Attacks of opportunity, or just the threat of them

[muranternet]

I'm trying to figure this out for tactical fights on a hexmap. Say you have two characters on a low tech team, one a tanky fighter and the other a wussy archer/mage/whatever. The tanky fighter is four yards in front of the wuss, with two enemies in the two hexes in front of him. He's trying to keep them tied up to protect the wuss.

What keeps either of those guys from running past the tanky guy to wild swing at the wuss? The only option in the RAW that I see is that the tank keeps taking "Wait until one of these guys tries to run past me, then stab him in the side," which means he's not attacking at all and praying that one of the enemies is going to pass on his weapon side.

In an even stupider example, there's only one enemy in front of the tank, and the action sequence goes like this:

Wuss: Ready arrow
Tank: Normal attack (hit for a couple points)
Enemy: Run right past the tank and wild swing at the wuss

Is there any mechanic to prevent this from happening a la zone of control?

Disregard "tank guy grapples" as an option; say he's a sword and boarder, and in the case of two enemies he can only grab one of them anyway.

[Polydamas]

There's no mechanic and I don't think its realistic. In an open space, its really hard to stop one person from running past you let alone two. Have a look at this cinematic technique by Sean Punch though.

The idea may come from video games and some newer RPGs where running around a melee with a bow and arrows is a good tactic.

[Icelander]

The realistic way to prevent enemies from outflanking your line is not to have a smaller line than he does.

Of course two enemies facing one will be able to outmaneuver him. If he wants to hold them in place, he has to Intimidate them into being afraid to approach him or Wait, as you note.

[PK]

Trip (Martial Arts, p. 81). The tank rolls a Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling parry at -1. It's intended for when you're being slammed, but is also allowed for a foe running past you.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Trip (Martial Arts, p. 81). The tank rolls a Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling parry at -1. It's intended for when you're being slammed, but is also allowed for a foe running past you.

There is that, yes. But if both enemies move at the same time, you'd need to be pretty damn good to stop them both with Trip.

[cmdicely]

Originally Posted by muranternet

What keeps either of those guys from running past the tanky guy to wild swing at the wuss? The only option in the RAW that I see is that the tank keeps taking "Wait until one of these guys tries to run past me, then stab him in the side," which means he's not attacking at all and praying that one of the enemies is going to pass on his weapon side.

Wait-to-Attack allows a Step once triggered along with the actual attack, and a step includes freely changing facing, so he doesn't really have to worry about the enemy passing on his weapon side.

Of course, blocking two people from passing you, except in a confined space like a narrow hall, isn't particularly practical. Try it!

[cmdicely]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Trip (Martial Arts, p. 81). The tank rolls a Judo, Sumo Wrestling, or Wrestling parry at -1. It's intended for when you're being slammed, but is also allowed for a foe running past you.

Or, proactively rather than reactively, he can do a Rapid Strike and Sweep both opponents.

[Kromm]

Fundamentally, you can't screen someone (take Wait, move to cut off those coming to attack your pal) and attack enemies (take Attack) at the same time. You can Wait or Attack, although you can certainly turn your Wait into an Attack, if you accept that it may sometimes go untriggered and be wasted. Short of Altered Time Rate, though, you can't take two maneuvers per turn.

Of course, as Icelander said, you can always just have the longer line. If the archer is behind 10 guys, enemies have to run around five guys to either side and then run back down the line in behind. This takes time, and in the interim the archer can run away or the 10 guys can take exception on their turns.

There are no "zone of control" or "attack of opportunity" rules in GURPS, though. The system is second-by-second, and most of what those things represent in other games are handled by players moving fighters to intercept other fighters on their own turn, or by taking suitable Wait maneuvers. If an archer expects protection from meat shields, he had better have a player-level agreement with the players of the meat shields that they'll use their movement to get between him and his foes, and select the occasional Wait maneuver when there's a serious threat of being flanked.

[muranternet]

Thanks for responses. I guess another option is for tanky to say "Wait, and stab at anyone who does anything," which (against one opponent) will let him strike at the guy if he attacks tanky, or get an attack with no defense on a run-by. I'll dry fire test the ideas and see how it works out.

I agree it's pretty hard to tie up two people at once, but wanted to see if there was any sort of zone of control option.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by muranternet

Thanks for responses. I guess another option is for tanky to say "Wait, and stab at anyone who does anything," which (against one opponent) will let him strike at the guy if he attacks tanky, or get an attack with no defense on a run-by. I'll dry fire test the ideas and see how it works out.

I agree it's pretty hard to tie up two people at once, but wanted to see if there was any sort of zone of control option.

Note that you'll only get an attack with no defense if you can step into the runner's blind 'rear' space, which will require both that they run quite close to you and that you set your wait to go off as or after they pass.

You're more likely to get a frontal or side attack off, especially if you're using a reach weapon to interdict more space. Though if they're using a Move and Attack, that'll cost them in their defense.