Help Wanted - Fans of Combat Mechanics

[Sam Crow]

Hi everyone. I introduced myself over here and asked if this forum is a good place to start a thread to get some help reviewing the very beginnings of a proposed melee combat system I've been working on.

If you're a fan of realistic, harsh combat systems such those in Riddle of Steel, Song of Swords, and the like - or if you're one of those guys like me who paused a hundred times and ran a frame-by-frame of the battle with the bandits in Black Death - then you might be willing to help me get some fresh eyes on this system.

Edit - I've changed a lot of the front-end information based on feedback given. I appreciate that feedback and hope to keep it coming as I refine this idea and try to communicate it more clearly.​

 

[Sam Crow]

Table of Contents​

1. Overview​
2. Core Mechanic​
3. Beginning Combat​
4. Attacking - Offensive Posture​
5. Attacking - Engagements​
6. Attacking - Momentum
7. Attacking - Commitments
8. Defending - Defensive Posture

The Conceptual Summary used to be here but it was dense and confusing so, for now, I'm removing it until I have everything worked out. The Mechanical Summary below is probably even more dense and confusing but I need to leave it for now. I think when I have all the sections written out clearly and concisely, I'll be able to clean up the Mechanical Summary quite a bit.

Each post in the Table of Contents should have a description, an example, and a notes section where I'll put some random thoughts on the ideas behind the mechanic described in the post.​

 

[Sam Crow]

Overview

This proposed combat system offers a unique experience to connoisseurs of battle by capturing the story of every combat frame-by-frame. Each engagement, strike, parry, counterstrike, block, dodge, and other technique is resolved quickly and logically through a single mechanic.

Breaking combat down to this depth means that every maneuver which is assumed in other systems is tested in this one. Each engagement springs naturally from the last, building tension as one opponent comes closer to victory and the other to defeat. One tactical mistake can turn the tide at the literal flip of a coin. Parry when you should have blocked and you can lose an arm. Strike when you should have parried and you can lose your life. Fights in this system are quite deadly, and require risk management and strategic intelligence.

This isn't for everyone. While each frame of battle is resolved with a single mechanic - and, therefore, goes faster than other comparable systems - there are simply more frames in this system. Therefore, the whole combat will take longer. If you prefer fighting wave after wave of enemies in a single session, you may not like this system. Within it, every combat takes center-stage and a single encounter is designed to be dramatic enough that it becomes a story within a story.

As a consequence, however, gamemasters need not generate endless encounters to keep their players' attention. In most compelling compelling stories, there are usually few violent encounters. But those encounters are highly dramatic and have a big impact on the larger story.

Moreover, gamemasters need not make up descriptive fillers in this system. Here, if the gamemaster announces Your relentless onslaught drives your enemy back to the edge of the wall only to have him parry and counterstrike at the last moment! it's because that actually happened in the game. The battles here tell the story of themselves, leaving the gamemaster to translate them to the players in his or her own style.

Finally, this system recognizes that a combat is actually a composition of many small competitions of strength and skill that must be resolved before a combatant is prepared to actually wound his enemy. This system captures and celebrates those competitions; positioning, timing, energy management, and momentum are all brought out in consequential color. As a result, the varying abilities of each character in this system come to the fore and no two opponents will ever be exactly the same.

Continue to Core Mechanic or return to the Table of Contents.​

 

[Sam Crow]

I've removed the Mechanical Summary because it was too dense and convoluted. I hope to circle back to it later once I have everything worked out.

 

[aramis erak]

You've gotten so jargon heavy that I couldn't follow.

 

[Bilharzia]

 

[Sam Crow]

You've gotten so jargon heavy that I couldn't follow.

Ah, I appreciate that. I feel like I can't have both the game speed and complexity without front loading a bunch of jargon.

I think I can clear it up a bit for now at least. Let me try with an example. I’ll try to touch on all the mechanics above.

