Alternate Time Management for GURPS

[Anthony]

GURPS has 1s turns, which is pretty fast, but even on that scale its got granularity issues, as the difference between 1 turn and 2 turns is huge, and there isn't a way to implement that person X is moderately faster than person Y. This is a proposed alternative, which you sometimes see in board games and commonly see in computer games, but rarely in RPGs.

The basic idea is that each character has a next initiative that defines when they get a turn, and then there's a initiative counter that defines the current time. The basic method turn method is then:

1. At the start of combat, each character is assigned a next initiative, based on basic speed and other initiative modifiers.
2. Move the initiative counter forward until it reaches at least one player's next initiative.
3. Each person with a next initiative that is less than or equal to the initiative counter may act or delay. Resolve from highest next initiative to lowest (i.e. last first).
4. If someone delays, they take no action at this time; leave their next initiative as it is.
5. If someone acts, they declare an action. Other players who have not yet declared may interrupt to take an action, in initiative order.
6. Anyone who acts sets their next initiative to current initiative plus the initiative cost of the action they took (different weapons might have different initiative costs, and advantages or skill adjustments can also change init cost).
7. Certain reactions, such as active defenses, might be possible out of sequence and just increase the character's next initiative based on where it currently is.
8. Repeat until all eligible characters have acted or delayed.
9. Return to (2)

A typical board game numbered track would handle this easily, or you can use paper, dice, etc.

Does this seem like the kind of thing people would play?

[OldSam]

Originally Posted by Anthony

..., as the difference between 1 turn and 2 turns is huge, and there isn't a way to implement that person X is moderately faster than person Y.

Do you have an example where you experienced a lack of differentiation in speed? At the moment I'm not really sure what you're looking for:

I mean, if basic speed of person A is 0.5/1.0/1.5.. higher than person B, isn't that moderately faster...? And if you're faster you can trigger a wait maneuver etc. ...

--

Maybe what you are searching for is something like an additional "half" maneuver, allowing only "simple" actions or something like that? (Like some RPGs have it)

As I would try to stick closer to the RAW, not going to break free completely: I think you could include that in a similar way like "extra attack", specifying an advantage "extra simple action" where you can do some limited things in addition to your turn but not an extra move maneuver and other "full" featured actions... (which ATR allows)

[Varyon]

I have tried a couple times to make something like this, but was never able to come up with something satisfactory. I also have an almost-complete version that uses my Combat Posture rules (or more precisely, the simplified version, using the MP - maneuver points - from there instead of the IP - Initiative Points - of previous attempts), but stopped work on it after I couldn't come up with a scheme I liked for cascading waits and high RoF weapons. If you can come up with something that's more usable, I'd very much like to see it.

[Gnomasz]

Originally Posted by Anthony

1. At the start of combat, each character is assigned a next initiative, based on basic speed and other initiative modifiers.
2. Move the initiative counter forward until it reaches at least one player's next initiative.
3. Each person with a next initiative that is less than or equal to the initiative counter may act or delay. Resolve from highest next initiative to lowest (i.e. last first).
4. If someone delays, they take no action at this time; leave their next initiative as it is.
5. If someone acts, they declare an action. Other players who have not yet declared may interrupt to take an action, in initiative order.
6. Anyone who acts sets their next initiative to current initiative plus the initiative cost of the action they took (different weapons might have different initiative costs, and advantages or skill adjustments can also change init cost).
7. Certain reactions, such as active defenses, might be possible out of sequence and just increase the character's next initiative based on where it currently is.
8. Repeat until all eligible characters have acted or delayed.
9. Return to (2)

Interesting idea, but I think the delays could make it way too messy. I'd use standard GURPS Waits instead. On your initiative, you either use a turn or Wait. This way someone faster is acting more often, but it doesn't introduce many new ways to confuse players and GM alike.

Let's see about implementation. ATR gives us a price for acting 2, 3, 4 times a turn (and more, but I'd keep it there to avoid huge numbers.
So let's say a normal human has Next Initiative of 12.
ATR 1 would give twice as many turns, so NI 6.
ATR 2 would give thrice as many maneuvers and would make NI 4.
This makes 100 character points between 12 and 6, and another 100 points between 6 and 4, which makes assigning point value and keeping it compatible with ATR quite hard. Or at least hard to convey in a simple way.
Point Cost = (1200/NI)-100, so roughly:

NI:   18| 17| 16| 15| 14|13||12||11|10| 9| 8| 7|  6|  5|  4|  3|  2|   1
Pts.:-33|-29|-25|-20|-14|-7|| 0||10|20|34|50|72|100|140|200|300|500|1100

It definitely doesn't translate well to Basic Speed, so it leaves two questions:

1. Do you still somehow calculate NI from attributes?
2. How do you determine who goes first if their NI is the same?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Anthony

GURPS has 1s turns, which is pretty fast, but even on that scale its got granularity issues, as the difference between 1 turn and 2 turns is huge, and there isn't a way to implement that person X is moderately faster than person Y. This is a proposed alternative, which you sometimes see in board games and commonly see in computer games, but rarely in RPGs.

The basic idea is that each character has a next initiative that defines when they get a turn, and then there's a initiative counter that defines the current time. The basic method turn method is then:

1. At the start of combat, each character is assigned a next initiative, based on basic speed and other initiative modifiers.
2. Move the initiative counter forward until it reaches at least one player's next initiative.
3. Each person with a next initiative that is less than or equal to the initiative counter may act or delay. Resolve from highest next initiative to lowest (i.e. last first).
4. If someone delays, they take no action at this time; leave their next initiative as it is.
5. If someone acts, they declare an action. Other players who have not yet declared may interrupt to take an action, in initiative order.
6. Anyone who acts sets their next initiative to current initiative plus the initiative cost of the action they took (different weapons might have different initiative costs, and advantages or skill adjustments can also change init cost).
7. Certain reactions, such as active defenses, might be possible out of sequence and just increase the character's next initiative based on where it currently is.
8. Repeat until all eligible characters have acted or delayed.
9. Return to (2)

A typical board game numbered track would handle this easily, or you can use paper, dice, etc.

Does this seem like the kind of thing people would play?

Rereading this, I don't think it does what you indicate you want to do. The characters' Basic Speed only matters once, for setting the initial Next Initiative - after that, their NI is set based entirely on what actions they take. It does add a further dimension to things (moving less than full Move lets you act again sooner, while a swing from a sword makes you take longer before you can act again than a thrust from a dagger), but it doesn't mean faster (higher Basic Speed) characters act more often, absent something like Altered Time Rate (which I'd suggest having reduce the Init cost of actions under this system). To get that effect, you really need something that accumulates (or perhaps counts down, with characters acting once their initiative reaches 0) in some fashion.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Varyon;2303963 it doesn't mean faster (higher Basic Speed) characters act more [i

often[/i], absent something like Altered Time Rate

I was not initially trying to change that. You would implement it by giving higher basic speed a reduction in action costs or a bonus vs reducing action cost.