--- mejobo@comcast.net wrote:
...
I'd disagree that its worthless to have a real world idea of what
these numbers mean. Though it won't come up during play, it does help
for stuff like designing spells, weapons, etc. For example, if you
want to introduce guns (and more 'realistic" and 'historic' guns than
those in TFT), then you'll probably use that 5 second system to help
figure out the right numbers for reloading. But at the same time I
find the idea that this is fundamental to play, and that it'll
frequently come up, kinda silly.
I actually agree that it is interesting to think about, good to have
good answers for, good for designing stuff with, good for modern
settings, etc. The recent posts where I'm saying it doesn't matter
were just to show why I disagree about why we don't usually care.
I'm just saying that in play, we almost never have a real reason to
care how many seconds a combat lasts, because almost everything is
in turns, not seconds, and also combats don't last very long in
seconds compared to time spent doing other things, including
cleaning up after combats.
And BTW I have played out some battles in TFT with hundreds of
characters each with their own stats and equipment, and unless the
terrain is severely blocked, it still doesn't take a heck of a long
time, in game turns, to resolve the combat.