Hackmaster

[Mark Plemmons]

The best thing I've read about combat is the getting rid of "rounds"... It's now like Aces & Eights (from what I've read) where you just keep counting up initiative for the whole battle, with each count being a second. Every action (including movement) takes a number of seconds and you go from there.

Right - it's much easier than Aces & Eights, too. The Wild West genre requires a lot of detail for moving and using firearms at the same time. With no firearms in HM (of course), you only need to move or attack, not both simultaneously.

 

[Falstaff]

Right - it's much easier than Aces & Eights, too. The Wild West genre requires a lot of detail for moving and using firearms at the same time. With no firearms in HM (of course), you only need to move or attack, not both simultaneously.

What about firing a bow while moving?

 

[Agamon]

The best thing I've read about combat is the getting rid of "rounds"... It's now like Aces & Eights (from what I've read) where you just keep counting up initiative for the whole battle, with each count being a second. Every action (including movement) takes a number of seconds and you go from there.

Interesting. How would one track initiative in such a system? Maybe the A&8 players on the KenzerCo boards have some ideas (I think it'd need to be something different than the magnetic whiteboard I've been using in 3e/4e).

 

[Mark Plemmons]

What about firing a bow while moving?

Beyond the scope of Basic. Not that you've got a good chance of hitting anything like that, anyway, regardless of what Peter Jackson's elves did...

 

[w_earle_wheeler]

Mark, is the book black and white or color?

With a $20.00 price for 200 pages, I'm guessing black and white.

Also -- who is doing the cover art for the Advanced version?

 

[Sonny]

The preview definitely has me excited about the new Hackmaster. Especially now that the required silliness is gone. This will be the first Kenzer product I've picked up in a long time.

 

[Hairfoot]

Let me put it this way, I strongly DISLIKE Paladium Fantasy and Warhammer because of all their dodging/blocking/parrying rules and how they bog down combats.

Me also. Micromanaged combat systems make fights feel more like drawn-out choreography sessions.

 

[Treebore]

Right - it's much easier than Aces & Eights, too. The Wild West genre requires a lot of detail for moving and using firearms at the same time. With no firearms in HM (of course), you only need to move or attack, not both simultaneously.

EASIER than Aces and Eights? Well, since I love A&8's and the shot clock, I'm in on giving it a go.

Thanks to Lajanius and the others for the answers you gave as well.

 

[theemrys]

Interesting. How would one track initiative in such a system? Maybe the A&8 players on the KenzerCo boards have some ideas (I think it'd need to be something different than the magnetic whiteboard I've been using in 3e/4e).

Well, "Initiative" only happens at the start.. and then every action just takes a certain amount of seconds... so you just keep counting up seconds of the battle. As a GM you just keep increasing the number and when someone's action comes up on that "count" you resolve it. Also, people can change their action at any time and "restart" their time. (Assuming it's the same as A&8 that way). I find it a lot more intuitive and think it will work better for things like spells and such as you'll know exactly what timeframe they can be interrupted, etc. Also, it means you can change your movement to react to a changing situation while still keeping the battle flowing. Also, makes smaller faster weapons have an advantage (to counter their reach issues in most cases). Also gets rid of the "I'm done for this round so I'll go read something until it's my turn again" issues.

As for actually tracking it, a whiteboard still works well as you just keep counting the number up and if you wanted, you can each PCs/NPC/Monster's name on there with the count when their next action takes place.

 

[I'm A Banana]

That initiative system sounds keen...I wonder if I can reverse-engineer it to work in a d20 system with FFZ...I like that "seconds" is the only measurement of time, but I'm a little worried that speedier characters will be overly favored. If my buddy the thief gets three attacks in the time it takes me, the barbarian, to get one, is my attack three times as accurate and three times as powerful?

That works in the Old West (where "quickest on the draw" is important, and where attacks are pretty binary), but with a more heroic fantasy vibe, I dunno...

Gotta check that out...