Initiative, smishitive!

[Water Bob]

I can't get this mechanic out of my head. I love graceful RPG rules. It's taken from the first edition of WEG's Star Wars game, otherwise known as D6 Star Wars.

When a situation in a game devolves into a combat scenario, we, as gamers, are quite used to throwing initiative and resolving actions in order of the throws. Sure, there's a few variations on a theme, and not all games use initiative (like, um, Classic Traveller). But, the vast majority of games I've seen do use some sort of initiative system.

The elegance of the 1E D6 SW system is that a Ref can just go from roleplaying scenes to tactical combat without the jarring demarcation line that splits roleplaying scenes from tactical combat. I remember in AD&D, when a character made an offensive action, that was the point at which the game moved from the free-flow give and take of GM-player interaction to structured, tactical combat (even if a grid wasn't used).

With 1E D6 SW, the roleplaying scene contines. It doesn't matter who declares what combat action first. It flows organically.





Like this--

GM: You move down the corridor and come to a closed hatch.

Player 1: I'll check to see if it's locked.

GM: You can see the green tell-tale. If you get close enough, the door will automatically swish open at lightning speed.

Player 2: I'm going through. "Let's Go!"

GM: And you, Player 1?

Player 1: I'll follow him, but I'm drawing my blaster.

GM: Player 2, you approach the door, it opens, and beyond is the hangar bay. As soon as you step through, you can see several stormtroopers, here and there, standing in two's or threes. It's likely that at least one will notice you.

Player 2: I'm drawing and blasting the nearest one!

Player 1: When I see him do that, I'll step through, too, and back him up. I'll shoot at the closest one other than Player 2's target.

GM: OK, roll attacks.

Player 2: I've got 4D on my Blaster Skill, but I've got to draw. That penalizes me 1D, so I only throw 3D to hit. (Rolls Dice.) I got an 12.

Player 1: I've also got 4D on my Blaster Skill, but I'll take two shots. That means I penalize both shots by 1D, so I'm rolling 3D twice. (Rolls both shots.) I got a 9 on the first shot and a 14 on the second.

GM: There's only three troopers that can react this first round. Player 1 is shooting at one, and Player 2 is shooting at another.

A third--an Imperial Officer, not in armor--isn't being attacked.

The troopers have 3D Blaster skills, but I'm going to penalize them 1D for reaction time--two unexpected Rebels just popped through the bay door and starting blasting. That's a little startling.

The two being fired at both have Blaster Rifles that they are holding in their hands, but the Officer has to draw his blaster pistol. That's another -1D penalty for him, for a total of -2D.

Trooper One raises his blaster rifle and returns fire (GM rolls 2D). He gets a 7.

Trooper Two returns fire as well (GM rolls 2D). Wow. Boxcars! He's got a 12.

The officer is only throwing 1D. He got a 4.





Normally, in a real game, as GM, I wouldn't address the rules like I did above. I did that to show you how the system easily integrates into a roleplaying scene, with no initiative thrown.

But, with no initiative, how are events played out? Remember, in Classic Traveller, initiative doesn't matter because wounds are not applied until everybody has acted. In CT, you can't stop a foe in his tracks--he'll always get to shoot back, even if you killed him.

No, 1E D6 SW is not like that.

So, how is initiative decided again?

It's the rolls. The actions rolls. Everybody decides what they are going to do organically as the scene plays out. When a throw is required (as when the dice will decide whether a character hits a bad guy with blaster fire), the character taking the shot simply rolls his dice.

AFTER all dice are thrown for the round, the highest roll is taken first, then the second highest, then the third highest, and so on.

In the scene above that I described--

1. Player 2 will fire first. He rolled a 12 on this attack. This 12 will be compared to his target's defense to see if the attack is successful.

2. Stormtrooper Two fires second. He also rolled a 12, but ties go to the player characters. He is the target for Player 2, so if Player 2 could have just killed or stunned or wounded him (which will effect the trooper's turn if the trooper is killed or stunned).

3. Player 1 fires next. His first shot was a 9, so that's the one we address first. He's firing at Stromtrooper One, so there's a chance that Stormtrooper One is killed or stunned before he can react in the next step.

4. If able, Stormtrooper One fires now, with his shot totalling 7.

5. Then, the Officer fires at Player 1, with his total to-hit of 4 (which will probably be a wide miss).

In the next "segment", we take care of any second actions. The only character to have a second action is Player 1, who fired twice. So, Player 1 takes his second shot now.

6. Player 1 fires his second shot with a total of 14. The 14 will be compared to the defense of his target to see if a hit was made.





I just love that system. The more highly skilled characters are likely to shoot before their less-advanced foes. Their totals will be higher, on average.

And, penalizing is intuitive and a breeze. Just take away a die. Player 1 want to make two shots, so he was a -1D to both shots because he shot twice. Player 2 had to draw, so he was -1D.

All three Imperials were surprised at the sudden attack, so that's -1D to all of them. In addition, the officer had to draw his weapon, so he's at a -2D penalty, leaving him with a single die in which to attack (which will probably miss, even if he rols a 6!)





I just love that system.

You make the rolls and play out the combat in a quasi-tactical, quasi-role played scene. The allows the action to be quick, and the GM can heighten the fun with his description.

When in doubt, there's not a lot of fiddling with modifiers. Is a penalty is warranted, take away a die.

Fun, fast, breathless action.

 

[delericho]

Is it really so seamless, though? That way, everyone has to declare and roll their actions, and then the group has to sort the results into order before they can narrate what actually happened. And what happens if Han drops the Stormtrooper that Luke was about to attack before he gets to act?

