key mechanical elements for a cinematic/swashbuckling game

[GlassJaw]

To those that run, play, or just enjoy cinematic, high-action, swashbuckling-style games, what are some key rules mechanics that you feel are integral to capturing the pace and feel of the style?

I'm very interested in mechanics that allow the players to do cool things, make combat more dynamic, and speed up play in general.

Again, I'm interested specifically in rules (or the lack of certain rules) rather than any story-telling or narrative guidelines. I feel those are very important to the style but I want to focus on mechanics.

 

[Nifft]

In my experience, PCs with classes from Tome of Battle seem to be a lot more dynamic and movement compatible.

Cheers, -- N

 

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

To those that run, play, or just enjoy cinematic, high-action, swashbuckling-style games, what are some key rules mechanics that you feel are integral to capturing the pace and feel of the style?

I'm very interested in mechanics that allow the players to do cool things, make combat more dynamic, and speed up play in general.

Again, I'm interested specifically in rules (or the lack of certain rules) rather than any story-telling or narrative guidelines. I feel those are very important to the style but I want to focus on mechanics.

I've found that systems like RISUS and BASH lend themselves to this kind of play because there aren't as many rules governing the things that you can and cannot do. In RISUS for example, your description of your action can be as outlandish and crazy as you want it to be but you're not penalized for swinging across a rope and bashing someone on the face (unless, of course, you're using an ill-fitting cliche) because the resolution mechanic is always the same.

In a game like D&D 3e, everything is more rigidly defined. Trying to do something cinematic might equate to a bull rush, grapple, jump check, or some other specialized mechanic. Since it's very hard to be good at all those areas, the players wind up using one or two core attacks that they're good at. Of course, I have players that would usually rather play it safe and do damage rather than taking the chance of missing, failing, etc.

 

[GlassJaw]

systems like RISUS and BASH

I forgot to mention to assume the d20 system.

Out of curiosity, what are RISUS and BASH?

 

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

I forgot to mention to assume the d20 system.

Out of curiosity, what are RISUS and BASH?

RISUS is a great little free RPG from John Ross (http://www222.pair.com/sjohn/risus.htm). I've played once at an NC Game Day and it goes into my top 10 ten gaming experiences. BASH is the Basic Action SuperHeroes game from Basic Action Games. I use it for my Underoo Avengers games, although I cut out a large chunk of the rules because a lot of them seem to contradict each other.

I think you could do similar things in d20 by streamlining some of the "specialty" combat mechanics into single rules. I haven't looked to see what SWSG does in this department, but I think there could be one resolution mechanic for bull rush/grapple/trip/etc. that would encourage players to use them. Getting rid of iterative attacks would help as well, since it encourages players to move. AoOs also breed stagnation. (Basically, all the improvements I've heard for 4e ).

My main point is that having a rule for everything is great because the DM doesn't have make off-the-cuff rulings, but it also seems to generate a list of all the things that you can and cannot do. It limits creativity.

 

[Warehouse23]

One of my favorite swashbuckling enablers are the famous Swashbuckling Cards ( http://www.scratchfactory.com/Resources/SwashCards.pdf ).

The key rules mechanic associated with these cards is that they do not require die rolls . What makes the system work is their simplicity: You want to do X? You have a card for X? X occurs! Continue on with your heroic plan!

For certain events in a high-action style of game, there should be no chance of failure. What makes action scenes in movies and books exciting is that the heroes don't fail in their attempts to maneuver. After all, how many pirate heroes have you ever seen fall from a swinging chandelier or slip while cutting their way down a sail with a cutlass?

This exciting feeling is killed by the tension associated with dice mechanics which can turn a brilliant and entertaining plan into a complete clown-fest with one bad roll.

On the other hand, if you're not willing to part with dice entirely (and I for one am not), DMing practice and adventure design, rather than rules changes, can create a dramatic game. DMs/writers need to decide what the dramatic focus of a "scene" of a game is, and focus opportunities for failure/success around that singular focus.

For example, in a tense scene where PCs are being stalked by something terrible in the shadows, huge numbers of spot/listen checks are just going to distract from the experience (and after all, who cares what 5 ft square the something is in?). What's important is that players know that something terrible is out there. How much better to focus on fear/sanity checks (if the game has such a thing), or on survival checks to get a fire lit from wet tinder to ward off the darkness?

This is all a rather long-winded way of saying that I really don't think rules mechanics create atmosphere in games. They provide a conflict resolution system. The question is not what rules you need to run a game, but how you apply the rules you have.

