I like the joke, of course, and I try to remain true to the spirit of it when describing physical things in the BrikVerse, whether in fiction, on the Wiki, or to friends. Just the other day I made a joke about minifig physicality to Silver when I told him that his women were just as thick as his men. But, cute as the joke is, my brain has always balked at it. There are plenty of real world fighting styles were a clawed hand can do a shitload of damage. Granted, not many (if any) martial arts are particularly suited to War but not all BrikWars battles have to be undertaken on such a scale or theme. I can also imagine two fisted heroes going back a long way in the LEGO themes but there are several, more recent, reasons why its become more difficult for me to not consider the idea.BrikWars 2010 wrote:Minifigs lack the ability to clench their clawlike hands into fists, and the limited range of minifig leg motion means that the groins of their enemies will never be exposed to their nonexistent knees. As a result, unarmed combat between minifigs is an almost complete waste of time. The only really worthwhile use for Bare Hands is in grabbing someone else's dropped weapon.
Bare Hands cannot be used to Attack or Parry. If a minifig has one hand free, he can use it to Grab his opponent, for the sake of hitting him with the weapon in his other hand. If both hands are empty, then he can use both of them to Shove his opponent 2" away, in an attempt to get away from the real warriors who remembered to come armed (5.2: Close Combat).
First, there are the Traveler's Tales Lego games. Hard to watch Batman or Indiana Jones in action and not see how clawlike fists can be clenched to do some ridiculous damage.
Following that are the Marvel and DC lineups. Superheroes are always bashing one another in the faces.
Completing that minifig concept, there is the Collectible Minifigure Series. Boxer, Martial Artist, Sumo Wrestler. I think there's a Luchador. And so on.
Then, we have stuff like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdnWd0hHE-E
And, even though his more modern stuff is way better, I'm pretty much sold on the idea.
My thoughts turn to Star Wars and Trek regular and expanded universes. Star Wars had all kinds of kickass species specific martial arts styles, suited to the particular physiologies of the alien races, like the Wookie martial art form. Trek had things like the efficient, faction specific Starfleet Martial Art. Anyway, I can see minifigs adopting a fighting style (or styles) that would suit their blocky form and clawed hands.
For those interested, what are some thoughts on how to proceed?