Personally, I deal with the issue by having the players pre-roll initiative. That way, when we move from narrative time to combat time there's no obvious break as everyone rolls - I just need to roll for the bad guys (which I can do while still in narrative time), and slot them into the sequence.

 

[Mark Hope]

Personally, I deal with the issue by having the players pre-roll initiative. That way, when we move from narrative time to combat time there's no obvious break as everyone rolls - I just need to roll for the bad guys (which I can do while still in narrative time), and slot them into the sequence.

This is what I do as well. The players roll d20 for init at the start of a session, and I use that for the first fight of the night (if there is one). At the end of every fight, players roll init for the next fight. It's not disruptive - players are usually book-keeping, catching their breath etc after battles, so it slots right in. And when the next fight rolls around, we move into it seamlessly.

 

[Umbran]

Is it really so seamless, though? That way, everyone has to declare and roll their actions, and then the group has to sort the results into order before they can narrate what actually happened. And what happens if Han drops the Stormtrooper that Luke was about to attack before he gets to act?

If Han drops the stormtrooper, Luke and Leia's actions are wasted.

Now, that's nothing strange - any game that has everyone declaring actions, then everyone resolving (in whatever order) has that issue - folks who go later in the round may have their actions be moot, irrelevant, or just impossible. One of the more important tactical decisions you make in combat in such a system is whether concentrating fire is really a good idea.

 

[howandwhy99]

We write actions down if necessary.
All Players declare their actions.
If actions are in opposition, then any parties involved roll a d6 and roll again for any following rounds still in opposition.
The highest roll can elect to delay or go first.
Then the next highest, if there are more than two opposing parties.
Later declared actions also can be changed allowing players to take into account the results of prior action.
Most importantly, all players can share initiative, even with NPCs, or go it alone on any given round.

This really shouldn't be about slowing down the game, just the game clock. And it should not be when the game begins either. Time, turns, actions, and results should be in effect throughout play.

 

[Water Bob]

Is it really so seamless, though? That way, everyone has to declare and roll their actions, and then the group has to sort the results into order before they can narrate what actually happened. And what happens if Han drops the Stormtrooper that Luke was about to attack before he gets to act?

I think so. It's not a structured system like, say, AD&D Second Edition, where all players declare actions. Yes, people are basically declaring actions, but they do so in an organic way that continues with the roleplaying scene.

A typical roleplaying scene--the give-n-take with the GM--usually goes like this:

GM: At the end of the corridor, about 30 feet away, is a massive door with a big, round handle on it. It's closed to you.

Player: I approach.

GM: OK, so now you're in front of the door.

Player: I'm going to press on the door, trying to push it inwards, into the room I assume is on the other side of this thing.

GM: It pushes open easily and quietly. That's surprising for such a big, heavy door. Inside, you see....





Combat is done the same way, except things that you can't control, like whether or not you hit your target, is done with dice. And, the result plays out with the GM's description.

Like this...






GM: ....On the other side of the door, you see this creature. It's a big hairy looking thing, vaguely humanoid, wearing a loin cloth of animal skin. Maybe it's this planet's inhabitants. You've never seen the kind before. He's about nine feet tall, and carries a massive club spiked with metal points. He's running towards you!

(Here, the GM will roll dice behind the screen. This is the creature's Running check. That's the creature's first action--to approach the intruder. His second action will be to club the intruder, but notice these actions aren't "declared", per se. The GM just describes what's happening.

(Then, the Player can react. Of course, sometimes, the GM's NPCs are also reacting to the player's actions--the player opened the door, and the creature on the other side reacted with an attack.)





Player (knowing now that he's opened the door and sees this big, honkin' alien charging him): I'll pull my blaster and shoot! Two shots!

(Player rolls dice for his first shot and tells the GM. If the attack is higher than the alien's run throw, the blaster fires before the alien can get to him. If the run throw is higher, then the Player Character was a bit slow pulling out his blaster. The alien will get to him, and then the Player will fire at point blank--not a good idea to charge people with blasters.)





GM (after the player has just told him that his blaster attack is higher than the alien's run throw. Then, the blaster attack is compared to the creature's defense.): Like lightning, your blaster in in your hand as you squeeze off a round. It goes wide, he's upon you and swinging his club!

(GM rolls dice for the club swing. Player rolls his second shot. Which ever throw is higher goes first.)

GM: He swings, stunning you! You drop your blaster as the weight of his blow knocks you to the ground!



(Technically, we're moving into round two, here. But, it's not that obvious in the game, the way it is played.)

GM: As you look up, blurry eyed, the wind knocked out of you, you see this big, furry alien grip that massive club with both hands and raise it up above his head. He's going to pound you with an incredible blow!

Player: I'm going to roll out of the way!

(GM rolls the club attack. Player rolls the dodge. The higher roll goes first. If the Club attack wins, he'll pound the player. But, let's say the player's dodge roll wins.)

GM: Where you got the energy, you don't know, but roll to your right at the last second. The alien screams, slamming his club into the spot where you were a moment ago. You actually feel the ground tremble on impact. A splinter from the club flies off your face.

Player: I'm going to get up and run!

GM: The Alien is coming around for another swing!

(Player rolls DEX to get up from the prone position. The Alien rolls his club skill for the attack. Which ever roll is higher determines which action happens first....





See how organically and smooth that plays? It's almost as if the mechanics take a backseat to the action, as it should be. The game rules are not as much "in your face" as they are in most RPGs. It's almost as if the GM is just making it up as he goes along, playing off of whatever the player says (but, in reality, the dice throws are governing the action along with the GM's description).




I think it's a marvelous system. I've never seen an rpg system quite like it. Some systems are close, but not quite like this (from the games I've played).