>From: Brian Curley <bkcurley_at_...>
>
>Should the unimpeded heroes act first because their actions aren't
>restricted by an opponents actions? Should they act last because
>everyone else is already *in* combat?
>
>A similar situation also arises concerning how a hero would join an
>extended contest that's already under way (i.e. a hero happens on a
>fight already in progress, an ongoing debate, etc).
>
>Is there a clear statement in the rulebook that I'm just missing?
I use two methods, both supported by the book.
First, there's the "dramatic entry" method. This is especially useful for people leaping in. It basically says that you can sorta tell in a situation who should go when based on the attacker going first. Did the broo attack from surprise? Then they go first. Did somebody join in the debate? Then they go right now, right as they decide to interject (although you could read the rules as saying they can't get a pool in this contest - they can only augment at this point).
Second, where it's not so clear - maybe the broo ran up, giving them all time to prepare (to say nothing of whether the unengaged heroes go before the engaged ones) - then I use the AP totals to decide who goes when. Pretty straightforward.
But there's two other considerations - why are there two "unengaged" PCs? Just because there are only four broo? The "Broo Team" is attacking the "Hero Team." They are all under attack. The broo don't have to declare which pool they're targeting until their turn.
And, further, the broo team, at least, and perahps the heroes too, could actually be just one pool each. This is how I determine this. I declare for all of the narrator characters what goals they have, and for all that are the same, I make them a "team" and assign a leader. The rest of the team simply lends AP to the leader. Then I ask the players to indicate goals. If any of them have goals that coincide, I ask them if they want to be a leader. If they want, they can, instead, simply lend AP to a leader with the same goal. Often this means that the entire team ends up behind one player hero. But often not.
To recap:
1. Assign narrator teams and leaders. 2. Ask players what their goals are. 3. Ask players who want to be leaders. 4. For anybody with a similar goal who doesn't want to be a leader, theyfollow a chosen leader with a similar goal.
This reduces the number of acting sides involved, and makes considerations like who goes first a bit easier to deterimine in most cases. Or so I've found.
Mike
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