>Players get charged by enemy.
>Combat starts with players throwing a javelin (or firing a ruddy great
>crossbow).
>Enemies close for hack'n'slash.
Option 1: the missile exchange is the first round of combat. This has the
advantage of being very easy to implement. The disadvantage is that
heroes will be stuck with AP based on their Ranged Combat. You can take
the hardline approach and say "Hey, if you want to use that tactic you
should buy up the appropriate skill!", but this might not endear you to
your players.
(I'm assuming that most characters will be better at Close Combat - the
ones that aren't won't want to melee at all, they'll try to keep their
distance.)
Option 2: it's the first round of combat, but an Unrelated Action. In the example you give this is easy, because the enemies have already charged, in effect stating that they want a contest based on Close Combat. The disadvantage is that this is probably bending the rules somewhat - in effect you're first stating your response ("We'll meet them in melee") and then immediately switching abilities.
Option 3: it's a simple contest preceeding the actual combat. Simple and clean in execution, but interpreting the results is a bitch. Haven't got a clue how to do it, myself.
Powered by hypermail