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Vampire's new "three-round combat" rule
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<blockquote data-quote="uzirath" data-source="post: 7594021" data-attributes="member: 8495"><p>I agree with these sentiments unequivocally. I've had PCs locked in duels with antagonists in GURPS solely to buy time for another character (e.g., a cleric performing an exorcism). Against a superior foe, they have tactical choices like All Out Defense and Retreat that increase their odds of surviving even if they won't prevail in the conflict. These scenes can be magnificent.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Here I break with you slightly on your parenthetical note. I agree that the rules should facilitate this*, but I don't necessarily see narration as coercive if everybody is up for it. It's merely a different way of playing out a story. The mechanics themselves, even in a well-designed system, are a coercive element because they define the menu of possibilities. </p><p></p><p>Example: I love GURPS for the intricacy of its combat mechanics. The second-by-second element works great for most encounters. Combat is usually fast and furious. Sometimes, however, we want to feature a duel that takes minutes rather than seconds. Nobody at the table wants to play out 120+ turns of combat. So we might break that duel into snapshots with 3-5 seconds on the main floor, 3-5 seconds on the staircase, 3-5 seconds on the bridge, etc. Maybe we assess some fatigue in between (especially if we're using extra effort rules). Designed right, each snapshot has a real impact. If the PC duelist dies, obviously, it's bad. But even if she merely makes poor tactical choices, the enemy could drive closer to his goal or set off the alarm or end up in an increasingly beneficial tactical situation (higher on the stairs, driving the PC toward the crumbling edge of the bridge, etc.). Within each snapshot, of course, we would be using the full range of mechanics on a second-by-second scale. Done well, this can be amazingly satisfying to all participants and can make an encounter stand out without merely adding more abilities to the opponent or otherwise amping up the usual elements.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">* Presuming this is what the group likes. Another set of rules might not facilitate this, but they should not pretend to be awesome rules for simulating protracted duels.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="uzirath, post: 7594021, member: 8495"] I agree with these sentiments unequivocally. I've had PCs locked in duels with antagonists in GURPS solely to buy time for another character (e.g., a cleric performing an exorcism). Against a superior foe, they have tactical choices like All Out Defense and Retreat that increase their odds of surviving even if they won't prevail in the conflict. These scenes can be magnificent. Here I break with you slightly on your parenthetical note. I agree that the rules should facilitate this*, but I don't necessarily see narration as coercive if everybody is up for it. It's merely a different way of playing out a story. The mechanics themselves, even in a well-designed system, are a coercive element because they define the menu of possibilities. Example: I love GURPS for the intricacy of its combat mechanics. The second-by-second element works great for most encounters. Combat is usually fast and furious. Sometimes, however, we want to feature a duel that takes minutes rather than seconds. Nobody at the table wants to play out 120+ turns of combat. So we might break that duel into snapshots with 3-5 seconds on the main floor, 3-5 seconds on the staircase, 3-5 seconds on the bridge, etc. Maybe we assess some fatigue in between (especially if we're using extra effort rules). Designed right, each snapshot has a real impact. If the PC duelist dies, obviously, it's bad. But even if she merely makes poor tactical choices, the enemy could drive closer to his goal or set off the alarm or end up in an increasingly beneficial tactical situation (higher on the stairs, driving the PC toward the crumbling edge of the bridge, etc.). Within each snapshot, of course, we would be using the full range of mechanics on a second-by-second scale. Done well, this can be amazingly satisfying to all participants and can make an encounter stand out without merely adding more abilities to the opponent or otherwise amping up the usual elements. [SIZE=2]* Presuming this is what the group likes. Another set of rules might not facilitate this, but they should not pretend to be awesome rules for simulating protracted duels.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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