The current rules for Maneuvers have a blind spot. As is, the only people that can buy Maneuvers are double masters; they have to not only be masters of their chosen combat form (Firearms, Melee, Brawl) but also have to be a master of a specialized school or weapon (Shotgun, Knife, Hard Martial Arts) before they can do anything other than throw a punch or pull a trigger.
The problem is that almost any scrapper worth their salt knows at least one dirty trick and probably more. That said, few go beyond one or two tricks without serious training and dedication.
-
Here's what I'm proposing:
Let every character have a number of Maneuver Limitations equal to their rank in the combat field it falls under.
So a character with a two in Brawl could have Flying Kick (2 Limitations) or Break Grapple and Block Blade (1 Limitation each).
-
It'd allow characters to learn either a handful of lesser Maneuvers or save up for one large one. In the case of Firearms and Melee, it'd allow a character to pick up one or two useful Maneuvers with weapons that aren't their primary focus, allowing them to be more flexible without having to specialize in a completely new weapon. It would also allow character's that aren't primarily combatants to pick up a trick or two.
There are drawbacks of course. NPCs would become a bit more formidable as they could now have the same early access to dirty tricks, not to mention having to revise a great many of the prerequisites for the listed Maneuvers, but on the whole I think it's a good idea.