HI new to the Open Legend RPG rules. I have an observation about Unarmed attacxk. If I’m understanding the RUles as written, an Unarmed attack is a one handed melee weapon. This means that a character with no weapons, or as character wielding just one weapon can take advantage of the Two Weapon attack bonus if they have a free hand > Unarmed characters can d jus as much damage as armed characters without using up one of their 20 items for encumbrance purposes, have an Advantage 2 to Initiative from the Unarmed attack’s Swift property, and still hit just as hard as if they were wielding a weapon.
I am neither a fan of how unarmed combat works, and I more problems with it than you noticed, so here is how I handle it in the games I GM:
Characters that haven’t explicit training or any experience from their background in hand to hand combat, simply don’t benefit from these advantages that you’ve just listed. They can still strike someone using their fists (or kicks or whatever), they just lack the training to do so in a way that would be as efficient as attacking with a weapon.
I have yet to see a game where this is even remotely an issue. The 20 items are just important items to track. Also it isn’t really for encumbrance as much as it is to point out the need to only track that which is important instead of every little thing.
The argument that an unarmed strike does as much damage as any other weapon is… not the best to use, as that can be said about ANY weapon vs ANY weapon.
When you are rolling your Action Roll to attack, this is a roll of how well you use the weapon/item, and is not representative of the weapon/item itself.
I posted an alternative awhile back to address some of the concern that @VanGo mentioned above, as well as the concern about disarming someone (though disarming isn’t about making them “unable” to attack, but rather to remove a particularily deadly weapon or item from a person’s hand, or ranged attackers) and they can just attack “anyways”.
I haven’t looked at it in awhile, and it might need work, but the basic premise in the first post I think still stands well. Basically further expounding on the “lack of training” idea:
Think of the ADV1 bonus from melee attacks as a balance for the fact that you put yourself in harms way. That’s why it exists, as a counterpoint to ADV0 for ranged attacks.
If you characters are getting into the mess of things with their bare fists then more power to them! No harm, no foul.