Re: (TFT) Twisting the Knight Away

["John J Hyland" <johnnyboytmm@juno.com>]

-- <dwtulloh61@cox.net> wrote:
Doesn't that negate the benefits of winning the initiative?


Dan,
     While the -2 helps even it out a bit, I agree with you that this 
does reduce the benefit of initiative, and potentially ameliorate the 
disadvantage that comes from a tactical error.

That's why mine only applies to those who chose to defend, since they 
have made a tactical decision to adopt a defensive posture, I feel they 
should not be further disadvantaged.  If you've moved over 1/2 of your 
MA and that elf with running and a spear moves 7 hexes to charge attack 
your flank - you are out of luck, next time move less and defend.

But that all only applies to melee, not HTH, since a run around HTH 
attack never came up in my years of gaming.  As I said, I would presume 
that an attacker who could do a run around to get a rear HTH attack 
could also just initiate HTH by virtue of a higher MA.  But of course 
that overlooks the other rear HTH benefit of the defender having to 
ignore and reroll any 6 on the HTH defend roll.  I always thought that 
was overkill, and instead the 6 should just get downgraded to a 5 (much 
the same way a break on 18 gets downgraded to a drop on 17 if the 
weapon is unbreakable, but I digress) nonetheless, I've generally used 
the rules as written (though I may have gotten a few wrong over the 
years).

In order to address the run-around to the rear HTH phenomenon, I'd use 
my "too weasely rule" (GM discretion) to say that the 'no 6 on HTH 
defend rule' only applies if the HTH initiation is unseen, as well as 
from the rear hex (ie- you did not see him run around you).  If you 
need to get to a rear hex to qualify for HTH, and from a tactics and 
movement perspective you can do so, great - go right ahead, but that 
defender rerolls a 6 rule will not happen if he sees you coming, rear 
hex or no.  I would further rule that my "benefit of the doubt to the 
HTH defender who sees you coming" interpretation would only apply to 
defenders with options left, not to defenders who already moved over 1/
2 their MA, since they foolishly committed to an overly aggressive 
stance, and the HTH initiator sinply took advantage of their tactical 
error.

Which just goes to show how every time I try to tweak the HTH rules I 
make them much more complicated than they started.  Definitely the 
downside of trying to make the rules less wargame-like and more RPG-
esque.  Once you stop designibg a rule for counters with attributes and 
start designing it for imaginary people who can react in many and 
varied people-like ways, you get more complicated rules.  Or at least I 
always do :-)

John   



-- <dwtulloh61@cox.net> wrote:
Doesn't that negate the benefits of winning the initiative?

It seems to me that a player who allows his foe to run 
around him has been beaten tactically.  Maybe I just 
dont appreciate the issue.

---- Gavatar <gavatar@comcast.net> wrote: 
> I do a similar thing, Rick.  I allow a facing change 
> immediatly before or after moving, or immediately
> when a foe engages you (I don't do the -2 dx 
> penalty, though). That fixed the run-around.
> 
> With multiple foes, it may be advantageous at times 
> to save their facing change if you anticipate a 
> nastier foe charging in.
> 
> From: "Rick Smith" <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>
> 
> > On Sat, 2006-11-25 at 12:13, John J Hyland wrote:
> >> I've never had the run-around question come 
> >> up in relation to HTH,
> >
> > In my campaign, everyone may do a "last minute twist"
> > and change their facing after movement but before
> > actions.  This gives them a -2DX for the rest of the
> > turn.
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