Whose Turn is it Anyway? Initiative in T2k

[therantingsavant]

Thanks to Wayne for the suggestion of a post on tackling Initiative (and Panic) (https://therantingsavant.blogspot.com/2019/05/take-initiative-twilight-2000.html) in Twilight: 2000.

Unlike most RPGs, Initiative in T2k is randomly generated, linked to the rules for panic/freezing and determines extra atatcks per round, all without being dependent on a character's reflexes (ie AGL / Agility score).

So I ask, should this necessarily be the case?

[swaghauler]

Check out Admiral Lee's thread "Thoughts on Initiative" for about half a dozen different initiative systems.

I have settled on a new system using 1-second "ACTIONS" or Action Points (in which we give out tokens to keep track of each 1-second action). Each AP represents 1 second of time AND 1 Step in the 6-Step Phase system used in the RAW game. To determine the number of ACTIONS (chips) you get in a turn, you roll 1D6 and add that to your Initiative Score. You then DIVIDE this total by 2 (rounding up). This gives a number of ACTIONS ranging from 1 to 6 with your turn starting on the Phase corresponding to your modified roll (the 1 to 6 score).

I highly recommend you check out the thread.

[therantingsavant]

Check out Admiral Lee's thread "Thoughts on Initiative" for about half a dozen different initiative systems

You mean this thread (https://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=3008&highlight=Admiral+Lee+Initiative)?

Looks good will digest and have more of a think. Thanks!

[Adm.Lee]

FWIW, at this month's convention game, I'm finally going to attempt the "popcorn & chips" method I sketched out in post #23 of that older thread.

[Adm.Lee]

While not about Initiative rules as such, https://gnomestew.com/drawing-initiative-the-best-initiative-trick-you-probably-never-thought-of/?fbclid=IwAR2XTuY1_ymzLhooPOd3IrIRwoj8K7xmyM35A334 oimtI5WwJBizQBBxyM0 this post seemed at least tangential to the discussion.

[Adm.Lee]

FWIW, at this month's convention game, I'm finally going to attempt the "popcorn & chips" method I sketched out in post #23 of that older thread.

I ran a playtest game Saturday with some people who can't make it to the convention. The popcorn seemed to work OK, but I may have overwhelmed the group with too many NPCs. It seemed like the NPC groups (pairs or foursomes with similar initiative levels) always had more chips(actions) to play, while the PCs ran out quickly.

That may have been a function of the players picking from my selection of pregens-- they drew a lot of 2- and 3-action PCs, only one 6-action guy. There were a lot of Veteran & Experienced bad guys, I should probably tone that down.
- It could have been because I set up the opposition for 8 PCs, but I only had 5 players at the table.
- It could also have been that the players didn't hold back on spending their actions quickly. One of the encounters was a hasty ambush, so shooting early & often should have been a good tactical choice!

On the other hand, we made it through 2 or 3 30-second turns in two combat encounters, each of which took just a bit more than an hour to play out. That, of course, is one of the things I really wanted to have played out-- did I have enough material to fill up a four-hour time slot?

[swaghauler]

I ran a playtest game Saturday with some people who can't make it to the convention. The popcorn seemed to work OK, but I may have overwhelmed the group with too many NPCs. It seemed like the NPC groups (pairs or foursomes with similar initiative levels) always had more chips(actions) to play, while the PCs ran out quickly.

That may have been a function of the players picking from my selection of pregens-- they drew a lot of 2- and 3-action PCs, only one 6-action guy. There were a lot of Veteran & Experienced bad guys, I should probably tone that down.
- It could have been because I set up the opposition for 8 PCs, but I only had 5 players at the table.
- It could also have been that the players didn't hold back on spending their actions quickly. One of the encounters was a hasty ambush, so shooting early & often should have been a good tactical choice!

On the other hand, we made it through 2 or 3 30-second turns in two combat encounters, each of which took just a bit more than an hour to play out. That, of course, is one of the things I really wanted to have played out-- did I have enough material to fill up a four-hour time slot?

The NPCs might have been a bit thick. Are you using V1 or V2 initiative rules? You might try to randomize Initiative too. Rolling 1D6 and adding the base Initiative score to it will generate a score from 2 to 12. Dividing by 2 and rounding up will return you to the 1 to 6 score BUT the actual number will change from one round to the next due to the D6 "randomizer."

[Adm.Lee]

V1 rules, with some adjustments from v2 (wounds reduce actions)

When I ran "for real" on Wednesday, I had a full table of 8 players. All but one preferred the popcorn element, and all recognized that it was useful to making them think tactically, in terms of who could set up something for another.

I (re)added the possibility of repetitive actions, allowing the higher-Coolness PCs to do the same thing (especially move) over and over. That had slipped out of my explanations during the playtest.