View Single Post
Old 06-10-2018, 06:09 PM   #16
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: One Last Shot missile attack

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Kane View Post
And are you including the bowstring as part of the weapons functional duration after attack in your supposition regarding a crossbows' ability to perhaps "last longer"?

My feeling is: honed steel edges and bow strings - of any variety - do not tend to mix well... for the string that is. ;-)
No, I meant either bow or crossbow would probably be broken in one turn as missile weapons if used to Defend, but that maybe a bow would also be rendered useless as something to defend with faster than a crossbow would.

(Personally as a detail maniac, in my games I'd give fiddly odds for what exactly happens, but that's not what I was suggesting for the base TFT rule.)


Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirk View Post
I think this might work without undue consequences, and would allow a character that seriously wanted to retain his bow to do so in following turns, perhaps to disengage and run, etc.

My understanding was that dropping a weapon did not take an option and effectively used no combat time, so if the character wanted to change weapons, he could still do it in a subsequent turn without penalty for holding onto his bow.

The key, IMO, would be to be clear about not being able to load or use a missile weapon while engaged, cuz ain't nobody got time for that! :)

And, of course, retain the rule that if a missile weapon is used to parry, etc. it is destroyed in the process (perhaps clarify whether it can continue to used as such).
Yes, I agree with exactly what you wrote. Dropping anything is always a free action and doesn't need to be mentioned.

It seems really clear to me that the rule comes from original Melee, which was trying to explain to new folks in as few words as possible, and didn't want to have to elaborate. If Melee didn't say you had to drop your bow, people would think they could just stand and fight with a bow against people with swords (many computer games and some Hollywood films allow this, even though it shouldn't work out), so you'd need to add more text about that. But in an RPG context, it's good to not have to tell players they have to drop their bow, though they also shouldn't be able to reload and fire it while being attacked. I could see the exact rule/wording being a few different variations, but I'd think something like:

No reloading or firing missile weapons while engaged except for the last shot on the turn they become engaged.
Skarg is offline   Reply With Quote