account for 10% of total combat proficiency.

Specific Weapons Skills should reffer to models of weapons who'se charachteristics are simmillar enough that a member of a specific group in a specific world at a specific time would train to the class (such as "Norman Broad Sword"). This should account for the remaining 10% of total combat proficiency.

Skills at all levels should be acquired on a double-failure advancement standard. Weapon skills should be assigned on a lowest tier, lowest score basis (i.e. First Skill point goes to buy a 1 in general, second to buy a 1 in secondary, untill charachter has a one in every tier, fifth skill point buys a two in general, etc)

The Dice mechanic I envision for this is a pool of d5's ( x d6 - x) with levels as folloows (negative results are treated as zeros, only zero results in all tiers are treated as failures for advancement):

Level: Roll:
1: 1d5-3
2: 1d5-2
3: 1d5-1
4: 1d5
5: 2d5-3
etc... To a maximum of level 8 for 10% tiers and 12 for 15% tiers...

I am not sure what this would look like statistically, but I hope it would result in a series of broadening bell-curves where the chance of critical failure (zero) is retained and stays relatively common at all levels.

I) Skills:
A) Melee
1) Offensive
a) Specific Skill (Slash, Thrust, Etc)
2) Defensive
a) Specific Skill (Parry, Dodge, etc)
B) Range
1) Shooting
a) Specific Skill (Upshot, Straight Shot, etc)
2) Throwing
a) Specific Skill (Discus Type throwing, Javalin type Throwing, etc)

II) Weaponry:
A) Name of Weapon
B) Class Type (Sword, Axe, Polearm, Crossbow, etc)
1) Specific Weapon
C) Weapon Attributes
1) Strength
2) Accuracy
3) Durability
4) Size
5) Range
6) Uses
a) Specific Skills it can be used with (Upshot, Thrust, Etc)
b) Modifications to Specific Skills.
7) Amplification (Increase in benefits when skill in weapon increases.
Axes my increase Damage, or Bows Accuracy. This
Also applies to Skill bonuses, or how being good at
a weapon will increase skill.)

III) Characters
1) Characters will get MODs to both Skills and Weaponry
2) Weaponry effects the Skills that they can use.


Ta-Da. Now for an Example.

Orion is a very odd warrior. He enjoys using extremely specific melee skills, along with a variety of longer range skills. Orion has some specialties in specific weapons as well

Skills:
+1 to Melee Defensive Skills
+1 to Stab (Total +1)
-1 to Slash
+1 to Parry (Total +2)

+2 Ranged Skills
+1 to Spreader Shot (Total +3) (Several Projectiles, Multiple directions)
+1 to Volley Shot (Total +3)
-1 to Straight Shot (Total +1)

Weaponry:
+1 to Daggers
+2 to Bows


Archiac Backhand Dagger:
Strength: +0
Accuracy: +1
Durability: 5
Size: Small; Easily Accesible
Range: Melee; Throwing Range.

Uses: Can be used for all Non-Cleaving type Melee Moves. (And whatever skills)
Base 0 Skill Level:
+1 to Stab
-4 to all Throwing Range Skills.

Amplification:
+1 to Stab Per Skill Level
+1 to Slash Per 5 Skill Levels
+1 to Thrust Per 3 Skill Levels
+1 to Parry Per 2 Skill Levels

Double-Bow:
Strength: +1
Accuracy: -1
Durability: 3
Size: Small; Must be Prepared.
Range: Shooting Range.

Uses: Can be used for all Range Attacks, and Point-blank, but not other Melee Skills.

Base 0 Skill Level:
+1 to Spreader Shot
-1 to Far-Reach Shot.

Amplification:
+1 to Straight Shot Per Level
+2 to Spreader Shot Per 3 Levels



Now, you add up all the bonuses from various areas, multiply his skill by the Amplification Values, and you have a complete Character. I personally like this system that you guys inspired me to write hehehe. :D Enjoy, hope I was helpful.


Edit: Now that I think of it, this is a more simple system than Speed & Spirit's weapon system (My RPG) But...I'm gonna Steal it (Hey I have a right, I just made it :D). Anyways, see ya.

What do you define as the differance between a thrust and stab?

JW

The part of the body focused in the attack.

Stab is generally more of an arm swing motion, as a thrust is more of a push from the chest or stomach outwards. Plus the orientation of the hands on the hilt would be different.

I guess a thrust is a subset of a stab? But I differentiate between them.

Ok in agreement there. As would define it a stab is something you would likely do with a short bladed weapon, as a knife. A thrust is something done with a sword.

Just wondering on your definition.

JW