 

[Voadam]

To encourage a lower armor combat paradigm I do base reflex save = bonus on dex adjustment to AC. This improves the AC of bards, monks, rangers, and rogues and of everybody in light armor at least a little bit while heavy armor still has its max dex bonus cap.

 

[Stormborn]

Iron Heroes introduces the concepts of Zones and has some interesting ways to use stunts and manuevers. IIRC Book of Iron Might has something similar.

Another way to handle it would be to say if you have X ranks in a skill you can perform certain swashbuckling manuevers. 10 ranks in Jump? You can vault over the heads of charging opponents and get an AoO against them from behind. Basically make having the skill engough to do something cool rather than making them roll for everything, that will get un-dashing quickly.

 

[barsoomcore]

Swashbuckling tales are my favourite mode of RPGs. I have been working with the d20 ruleset, tweaking things here and there to encourage swashbuckling play, and I have developed a couple of principles, that can be embodied through a number of mechanics.

There are two key mechanical principles regarding swashbuckling play.

First off, the mechanics must encourage some confidence in the players that their efforts to buckle their swash will succeed. This is what Action Points or Swashbuckling Cards do -- a player is more likely to try something wacky or risky if they feel like they can sort of "stack the deck" in their favour. It doesn't have to provide total security -- that's not the point -- but many mechanics penalize crazy actions and so discourage such play. For example, if a player has to make a Jump check to get up on a table, they're unlikely to do so since the possibility of failure is too risky to bother for the +1 bonus for higher ground. That's a penalty. Likewise a character hanging from a rope will, in most games, suffer an attack penalty, so players will always look for an attack option that DOESN'T involve swinging on a rope.

Action Points make it possible for players to offset or ignore those penalties and therefore they are more likely to try such actions. Likewise Swashbuckling Cards, many of which allow unorthodox actions without penalty (or even with a bonus: "Let The Wookie Win" gives a +10 bonus on an Intimidate check, which encourages a player to try and use a skill that generally gets little use).

The second mechanical issue is that the mechanics must encourage variety in tactics. This is an area where d20 suffers, in my opinion. In any standard d20 game, especially D&D, it almost always the best tactic for skilled melee characters to close with their enemies and use full attacks to deliver as much damage as possible. Jumping up to the chandelier and two-footing a bad guy in the face is just not as effective. The full attack action inhibits swashbuckling play.

This one thing I like about True20. Because it has no iterative attacks, all characters always have a move action to spend each round, so they might as well swing on the chandelier.

Attacks of Opportunity are another swash-de-buckler rule -- they put pressure on characters to move LESS, since moving exposes you to AoO's. Again, characters with multiple attacks are almost always better off NOT moving, just standing toe-to-toe and delivering damage.


None of this means D&D needs to be changed. I like D&D. But it's not a swashbuckling game.


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Note
My Swashbuckling Cards are not currently available as Scratch Factory is down at the moment. I apologize for this and will update when they're available again.

 

[Zoatebix]

You could get rid of all of the various conditions in D20 and use a single condition track like in Star Wars: Saga Edition. This will speed up play, and possibly make combats more dynamic because the only thing differentiating condition effects is player description and how far down on the condition track a character is.

Alternatively, you could steal a page from Spirit of the Century and add Aspects to your game - especially temporary Aspects that are a result of things that happen in combat. See http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html#resolving-maneuvers and http://www.faterpg.com/dl/sotc-srd.html#consequences to whet your appetite. Start at the top of the page when you're sufficiently intrigued. And then buy a copy, because it's an awesome game. It won "Indie Game of the Year" and First Runner-up for "Best Support" and "Best Production Values" at the Indie RPG Awards, the Ogre's Choice Award for "Best Roleplaying Game," and the Silver award for "Best Rules" at the Ennies.

The guy who wrote the Swashbuckling cards (barsoomcore on these and other boards) is considering adding Aspects <url=Spirit of the Century bringing in "Indie Game of the Year" and First Runner-up for "Best Support" and "Best Production Values" at the Indie RPG Awards, the Ogre's Choice Award for "Best Roleplaying Game," and the Silver award for "Best Rules" at the Ennies>to his True20 games</url>. And I love his swashbuckling cards! Good recommendation Warehouse23!

If the above ideas aren't quite your style (or too much work, or somehting), try this: to minimize mood-ruining failure, give out "Stunt Dice" (like Exalted) or some other bonus for trying crazy stuff.

If you really want to blow your mind when it comes to dynamic combats, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wushu_(role-playing_game) Unfortunately, the author's site is down at the moment...

I like Risus, but I've never heard of BASH. Tell me more!

quasi-edit-in-the-preview-stage: Oh yay! barsoomcore is here!