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Old 10-09-2018, 03:56 PM   #1
Terquem
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Idaho Falls
Default Long Distance Encounters

What is the longest separation anyone here has ever tried to manage for an encounter start situation?

I've tried one once with 20 hexes between the opposing sides, and it went okay, sort of.

But I wonder if there is a point where it just doesn't work out at all and then that would set up a "Declare combat round actions only when this far apart" sort of rule?
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Old 10-09-2018, 04:58 PM   #2
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Long Distance Encounters

Several km/miles away, especially when fliers, ships, large groups and/or scouts are involved.

When doing overland travel, we started being interested in the terrain and visibility and reacting to things that can be seen at a distance. Sometimes parties will engage or evade or just observe others they see at a distance, or by tracks, and have been known to go hunt others and attack other camps while they're sleeping, etc.

When combat rounds begin and/or a hex map comes out depends on the how far away anyone can do anything to anyone else, which is usually much less.

When I determine that something's been encountered during travel, I don't take it as necessarily something that'll be met at combat range, but something that could be encountered, and place it farther than immediate detection range and think about how it will make sense to determine whether and how the groups will become aware of each other. It enables a whole level of play where how the party travels makes a difference, and they can do the sorts of things my players often want to do, like tracking and avoiding being detected and spying on interesting people and things. And I think it leads to an immersive, real-seeming, interesting dynamic type of play.

Last edited by Skarg; 10-09-2018 at 05:03 PM.
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Old 10-09-2018, 06:39 PM   #3
Tenex
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Long Distance Encounters

Yeah, I've done similar to Skarg. You have to get away from the megahex to do a lot of interesting things. I've had people follow the PCs at a distance, visible but unreachable, for various reasons. One time an assassin with mechanician, tracking and a few other skills stalked the party by tracking them and moving ahead and setting traps. If you want to do anything along those lines you have to get off the hex based system and wing it.
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Old 10-09-2018, 10:13 PM   #4
JohnPaulB
 
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portland, Maine
Default Re: Long Distance Encounters

I set up a 4x6 foot table, laid down the town, populated it with 25mm lead figures and told the players to have at it. Full use of the board, 1" = 1 hex. If you go off-table, then we talk about what happens.

What You See Is What You Get.

When nothing dangerous is happening, several 6 turns are combined and movement/RPGing is done in spurts.

If there is combat happening on the table, I break it down into sections. A section would be a group that can influence any combat of the figures. Do Dex combat priority in that section, then go to the next combat section.

5 spearmen vs 3 swordsmen might be one section [section A].
3 swordsmen vs 2 macemen and an archer would be another section [section B] (if the archer is going to shoot at the same section.) If the archer is going to shoot 15" away at section A, the archer shoot at Section A spearmen and does its damage, then the three swordsmen (if they can't get to the archer this turn) attack the macemen.

This way, you can have several different fights going on in clusters and not have to worry about DX across the table. You will have DX initiative problems with long distance archers/spellthrowers though.
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Old 10-10-2018, 04:04 AM   #5
oldwolf
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Default Re: Long Distance Encounters

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnPaulB View Post
I set up a 4x6 foot table, laid down the town, populated it with 25mm lead figures and told the players to have at it. Full use of the board, 1" = 1 hex. If you go off-table, then we talk about what happens.

What You See Is What You Get.
I did something similar long ago. Covered a ping pong table with hex grid, laid out a bunch of corridors with pieces of wood painted to resemble stone or earth , placed miniatures and covered it all with pieces of card stock. It was uncovered as players explored. Great fun.
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Old 10-11-2018, 07:18 PM   #6
hcobb
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Long Distance Encounters

This figure is prone behind a log or stone 200 yards away:

Eric the sniper
ST 12 DX 11 IQ 9 MA 12
Light Crossbow(2d), Broadsword(2d), Small Shield(1), Dagger(1d-1)
Crossbow, 3xMissile Weapons, Sword, Shield, Running

adjDX is 11 +3 for talent +2 for bracing -7 DX for the 200 yard shot for a final roll to hit of 9, every turn. He'll ping your wizard a few times in the 20 turns it takes to run over to him.
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