Anticipating an opponent breaking cover?

[rafial]

It seems a high MA figure can run from one place of cover to another through an area where they would be visible to a missile armed opponent without being at risk, because they get their full movement before any actions occur. In other systems this countered by "held actions" that interrupt movement. Is there anything in TFT as written that would allow an archer to at least have a chance to anticipate and deal with targets dashing from cover to cover?

[RobW]

There's not a way within the rules to interrupt the movement phase for an attack.

The separation is baked deep into the system. If attacks during movement were possible, it would open a way to better handle things like opportunity fire, but also trampling, cavalry charges, and swooping attacks by dragons. But it might end up a very different set of rules :)

[tomc]

As GM I'd allow an archer to hold their fire until their target broke cover. As long as they didn't fire the previous turn I'd let them take the shot.

It's one of those times when the GM can intercede in the name of realism, without codifying every edge case in the rules.

Edited to add: This assumes that it won't go against player expectations. If they're playing with strict tactical precision according to the rules, then I wouldn't pull the rug out from under them by allowing it.

[Terquem]

The "Rocket Patrol" rules I was developing added a sub action to one of the existing actions called a "snap shot"

I thought I handled it well enough to not be a game breaker and it was only available to specific weapons.

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by tomc

As GM I'd allow an archer to hold their fire until their target broke cover. As long as they didn't fire the previous turn I'd let them take the shot.

It's one of those times when the GM can intercede in the name of realism, without codifying every edge case in the rules.

Edited to add: This assumes that it won't go against player expectations. If they're playing with strict tactical precision according to the rules, then I wouldn't pull the rug out from under them by allowing it.

Spot on. I make an explicit warning if the player knows about the archer that I'll rule he can take a shot if the player moves out (perhaps with a DX check if the player is briefly out of cover). If the player doesn't know, well, I guess I'm not sure if I'd make the warning or not. Kinda depends on the situation.

This will, of course, cut both ways. The player can set up for an opportunity shot too. There are no explicit rules. I try to adjudicate using plain common sense, but since I've studied philosophy, common sense is in short supply for me.

[Terquem]

I would not allow this for conventional Bows, but I would allow this for a loaded cross bow which can be fired from the hip

[phiwum]

Originally Posted by Terquem

I would not allow this for conventional Bows, but I would allow this for a loaded cross bow which can be fired from the hip

I would allow it for a bow only if the archer is aware of where the character will reveal himself and is waiting for the shot. In fact, I wouldn't bother with a hip shot for the crossbow. You have to be waiting and ready.

There's no explicit adjDX penalty for shooting a moving target in TFT, which probably should be there, depending on the direction of movement (orthogonal motion is a lot harder, obviously). I might add a penalty to hit a target in motion if I'm using this house rule which is not quite a rule at all.

Without allowing shots during movement, we can end up with what seems like an abuse of the rules, flitting from cover to cover up to MA away without the possibility of being shot. If the jump is only one or two hexes exposed, I'd probably buy it. A full five seconds in the open is a bit much.

I confess that I've not fired a bow at a target that moved into my LOS, so I could be wrong about the plausibility of doing so.

[Terquem]

The thing I think about (having draw older style conventional bows and newer cantilever cam style bows) is it is not always easy to hold the bow drawn and ready (of course a lot depends on the pull, but I think you know what I mean). I've had a lot of friends who are bow hunters here in Idaho and holding a modern bow ready to shoot is not as difficult as holding an older style 80 pound pull bow.

Also, in my opinion, a lot depends on the option (in purely game terms) the figure is working with (and I am not a fan of "I'll chose my option when it is time for me to act based on how I moved" styles of play),.

If your figure selected the "I'm gonna shot this bow" option and you are using the "snap shot" type house rule I was thinking of, I would let you shoot to interrupt another figuring in one of two situations

You are charged (almost but not the same as the last minute missile shot) or the figure you want to target moves from cover or into cover

I'd post the full "snap shot" rule here, but there is a teeny tiny possibility it will end up in a fan magazine for TFT players (assuming the first issue is successful, there may be a second issue with more Rocket Patrol rules).

[phiwum]

The point about the stress of hold a bowstring taut is apt. Hadn't really thought about that.

I grew up around bowhunters, but I never hunted myself and it's been decades since I fired a bow.

[Steve Plambeck]

If the target figure was walking across a field devoid of any tree trunks or columns, the bowman could pick Waiting for an Opening (optional rule on ITL 127) tracking the target for an extra 1 or 2 turns before firing (with a +1 bonus for each turn the shot is delayed, up to 2). The bowman just has to say "I'm not firing yet this turn, I'm waiting for an opening" for as many turns as they want. (If there's another way to implement the rule, I can't see what it would be.)

The funny thing is, if you add tree trunks or columns scattered across the field, spaced closer than or equal to the target's MA, the bowman magically gets no shot at all! Not on any of the turns.

A small tweak of the optional Waiting rule might be the simplest solution. Just allow the figure that started Waiting last turn to declare the moment they fire on the subsequent turn(s). Firing doesn't come then when their adjDX comes up, but the instant they say so, any time in the turn they fire. And of course any interruption spoils the plan (even Defend, although that's contrary to ITL 127) so they pay the price in wasted turns. I might take away the DX bonus for waiting too when they fire "out of turn".

I'd call hitting someone as they cross a 1 hex interval between obstacles a -4 DX shot. If the gap crossed is 2 hexes then -3 DX, at 3 hexes -2 DX, at 4 hexes -1 DX, and crossing a gap larger than that would cause the archer no DX penalty.