Revised GURPS Defense Flow (T-Bone)

[KDLadage]

For those that missed it, or do not regularly go over and check out T-Bone's amazing site... I suggest reading this article...

http://www.gamesdiner.com/revised_defense_flow

...and heck, everything else the man has ever written in GURPS.

[Mailanka]

You're right! I DO really like that article. In particular, as he says, it makes precogs (or even people with just Enhanced Time Sense) really capable, and emphasizes what they're capable of. You can suddenly FEEL why Spidey's Spider-Sense is handy.

I might just use that rule.

[Shrale]

ouch! printed it out and Firefox made the font miniscule !

well this occurs in other RPGs not just GURPS. I do remember talking things over with Anthony Jackson (concerning 3e) and he felt you shouldn't be able to dodge attacks like lasers or lightning bolts that basically move at the speed of light.

I've always overcome the "attack foreknowledge" by seeing if the attack hits or not and simply not informing the target of what happens except maybe "a bullet zips past" or "you got hit". Of course with GURPS realism (pcs can easily die from a single attack of any type) that's probably being a bad gm ;)

as for other situations (ie, "You learn that the Crime League will hit the jewelers' convention at noon!") I'm not sure I understand that line of reasoning, but that's probably because I don't own 4e.

In other games where characters have precog/clairvoyance, etc, I simply determine whether or not the players would be involved, unless the PC is "Joshua the All-Knowing" or something. Or give them the info with the caveat: They aren't going to carry it off because of your team's intervention, which prompts the players to start plotting rather than the opportunity to take a pass. Of course, this also gives the players an edge, because unless it's the _world's dumbest plan_ it has to work, since you told them it will. There's other ways around that too (for the GM) but I don't want to get long-winded.

I've also done the "time flow" where they view what will happen in the future, doing nothing. Such as a courier sent to deliver an item, his danger sense goes off. Then he engages his clairvoyance and gets a glimpse of what's going to happen in the next few minutes USING HIS ORIGINAL PLAN.
Of course adapting may offer him an alternate method of dealing with what's coming more to his own liking.

[dar]

I second T-Bones site as one of the greatest. And most useful.

I like his idea of dodge first and will use it for missile weapons. I'll have to try it for other weapons.

[Irian]

I also like that idea and will introduce it (probably - if my players agree) into my Transhuman Space campaign (could become usefull for people with specific Nanomods).

[Fnordianslip]

I like it and it's going to start being implemented next session. Mmm mmm good!

[PK]

Hrm. It's hard to deny that this is a Good Change. I think I'm going to pick-n-choose which options I want and then adopt this wholeheartedly. Since my players use MyGURPS to keep up on what rules I'm adopting, I'd like to put the version I end up using on there, but with full credit and linkage to you and your site, making it clear this is your baby, not mine. From your site policy, I assume you're okay with that.

[vicky_molokh]

Could someone please explain why this didn't get into 4e? It's not like the concept is hard to grasp or something...

[PK]

Originally Posted by Molokh

Could someone please explain why this didn't get into 4e? It's not like the concept is hard to grasp or something...

Obviously Steve/Sean/David felt that rolling defenses after the attack was simpler, clearer, or otherwise better in some way.

I mean, I'd be pretty surprised if the answer was, "Whoops! We meant to do it this way, but forgot to change it. Our bad." Then again, perhaps that's actually the case... :)

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Rev. Pee Kitty

Then again, perhaps that's actually the case... :)

Apparently, this was the case with Regrowth, and Kromm admits it needs change. I wonder what is the reason behind not even including an optional rule to reverse the order.