Re: Limit on # of figures in HTH?

[Robert Ward <rob@dolwen.com>]

Brilliant!

On Sun, 5 Feb 2017, at 13:14, Jay Carlisle estimated maximum capacity of a hex at 6:

a half dozen Joe Average human Figures standing at attention taking as little space as possible and packed in a hex nut to butt spill out of the tile a bit depending on shoe size

Anyway, I don't like the HTH rules and the way they make the map ugly. BUT, watching the occasional MMA bout, a few things become clear. Melee/ITL HTH rules make the map ugly, reduce the interesting tactical complexities, and are also not very "realistic" in the sense of capturing what goes on in these fights: Two figures go down in a heap and stay there hitting each other constantly at +4 DX. 

1. When human fighters grapple to the floor, they take up a lot more than 1 hex. At least 2.

2. Even when on the floor, the fighters move around. 

3. There's generally very little damage dealt out when the fighters are evenly matched. eg if you count punches per second there are very few over the entire grappling. Grappling is pretty effective and it is easier to wrap someone up than to hit someone at close range.

4. Someone walking over to the fighters looking to whack one with a club etc could very well be brought to the ground by an unpinned fighter. That's not MMA but common sense.

So here's a few thoughts for modifying the rules, to broaden the concept of pinning, which is in there somewhere I think:. Maybe others can fill in the (big) gaps.

1. If a figure is pinned by another HTH fighter, they can't do damage; they must first break the pin. Although perhaps they can pin an opponent even when pinned themselves, perhaps at a minus.

2. A pinned or unpinned HTH fighter can move around 1 hex, as long as they stay adjacent to the other HTH figures. They are still considered in HTH. They might be able to pull the fighters to their hex based on a contest roll. 

3. An unpinned figure on the ground can try to tackle/trip up an adjacent standing figure. This action would unpin any other figures they are already in HTH combat with.

4. The action of pinning and breaking the pin should be based on a contest roll and modified by difference in unarmed combat skill.

Potential advantages:

1. Truer to the spirit of actual HTH

2. Gives the figures engaged in HTH some interesting decisions to make.

3. Add some risk to the very annoying tactic (which seems very dangerous to my common sense) of wandering over to a couple of grappling fighters with the idea of hitting one in the head with a weapon.