RANT: Attacks of Opportunity

[wayne62682]

This simply makes me reiterate my refrain from the first post: What is wrong with you people?

I have never seen anyone do this. If a movement-induced AoO can be avoided, the path for doing so is painfully obvious. If it can't be avoided, staring at the battlemat for 5 minutes isn't going to change anything.

But sometimes its NOT painfully obvious. I am not able to just look at the battlemat and immediately see what direction to move.. sometimes my first instinct is to move forward three spaces, for example, until someone points out or I realize that will trigger an AoO and that I should move diagonally first and THEN move up to avoid it. It's not always obvious to everyone; sometimes you need to look at the map for a minute or to in order to realize it.

 

[Gold Roger]

So if said PC dies and they blame you, what do you do? It's not like they did something stupid to get killed, nor was the cause necessarily good tactics on the part of the DM. It's "whoops, forced into a mistake". And while they take time, they're not sitting for three minutes plotting out their course.

PC's die. When you're already in a position where one AoO can kill you, you're in it so deep. Besides, I prefer not to let my players completely in the dark. If a player has a weak tactical sight, I'll remember him of the AoO he'd take. It's a matter of pacing on the DMs part.

 

[Akrasia]

I don't see a lot of people asking questions on AoO. I see plenty of people that just don't like them, but that's different.

Yeah, AoOs aren't that hard to understand. I just think that they help to suck the fun out of the game.

I do find it often hard to visualize whether an AoO applies without a battlemat (or something equivalent), especially with larger combats, but that is a completely separate matter from finding AoOs 'hard to understand'.

 

[BryonD]

I just think that they help to suck the fun out of the game.

I'm not trying to argue your opinion or anything like that. Just pointing out differences.

But to me, the idea that you could get away with the actions that draw AoOs WITHOUT AoOs would suck a lot of the fun out of the game. ::shrug:: different objectives

 

[Geron Raveneye]

"AoOs are so difficult. It's like taking a calculus class!"
"It's impossible to resolve AoOs without using miniatures."
"AoOs are confusing."

What is wrong with you people?

1. Can someone hit me?
2. Did I just do something that provokes an AoO?

1. Can someone hit me right now?
2. Am I still going to move at least 5 feet this turn?
3. Will I have moved more than 5 feet this turn?

What, exactly, do you find difficult, confusing, or impossible about these simple questions?

"I understand it all now. And it's so easy!"

 

[kaomera]

What, exactly, do you find difficult, confusing, or impossible about these simple questions?

How to make AoOs actually add to, rather than detract from, the fun of the game (with my current group). There's nothing specifically wrong with the AoO rules (actually, the rules are good, IMHO), but when combined with miniatures, a bit of ADD, and a group that generally drags combat rounds out far longer than they should, they can be a bit of a pain, to say the least. They add a bit more complexity to the game. That complexity is pretty much negligible at a certain point, but so do a thousand other things in D&D, and until you're at that point they don't add much back in, again IMHO.

So, yeah, I'm surprised (pleasantly) more people don't complain about AoOs.

 

[Maester Luwin]

Hey everyone! AoO adds realism but also slows down the game. GoO's AGoT RPG did away with them & I do not think it hurt the game at all. I think this is one of those things that will be to each his own. Maester Luwin

 

[Crothian]

Hey everyone! AoO adds realism but also slows down the game.

It only slows down the game for people that either don't fully understand them or just can't handle them fast. There are many parts of the game that can slow it all down with people that just don't know the rules or whatever.

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

AoO's don't slow the game down much. Just a swing and a hit (or miss).

What slows the game down more is the raging Barbarian with 3 attacks that round, power attacking for 7, with a two-handed flaming burst weapon leap attacking.

"Anybody got a calculator?"

 

[Maester Luwin]

Hey Crothian! I understand that point & agree yet whenever you add more attack rolls in any combat (especially with bigger groups) it slows the game down compared to not having them at all. I have played with them & without them. I had no problems either way. Though some players rather have a faster game is all. Thanks Maester Luwin

Ps Have you been able to run and/ or play any Thieve's World games? I saw your work on converting TW to D20 before Green Ronnin did it. That was awsome!!! Maester Luwin