Re: (TFT) Jousting

[Sgt Hulka <hulkasgt@yahoo.com>]

Two lancers having at each other would probably be over fairly quickly, depending on their dex and their luck. 6+2 averages 10 hits when blunted, which won't unhorse an armored opponent...but an above average damage roll will. 

On the other hand, lancer versus something else makes for much longer bouts. My current game between a ST 11 spearman and ST 13 lancer, both in chainmail with small shield, is on Turn 27, consiting of about 9 passes, with both combatants currently even at 8 ST. On the one hand, it's impossible for the lancer to set up a 6+2 charge without the spearman's cooperation, and on the other the spearman is having trouble penetrating the lancer's 4 armor even with a 2+4 charge. It ends up being a pretty even bout, with the spearman attacking at 2+4 when he wins initiative, and the lancer attacking at 3+1 when he wins initiative (a charging jab). When they don't win initiative, they both are forced to do 1+2 (a sweeping attack from the lancer and a charging jab from the spearman). When this bout is over, it's very unlikely that the winner will be healthy enough to take on a new opponent or to participate in the tournament's melee...it's doubtful, barring a
 critical hit, that either will be unhorsed, and so it will likely end when one or the other is reduced to 3 ST.

Depending on the kind of game you're looking for you could force opponents to only use cavalry lances (short cinematic games) or any weapon and armor combo (longer more thoughtful less spectacular games). As part of a larger tournament, the short cinematic games could certainly be fun...how long will a figure's luck hold out as he unhorses opponent after opponent? Will he be well enough to participate in the melee at the end of the tournament? Will he make money ransoming his defeated opponents? Lose money ransoming himself? Or die? I've basically attempted to set up a game similar to the original arena combat in melee, but with a more chivalric flavor, as a sort of companion to Grail Quest.

--- On Mon, 8/25/08, Mark Tapley <mtapley@swri.edu> wrote:

> From: Mark Tapley <mtapley@swri.edu>
> Subject: Re: (TFT) Jousting
> To: tft@brainiac.com
> Date: Monday, August 25, 2008, 8:51 AM
> At 16:16 -0400 8/24/08, TFT Digest wrote:
> >Such excercises in "strategy" would be
> disappointing to the 
> >spectators, however, who I am sure prefer two Knights
> armed with 
> >lances just going at each other with 6+2 charges. Now
> that is 
> >valiant, and the victor of such a charge would
> certainly be a fan 
> >favorite!
> 
> True enough. One last thought: "movie" jousts
> were a series of 
> contests, with victor going on to face more challengers. I
> think this 
> would be only possible with one-hit wins - once hit, win or
> lose, a 
> knight would be out of the tournament, because any further
> hit would 
> be the end of him. Is that the way it games out as well?
> -- 
> 						- Mark     210-379-4635
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Large Asteroids headed toward planets
> inhabited by beings that don't have
> technology adequate to stop them:
> 
> 				Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.
> =====
> Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
> Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the
> message body
> "unsubscribe tft"
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"