Ishmayl
First Post
Here's a system I've been working on with a friend of mine that completely, 100%, gets rid of hit points.
I've been thinking about ways to represent combat without simply charting the accumulation of wounds or fatigue, or any other demerits. I'm disillusioned with the idea of hit points and similar metrics. I don't want to race my enemy to see who can chip away at each other's health bubbles the fastest.
I want combat to swing wildly and unpredictably, and I want everybody involved in the game to have more say in the description of exactly how it goes down.
Here's the basic deal. Forget wounds and all that stuff. We're going to cut right to the chase: determining who has the upper hand.
I am imagining a fight system with a graduated scale of degrees of advantage. Opponents might be evenly matched, or one might have a slight advantage over the other, or even a major advantage or an overwhelming advantage, depending on just how out of balance things are. Anything more than an overwhelming advantage, and your opponent is at your mercy; you've won the battle.
The neat thing (to me!) is that we don't even have to involve wounds and injury in this at all, because we can define "advantage" however the hell we want to.
Advantage might include:
- having the high ground
- instilling fear in your opponent
- having superior inspiration (seeing a mentor struck down, whatever)
- drawing first blood
- the benefit of some kind of favorable circumstances
- being a stronger or better-experienced combatant
- having a better weapon/magic/kung-fu/etc.
- other
Disadvantage might include:
- your hands are tied up
- your are tired!
- you have been grazed by a minor wound
- a hex is upon you
- you have been thrown momentarily off-balance or forced into an unfavorable stance
- your will to fight has been shaken
- you are prone and your opponent has you at swordpoint
- two dozen archers are standing on the rooftop and have arrows pointed at you
- your enemy has your elderly granny as a hostage
- you have been disarmed/run out of ammo/mistaken your sword for a banana/etc.
-other
So this system can deal with straight up fights with lots of bloodletting or none at all, with magical duels or contests of superpowers, or with all sorts of situations. It can even be suitable for a kid-friendly game with no blood at all, if the descriptions are handled with that in mind.
Winning means you get to dictate how the conflict ends. It may mean that you capture your opponent, or that you kill him. But it may also mean that you convince him to agree to your demands ("Please stop destroying the city now!"), that you leave him with a scar and a dose of humiliation, or that you simply escape.
I guess I will try to make up some kind of examples, since maybe that will help me figure out what the heck I am saying.
I've been thinking about ways to represent combat without simply charting the accumulation of wounds or fatigue, or any other demerits. I'm disillusioned with the idea of hit points and similar metrics. I don't want to race my enemy to see who can chip away at each other's health bubbles the fastest.
I want combat to swing wildly and unpredictably, and I want everybody involved in the game to have more say in the description of exactly how it goes down.
Here's the basic deal. Forget wounds and all that stuff. We're going to cut right to the chase: determining who has the upper hand.
I am imagining a fight system with a graduated scale of degrees of advantage. Opponents might be evenly matched, or one might have a slight advantage over the other, or even a major advantage or an overwhelming advantage, depending on just how out of balance things are. Anything more than an overwhelming advantage, and your opponent is at your mercy; you've won the battle.
Victory <---> Overwhelming <---> Major <---> Slight <---> Evenly Matched <---> Slight <---> Major <---> Overwhelming <---> Victory
The neat thing (to me!) is that we don't even have to involve wounds and injury in this at all, because we can define "advantage" however the hell we want to.
Advantage might include:
- having the high ground
- instilling fear in your opponent
- having superior inspiration (seeing a mentor struck down, whatever)
- drawing first blood
- the benefit of some kind of favorable circumstances
- being a stronger or better-experienced combatant
- having a better weapon/magic/kung-fu/etc.
- other
Disadvantage might include:
- your hands are tied up
- your are tired!
- you have been grazed by a minor wound
- a hex is upon you
- you have been thrown momentarily off-balance or forced into an unfavorable stance
- your will to fight has been shaken
- you are prone and your opponent has you at swordpoint
- two dozen archers are standing on the rooftop and have arrows pointed at you
- your enemy has your elderly granny as a hostage
- you have been disarmed/run out of ammo/mistaken your sword for a banana/etc.
-other
So this system can deal with straight up fights with lots of bloodletting or none at all, with magical duels or contests of superpowers, or with all sorts of situations. It can even be suitable for a kid-friendly game with no blood at all, if the descriptions are handled with that in mind.
Winning means you get to dictate how the conflict ends. It may mean that you capture your opponent, or that you kill him. But it may also mean that you convince him to agree to your demands ("Please stop destroying the city now!"), that you leave him with a scar and a dose of humiliation, or that you simply escape.
I guess I will try to make up some kind of examples, since maybe that will help me figure out what the heck I am saying.
Last edited: