05-29-2020, 05:34 PM | #21 | |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: New Orleans, LA
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
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05-29-2020, 06:53 PM | #22 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
Consider the use of the word "surprise" in a phrase like "surprise attack". Similar logic would have one argue "You're in the middle of a war; how can any attack be a surprise? Of course you expect the enemy to attack you. Your army is patrolling; you're expecting trouble." But we use the phrase nonetheless, and most militaries consider that slight degree of surprise as a significant advantage. The exact details of timing, location, forces, and so on matter.
Same with adventuring parties. Being prepared for a possible attack in general doesn't mean you expected that particular attack around that corner from exactly those creatures, so you can be surprised even though you know perfectly well that you're walking through the Tomb of Doom. "Surprise" doesn't have to be an event that's a completely unimaginable bolt-of-out-the-blue with a probability under one in a million. |
06-02-2020, 02:46 AM | #23 |
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Århus, Denmark
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
Lot's of god input, thanks.
My 2 main beefs with the surprise rules as written are: 1) Remember to use them 2) The definitions of "Side" and "Leader" As for #1, that's on me as GM. But since we run switching GMs, I may have to remember to ask the current GM "how surprised are we?" As for #2, I think we have it covered by defining the "Leader" as the person noticing the threat or closest to it. When trekking through the jungle, it'll be the scout on point. Or the rear guard for attacks frem behind. Or someone else in the middle of the line, because the point has failed to notice the ambush. IMHO it is more fun if the "Leader" role switches, so ometimes it's the person smarter than the opposition, has Combat Reflexes, and has Tactics. Other times it's not. For night-time raidds on the camp I see a divided situation. THe sentry is subject to Partial Surprise, and by being only one is naturally the Leader. Maybe the raider get the drop on him/her, or they don't. Once enough noise or other sitmuli is enough to wake the others, or the sentry calls the alarm, they are Fully Surprised. The guy with Hard of HEaring has it even worse, unless someone pokes him. As for Danger Sense, an old convention in my old 3rd ed days was to let the player know: "You sense something wrong" and allow him a split second decision for a simple reaction. A Dodge-and-Drop was a popular choice. Noone has it in my current campaign, at least to my knowledge. Afterwards the surprise mechanics kick in. Whether or not further surprised, the person with Danger Sense is at least Dodging, which may be relevant or instead look ridiculous. IMHO Danger Sense does not prevent you from ever being surprised. You just get one instictive reaction which is an exception to being surprised.
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06-03-2020, 07:00 AM | #24 |
Join Date: Jun 2010
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
I did use partial surprise rules, today, in the campaign.
Oddly enough, the party lost the intiative, despite being the ambushers - they threw a smoke grenade in, lost the roll because the enemy leader was Just That Good, and they had to recover from stun. Fortunately, they were in a very superior position, so the bad guys were ineffectual at shooting them.
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06-03-2020, 07:43 AM | #25 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
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06-03-2020, 10:14 AM | #26 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ronkonkoma, NY
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
Interestingly, Kromm also addressed this here, where he just follows the written rules and gives them justification.
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06-04-2020, 12:05 AM | #27 |
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Århus, Denmark
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Re: Total- and Partial Surprise (B393), who uses it?
So, springing an ambush is not a guaranteed succes.
Maybe the ambushers expect it to be like shooting fish in a barrel, but occasionally they run into trained victims. So if the victims of the ambush act immediately, the ambushers may need a second or two to adjust, I can see that. Statistically the ambushers should not be inactive for long.
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Playing GURPS since '90, is now fluent in 4th ed as well. |
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