Question about the Hocus-Pocus dance

[Senturian]

IMO, opening your fingers requires but a split second of thought, so Drop Weapon isn't an action and wouldn't interfere with casting, (-0 Dx).
Not having it ready when needed or picking it back up is the penalty.

[Steve Plambeck]

Exactly. In fact the number of "free actions" a figure could take during combat are too many to enumerate. Perhaps as a bit of comedy one could write up a List of Free Options: Drop Weapon, Wink, Wiggle Toes, Burp, Stick Out Tongue, Hum, Whistle, Fart, Chew Gum (but that should be combined with a Saving Roll if you moved a hex).....

[larsdangly]

I think the implication of the OP is that a player who does this gains an advantage by holding a weapon till the last instant, thus posing a threat of a melee attack (and the ability to defend). So, this person benefited from that telegraphed capability even though they ended up not using it. There is a certain benefit to this sort of gamesmanship. But it also comes at a cost (delayed action; weapon is now on the ground). This sort of tactical nuance is part of what makes Melee a great game, so I'd call it a feature rather than a flaw. This is why I think you have to allow it in a competitive bout. But if a GM wants to interpret the rules to mean spell casters are implied to have been spending the earlier parts of each turn getting ready to cast, it's their table and they can make that call.

[Nils_Lindeberg]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

This is obviously a judgement call. I'd say if it is a head-to-head competitive bout then the letter of the law permits it and you can proceed. If it is a GM'd game then the GM's judgement should hold in unusual circumstances.

In a normal campaign it is always the GM's call. But it might be up for discussion after a game night and for house rulings. And it is not so much about being right as in getting all the view points on the table so the GM can make an informed decision and the players can feel their voices have been heard. Talking/arguing about it mid game is not ok though, unless, maybe a long played character is about to die because of a ruling, maybe.

Personally I don't see a problem with the presenting a threat thing during the turm and then all of a sudden casting a spell. You pay for the privilege of waiting by the opponent being in a position to strike first even though they had a lower adjDX. That is a big penalty. You shouldn't be able to wait and be able to go before the other person though.

The other problem is in the next turn, when you move back to your original higher adjDX and all of a sudden have time walked people and done two actions directly after each other.

One use of this could be an unarmed person with a sword to his throat. The combat starts (others are fighting), but his opponent is keeping him covered. Should you be able to go last in the turn by waiting, then draw your 2-h sword from your back. And next turn you go at your original high adjDX and attack your opponent first? Even though he had you covered?

Or should your opponent have stated that he also waited to act, and in so doing, you both wait for the other in a way, and the turn runs out without either one of you doing anything. Or you draw your weapon and he attacks, since he was waiting for you to do something while you were waiting for him to be "done" doing nothing. :-)

[Steve Plambeck]

Originally Posted by Nils_Lindeberg

The other problem is in the next turn, when you move back to your original higher adjDX and all of a sudden have time walked people and done two actions directly after each other.

I don't think it's a problem, I consider that brilliant tactics if it has the desired effect. If the character got two chances to act that much closer together, then they also had two chances to act that much further apart. Again this is something that happens in the normal course of play anyway; a figure might act last due to a DX penalty, but be eligible to act first on the next turn because of a DX bonus. And in both examples, there is still some buffer: a movement phase must pass between the actions.

Originally Posted by Nils_Lindeberg

Or should your opponent have stated that he also waited to act, and in so doing, you both wait for the other in a way, and the turn runs out without either one of you doing anything. Or you draw your weapon and he attacks, since he was waiting for you to do something while you were waiting for him to be "done" doing nothing. :-)

Going back to my earlier example of how I call out DX rounds. Say the lowest adjDX present was a 10. We've gotten to that round, the DX 10 figure took it's turn, but we still have two figures left that never declared any action. Then I'd say "Okay, anyone with a DX of 9 or higher going to take an action?" I'd count to about 3, and if neither of those two remaining players still picked an action (because they were playing chicken with each other), I'd say "Okay then, the Turn is over! New Turn! Roll for initiative!" Maybe I'd count to 10 for dramatic effect. But the Turn has to end sometime, we've got a game to play. In real life the clock wouldn't stop for everyone else because these two fighters were glowering at each other, so it shouldn't stop in the game.