A weapon is harder to defend against if unarmed. They have had progressive penalizations introduced to reflect this.
Basic Set p377 there is -3 to parry swinging weapons unless doing judo or karate parries.
GURPS Martial Arts p124 all weapons are -3 to parry. Failure by 3 or less causes attack to hit parrying limb instead of original target. Judo and Karate ignore this rule in close combat with rigid crushing weapons.
Also introduced low line parry, -2 to parry attacks on legs or feet. Parries with kegs or feet (123) ignore this.
Technical Grappling p42 parrying swung attacks inflicts half damage to parrying limb, minus degree of success
Good vs Bad weapons[]
There are objective concepts that determine how good or bad a weapon. The more of these a weapons checks the better it is objectively. 1) Damage potential 2) Ease of Use 3) Surface area (of Effect): Energy input to damage output 4) Reach, speed, versatility 5) Defense Capacity and Safety 6) Durability
quotes[]
Kromm in March 2009 http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.php?p=755088&postcount=8
- "melee weapon" as a term of art is frequently taken to encompass natural weaponry. This is why punches, kicks, teeth, and strikers appear on the Melee Weapon Table (p. B271), and why Melee Attacks (p. B369) states, "You can make a melee attack using any ready melee weapon (including a natural weapon such as a kick, bite, or punch) . . .". That is the sense intended here, anyway. We're using "weapon" in the way that unarmed strikers often speak of knees, elbows, fists, and feet as "weapons."
See also[]
http://gurpswiki.wikidot.com/ind:weapon-options-alphabetical