[CONAN] Grapple and Armor Check Penalty

Shouldn't the Armor Check Penalty be applied to Grapple checks?

After a foe is grappled, he may attempt to break from that grapple using either an opposed grapple check or rolling his Escape Artist skill vs. his opponent's grapple check.

The Escape Arstist skill is modified by the Armor Check Penalty.

Doesn't it make sense that the Grapple check should also be modified by the Armor Check Penalty?
 
My trouble is two-fold. First, the definition of grappling. My book (Conan RPG 2E) says that grapple covers "All forms of offensive holding, including the ancient art of wrestling, are considered actions of the grapple type."

If you are wrestling, you certainly are wiggling around a bit, trying to grip your opponent, lay him down, put him in a hold.

That implies STR and DEX to me.

And, then, if someone grapples with you, you can escape from that grapple by either rolling a grapple check (which is STR based) or using yur Escape Artist skill, which is DEX based.

If you use the Escape Artist skill, you are penalized with the Armor Check Penalty. The rules read that, if you use the grapple check, you are not penalized with the ACP.

It seems a little strange to me that one is penalized with the ACP and one isn't.




But...

I think I can see the difference, though. With the grapple check, you're attempting to use your brute strength to break out of your opponent's hold. With the Escape Artist skill, you may be wiry little mook, weak, but able to worm your way out of holds.
 
It does make sense, when I did jiu-jutsu the ideal was to use skill (dex) to escape holds, manipulate your apponent, etc.
When you weren't as skilled, you could use your brute strength; we jokingly called it Strength-Fu.

Think of the wiry guy Royce Gracie beating the muscle-bound mooks in the early 1990s when MMA was in its infancy.
 
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