Star Wars The Force Awakens

[ArtemisVale]

Isn't the guard about as much about protecting your own arm from the blade? So if you aren't careful with that thing you could slice your own hand off!

True but that's an issue with any lightsaber blade. You would need a lot of training to be able to not hurt yourself so the gaurd blades wouldn't be any different.

[R.E.H.W.R.]

I really can't see how you can have feints in a fighting technique used by people who are specifically able to predict the actions of their opponent in a fight.

That's supposing that they can always do it all the time.

(If they can't, then how would Darth Vader have been able to block Han's blaster shot?  And there are direct mentions that Force users can react to events before they happen, giving them a dominating edge over a non-user in almost any fight.)

No said that they can't.
Then, how did Grevious take out so many Jedi while having no use of the Force?

[R.E.H.W.R.]

True but that's an issue with any lightsaber blade. You would need a lot of training to be able to not hurt yourself so the gaurd blades wouldn't be any different.

Messing with my longsword, its unlikely to cut your arms with it. Unless you are being a complete idiot. My arms never came into with the cross guard. Your chest is a different matter entirely.

[R.E.H.W.R.]

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[MrBogosity]

True but that's an issue with any lightsaber blade. You would need a lot of training to be able to not hurt yourself so the gaurd blades wouldn't be any different.

Not really, because in this case just holding the lightsaber at 90 degrees puts you REALLY close to the hilt! At best, it would severely limit the moves you could make with it.

[evensgrey]

Isn't the guard about as much about protecting your own arm from the blade? So if you aren't careful with that thing you could slice your own hand off!

At least one pencil-and-paper Star Wars RPG had a mechanic to specifically reflect this problem with lightsabres.

The long out of print game from West End Games used 6-sided dice, and in each roll one had to be different, and was called the 'wild die'. Rolling a 1 on the wild die meant something really bad happened.  With a lightsabre in the hand of a character who didn't know how to use it, this could mean lopping of one of your own limbs.  Or your head.  (It was pretty much there as a game balance thing, otherwise lightsabres would be much too powerful.in the hands of non-Force Users.)

[ArtemisVale]

At least one pencil-and-paper Star Wars RPG had a mechanic to specifically reflect this problem with lightsabres.

The long out of print game from West End Games used 6-sided dice, and in each roll one had to be different, and was called the 'wild die'. Rolling a 1 on the wild die meant something really bad happened.  With a lightsabre in the hand of a character who didn't know how to use it, this could mean lopping of one of your own limbs.  Or your head.  (It was pretty much there as a game balance thing, otherwise lightsabres would be much too powerful.in the hands of non-Force Users.)

Ooooh we should have a star wars game : D Although if we can I'd rather use the AIR system since its more cinematic and easier for people to learn.

[Lord T Hawkeye]

As Skallagrim pointed out, lightsaber resistant materials do exist in the Star Wars universe so really, why not just make a guard out of those?  Problem solved.

[MrBogosity]

On a semi-related note, it's easy to see why the Jedi don't have Marines...

[R.E.H.W.R.]

Not really, because in this case just holding the lightsaber at 90 degrees puts you REALLY close to the hilt! At best, it would severely limit the moves you could make with it.

No, it doesn't.
I dare you to find someone who has hurt themselves with a longsword guard.
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[MrBogosity]

I dare you to find someone who has hurt themselves with a longsword guard.

Longsword guards generally aren't made of superheated plasma capable of immediately severing and cauterizing limbs.

[R.E.H.W.R.]

Longsword guards generally aren't made of superheated plasma capable of immediately severing and cauterizing limbs.

What does that have to do with anything?
Unless you are a complete idiot, you are not going to harm your arms with the cross guard.
I have been sparring with longswords for over a year now, I have never hit my arms with my own crossguard.
It just doesn't happen.

[tnu]

the price of admisson is too high they already $#$#$#$# the Expanded Universe so I really can't bring myself to bother with their "New direction"

[evensgrey]

Then, how did Grevious take out so many Jedi while having no use of the Force?

It might have had SOMETHING to do with Grievous having four arms, each with a weapon, and most jedi having only one or two weapons.  We certainly saw enough jedi gunned down by masses of droid soldiers (which Grievous had under his command) in the previous movie.  (He was only taking the lightsabres of jedi he killed in single combat as trophies, but he may have had others from jedi killed by the droids.)

[R.E.H.W.R.]

It might have had SOMETHING to do with Grievous having four arms, each with a weapon, and most jedi having only one or two weapons.  We certainly saw enough jedi gunned down by masses of droid soldiers (which Grievous had under his command) in the previous movie.  (He was only taking the lightsabres of jedi he killed in single combat as trophies, but he may have had others from jedi killed by the droids.)

If they can always predict where he is going to strike, it shouldn't matter.
So, its stands to reason that they can't always do it. Which means feints are still a valid tactic.