Re: Combat

From: Alexandre Lanciani <alexanl_at_...>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 12:32:13 +0200


Clay Luther:

> 3) On our first night, combat proved quite exhausting for us and a
> little tedious. First, let's talk about the tediousness. Because the
> players were closely matched to the opposition, they were NOT willing to
> wager extravagent AP bids in combat; rather, they were happy to let the
> default 3AP carry them along. And even though the opposition was more
> agressive (high AP wagers), the combat drug on out for 30 minutes or
> more as the sides *whittled* each other down. This tediousness lead to
> exhaustion because we were trying to describe the combat vividly --
> being good "story-tellers" -- but not *specifically brutally*, as the HW
> rules advise. After a while, with our mental stores of creatively
> describing minor combat results were exhausted, combat descriptions
> degenerated to "I swing using 3AP -- oh, you win, he forfeits 3AP".

        Well, then the HW rules are eminently realistic! A combat between two adversaries who just circle each other, maybe doing some shy feint to test the foe's guard (or, if you prefer, a combat where the camera constantly cuts to somewhere else and most of it occurs off-stage) is, indeed, boring.

        You choreographed a tedious battle, you got a tedious battle! ;)

> 4) During this major, drawn out battle, one player said "This game is
> not detailed enough!" in exasperation. He meant, he really missed
> graphic combat explanations.

        Actually, you can have all the graphic and pyrotechnics you want. Much more than in any game with tables and/or crit results. It's just a matter of making them up. Of course, with great freedom comes great responsibility, and the game doesn't quite help. But then, you want your pie and eat it, too?

> the player shot back that having only a
> 60% chance of succeeding greatly discouraged them from taking any such
> risks (ie, why give your opponent a 40% chance of gaining 14AP!??)

        But probabilities are useful only to compute averages, not for making case-by-case decisions, which should be made on a subjective degree of confidence. Of course probabilities are a factor, even an important one, but by no means the only one. Wasn't 60% enough for him? 75%? 51%? Where do you draw the line?

> If anyone would like a really detailed opinion on this, I'd be happy to
> connect you with the sharpest player via email, who can detail his
> concerns with the mechanics much more eloquently.

        I'd be happy to hear from him, and although I won't probably be able to reply very eloquently I'd be very interested in discussing math esoterica with him.

	Cheers,
	A mathematical Alex.

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