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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sam Crow" data-source="post: 8355717" data-attributes="member: 7031709">Attacking - Engagements Description Excluding feats (which we’ll cover later), there are two ways to attack a defender. One is to commit to a strike. The other is to engage. Engaging a defender recognizes that he has a weapon just like you do. If you ignore that weapon and just try to hit him like he doesn’t have one, he could easily parry and cut your head off your reckless body. We'll look at why that is in Attacking - Commitments. Engaging an opponent is a declared maneuver that is more of an attack on your opponent’s defense than it is an attack on your opponent himself. Successful engagements put you in a better position to strike and your opponent in a worse position to defend. Because the purpose of an engagement is to overcome your opponent's defenses rather than hit your opponent, engagements do not result in damage. To engage your opponent, you first need to be in offensive position (see <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/help-wanted-fans-of-combat-mechanics.681604/post-8355394" target="_blank">Attacking - Offensive Posture</a>). Once there, you declare your intent to engage. You flip a number of coins equal to your engagement skill plus any momentum you’ve already built to that point plus/minus any situational modifiers. Meanwhile, your opponent flips coins applicable to the opposing defensive maneuver he chooses. If your opponent gets more heads than you, you've lost the exchange. That is, you've gained no positional advantage and your opponent will use the excess heads he flipped to his advantage as described in the defense maneuver sections later one. He will also be able declare and act in the next exchange before you if he chooses. Finally, you will lose any momentum you’ve built to that point and it will be deducted from your ardor (more on ardor, later). If you get more heads than he does, you’ve won the exchange. That is, you’ve gained a positional advantage (e.g. his sword is down, he's flat-footed, his shield is out of place). As a consequence, he must abandon his square (more on squares later) to one that you choose. More importantly, you carry the excess heads you’ve gained into the next exchange as momentum. Example Al and Bob are eager to fight, swords drawn and ready to go. Al is an journeyman warrior; he knows it’s dangerous to pretend Bob doesn’t have a sword and just try to whack him. Al realizes he must gain a tactical advantage first. Al enters offensive posture and engages Bob. Al flips 10 coins, the number equal to his engagement skill with his sword (there are no modifiers or momentum at this point). He gets 7 heads. Bob elects to parry and flips 10 coins, the number equal to his parry skill with his sword. Bob gets 5 heads. Because Al has engaged Bob, Al has gained momentum, a representation that Bob's ability to defend himself has been reduced. Notes Proceed to <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/help-wanted-fans-of-combat-mechanics.681604/post-8356265" target="_blank">Momentum</a> or return to the <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/help-wanted-fans-of-combat-mechanics.681604/post-8352645" target="_blank">Table of Contents</a>.</blockquote>

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