Attack Sequences - Further considerations for cinematic fantasy combat

[Alexander Kalinowski]

Comparison of cinematic combat with RPG combat rules, part 2
(Part 1: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...any-quot-combat-mechanics-to-cinematic-combat)

SPOILER ALERT: Potential spoilers for Game of Thrones (season 4), Conan the Barbarian, Lord of the Rings or Prince of Thieves below.
DISCLAIMER: The following considerations assume traditional RPGs with round length of about 3 to 6 seconds. The thrust of these considerations is to give these games a cinematic feel. For more narrative games, the below probably applies more to the content of narration rather than mechanics.

The de facto standard in traditional RPGs of more or less alternating attacks (first I attack you this round and then you get to strike back at me, if you still can) essentially isn't viable if held against various fight scenes:

[video=youtube;-qX_KSlRHx8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qX_KSlRHx8[/video]

In the above scene from game of Thrones, Brienne is caught completely on her backfoot for the first 45(!) seconds, except for a brief counterattack (punch to the face of the Hound). Only after that, she takes over command on the flow of battle and Sandor Clegane looks really vulnerable.

After the Hound grabs her blade, a wild brawl begins, in which, again, the Hound initially dictates the fight - before the momentum of combat swings back again and Brienne defeats him after a entire series of hits.



Such sequential attacks, during which one side is driven by the opposing side - sometimes for more than 1 round (~5 seconds), are by no means an exception in cinematic combat. Another case comes from Conan the Barbarian; take note of how long the momentum of combat lingers on one side at times and how it changes back and forth at others:

[video=youtube;a4cCvj0G3zU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4cCvj0G3zU[/video]


An extreme case is Eowyn versus the Witch-King of Angmar:

[video=youtube;dQ_-rmuPZC4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ_-rmuPZC4[/video]


And finally an example from Prince of Thieves. What's noteworthy here is how the Sheriff drives back Robin Hood from 0:37 onwards. Only at 0:53(!) can Robin Hood really recapture the initiative in battle:

[video=youtube;qdeikSfar9o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdeikSfar9o[/video]


Note: None of the above is meant to suggest that there cannot be a back-and-forth in trad games with 5 second rounds. But a cinematic combat system probably should enable sequences of attacks OVER MULTIPLE ROUNDS in which the defender has no opportunity to do anything but fight for his life - except for looking for an opening for a deadly counterattack. Because he's being driven and under pressure from the weight of enemy attacks.

And while the examples above probably give some leeway in interpretation ("Couldn't this be interpreted as an attack by the defender as well?"), the question to ask here, if you really want to capture and recreate the OVERALL FLOW of battle, is whether facilitating sequenced attacks isn't the way to go in cinematic combat rules?

 

[S'mon]

I find systems that impose stun and dazed type effects can create this sort of momentum. Seen it in duels in 4e and 5e.

Generally designs suitable for cinematic duelling will have major problems with one vs many combat or vice versa, though. Too easy to eg stun lock the bbeg.

 

[Alexander Kalinowski]

Yeah and here's where constricting the number of attackers can really help! (As an aside, it also helps stabilize the game from a balance perspective - many times, across various systems, I have run a pregen scenario in which the author simply underestimated how great of an advantage the weight of numbers of the PCs against the powerful but lone BBEG was. And the other way around, constricting the number of attackers helps PCs cut their path through swaths of NPC mooks as they struggle to mount an effective, coordinated offense.)

But if we look closely, then Stun and Daze certainly do exist in cinematic combat but are separate combat situations from being threatened by a hail of attacks, driven to defend yourself second-for-second. Stun and Daze are rather situations you seek to create as an attacker because they represent a potential but brief opening in the defender's coverage.