Running away from fights in Toon

Stormcrow · 11-20-2012, 12:51 PM

I know Toon is a very rules-light game, but I'm curious about how to "properly" handle certain kinds of actions according to the rules. Yes, yes, "make it up; be silly," I know. But surely there is a correct answer.

Suppose it's Mack the Mouse's turn. He chooses to Fight Fred Bulldog. Fred doesn't want to fight, so he decides to run away. Therefore Mack gets a "free swing" (p. 28), a Fight roll that presumably doesn't count against his turn.

Presuming Mack doesn't make Fred Fall Down with his free swing, he decides to chase him as his action for the turn. Chases mean both Mack and Fred roll their Run skills (for Fred it's a free reaction roll). If Mack succeeds and Fred fails, Mack has caught up with Fred "and can start a Fight" (p. 32).

So does this mean Mack gets to attack Fred immediately, getting a second action in which to Fight? Supposing there were characters to go between Mack and Fred, does this still count as Mack's turn? Or does he have to wait for his next action to start a Fight, before which Fred might Run away again (making Mack's Run roll a free reaction)? Or does Fred's Run from the Fight count as Fred's action for the turn (which would lead me to believe that reacting to a Fight with Fight would also use up your turn)?

How is this supposed to be handled?

Curmudgeon · 12-02-2012, 12:42 AM

The key is the definition of an Action on p.17 of Toon (deluxe edition).

"In Toon, an action is defined as everything a player says he or she is doing, up to the point where they try one Skill Roll." ... "but once a player makes a Skill Roll, it's the next player's turn" ... "If another player has to make a Skill Roll because of what you did (for instance to Dodge something you threw, or to Resist your Fast-Talk), that doesn't count as an action for the second player."

So, as per the the description of Fighting on p.9, Mack decides to Fight and Fred attempts to run away as his reaction required by Mack's Skill Roll. If Mack succeeds on the fight roll, Fred takes damage but escapes and Mack's turn is over. If Mack fails on the fight roll, Fred escapes without damage and Mack's turn is over. Mack's decision to make the Fight roll is Mack's turn; once he rolls it, his turn is over. The swing is free only in the sense that Fred isn't opposing the roll with a Fight roll of his own.

Mack cannot Chase Fred until his next turn. Fred gets his action in between Mack's Fight roll and Mack's next roll, presumably a chase, provided that Fred didn't Fall Down. If Fred fell down, Mack will have to bother someone else until Fred wakes up.

Using the sidebar on p. 11 Racing & Chasing (Fred's Revenge), we can see that much the same applies to a chase. Making the Running roll ends the turn, the other character's running roll only determines the situation at the end of the turn [chased caught, chase continues or chased escaped]. Once that point is reached, it's the next player's turn. The Fight, if any, happens the following turn.

Stormcrow · 12-03-2012, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curmudgeon

The swing is free only in the sense that Fred isn't opposing the roll with a Fight roll of his own.

Ah! That was the missing element. I assumed a "free swing" meant the same thing it usually means in other role-playing games: the character gets a roll that doesn't count as an action for that character.

Here's a quick example of the system working. An asterisk precedes the player announcing his action for the turn.

*Mack: "I fight Fred."
Fred: "I run away."
Mack rolls Fight, unopposed by Fred. He hits and scores damage. Fred gets away, because Mack didn't chase him.
*Fred: I hide behind the fire hydrant."
Fred rolls Hide/Spot Hidden and succeeds.
*Mack: "I try to find Fred."
Mack rolls Hide/Spot Hidden and succeeds, spotting Fred.
*Fred: "I run away."
Mack: "I chase him."
Fred and Mack both roll Run. Fred fails and Mack succeeds. Mack catches up with Fred.
*Mack: "I fight Fred."
Fred: "I run away."
Mack rolls Fight, unopposed by Fred, and succeeds. Fred Falls Down.

Curmudgeon · 12-03-2012, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Stormcrow

Here's a quick example of the system working. An asterisk precedes the player announcing his action for the turn.

*Mack: "I fight Fred."
Fred: "I run away."
Mack rolls Fight, unopposed by Fred. He hits and scores damage. Fred gets away, because Mack didn't chase him.
*Fred: I hide behind the fire hydrant."
Fred rolls Hide/Spot Hidden and succeeds.
*Mack: "I try to find Fred."
Mack rolls Hide/Spot Hidden and succeeds, spotting Fred.
*Fred: "I run away."
Mack: "I chase him."
Fred and Mack both roll Run. Fred fails and Mack succeeds. Mack catches up with Fred.
*Mack: "I fight Fred."
Fred: "I run away."
Mack rolls Fight, unopposed by Fred, and succeeds. Fred Falls Down.

Exactly. :)

11-20-2012, 12:51 PM	#1
Stormcrow Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ronkonkoma, NY	Running away from fights in Toon I know Toon is a very rules-light game, but I'm curious about how to "properly" handle certain kinds of actions according to the rules. Yes, yes, "make it up; be silly," I know. But surely there is a correct answer. Suppose it's Mack the Mouse's turn. He chooses to Fight Fred Bulldog. Fred doesn't want to fight, so he decides to run away. Therefore Mack gets a "free swing" (p. 28), a Fight roll that presumably doesn't count against his turn. Presuming Mack doesn't make Fred Fall Down with his free swing, he decides to chase him as his action for the turn. Chases mean both Mack and Fred roll their Run skills (for Fred it's a free reaction roll). If Mack succeeds and Fred fails, Mack has caught up with Fred "and can start a Fight" (p. 32). So does this mean Mack gets to attack Fred immediately, getting a second action in which to Fight? Supposing there were characters to go between Mack and Fred, does this still count as Mack's turn? Or does he have to wait for his next action to start a Fight, before which Fred might Run away again (making Mack's Run roll a free reaction)? Or does Fred's Run from the Fight count as Fred's action for the turn (which would lead me to believe that reacting to a Fight with Fight would also use up your turn)? How is this supposed to be handled?

12-02-2012, 12:42 AM	#2
Curmudgeon Join Date: Sep 2011	Re: Running away from fights in Toon The key is the definition of an Action on p.17 of Toon (deluxe edition). "In Toon, an action is defined as everything a player says he or she is doing, up to the point where they try one Skill Roll." ... "but once a player makes a Skill Roll, it's the next player's turn" ... "If another player has to make a Skill Roll because of what you did (for instance to Dodge something you threw, or to Resist your Fast-Talk), that doesn't count as an action for the second player." So, as per the the description of Fighting on p.9, Mack decides to Fight and Fred attempts to run away as his reaction required by Mack's Skill Roll. If Mack succeeds on the fight roll, Fred takes damage but escapes and Mack's turn is over. If Mack fails on the fight roll, Fred escapes without damage and Mack's turn is over. Mack's decision to make the Fight roll is Mack's turn; once he rolls it, his turn is over. The swing is free only in the sense that Fred isn't opposing the roll with a Fight roll of his own. Mack cannot Chase Fred until his next turn. Fred gets his action in between Mack's Fight roll and Mack's next roll, presumably a chase, provided that Fred didn't Fall Down. If Fred fell down, Mack will have to bother someone else until Fred wakes up. Using the sidebar on p. 11 Racing & Chasing (Fred's Revenge), we can see that much the same applies to a chase. Making the Running roll ends the turn, the other character's running roll only determines the situation at the end of the turn [chased caught, chase continues or chased escaped]. Once that point is reached, it's the next player's turn. The Fight, if any, happens the following turn.