OSR How do you run your combat? (B/X, BECMI, OSR)

[jdrakeh]

In Six-Hack, my OD&D homage that just successfully funded on Kickstarter:

1. Check for surprise.
2. Roll for initiative per side. Ties favor the PCs.
3. The winning side acts first – moving, attacking, and casting spells.*
4. The other side takes damage and casualties, and then gets its turn.
5. The first side to act then takes damage and casualties.
6. Return to step 3. Repeat until combat reaches an end.

*A character can normally move and take one action per combat turn. A player may spend an Action Point for their character to take an additional action on a given combat turn.

 

[MockingBird]

Kinda off topic but related to combat. Can someone explain how the fighters multi-attack from 1e/2e worked? Like 3/2 attacks or whatever.

 

[cbwjm]

Kinda off topic but related to combat. Can someone explain how the fighters multi-attack from 1e/2e worked? Like 3/2 attacks or whatever.

3/2 attacks: round 1, you can make 1 attack. Round 2, you can make 2 attacks.

 

[MockingBird]

3/2 attacks: round 1, you can make 1 attack. Round 2, you can make 2 attacks.

I thought that was how it was supposed to go. Thank you for clearing that up.

 

[Nikosandros]

3/2 attacks: round 1, you can make 1 attack. Round 2, you can make 2 attacks.

This is how I've always ran things, but, BtB, it is supposed to be 2 attacks in the first round, 1 in the second, 2 in the third, etc.

A 12th level fighter is allowed attack routines twice in every odd numbered melee round

 

[cbwjm]

This is how I've always ran things, but, BtB, it is supposed to be 2 attacks in the first round, 1 in the second, 2 in the third, etc.

I stand corrected, we must have always ran it incorrectly unless my memory of those days is faulty.

 

[Nikosandros]

I stand corrected, we must have always ran it incorrectly unless my memory of those days is faulty.

I also always ran incorrectly. By the time I realized the "mistake", I decided I preferred the other way instead. Since this reading was so common, I've always wondered if there is something supporting it somewhere else. AD&D is full of contradiction, after all.

 

[Voadam]

I also always ran incorrectly. By the time I realized the "mistake", I decided I preferred the other way instead. Since this reading was so common, I've always wondered if there is something supporting it somewhere else. AD&D is full of contradiction, after all.

I always ran it the other way as well.

The chart on page 25 of the PH does not say one way or the other. This DMG p. 63 section on "initiative for creatures with multiple attack routines" seems the only reference to say one way or another. That is pretty buried.

The 2e PH chart on fighter attacks per round similarly does not say. The section in the PH on multiple attacks and initiative that mimics the 1e DMG p. 63 section does not have the reference to 3/2 attacks and odd rounds.

 

[cbwjm]

I also always ran incorrectly. By the time I realized the "mistake", I decided I preferred the other way instead. Since this reading was so common, I've always wondered if there is something supporting it somewhere else. AD&D is full of contradiction, after all.

I feel like there must be, because I could have sworn I read an example somewhere explaining how it worked when trying to figure it out, but it was nearly 30 years ago so I'm not sure I'm going to rely too hard on my memory. Interesting that others also ran it the other way as well.

 

[Cruentus]

I think we did it the wrong way as well, and then did it the ‘right’ way, and then decided to let the fighter or character decide how they wanted to do it - in the first round of combat, do you want to swing twice or once? The following round, you completed the series and that was how you attacked going forward for that combat. Worked for us.

I’m sure there was an article in Dragon or a Sage Advice for Faq somewhere where they explained it. I’m sure I also saw it outside of the rulebooks.