Quote:
Originally Posted by WTFisGoingOnInHere
Damn, you've got a lot of detail in there, but you're saying play-ability wise that flows ok? That was my whole take on this, was to find ways to keep the tempo moving, and not bog down the group in the math.
I'll try this next session, and see if I can get them to bite.
But I'm also pretty sure I'm going to have some more questions...  |
The key to making this work is getting your players to initially state WHAT they are doing thematically using a STATEMENT OF INTENT Phase. You then break down their actions into 1-second Phases based on that initial "Statement of Intent." For example...
"I'm running to the wall of the building to my right and I will then put grazing fire (snap shots) on any enemy soldiers I see."
1) YOU know the character is 10 meters from that wall. It will take him 2 1-Second Phases to move to that wall.
2) YOU know when he gets there, there will be two enemy soldiers running towards him. Those soldiers are at SHORT Range so each one will take a 1-Second Phase to shoot. If those soldiers were at MEDIUM Range (perhaps he has a pistol?), then each solder would take TWO 1-Second Phases to shoot at.
When I do the Statement of Intent Phase, I write each Declared Action on a sheet that is used to order ACTIONS by Phase. My sheet actually has 12 lines representing the PHASES on it because I play DARK CONSPIRACY too and many creatures like real-world snakes as well as "cryptids" such as werewolves or vampires can have SIGNIFICANTLY greater speeds than a normal human ever could. I simply give these creatures a higher INITIATIVE to represent their "superhuman speed."
So as I listen to the player's statements of intent, I write down on my Initiative Sheet (which is just 12 horizontal NUMBERED lines) in what PHASE each action will be resolved. I do "rollover" my ACTIONS into the following Round. This is important for things like grenade delays or timed explosives. I DO NOT require that my players use all of their Initiative Points on this initial statement. A PC (or NPC) CAN retain a point or two for defending against attacks (blocks and parries) or unexpected needs like movement. You WILL find though, that most players will want to do things that will burn up ALL their points very quickly. An average 1D6 roll will mean most players will have between 3 and 4 points which means that they can often only move and then do one Action in a 6 second Round (yes there are penalties for movement UNLESS the PC takes 1 Second to steady themselves after moving). This is in line with real life in combat. It also explains WHY I use poker chips for the player's Initiative Points. I find it easier to say "you owe me two chips for that shot" and they can immediately look to see how much they can still do based on the number of chips left in their hand. In the example above, if the PC had an Initiative of 4; he would start acting on Phase 4 by RUNNING. He would still be RUNNING on Phase 3 and would be SHOOTING SOLDIER #1 on Phase 2. He would then be SHOOTING SOLDIER #2 on Phase 1. This helps EVERYONE visualize when things are occurring during the Combat Round.
A quick "pro-tip" on the Statement Of Intent: I have the PCs with the highest INT+INIT and anyone with any TACTICS Skill (I added this after it appeared in TW2K13) declare their Intent LAST (so they can hear what everyone else is doing before they commit to an action) BUT I have people ACT based on the highest AGL+INIT (known as Weapon Speed). UNLESS it is "cinematic" or "significant to the storyline" to do otherwise, I always rule that whatever happens in a given PHASE, happens simultaneously. This means a PC can kill an adversary AND ALSO be killed either by THAT adversary or another one in the SAME PHASE.
Here's pro-tip number 2. When Initiating the Statement Of Intent, I give the PLAYERS just about 10 seconds to DECLARE their Actions for that Round. I try to "hurry" or "rush" the players so they cannot get into a "discussion" on the tactics they want to use. This also helps build the tension because I will "pass over" a dithering player (which drives MY players nuts) and even take a 1-second Action for them "hesitating" on me. YES... I'm pretty ruthless about this! The PCs are fighting for their LIVES, after all! My player's counter to this? They have established a number of SOPs for various encounter types and just call out what SOP they will use. You've gotta' LOVE inventive players!
This is the most "evolved" system based on the RAW game's PHASES that you can use and it will also allow you to keep an accurate time count because...
6 1-Second Phases = 1 Combat Round
10 Combat Rounds = 1 Minute
10 Minutes = 1 Turn (a time unit I use based on old AD&D for encounter pacing)
6 Turns = 1 Hour
4 Hours = 1 Period
6 Periods = 1 Day
A 4-Hour Period is often broken into 24 10-Minute Turns to list activities such as...
- Collecting Firewood
- Weapon & Vehicle Maintenance
- Cooking a Meal
- Tending Wounds
- Setting up or Breaking Down a Camp
* All of the listed activities take 1 or more 10-Minute Turns to perform just like Actions take 1-Second Phases to perform.