First Edition Inititaive Example

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

FIRST EDITION INITIATIVE

Notice how initiative is not always needed, and how the story flows like watching a Star Wars films. It's more of an action story, with the GM describing to you what is up on the screen, than it is a normal roleplaying game as is 2E, where initiative is rolled every round.

Detailed Example to follow.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

ROUND 3.

GM (Situation): You move in to knee the trooper in the gut, but he's too fast for you. You didn't even see it coming. The guy is highly trained, and he moved like a cat!

He had something in his hands--what was it? You're too groggy to think! All you saw was this piece of black pipe that the trooper used to shove into your face! Did he break your cheekbone? Your head went backwards. Your body went limp. Fire broke out on your face!

You went down.

And now, you're on your back, coughing, blinking your watering eyes. You've got blood free flowing out of your nose.

The trooper shouldered his weapon and stands astride your feet, blaster rifle at the ready, pointing directly at you, point blank range.

As you blink and cough and hurt, you suck in air to breath through your mouth because your nose isn't working.

And, you hear his mechanical voice say, "(click)Stay down! Don't move!(click)"

What do you want to do?





P (Declaration): He's straddling me? I'm going to kick up, with all my might, right in his manhood!

GM (Declaration): He fires. Twice.

P (Reaction): I'll roll out of the way and Dodge that fire!



NOTE: No initiative needed here. The trooper is firing, -1D for two actions, and +5 for a prone target.

Roark is Dodging, rolling out of the way, rolling his full 4D+1 Dodge. But, he's wounded, so he has a -1D. He rolls 3D +1: a total of 5! (I really rolled that! 1, 2, 1 + 1 = 5! Wow!)

So, the trooper needs a total of 10+ to hit. Trooper has Blaster 3D, -1D for multi-actions, +5 for prone. Rolls 2D +5. 13!



GM (Segment 2 - Situation): Let's figure damage. The rifle does 5D damage. Roark throw STR 3D.

Rifle 5D: 24! Wow! This trooper is on fire! (I've been rolling real dice--it makes it interesting for me to write this as I don't know what the outcome will be).

P: I've got to blow my Force Point! I should have used it on the Dodge!

Roark 6D: 18.

That means, even with the Force Point, that Roark takes another Wound. This means that Roark is Incapacitated.

The Force Was Not With Him. (And, Roark should have used the Force Point on the Dodge, ensuring that he wouldn't get hit. This shows the perils of waiting too long to use your FP.)



GM: You start to move, but you're hurt. You can barely see! You're much slower than what was in your mind.

As soon as you twitch, the stormtrooper fires. The bright fire erupting from his weapon burn your retinas. You made about a quarter flip when the bolt caught you in the right arm. It blew a hole through your jacket and shirt and tore out a large chunk of your bicep.

Your entire body lurched, like you had been stabbed with electricity.

Then, the lights went out.

Good night, Martha!

The trooper kicks you in the back, a blow that flops you on your face in the gutter. "(click)This is TC1875 at Docking Bay 12. I've got a pick up. It's probably that Rebel scum that hit the alert this morning. Come get him before he bleeds to death all over the walk way,(click)" says the trooper, but you don't hear it.



Note: In that entire combat, Initiative was not used at every instance. It was only used when needed.

[Lord Zash]

Hi!

finally I am using in my campaign 1st Edition as written (with its initiative system). It's taken me a while and reading some examples but tried it yesterday with my players and we all understood it and enjoyed it.

SORRY I'M RESURRECTING A POST FROM 2017!
But just wanted to say thanks to this forum and all these examples as they've helped me understand 1st edition as written. It's hard to figure it all out just by reading it but then I took it to the table with players and it's much simpler than what I thought. I was overthinking it.



So I was reading through your example Wajeb and in your final post (ROUND 3) when the trooper is standing by your PC (who is on the floor trying to dodge the troopers fire) can I ask you why did you add +5 positive modifier to the stormtrooper shot because of the prone?

As I understand shouldn't it be like this for the trooper?:
Difficulty: 5 (point blank) + your PC's dodge (which was 5) so 10 in total for that shot.


I thought prone makes it harder to hit (+5 difficulty to the firer) unless the firer is at point blank range in which case the modifier doesn't apply

[Zulgyan]

Examples of initiative play usually just portray 1 PC, when in reality you usually have five or six of them to manage, making matters much more complicated.

Anyway, after further playing 1E, I have finally embraced it's initiative system. But I am applying the system not like a rule but rather like a principle, which can have exceptions and nuanced rulings if they better serve the game experience.

[Chaosmeister]

I realize really old Post but I found this example very helpful. I still can't quite wrap my head around it. If I understand this right I "waste" a lot of time rolling and declaring things that will never happen because a player or NPC is shot and stunned. Is that correct?
_________________
Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at!

[CRMcNeill]

[Chaosmeister]

Thanks. I dislike "wasted" rolls so will have to see if I can jiggle an initiative compromise. Thanks!
_________________
Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at!

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

[Chaosmeister]

IAG is indeed super simple, thanks.
_________________
Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at!