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Old 08-22-2015, 06:33 AM   #1
Anders
 
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Default Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

"The Last Gasp" has been out for some time and I consider using it. If you have used it, what are the consequences you have seen in your games?
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Old 08-22-2015, 06:58 AM   #2
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

A big non-tactical consequence is that I enjoy combat much, much more.

On the tactical side, here are a few short observations:
  1. Attacking every turn, non-stop, is a good way to wear yourself out and get killed by a more moderate opponent.

  2. Unless you hit them first, or you have significantly more AP than your opponent (and your opponent fails to use options like All-Out Defense).

  3. Getting hit sucks. If you plan on getting hit regularly, invest in DR, or in a high enough HT-based roll to mitigate AP loss due to injury. High Pain Threshold comes in handy here.

  4. A couple of maneuvers that I rarely saw outside of Last Gasp are much more tactically valuable when using Last Gasp. Evaluate allows you to not only get a bonus to a future attack, it also allows you to recharge some AP, allowing you to stay in the mix longer. All-out Defense also sees a fair amount of use, particularly if you're angling for a "wear out your opponent and take advantage of their weakness" approach, since you get two free AP for defensive purposes on that turn.

  5. Similarly, fights now occur in flurries and lulls instead of as a single madcap dash, as fighters on both sides will voluntarily step back for a few seconds to catch their breath before jumping back in. The question of "Do I press now and potentially force my opponent into exhaustion (while risking exhaustion myself), or do I rest and let my opponent rest?"

  6. Do Nothing actually becomes a maneuver people will voluntarily use (although the smart ones will only use it when they're in no danger of getting attacked that turn).

  7. Move, on the other hand, can be extremely AP-taxing, especially for encumbered fighters. Even for low-encumbrance fighters, you probably won't see a lot of long-distance Move actions unless they need to cover a lot of distance (the real AP cost is in acceleration, so they can maintain speed in future turns without further AP expenditure—what you won't see if a lot of "shuttle-run" type Movement, though).
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Old 08-22-2015, 07:50 AM   #3
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

HT becomes more important.

I build a lot of my combat characters around various stats. The power and advantages of an ST character are obvious, same with a DX character. IQ can work, depending on the available powers (beyond that they tend to slide into a more strategic world), but HT characters weren't really that great. Now, a character can focus on HT, on winding his opponent down, exhausting him, as a more valid, approachable tactic than before.

Evaluate becomes a lot more popular. You'll need to stop, pause and catch your breath every once in a while, and Evaluate wastes your time less than other things.
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Old 08-22-2015, 07:59 AM   #4
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

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Originally Posted by Mailanka View Post
HT becomes more important.

I build a lot of my combat characters around various stats. The power and advantages of an ST character are obvious, same with a DX character. IQ can work, depending on the available powers (beyond that they tend to slide into a more strategic world), but HT characters weren't really that great. Now, a character can focus on HT, on winding his opponent down, exhausting him, as a more valid, approachable tactic than before.
Absolutely. Fit gets a whole new reason to be a great advantage, and HT becomes a critical attribute. Admittedly, I haven't seen a lot of popularity for Very Fit. That 10-point cost bump is pretty dissuading.
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Old 08-22-2015, 09:39 AM   #5
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

Would anyone happen to know how these rules affect undead and machines? Are they unbalanced due to their immunity to fatigue and action point regeneration?
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Old 08-22-2015, 10:10 AM   #6
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

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Originally Posted by Appletoe View Post
Would anyone happen to know how these rules affect undead and machines? Are they unbalanced due to their immunity to fatigue and action point regeneration?
I question that word...


For me I've been kinda waiting for a Zombie/Terminator game to inflict Last Gasp on my Players. In my mind that is exactly the way to represent the unstoppable, never tiring, implacable nature of those foes.
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Old 08-22-2015, 12:45 PM   #7
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

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Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
I question that word...


For me I've been kinda waiting for a Zombie/Terminator game to inflict Last Gasp on my Players. In my mind that is exactly the way to represent the unstoppable, never tiring, implacable nature of those foes.
I would have to check the actual article, but I seem to recall that he quote from the Terminator is exactly the one that was used to illustrate why zombies and robots are really really scary when the protagonists get tired and the antagonists do not
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Old 08-22-2015, 02:22 PM   #8
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

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Originally Posted by Appletoe View Post
Would anyone happen to know how these rules affect undead and machines? Are they unbalanced due to their immunity to fatigue and action point regeneration?
My game had Extra Effort and Chi Powers that cost fatigue. The result was that players tended to husband their action points and tried to focus on spending fatigue only where it mattered.

The downside to fatigue is that you can get tired. The upside is that you can push yourself past your normal limits without suffering the serious damage that machines do.

I'm not 100% certain that balances it, but people tend to forget the impact of that latter.
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Old 08-22-2015, 05:28 PM   #9
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

I found poker chips and cheat sheets were a great way to keep combat moving fast. White for AP, blue for FP and red for penalties.

Plus I think the give and take of chips as they were spent or recovered helped keep people excited. Chips were practically being hurled at me when spent.
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Old 08-22-2015, 06:31 PM   #10
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Default Re: Tactical Consequences of The Last Gasp

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Originally Posted by Appletoe View Post
Would anyone happen to know how these rules affect undead and machines? Are they unbalanced due to their immunity to fatigue and action point regeneration?
I was reading over the rules on this, and as far as I could tell, machines loose their AP pool and are forced to buy AP regeneration to have any AP at all. (and AP is specifically excluded from being bought down). Getting 10 AP a turn makes a character scary -- and costs a TON. 1 AP a turn is actually pretty crippling -- something you'd see on a slow zombie. 2 or 3 AP probably are about equal to having the 'normal' AP pool. Its the higher levels of AP that give a big advantage.
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