Poll: Historical Kit & realistic rules

[Drifter Bob]

You can be fairly gritty and realistic while still being cinematic and abstract. I liken it to the difference between a kirosawa samurai flick and say, a hong kong kung fu movie, or perhaps, between say a Quentin Tarrentino movie and an A-team episode.

Realism is added to the point that it can be without bending the system. We have found that it ads to verisimilitude and increases tactical options for players. The few other people who have used the rules all liked them, though of course we had things in common.

DB

 

[Laman Stahros]

Simple answer - no, nyet, neh, nicht, never.

Complex answer - been there, done that. I've played all the various forms of D&D as well as Mechwarrior, Hero System, Aftermath, GURPS, and Rolemaster. I hate realistic combat systems, they are sssoooooo slow to run.

 

[Drifter Bob]

Feats examples

Here are examples of a few of the feats

UNIVERSAL

Sidestep Feat
Evade by moving aside instead of counterattacking. Prerequisites: Speed 20’, Dodge. You have the option of taking a five-foot step instead of making an attack of opportunity. This feat can be used in conjunction with Combat Reflexes to move multiple 5’ steps. In addition, sidestep grants a +2 to any Grapple check for purposes of avoiding Grapple only. If evading a Grapple attempt, the Sidestep feat can be used multiple times against the same opponent (as many as the limitations of Combat Reflexes normally allow, i.e. one time per Dexterity bonus factor)

Counterstroke Feat
Counter Attack Feat
Prerequisites: Dodge, Weapon Focus with weapon to be used
May skip one normal melee attack to gain a single special Opportunity Attack in the same round at +2 To Hit. The individual must wait until attacked by the target designated for Dodge. Once attacked by the selected target, they may, if they survive, then counterattack as a special Attack of Opportunity with a +2 bonus. Only the first attack can be responded to in this way.

Point Control Feat
Improved opportunity attacks with thrusting weapon
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Dodge (can be used with any thrusting weapon)
By keeping the thrusting point leveled at your target, you prevent a single opponent who has been designated as your dodge target (see the Dodge feat) from rushing you and entering into grapple. Gain +2 To Hit on all opportunity attacks against a single designated opponent, when using a thrusting weapon, or alternately gain a free opportunity attack against any designated opponent which attempts to close to grapple but has Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, or some other feat which normally confers immunity from opportunity attack when initiating grapple. This feat works with any primarily thrusting weapon but not with weapons with a secondary thrusting capability. The A of O is always considered a thrusting attack.

Cooperative Fighting Feat
Prerequisites: Situational Awareness Feat, must have fought along side a partner through the entire period since attaining the previous level. Partner must gain the same Feat.
Benefit: +2 to hit against any single opponent that their partner has attacked in the same round.

RENAISSANCE ERA

Lunge Feat
Melee Combat Feat
Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus with the weapon in question (must be a sword capable of thrusting).
A special thrusting attack. A technique developed for the rapier or cut-and-thrust sword during the renaissance, emphasized leaping forward in coordination with the thrust, enabling the attacker to reach opponents out of apparent attack range and to concentrate power and energy and to attack with remarkable speed. This technique allows a combatant to take an additional 5’ step in the attack, and to then conduct a single attack at +2 To Hit, and +2 Damage, suffering –4 to Defense in the process. Can only be used by a single-handed thrusting weapon which is also considered a Finesse Weapon. Once gained, the technique can be applied to any finesse weapon for which the user has both Weapon Focus and Weapon Finesse feats.

Half-Sword Fighting Feat
Special sword fighting technique for use with hand and a half and two- handed swords which have a thrusting point, including Long Swords, Bastard Swords, Great Swords, Claymores, Dopplehanders (Zweihanders), and Flambards. The technique involves grasping the sword blade. It is easiest and safest to use with weapons built with a Riccasso, an unsharpened section near the hilt of the blade.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with a Bastard Sword, Great Sword, or Two-Hand Sword, Expertise, Dodge. This Feat can be gained up to two times. Benefits depend on the number of times the Feat has been chosen.
Benefit may make close-range thrusting attack at +2 Damage for a –2 penalty to AC / Defense.

Improved Half Swording Feat
Prerequisites: Half-Sword Fighting Feat
Benefit: +1 Initiative bonus when using half swording weapon, +1 Defensive fighting bonus when fighting defensively or using Expertise

Chew these over a bit...

DB

 

[AIM-54]

I'm mostly interested in the historical arms and armor, though the idea of more realistic combat rules intrigues me. I would have to see how they worked before committing to them, though I think feats are the best way to go about it.

Historical style armor and weapons would be great for increasing cultural differences within a setting, whether or not any special rules for using them went with them.

 

[Drifter Bob]

I'm mostly interested in the historical arms and armor, though the idea of more realistic combat rules intrigues me. I would have to see how they worked before committing to them, though I think feats are the best way to go about it.

Historical style armor and weapons would be great for increasing cultural differences within a setting, whether or not any special rules for using them went with them.

The weapon and equipment rules are set up in a modular fashion so that you can use them either with or without the combat rules.

The rules themselves are set up so that some parts of them can be used without using all of them.

DB

 

[Drifter Bob]

The art, incidentally, is fantastic. We have immaculately realistic drawings of every single weapon in the rules, each based on an existing historical weapon and / or an accurate reproduction.

I'll post an example of some of the art later tonight.

DB

 

[Drifter Bob]

Any comments on any of those feats?

i kind of expected people to be poking them full of holes...

DB

 

[d4]

You can be fairly gritty and realistic while still being cinematic and abstract. I liken it to the difference between a kirosawa samurai flick and say, a hong kong kung fu movie, or perhaps, between say a Quentin Tarrentino movie and an A-team episode.

i prefer hong kong kung fu movies and the A-Team, so i take it i'm not your target audience.

i don't want "realistic" combat rules, and as far as equipment goes, i've already got Stone to Steel.

 

[Drifter Bob]

i prefer hong kong kung fu movies and the A-Team, so i take it i'm not your target audience.

i don't want "realistic" combat rules, and as far as equipment goes, i've already got Stone to Steel.

Fair enough

DB

 

[Umbran]

You can be fairly gritty and realistic while still being cinematic and abstract.

You can be gritty and abstract and cinematic, yes. No argument there.

But perhaps we have different definitions of "realism". Realism entails a simulation closer to the real world. And the real world is detailed and complicated, rather than simple and abstract. Thus, "realistic" rules by definition need to be more complicated, and thus slower. Slow combat rules result in slower, less cinematic play.