Quote:
Originally Posted by Helborn
I like the rule as written and don't see the issues described in this thread as drawbacks.
The main rule in TFT is - "Don't say No, figure out a way." The rolls to miss are a good example of this. Threading a shot through actively moving figures to hit a more distant figure should require that each intervening figure be missed first. That is logical and follows the flight of the arrow, thrown weapon, or spell. The archer HAS to take into account all possible targets and adjust for their interference. The point of this rule is to actively discourage players from undertaking this very risky attack without "telling them NO".
Rolling to miss is a better discouragement mechanic than increasing the difficulty of the original target. Raising the damage on a failure to miss a friend is an additional method of discouraging such a shot. Lowering the damage for foes (making the arrow simply drop in that hex), is another method furthering the same thing.
The only modification I would add is that taking time to aim (waiting for an opening, ITL 127) also affects rolls to miss when the shot is taken. But the basic 16.3% chance of failing to get by a given figure should remain. Trick shots/attacks need to be dangerous when they fail.
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If you don't see problems with the original rule, more power to you - enjoy.
But it sounds to me like you just don't understand the situation or the solution GURPS and my adapted version of it provide. These rules do not remove the disincentives to shoot through other figures, at all. They just remove the logic and math errors from the calculations.
In fact, the adjusted rules make it a bit more difficult to hit enemies blocked by other enemies, which I think is a good thing. With the TFT rule, if an enemy wizard is behind two screening enemies, an archer can still hit them by making two rolls to miss and then an unmodified roll to hit, which with a decent DX is not that hard unless you happen to roll high on a to-miss roll, in which case the gamey "but you never accidentally hurt foes" comes in.
With the GURPS rule, it'd be -8 to hit the wizard behind two figures, or -6 in my TFT version of it, and there would be some chance of hitting other foes, which makes a lot of sense, and also has the nice logical cause & effect of logical consequences of mobbing your figures in one place (it makes it easier to hit one of them with a ranged attack) and increases the odds of hitting a foe if you fire into a crowd of them (which the TFT rule can't do, because it's worried about it's backwards skill roll being abused).