#24: What's In an Action?

[RPGnet Columns]

http://www.rpg.net/columns/roughquests/roughquests24.phtml

Summary:

Looking at combat systems, starting with RuneQuest and initiative.

Go to the column (http://www.rpg.net/columns/roughquests/roughquests24.phtml) for more information.

[Infornific]

If you like the Jorune style initiative system (initiative check determines what if any actions you can take) you might try using that with your idea of experience fields and skills.

For example,

Experience fields (streetfighting, duelling, battlefield, etc) would determine initiative. The more experience you have fighting in a given situation, the better your initiative and the wider your range of options.

Skills would determine actual attack and defense.

So a character with high Duelling Experience, low Streetfighting experience and high Rapier skill would be highly effective in a duel. In an impromtu fight in a back alley, he would attack and parry just as accurately but would on average have fewer options in a given round. In other words, lack of experience requires him to think more about what he's doing and consequently act less.

- DW

[smascrns]

This is one of the things I love about SRJ but I opted for a more abstract system where there is not a separate stage for initiative. What you describe is already incorporated into the straight skill check since less experience means less successful rolls, less actions.

The issue is that one needs to find a good balance between detail and complexity since there are so many factors into a fight. My option has been to consider two stages - performance and result - and deal with all those factors at one of these two stages. One of the reasons for keeping it down to two stages is because each will correspond to a set of traits. A third stage would break up the tidiness of this correspondance.

Now that I think about it, here is something that never occured to me: What if I separate the usage of experience and skill?
My current line of thought was that both experience and skill would be factored into the performance roll (I'm advancing ideas here that will only be developped in the next columns). What if I separate both and factor experience into the performance roll (the experienced fighter knows when to attack or how to avoid being attacked) and skill into the result roll (when he attacks or defends the skilled fighter can optimize his attack or defence)?
Food for thought. Thanks for sparking this.