Re: (TFT) Length of time for mass combats.

["Ty Beard" <tbeard@tyler.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Gilmore" <raito@raito.com>
To: <tft@brainiac.com>


> > Not really.  I think that realistically
> > a one on one fight usually lasted longer than
> > the 2 or 3 combat turns it takes in TFT.
> > GURPS theoretically would help with this with
> > its parry rolls, but then he made the turn 1
> > second so in GURPS it is worse!
>
> I disagree. Most of my SCA bouts are over in that 10-15 second range, and
a
> considerable number of them in less time (including the bouts in the
Coronet
> I won). I venture that if grappling was allowed (and it was used
extensively
> in the period), the bouts would be shorter. Fiori de Liberi's book written
> in the 1400's indicates that if you take longer than a single technique to
> defeat an opponent, you screwed up. Also, I can throw a heck of a lot more
> than 1 blow in 5 seconds...
>
> Part of TFT that's not realistic that we have to recognize is that the guy
> with 12DX is just as easy for me to hit as the guy with 20DX (discounting
UC
> skills). That's the goofy part. It might be better to assume a 10DX (50%)
is
> standard, and work on the difference between DXs, normalized to 10. But
that
> would slow things down, and you'd get to know their DX pretty quickly.

This was my contention as well. I wrote some alternate combat talents to
take this into account without any math. http://www.reese.org/tft/Combat.htm
Basically, your talent level made you harder to hit. Since they also had a
higher required DX, you hit more often as well. So IIRC, an expert swordsman
would need an AdjDX of 13 and you'd need 4 dice to hit him. A master
swordsman had a required AdjDX of 16 and you'd need 5 dice to hit him. In
other words, at minimum DX level, 2 expert swordsmen would have about a 50%
of hitting each other. Ditto with Master Swordsmen. And rabble would find it
harder to hit them.

Without such a system, you quickly wind up with everyone hitting almost
every turn. The GURPS (or Runequest) parry roll is a most unclean solution.
Especially since it's pretty easy to get a very decent parry roll (I always
used the optional rule that required you to make your parry roll by as much
as your opponent made his to hit roll -- better, but still unclean).
Marginally better are defensive adjustments, such as -1 to hit a target for
each point of AdjDx he has above 11 (or whatever).

A nifty system is the one used by Pendragon. Each player rolls 1d20
simultaneously. The player who (a) rolls highest and (b) rolls equal to or
less than his skill level is the one that hits. Takes into account both
offensive and defensive capabilities simulaneously and with only one roll.
Elegant IMHO.

--Ty Beard
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"