Newbie questions - Aim and Feint

I've just purchased N.E.W. and am familiarising myself with it in advance of planning a campaign. I'm still getting to grips with it, and will probably have more questions, but for now, one thing I found myself wondering about is the Aim and Feint exploits.

1. How often do these come up in practice during combat? I haven't actually run any battles yet, but it feels like that extra 1d6 would be a poor trade-off for an action in most circumstances. Unless you're at very severe combat penalties, wouldn't it be more beneficial in most cases to simply attack twice? Are there any exploits whose benefits trigger off having used Aim or Feint?

2. Their presence as universal exploits that everybody chooses one of regardless of character build seems like an odd way to incorporate them. Since most characters will tend towards using the mode of attack they're most proficient with in any case, wouldn't it be simpler to just make Aim and Feint specific combat actions that anyone can do, rather than exploits?

1. My players use them a *lot*. Especially if they're having trouble hitting something. I'd say most people use them at least once every other round, some more often. With easy to hit enemies, it's better to attack twice; with harder to hit enemies, it's better to get what bonuses you can from position and aiming.

2. Is that a question or a statement?

Morrus said:

1. My players use them a *lot*. Especially if they're having trouble hitting something. I'd say most people use them at least once every other round, some more often. With easy to hit enemies, it's better to attack twice; with harder to hit enemies, it's better to get what bonuses you can from position and aiming.

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Thanks, I'll see how it works out in play. My first impression was based on the raw dice pools, but I can see how things like cover penalties could make a big difference.

2. Is that a question or a statement?

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Just checking for potential pitfalls. I'm wary of tweaking a system before I've had a chance to get used to it, but I'm also trying to make sure my players aren't overwhelmed with options during their first exposure to an unfamiliar ruleset. Moving Aim and Feint from character sheets into general combat rules was one thing I was considering to help with that.

I think that’s such a trivial change that I can’t see how it would break anything. Go for it!

The reason it’s like it is is because - for better or worse - players tend to use abilities they’ve specifically chosen and often overlook default combat actions.