Re: (TFT) Death Test 1, take 4: SURVIVED!

[Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

Hi Mark,
  Your HTH rules make sense.  I've so changed 
them I don't even pretend that they are close
to original.

  Rick

On Mon, 2011-03-10 at 18:47 -0500, Mark Tapley wrote:
> At 18:38 -0400 10/3/11, Sgt. Hulka wrote:
> >Because the hand to hand resolution takes place in the movement 
> >phase, the pole arm users are already on the ground and either 
> >unarmed or armed with daggers by the time the combat phase comes 
> >around, erego no polearm set versus charge attack.
> 
> 	This maybe should be a FAQ. Sgt. Hulka's interpretation of 
> the rules makes some sense and the (IMHO ambiguous) rules can 
> certainly be read to support it, but we typically play by a slightly 
> different one. In our interpretation, there is a critical difference 
> depending on whether the attacker moves into a front hex of the 
> target during his approach or not.
> 
> 	If the HTH attacker moves into a side or rear hex of his 
> target during movement and has one more MA left before he exceeds 
> half of his MA, he may continue onto the target's hex. The target 
> gets the one-die roll (re-rolling if a 6 comes up and the attacker 
> came through the rear hex).
> 	This relies on a close reading of AM pp. 15, "To initiate HTH 
> combat, a figure moves onto the enemy figure's hex. If the attacking 
> figure is disengaged, this is a regular move."
> 
> 	If the HTH attacker moves into a front hex of his target 
> during movement, he is engaged at that point and ends movement at 
> that point. In that case, his attempt to engage in HTH counts as his 
> action, and happens in the normal sequence with other actions. That 
> means a pole-weapon user would get his charge-attack first action 
> against the oncoming HTH attacker, and may *also* roll a 6 during the 
> HTH attempt, getting a second (but not doubled) hit on the attacker.
> 
> 	We like this interpretation because it "makes sense" to us. 
> Tackling someone from behind for HTH during movement disrupts any 
> chance they have to make a charge-attack (or other attack) during the 
> action phase. This seems OK. However, if you attack them from in 
> front, the pole weapons' extra reach means they always have a chance 
> to impale you before you ever get close. A normal weapon user may or 
> may not get to strike before you get into HTH and grapple - it 
> depends on your relative adjDX. Still making sense to me. It makes 
> HTH users very powerful if they have numerical superiority and/or a 
> tactical advantage such that they can run around and attack from 
> behind. On the other hand, charging in from a front hex offers them 
> no such advantage; in fact it may prove to be impossible if none of 
> the four conditions at the beginning of the "HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT" 
> section apply. If the target has open space behind him, MA equal or 
> better than the HTH attacker, and is not willing to agree, a would-be 
> HTH assailant in a front hex is reduced to either a bare-handed (or 
> dagger) normal attack, or disengage (and the latter is impossible if 
> he just charge-attacked).
> 
> 	Note that a HTH attacker that started the turn engaged 
> "...may shift onto a figure engaging him for HTH...", so he can still 
> make it into HTH from in front on the second turn (if he still feels 
> like it). The sequence would then be:
> 
> Turn 1) charge attack, move into front hex and stop. Action is normal 
> bare-hand attack (since target refuses HTH). Target gets a weapon 
> attack which is automatically first if a pole weapon, or by adjDX 
> order if not.
> 
> Turn 2) shift onto target for HTH during movement phase. Target gets 
> the 1-die roll, possibly repelling attack with a 5 or 6, else falling 
> in HTH. Target does not get his weapon attack that turn.
> 
> 	Hope this is useful! I also hope this rules interpretation 
> isn't ridiculous; we think it's more or less realistic and like 
> playing by it; but opposing opinions welcome.
=====
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