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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Alexander Kalinowski" data-source="post: 7554106" data-attributes="member: 6931283">In spite of many games' promises, combat in RPGs often does not feel all that cinematic. One situation in which this becomes apparent in RPG rulesets are 'One-vs-Many' combat situations. The default solution in role-playing games -round robin-style attacks by the outnumbering force (since everyone can attack once per round)- is boardgame-like and does not correspond to the observable combat dynamics in most choreographed combats. In the worst case scenario, things even turn unheroic: when the last bandit, beset from all sides by PCs, finally collapses under a hail of strikes. This is hardly evocative of glorious movie combat.So, what's the situation like in movies and TV shows instead?Unless one of the 'heroes' can be bothered to confront the final enemy alone in an honorable mano-a-mano duel, by no means all members of the outnumbering force each attack in every round. Usually, any given number of them may hesitate instead - or end up being temporarily blocked by their own allies.One example is the following from HBO's Game of Thrones:[video=youtube;1gCgeMDj8Rw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gCgeMDj8Rw[/video]Also, there is this scene from LotR:[video=youtube;Sk47qO8rW4Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk47qO8rW4Y[/video]And in this scene from Conan the Barbarian simultaneous or coordinated attacks by the outnumbering side remain rare as well:[video=youtube;Z3kBWP231hI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3kBWP231hI[/video]Reviewing the above scenes, we got to ask ourselves: is the standard RPG approach of round robin attacks really the proper approach to simulating movie fights? Based on the evidence (and many, many more scenes can be drawn on to confirm that this is, in fact, typical), the answer is probably 'no.'Bridging this gulf between film and RPGs obviously requires that not every outnumbering force member gets to attack the single combatant in every round - only a subset (minimum: 1) may do so. Of course several other aspects concerning this situation need to be observed (who can attack and parry how often, how does withdrawal from combat work, etc), however the central element for delivering truly cinematic battles here lies in abandoning the concept of 'attacks for everyone in each round.'Can't we just simulate all of that by applying a negative modifier to attack rolls?Probably not a good solution, even if it's simpler and faster. Anecdotal evidence teaches that most GMs and players do not interpret failed attack rolls as hesitating or obstruction by allies - but as striking at the enemy and missing ('whiff') - which once again bestows a boardgame-like feel to dynamics of combat. It might be faster but it's just not evocative of cinema action.What do you think?</blockquote>

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