Running combat in an online game

[Mighty Halfling]

Online Game Mechanic

I feel your pain. I ran an online game that died in the MIDDLE of a combat. I specifically think that it died because the combat took so long.
Needless to say, I spent a little time yesterday trying to figure out how to speed up combat.
In particular, I thought about how movies and television portray combat. These combats usually only involve one hit, whether it be a knife into the heart, the snap of a neck or single bullet hit. Whether these hits result in death or unconsciousness is unknown.
This model, I think, could really help an online game zip through combat. Mind you it hasn't been playtested since I thought it up yesterday.
Here's what I came up with:

Damage Saves
Once a successful hit is determined, follow this to tabulate the effect.
The basic formula: Character Side (1d20 + Effective Character Level + Fortitude Bonus + Wound Modifier) vs. Damage Side (10 + damage inflicted in one hit).
Results: If the Character Side total is higher than the Damage Side, then the character continues to act as normal, except a penalty vs. further Damage Saves. If the Damage Side is higher than the Character Side, the character collapses into unconsciousness.
Wound modifier: For each successful hit after the first, the character has a -1 to his Character Side total.
Healing: An wounded person heals one wound modifier plus his character level per 8 hours of rest.
Magical healing: Cure Light Wounds removes one "-1" wound modifier. A Cure Serious Wounds removes two "-1s". A Cure Serious Wounds removes four. A Cure Critical Removes eight.
Unconsciousness: Attacking an unconscious person can kill them. To determine whether they are killed, a successful "to hit" roll must be made. Once that's determined, use this formula for damage: Character Side (Effective Character Level + Fortitude Bonus + Wound Modifier) vs. Damage Side (as above).
Regaining consciousness: An unconscious person becomes conscious according to this formula: 1 + wound modifier = Number of hours until reviving.
Experience: Rendering a person unconscious means they are defeated. Full experience should be awarded.
Minor Neccesary Adjustments: Hit Point rolls removed. Magic Missile strikes are counted as one hit. Raging Barbarians can't die if they fall unconscious and their Rage stops. Toughness permanently adds to +3 to Character Side total. (additions welcome.)

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So essentially what I'm doing is eliminating hit points and providing the chance that a character can knock a person out with one hit.
Your thoughts?

 

[Mighty Halfling]

=== bump ===
Still hoping for some feedback

 

[Pinotage]

=== bump ===
Still hoping for some feedback

I'd prefer to stick to the normal d20 combat rules. I've never had a problem running them in my online games over the past 4 years. While your system would certainly work, it sounds a bit complicated to my small brain. Or maybe I'm jsut used to running the standard system of attack and damage.

Pinotage

 

[Yair]

=== bump ===
Still hoping for some feedback

I would prefer a save against damage, a la Blue Rose or the Unearthed Arcana variants. These are more complex mechanics than hp, of course. I'm not sure which I like more.

I've always wanted to treat hp in my games as a metagame issue, a sort of Karma. Thus getting dropped by a few hp does not represent any wound at all, although it may represent a bit of it. Only getting to 0 or negative hps means you actually got hurt, until then you're fine.
The problem with such things is that it doesn't quite work this way all the time. It also makes descriptions that much more difficult - how am I supposed to indicate a character is close to dying, or hardly hurt, or whatever? And so on.
The solution I adopted recently was to treat the injuries as I would for a commoner, but make the characters all but impervious to harm in a cartoon or superhero way. We are simply not playing human beings.

As for the actual topic of the thread, I'd stick to D&D rules and have the characters either post their rolls or the DM make them. Be ready to decide non-responsive or unclear characters' actions for them, and be quick and resolute on how fast to go. I'd recommend a round every two days, regardless of how many characters posted. Those that didn't post get to do what the DM thinks they're likely to do.
I don't see how pre-rolling the dice aids to speed up the game beyond helping the DM out a bit (not much, there are still so many variables and circumstances).

 

[Thanee]

I especially do not see what this has to do with running a combat in an online game. How is that simpler and easier than applying damage to hit points?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Mighty Halfling]

I especially do not see what this has to do with running a combat in an online game. How is that simpler and easier than applying damage to hit points?

As I said in my post , I think the problem with online games are that combat takes way too long. The above system could help speed up combat because it could cause an opponent to drop with one hit. With such a system, combat speeds up and doesn't bog down an online game.

So, how do you get that "crunchy" feel of combat online, without taking days or weeks to resolve what should be a simple fight? I don't want people to feel like I'm really controlling their characters, but if combat ends up taking a long time to resolve, then I'm afraid it won't be fun for me either.

The above quote was what I was responding to. I figured that could help Palskane with an alternative to long online combats.

 

[Thanee]

Ah, ok. So basically you just want to make combat deadlier and hence quicker. I see.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Thanee]

BTW, just as a sidenote:

Experience: Rendering a person unconscious means they are defeated. Full experience should be awarded.

You don't need to state that, that's fully within the normal experience rules. Also an opponent that flees or surrenders is defeated and worth full XP. Defeated =| dead.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Palskane]

Hmmm... though I do see the advantages to your system, Mighty Halfling, I'll probably just stick to the normal way of inflicting and recording damage. The reason I'll do that I so I can describe the combat in great detail, every hit and possible scar. I think the combat is more dynamic that way. However, I do want to thank you for your input.

Janx, irony.com had a lot of great stuff, and I am using their map system. It is simple, lightweight, usy to use and perfect for my game.

Thank you, one and all for your input and suggestions. You were a great help.

 

[Barak]

I play in a game in which things go pretty much the way Thanee described. And the map is from Irony, and it works darn fine, best combats I ever had on-line.