RE: [HOE] Melee Combat

["Jeff Yates" <jyates@primaryfunction.com>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-hoe@gamerz.net] On 
> Behalf Of Theo McGuckin
> Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 10:02 AM
> To: hoe@gamerz.net
> Subject: Re: [HOE] Melee Combat
> 
<SNIPPAGE>
> I have no problems with this and agree that maneuvers should 
> be available to more than just sword-users (if nothing the 
> playing field needs to be level between templars and 
> anti-templars). But I don't know that this will make HtH 
> combat any more effective. It'll make it more interesting, 
> but it's still going to be next to impossible for anyone but 
> the most skilled of individuals to hit in HtH, I mean to hit 
> a skilled templar weilding a sword you need a *%&^!!! 12, but 
> if you take two steps back you can shoot 
> him and only need a 5! That's nuts!
> 
> Theo McGuckin - SysAdmin, JLab, Safety Warden (Bldg. 85)


I personally don't find this to be a bad thing.  Let's take an extreme
example (from a recent movie cuz my memory don't extend back all that
far!):  Peter Parker is being accosted by Flash in the high school
hallway.  For arguments sake, PP has a Fightin' score of say 8 because
of the spider bite.  Flash is being the school bully, so let's give him
a Fightin' score of 4.  For the first few swings, PP just twists a bit
to avoid the punch.  Nothing actively done, he's just very hard to hit
because of his very high Fightin' score -- he's a skill brawler, and
understands that foot placement and center of gravity will limit where a
punch can come from and where it can go, so a little tiny shift to the
right or left can avoid the hit.  Hence, base TN 5 plus Fightin' 8 is a
13 TN to be hit.  Punches only go so fast, so it is something you can
think ahead of.  Really skilled fighters have trained themselves to
think really fast too, so they can consider their foot placement/center
of gravity as compares to their opponents, and put a punch where it
can't be avoided.  Meaning that a Fightin' 8 will probably get you
something over the 9 (base 5 plus Flash's Fightin' 4) due to the sheer
number of dice.  However, even a Fightin' 8 can be hit.  Flash gets it
together, rolls an ace or two, and beats the 13 he needs.  PP has to
Dodge, which for a genetically tweak guy means a leaping flip over his
opponent. (Or you could call it an active Fightin' vamoose, but I'd call
it a Dodge because PP made a larger movement out of the way.  The
Fightin' vamoose would've applied better to the punches PP actually
raised his arm to block...)

However, those little tweaks-of-stance to the left or right (not very
much more than a head bob, or twist of the shoulders) don't help against
a gun.  There's a heartbeat or two (for those that have such a thing
;-)) between pulling the fist back and the potential landing of the
punch.  Bullets travel much faster, so unless you actually are Spiderman
there's no twitching out of the way, your Fightin' score won't help.
(OK, an exception to that I use is if your trying to use a gun while
being Wrassled, particularly a rifle, as a firearm rather than a club.)

That all said, I'd like to say that I'd let many of the sword maneuvers
be used for other kinds of weapons, where logical.  One poster states
he'd like to have the time to spend to make a list of maneuvers for all
the different weapon types.  I'd suggest trying to make the list
generic, useful for many types of weapons.  Swords and axes can probably
share an identical list.  Knives can use most (sweeping with a knife
might be a challenge).  A staff could sweep, but might not be right for
others.  I'd like to see the maneuver list if it ever gets finished.
It'd be easier I think if you make the list generic, then list
exceptions for weapons that won't work with a particular maneuver.

Just my worthless pre-war two cents!

Jeff Y.