Suppose you have two fighters, Al and Bob. For now, we’ll say they have roughly the same skill level and are equipped with roughly the same arms and armor. They want to fight each other and each is ready to fight. Here’s generally how that would go.

Whomever has the higher skill with his weapon goes first. If they are tied, flip a coin. Let’s say Al wins.

Al decides to attack. Therefore he drops into offensive posture and Bob drops into defensive posture.

Al engages and Bob blocks with his shield. Al wins the exchange, building momentum and forcing Bob back, not gambling on a strike but instead overcoming Bob's defenses.

Al presses the attack, trying to build his momentum. However, Bob parries in a successful exchange, ending Al’s momentum, and counterattacks.

Unable to parry because he is exposed, Al manages to evade Bob’s counterattack successfully but, his exertions having caught up with him a little bit, stays on the defensive.

Bob continues to engage, building his own momentum in a series of exchanges until he sees an opening. Seizing the opportunity, he commits to a strike, piercing Al’s defenses and landing a blow.

That’s pretty much the flow of things. I think this system allows resolution of all of the above very quickly once we get past all the terms.​

 

[Bilharzia]

There is not a single thing about anything that you have written here which makes any sense. I recommend you speak to a friend about this and work out what you are trying to say.

 

[Sam Crow]

There is not a single thing about anything that you have written here which makes any sense. I recommend you speak to a friend about this and work out what you are trying to say.

Yikes. As in it seems like crazy ramblings? Even the example right above? I felt like that flows pretty logically.

 

[Helpful NPC Thom]

I'm going to echo the critiques espoused thus far: your text is lengthy and rife with jargon. It is exceedingly unfriendly to anyone trying to learn the system. Compare it to a very simplistic description of mechanics:

Attack Rolls​

When you make an attack, your attack roll determines whether the attack hits or misses. To make an attack roll, roll a d20 and add the appropriate modifiers. If the total of the roll plus modifiers equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. The AC of a character is determined at character creation, whereas the AC of a monster is in its stat block.

Modifiers to the Roll​

When a character makes an attack roll, the two most common modifiers to the roll are an ability modifier and the character's proficiency bonus. When a monster makes an attack roll, it uses whatever modifier is provided in its stat block.

Ability Modifier. The ability modifier used for a melee weapon attack is Strength, and the ability modifier used for a ranged weapon attack is Dexterity. Weapons that have the finesse or thrown property break this rule.

Some spells also require an attack roll. The ability modifier used for a spell attack depends on the spellcasting ability of the spellcaster.

Proficiency Bonus. You add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll when you attack using a weapon with which you have proficiency, as well as when you attack with a spell.

I'd be even inclined to Strunk and White this down further.

When you make a melee attack roll, roll 1d20 + your Strength bonus + your proficiency bonus vs. your target's AC. If you meet or exceed the AC, you roll for damage.

Contrast that with your own text:

A commitment (also called a strike) is an attempt by an attacker to actually hit a target on a defender’s body. A commitment is made using any and all accumulated momentum to add coins to an attacker’s strike and thereby increase his chance of success. Thus, a commitment does not build momentum but, rather, costs momentum.

An unsuccessful commitment leaves an attacker exposed in the next instant. An exposed combatant is unable to perform any offensive or defensive maneuvers. Therefore, a commitment must be undertaken with caution and timing. A successful commitment breaches an opponent’s defenses with a success score equal to the exchange score of the committed strike minus the exchange score of the defensive maneuver. The success score is deducted from the defender’s avoidance and any points left over constitute contact with the opponent’s body, causing trauma (we’ll deal with the effects of trauma at a later time).

I understand what you're saying here (broadly) but it's obtuse and user-unfriendly. You will need to simplify. Example:

COMMITMENT
Flip a number of coins equal to [Weapon Skill]. Add additional coins equal to your Momentum and clear your Momentum pool. Count the number of successes and compare to the defender's successes. If the attacker meets or exceeds the defender's roll, he deals damage. If he does not, he's exposed.