[GURPS concepts] Parry and Block

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by Mehmet

Hey mate,

I always felt that a "block" is something you do with a mobile "cover" :) I seem to remember reading something to that effect in some Kromm post or the FAQ, not sure, but it seems to me that the difference is that you can only block with things if those things can conceivably provide some cover to you or any limb/part thereof :) In the case of a cloak, I believe it is the "concealment" that makes it an instrument for blocking.

In other words, (1) you need to be able to make it awkward for your attacker to target you by means of cover / concealment and (ii) line up the said cover / concealment with an oncoming attack (i.e. block) for the active defence to count as a block.

Cheers...

That looks like quite a useful approach, it an objective criterion that doesn't conflict with anything else, it connects to existing crunch (cover), and may even work well with Kromm's forum musings on shields and cover.