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Old 11-17-2018, 03:40 PM   #1
hcobb
 
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Default Non-combat running

Eliud Kipchoge - Averaging MA 24 for two hours.

How do you house rule that?
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Old 11-17-2018, 06:21 PM   #2
Chris Rice
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

Why would you need to?
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Old 11-17-2018, 06:32 PM   #3
hcobb
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

For long distance chases and such.
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Old 11-17-2018, 06:46 PM   #4
Chris Rice
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

I think it's already been established on these forums that MA, as defined in the game, doesn't relate to real world running pace.

To say that Kipchoge has MA 24 would mean he could outrun a wolf, or other fleet footed four-legged animal etc, which is clearly nonsense.

In any case, the way I dealt with long range chases was that it only became relevant where the contestants MA was the same. If the escapee had a lower MA, they'd soon be caught. If higher, they would soon escape. If equal, then ST (stamina) would be the determining factor.

Of course terrain, deception etc could come into things.
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Old 11-17-2018, 07:41 PM   #5
Tenex
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Rice View Post
To say that Kipchoge has MA 24 would mean he could outrun a wolf, or other fleet footed four-legged animal etc, which is clearly nonsense.
Not really. It depends on the distance. I regularly run my black lab into the ground. In the short run she crushes me and I can't keep up. I could never beat her over 100 yards. But over a couple miles at a consistent 5-7 mph pace she starts to drag and can't keep up.

The longer the race, the more competitive humans become. There are even horse vs. human races which become competitive at marathon distances.

Humans use persistence hunting to run down prey. A lot of this has to do with our ability to sweat instead of pant. This is a more efficient cooling method and in the long run allows us to literally run animals down. (Gotta be a good tracker to pull this off though because they can run out of our sight in the short term).https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_hunting

"Persistence hunting has even been used against the fastest land animal, the cheetah. In November 2013, four Somali-Kenyan herdsmen from northeast Kenya successfully used persistence hunting in the heat of the day to capture cheetahs who had been killing their goats." (From the wiki).

Last edited by Tenex; 11-17-2018 at 07:45 PM.
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Old 11-17-2018, 08:02 PM   #6
Chris Rice
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

I don't think domesticated pets like your Labrador tell us much about this sort of thing. I'd like to see you outlast wild wolves or African hunting dogs who do this sort of thing for a living. That's not the point though. The original question/statement was that Kipchoge had an MA of 24. I'm not sure where that figure came from; it's not in the rules as the maximum MA for a human is 10 (or 12 if they have the running Talent). The rules also don't differentiate between short time MA and longer period running. I've never felt it necessary to worry about that but if it's something that does occur a lot in your games you'll need to houserule something.
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Old 11-17-2018, 08:08 PM   #7
Tenex
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

My lab may well be irrelevant. What is your reply to the tribesman who ran down a cheetah? And I only claim to outlast black labs! I'm not a real world hard core runner who runs down prey for a lifestyle. While I probably can't outlast wild animals, there ARE humans who do so.
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Old 11-17-2018, 08:26 PM   #8
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Default Re: Non-combat running

So just as an initial thought, maybe you could do something like this.

Long Distance Running (1): Requires running. Does not increase MA in combat. For comparison against other creatures over several hours, characters with LDR add their ST to their MA. This skill cannot be used if carrying more than 5 pounds of gear, including armor and weapons. Characters with running add 1/2 ST to their MA under the same conditions.

I'm sure there are aspects I will think of over the next few hours to modify the above.

The problem is all the big cats and wolves and dogs have an MA of 12. Which is what an unencumbered character with running moves. And that's for combat purposes. Which is silly because nobody asserts that any human can outrun a dog, let alone a cheetah, in the short run. But over long distances humans do. Not all humans, but ones conditioned for it.

However, I wonder if this needs a rule at all. In the end, if you want the granularity to differentiate between sprinting and long distance running skill then you should probably play GURPS instead of TFT.

Last edited by Tenex; 11-17-2018 at 08:35 PM.
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Old 11-17-2018, 09:41 PM   #9
Helborn
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

Quote:
Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
Eliud Kipchoge - Averaging MA 24 for two hours.

How do you house rule that?
Since he's not wearing armor or carrying weapons it doesn't compare.

But if you want a rule, how about: any person with 0 encumbrance (that means not even .1 lb) can travel at 2x MA for STxST # of turns. After that it takes a 3/ST roll to continue for another ST # of turns. (A 4 means he can run for another STxST number of turns (18.75 minutes) and a 3 means that he can run for 3xSTxST number of turns (56.25 minutes). A failed roll or a 16 means he has to slow to regular MA, a 17 means he has to slow to walking speed (3 MA) and an 18 means he immediately takes (# of rolls since beginning to run) fatigue damage. This fatigue damage WILL reduce the ST used for further calculations. This may mean that he has to stop running completely and may lose consciousness. (He may not take more fatigue damage than he has ST.)

Assume Kipchoge has ST=15, DX=15, IQ=8 with Running Talent

That gives him a base MA of 12 which he can run at 24 MA for 18.75 minutes before having to make 100 rolls. If gets a 3 or 4 then he needs fewer rolls.
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Old 11-18-2018, 03:25 AM   #10
RobW
 
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Default Re: Non-combat running

MA can't be running speed per se.
10 MA = 10 hexes per turn =
10 hexes per 5 seconds =
40 feet per 5 seconds =
8 feet per second = 5 mph
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