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Bigkrieg
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Joined: 20 Jun 2011
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 Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 4:15 pm Post subject: Tips for making combat faster |
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Greetings!
I have been running Star wars adventures for many years now and my number one complaint has been the length of time it takes to complete combat. For example during our last game, it took 45 minutes to kill off a handful of droids and one bounty hunter.
Here are two things I have am currently doing to speed up combat:
1. pre-rolling attack/reaction scores for NPC fights
2. Since the entire group will now be playing online, we will be rolling with dice roller located on the Rancor Pit web site.
I have read other posts on here concerning this topic but most of those only get 3-4 posts directly on the topic before posters start talking about something else.
Again, any suggestions or tips on making combat faster would be greatly appreciated. |
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Fallon Kell
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: Tips for making combat faster |
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| Bigkrieg wrote: |
Again, any suggestions or tips on making combat faster would be greatly appreciated. |
I eliminated initiative in everything but ambushes.
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Bigkrieg
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Then how do you determine who goes first and in what order? |
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jmanski
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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Indeed.... do tell.
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Fallon Kell
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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Everyone goes all at the same time.
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cheshire
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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I usually assign order instead of having people roll it. If there's some reason why timing would be particularly important, then I'll have them do an initiative roll. However, those are few and far between.
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jmanski
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Fallon Kell wrote: | | Everyone goes all at the same time. |
So how do you resolve attacks/dodges? Can two people shoot at each other at the same time? If so, does the higher roll hit?
I want answers, man! Answers, I say! 
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Fallon Kell
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| Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 10:15 pm Post subject: |
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| jmanski wrote: |
So how do you resolve attacks/dodges? Can two people shoot at each other at the same time? If so, does the higher roll hit?
I want answers, man! Answers, I say! |
Dodges are declared at the start of the turn with other actions. Two people can shoot each other at the same time. Assuming they both make difficulty, they are both hit. Wounds/death take effect at the end of the turn. If a character wants to be able to avoid being shot by shooting first, he needs the Quickdraw advanced skill.
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jmanski
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 5:53 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting...
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Bren
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| How does the quick draw skill alter the order of effect? |
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Zarm R'keeg
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | How does the quick draw skill alter the order of effect? |
Yes, I am curious about this, too- I tend to run combat as you describe (with an occasional pity-'if you can incapacitate him with this shot, he'll be KOed before he can take so-and-so-action' thrown in when I am feeling merciful), but am not familiar with the Quickdraw Advanced Skill (5D Blaster prerequisite?) or how it would work...
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ZzaphodD
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Zarm R'keeg wrote: | | Bren wrote: | | How does the quick draw skill alter the order of effect? |
Yes, I am curious about this, too- I tend to run combat as you describe (with an occasional pity-'if you can incapacitate him with this shot, he'll be KOed before he can take so-and-so-action' thrown in when I am feeling merciful), but am not familiar with the Quickdraw Advanced Skill (5D Blaster prerequisite?) or how it would work... |
Someone here introduced me to 'speed actions'. Essentially you couldnt choose to do things faster with less chance of succeeding. My version ended Up with +1D to initiative for each speed action... Each SA resulted in à MAP though..
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Fallon Kell
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Bren wrote: | | How does the quick draw skill alter the order of effect? |
I've never seen rules for Quickdraw, but as far as I'm concerned, it has to beat Perception to take effect before other actions do. I'd let you roll it opposed for a showdown, too.
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cheshire
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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There are optional rules for quick drawing blasters, but they're not terribly well defined in terms of how it affects order. It more or less assumes you're doing a Western-style show down at high noon. You split your blaster dice between drawing and aiming. For example, I may have 7D in blaster, and I'll assign 3D to draw and 4D to hit. We'll roll our draw dice, and whoever rolls the highest gets to use the rest of that die pool to hit. It may be that you draw first, but if you leave too few dice to hit, then you'll never blast your opponent. Of course, if you don't put in enough to draw, you may never live to get your shot off.
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Bren
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| Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| ZzaphodD wrote: | | Someone here introduced me to 'speed actions'. Essentially you couldnt choose to do things faster with less chance of succeeding. My version ended Up with +1D to initiative for each speed action... Each SA resulted in à MAP though.. |
| ZzaphodD wrote: | | Someone here introduced me to 'speed actions'. Essentially you couldnt choose to do things faster with less chance of succeeding. My version ended Up with +1D to initiative for each speed action... Each SA resulted in à MAP though.. |
I call that Haste(s) rather than Speed Actions. We have played it two ways. One as a raise and ante system where opponents alternate adding one or more level of haste until one side stops adding hastes. Each level of haste costs 1 MAP, but moves your action ahead one step in the order. So a character who lost the initiative (if one uses initiative) could add a level of Haste to act before his opponent. The opponent could then add a level of haste to counter and regain the initiative. Hastes can be combined with multiple actions.
For example, assume the dangerous PC Outlaw Josie Wails (blaster 8D) is facing three novice bounty hunters (3D+2, dodge 3D+1) at short range. Josie wins the initiative and she declares three shots (one at each bounty hunter) adding 2 hastes. The bounty hunters each declare one shot. Josie has a total of 5 actions (3 shots + 2 hastes) so her attacks are at 4D. The Bounty Hunters declare one shot each and none of them dodge.
1st shot vs. Bounty Hunter #1 (2 hastes)
2nd shot vs. Bounty Hunter #2 (1 haste)
3rd shot vs. bounty Hunter #3 (0 hastes)
Second Side's first action any surviving Bounty Hunters that are still able to act can now shoot.
Likely Result: Short range is easy 6-10 difficulty so with a 4D all three shots have a good chance to hit. The Novice Bounty Hunters soak 2D+1 and Josie does 5D damage. Odds are all three Bounty Hunters are wounded and cannot get their return shots.
This guy's blog discusses the Haste Rule and mentions one of the quirky aspects if you institute a rule requiring targets to haste their dodge.
| Fallon Kell wrote: | | Bren wrote: | | How does the quick draw skill alter the order of effect? |
I've never seen rules for Quickdraw, but as far as I'm concerned, it has to beat Perception to take effect before other actions do. I'd let you roll it opposed for a showdown, too. |
So that's how you run it, right?
| cheshire wrote: | | There are optional rules for quick drawing blasters, but they're not terribly well defined in terms of how it affects order. It more or less assumes you're doing a Western-style show down at high noon. You split your blaster dice between drawing and aiming. For example, I may have 7D in blaster, and I'll assign 3D to draw and 4D to hit. We'll roll our draw dice, and whoever rolls the highest gets to use the rest of that die pool to hit. It may be that you draw first, but if you leave too few dice to hit, then you'll never blast your opponent. Of course, if you don't put in enough to draw, you may never live to get your shot off. |
Right, those rules are from the Corporate Sector sourcebook and IIR they next to the sidebar describing Han's confrontation with Gallandro (or maybe it's when he describes his other fastest draw - against Darth Vader).
I've used that rule as well. Most recently when one of the PCs drew down on some mook gun-beings. It worked well for the PC. Since they were at short range, even the bad to-hit roll still hit.
The Haste rule is basically a generalization of the quick draw optional rule to include actions other than a mano e mano gunfight and to account for multiple characters acting as well. |
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