Defend and dodge

[Steve Plambeck]

I'm probably in a minority, but I've always felt since the first time I played Melee that Attack, Defend, and Dodge were tactics you declared yourself to be engaged in, from the time you picked one until the end of that turn. None of those were just a single instance of anything -- how could they be given 5 seconds? Yes, there's only one "to hit" roll, and one damage roll, but there's no reason to presume those aren't to assess the aggregate of results from multiple sword swipes, stabs, jabs, or axe swings.

Otherwise, two warriors standing in place but only swinging at each other once per turn would be combat in slow motion -- super slow motion.

For me the Attack option in TFT represents a flurry of attempted blows, while Defend is a series of parries, ducks or swerves to avoid those blows landing. By definition Defend and Dodge have to work that way, because they apply to multiple incoming Attacks in the same turn. And if the intent of the rules has always been that Attack and Defend are mirror-image options, and I believe it is, then Attack represents more than one motion as well.

A game with 1 second turns would have to be different, but that's not TFT.

But as to a figure changing actions after announcing Attack because the target then says Defend, that's just scamming the Turn Sequence. A figure (if acting first) with an enemy in each front hex could "shop" for a target that wouldn't Defend by calling Attack on each, changing their mind each time one picks Defend, possibly ending up free to pick another, entirely different option without any regard of the three enemies hurting them that turn. That's clearly not the intent of the game. "You're defending? Ok. And you're defending? Ok. You're defending too? Great, I've tied you all up. Now I'm ignoring you all to throw my axe at the princess you were supposed to be guarding, and none of you can touch me this turn." No, no, a thousand times no.