RE: [HOE] Running from a fight

["Joe Frankovitch" <slvrdrgn@larp.com>]

I agree wholeheartedly that deadlands is not designed around the D&D/d20
principle of virtual combat, but rather around discreet actions.  Still,
this seems to be the intent of the rule in Waste Warriors.  While they
may not be going for the idea that 3 actions are the summary of the
give-and-take of the round, it seems clear that they feel that turning
your back on your opponent, or otherwise removing yourself from the
combat gives your opponent an opening he otherwise would not have had.

As a marshal, this obviously ahs to be restricted.  If player X is
engaged with 4 other people in melee, and they all pull out of the
fight, does he get an attack on each?  That could be a possible 9
actions in a round under normal circumstances.  Still, who is to say
this can't be done.  What if I rolled only a single action for the round
and this ahppened?  I now have 5 total actions, not an infeasible number
at all, but why does the slow guy get the benefit, and the fast guy does
not?

Instead, I'd be inclined to go with the already mentioned method of
requiring the person remaining in the fight to drop their highest card,
like a vamoose, to possibly get in that swing.  This eliminates the
messiness of what we've been discussing, let's faster people do it more
often, etc.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-hoe@gamerz.net] On Behalf Of
Theo McGuckin
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 3:37 PM
To: hoe@gamerz.net
Subject: RE: [HOE] Running from a fight


> I think the idea behind this is that the two combatants are constantly

> fighting throughout the round.  Actions simply demonstrate ones 
> ability to find an opening.  By turning one's back and running, it 
> gives the other fighter an opening that wouldn't have normally been 
> there.
> 
> At least, this is the way that d20 describes attacks of opportunity, 
> and it seems to me that this rule (which is from Waster Warriors), is 
> trying to go for the same thing.  It isn't making your opponent any 
> faster, it just gives them an opening you otherwise wouldn't have 
> given them.

This may be the intent, but it Deadlands is really setup like in a "one
card, one action" way. I mean you're letting someone do upto 5 different
things in 5-6 seconds! The d20 system is different because of the 1
action per character rule (I know more actions at higher levels), but
the original game has too much detail to really seem like the rolls are
summary of the give and take of a round. If someone attacks on his 3
actions he made three attacks that round. The three attacks aren't a
summary of his effectiveness in the give-and-take of the round.

At least that's what it seems like to me.


Theo McGuckin - SysAdmin, JLab, Safety Warden (Bldg. 85)


	"I am so smart!"
	"I am so smart!"
	"S-M-R-T"
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		- Homer Simpson




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