Hit or Miss?

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

Most games, like D&D, use an abstract system where a dice rolled hit does not necessarily equate to damage from a sword stroke or, in other games, damage from a gun shot (or blaster or whatever).

This allows for play that can be fun where hits happen fairly often but damage does not usually kill or incapacitate a character with a single sword stroke (gunshot wound, blaster hit, whatever).

The more realistic take is to simulate actual hits with actual damage. That is, when a hit happens, damage is usually pretty severe, taking out the target by either killing him or incapacitating him.

In a game, this method would make the likelihood of hits a lot less often.




So, the question is:

Do you prefer a game where a hit happens more often but results in damage that cannot always be construed as an actual hit due to the light damage applied to the target?

Or, do you prefer a game where hits rarely happen, but when they do, damage is realistic and devastating to the target?

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

I suppose a third option could be considered. That's when hits happen fairly regularly, but a hit represents the potential of a hit. The target then rolls defense, as with D6 Star Wars, where the outcome of that hit is not dependent on the hit roll as much as it is on the defense roll.

So, when a hit happens, the outcome of that hit depends on how well the target rolls on defense.

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

Can a game be fun when hits are hard to roll and seldom happen?

[Whill]

I do reinterpret some outcomes of hits. Like "stunned" results from normal blaster damage on unarmored characters. In the films you just don't see characters shake off a blaster bolt like that. I will usually say those blaster bolts just "buzzed" a character, a near miss to the head or light graze that may have even left a minor burn. No I wouldn't want the game to be deadlier in that any shot from a blaster is a mortal wound or instant death.

Is that what you're getting at?
_________________
*
Site Map
Forum Guidelines
Registration/Log-In Help
The Rancor Pit Library
Star Wars D6 Damage

[Wajeb Deb Kaadeb]

[garhkal]

[Naaman]

The problem becomes the length of combat. In our games, the BBEG fights are always long: once someone gets hit, the fight is either over, or it ends shortly thereafter.

Mooks, on the other hand go down after (usually) just one attack (which often hits).

From a story telling perspective, I see the "long fights" as ones wherein characters are expending character points and such to keep their performance high enough to ensure victory.

[garhkal]

Is it a bad thing really, that the end boss fights are long and hard?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Naaman]

NO! That's the point. But should ALL the fights be long? I don't think so... or else, they should be long by virtue of the number of mooks (lots and lots) instead of because fighting one stormtrooper takes 10 or 11 attack rolls to even hit.