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<blockquote data-quote="Serendipity" data-source="post: 5915294" data-attributes="member: 18216">Okay, full disclosure, I tend to run (regardless of edition) narrative combat.&nbsp; I don't break out a grid unless there's a BIG fight.&nbsp;&nbsp; Having said that, I don't think I realized just how much rules obstruction there really was.&nbsp; Overall, I think it comes down to two things really.1.&nbsp; Tactics.&nbsp; A lot of people don't quite grok how to effectively retreat.&nbsp; The back ranks provide cover fire for the engaged, who retreat singly or in pairs as appropriate.&nbsp; Movement effects are thrown down, caltrops scattered, etc etc by the retreating forces.&nbsp;&nbsp; Likely as not, someone feels some combination of heroic and stupid &amp; holds off any pursuit at the nearest available bottleneck (but that's optional).&nbsp; This is just off the top of my head mind.&nbsp; (It helps that I have a background in wargaming.)2.&nbsp; Opportunity attacks.&nbsp; If I never see these again I won't miss them for a moment.&nbsp; When I switched from running Pathfinder to my Swords &amp; Wizardry game, the thing I was most happy to be rid of combat-wise were those damn OAs.&nbsp; Hate hate hate.&nbsp;&nbsp; Properly played and with the slightest optimisation by feat choice and attacks of opportunity are practically a perpetual motion machine, ending only when you have a line of dead opponants.&nbsp; Broken, as implemented, in every way.&nbsp;&nbsp; Really though, a lot of it also (IMO) is groups that wait until it's too late to successfully retreat.&nbsp; Even a round too long, plus 1. and 2. above can tear pretty much anyone to ribbons.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Serendipity, post: 5915294, member: 18216"] Okay, full disclosure, I tend to run (regardless of edition) narrative combat. I don't break out a grid unless there's a BIG fight. Having said that, I don't think I realized just how much rules obstruction there really was. Overall, I think it comes down to two things really. 1. Tactics. A lot of people don't quite grok how to effectively retreat. The back ranks provide cover fire for the engaged, who retreat singly or in pairs as appropriate. Movement effects are thrown down, caltrops scattered, etc etc by the retreating forces. Likely as not, someone feels some combination of heroic and stupid & holds off any pursuit at the nearest available bottleneck (but that's optional). This is just off the top of my head mind. (It helps that I have a background in wargaming.) 2. Opportunity attacks. If I never see these again I won't miss them for a moment. When I switched from running Pathfinder to my Swords & Wizardry game, the thing I was most happy to be rid of combat-wise were those damn OAs. Hate hate hate. Properly played and with the slightest optimisation by feat choice and attacks of opportunity are practically a perpetual motion machine, ending only when you have a line of dead opponants. Broken, as implemented, in every way. Really though, a lot of it also (IMO) is groups that wait until it's too late to successfully retreat. Even a round too long, plus 1. and 2. above can tear pretty much anyone to ribbons. [/QUOTE]

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