SoonRaccoon
Explorer
I like Ironsworn's progress tracks. They do a couple specific things with combat that I like.
First, it adds book ends to both the start and end of combat. In D&D, combat starts when you roll initiative, and it ends... at some point? But implicitly, it kind of ends with a TPK of one side. Having a discrete mechanical end to combat makes it easier to have non-lethal combat, because you can use it to say, "You pin your opponent to the dirt with the tip of your sword at their throat. They toss their sword aside and raise their hands." Now you can have an ongoing thread with a rival of some sort.
Another fun thing about it is that it turns combat into a small push your luck game. You fill up the progress track, then roll against it to end combat. The more progress, the higher your chance of winning. The longer you continue combat, the more you fill up the progress track, but you also risk being hurt more.
First, it adds book ends to both the start and end of combat. In D&D, combat starts when you roll initiative, and it ends... at some point? But implicitly, it kind of ends with a TPK of one side. Having a discrete mechanical end to combat makes it easier to have non-lethal combat, because you can use it to say, "You pin your opponent to the dirt with the tip of your sword at their throat. They toss their sword aside and raise their hands." Now you can have an ongoing thread with a rival of some sort.
Another fun thing about it is that it turns combat into a small push your luck game. You fill up the progress track, then roll against it to end combat. The more progress, the higher your chance of winning. The longer you continue combat, the more you fill up the progress track, but you also risk being hurt more.