11-18-2013, 05:30 AM | #61 |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: France
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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11-18-2013, 05:32 AM | #62 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Platform Zero, Sydney, Australia
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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11-18-2013, 05:46 AM | #63 | |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: France
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
Quote:
If a character strikes a stationary target from behind, for instance, the target is not anymore specifically defending it's head, and his head has not anymore more mobility than his torso... So, the -7 for aiming at the skull can become a mere -5 or even -4. What Kromm actually explains is that GURPS Hit Location table gives the penalties for the most common combat situation (two foes facing one another and ready to defend)... But, as ever, the GM has the final word to fit every specific situation. |
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11-18-2013, 11:10 AM | #64 | |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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First, hit location penalties do indeed assume a wary foe facing you at the same level. You can get up to +2 from being prepositioned near the target hit location (which is why the skull gives -5 and not -7 from behind), and another +2 from having a more appropriate elevation (like the +2 to hit the feet or legs when you're below someone, or the +1 to hit the head from above). If the GM feels that some guy's brains are right there, then go ahead and add anywhere from +1 to +4. Ditto for fingers, vitals, a leg, or whatever. GURPS isn't some impartial PvP simulator; it requires GM judgment. But also weigh in the frenetic pace of GURPS combat, which is often criticized and not without justification. Most melee blows should be thrown after three turns of Evaluate for +3. If there's an error in the rules, it's that the +4 for Telegraphic Attack probably should stack with this. Then you'll end up with fighters circling and throwing blows every four seconds, doing so at +7 (enough to aim at the skull every time), and mostly just hitting each other's shields (thanks to the +2 to defend). It'll take a long time to win. Fencers with their deadly blades will seem fast because they're only offsetting -3 hit the vitals when club-users are working on -7 to hit the skull; they may well attack four times as often with Telegraphic Attack. If you use the rules as written, though, and gamers fight as gamers are wont to fight, then you have a situation where all blows are thrown on the one-second time scale and fights are over in 5-10 seconds. That can happen in reality, but it's relatively rare. We've all read about warfare and seen boxing matches . . . fights usually aren't that fast. At that speed, I think full-strength GURPS hit location modifiers are very much fair, as they represent fighters choosing targets that may well be screened, off the natural line of attack, and moving away from them. That's one way to fight, but not the most likely one.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
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11-18-2013, 11:33 AM | #65 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
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11-18-2013, 12:03 PM | #66 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
Agreed. To fight "the usual way" means having the high skill to absorb hit location penalties and attack something vital every turn. I would expect someone who has skill 17 and can hit the skull at 10 to win against someone who has skill 10 and needs +7 in bonuses to hit the skull at 10. I think my rules change would matter mostly to gamers who are also using optional rules for edge protection, house rules for scaling down melee damage, and campaign guidelines that "normalize" ST and weapon skill. Since I've seen many a proposal for these things on the forums, always from the same subset of gamers, my guess is that only those people would really get much use from my tweak.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
11-18-2013, 12:10 PM | #67 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
No, that's not it. The reason you attack every turn in GURPS is because +1 to one die roll is not as good as two die rolls unless your roll is 5 or lower. Evaluate would need to be around +4 before it would be generally effective.
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11-18-2013, 12:16 PM | #68 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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If your target is wearing near-impervious body armor (made possible, likely, by houserules), that might be another story. But not everyone has that stuff when they fight. EDIT: And hardly anyone is going to fight in a corselet and no helmet, are they?
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I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. Last edited by Ulzgoroth; 11-18-2013 at 12:43 PM. |
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11-18-2013, 12:26 PM | #69 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
My point in context being that if you have the proposed skill 10-11 warriors clubbing the skull at -7, their skill is 3-4, which is <5.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
11-18-2013, 12:40 PM | #70 | |
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Re: Why doesn't Brawling have a Default?
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So, if your goal is to hurt/kill someone as much as possible in the shortest time, you probably are better off pistol-whipping them. |
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Tags |
evaluate telegraphic, kromm explanation, telegraphic evaluate |
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