Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

And if each figure has picked "wait", I declare the turn over.... and the asteroid that's about to obliterate the entire map is now one turn closer to landing on everyone. So let's begin that next turn.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

When you say "the entire map" which page of ITL are you talking about? Something the size of the map on page 129? 168? 171? Larger?

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

Oh big. Really really big. Mega mega big. Everything on the dining room table - both sides. Except my croissant. Nobody touch my croissant.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

The way we have long (long, long) played, using the optional Delayed Actions rule, is:

Figures act in (polearm charge, then) adjDX order. (Usually, this means figures take that opportunity to attack as soon as they can, as that's generally how fights are won.)

If more than one figure for some reason elects to delay their action, then when all figures have acted, those delaying figures get asked in reverse adjDX order what they do, and they can no longer delay without losing their action for the turn.

This is rarely needed, but it solves all such problems.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

So, tell me how you deal with the situation I mentioned explicitly.

Suppose that A and B are in X's front hexes. Consider the following possibilities:

(1) A and B have lower adjDX than X. They have not explicitly declared any action and X announces that he will attack A. Can A then announce Defend? Or must he announce it back in the movement phase? If A announces Defend at the point that X announces he will attack A, is X locked in or can he decide to attack B?

(2) Same adjDX ranking as (1), but A announced during the movement phase that they would be defending. X decides that he will attack B. Can A switch to attacking X when his turn comes? (Explicitly so, per the new qualifications in the main forum, but I'm asking about your ruling.)

(3) Same as (1), but A and B have higher adjDX and have decided to wait and see. Does this change anything?

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

Hexagram #9 suggests that everybody take a half move, declare Defend, then when their turn to act comes (delay is an optional rule!) they switch to attack if they've not been attacked yet.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

That's a different question, and I've played it both ways. I slightly prefer allowing people to defend or dodge when they are attacked, if they want to (they rarely do). I then say people are locked when they actually say they do something, but not when/if they pre-declare an option.

So I would prefer to play that it would go like this:

Movement: No one bothers to pre-declare anything.
X: I attack A.
A: I defend.
(X cannot back out of his attack on A at this point, because that would make an endless loop possible.)

But I don't mind playing like below, in your case (2):

Before X acts: A and B declare Defend.
X: I attack B.
(B must now defend - resolve the attack)
A: No one's attacked me. I change my option and attack X.

(If A can't do that, then A needs to waste their whole turn doing nothing. I see that as a big problem, and an extra reason to almost never Defend.)

It depends on whether you allow people who haven't pre-declared their option to Defend or not. If you do, then it only changes when during the turn those fighters will act, as you get:

A & B: We delay our action.
X: I delay my action.
(everyone else acts)
X: Ok, I need to choose.
A & B get to choose whether to defend or attack based on what X does.

If you DO require pre-declaration to Defend, then you get something slightly different:

A & B: We Defend, and delay our action.
X: I delay my action.
(everyone else acts)
X: Ok, I need to choose.
If X attacks A, A must Defend. B can attack.


Only if everyone wants to defend if attacked. In this case the highest DX attacks and his target has chosen to defend, so he does, then the next highest DX who hasn't actually defended, attacks.

In practice, few melee fighters want to defend when attacked. They almost always just attack.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

But they wouldn’t be “doing nothing.” Instead, they acted defensive and enjoyed the benefits of that action by not being attacked that round. They are having their cake and eating it, too.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

I really only allow delaying actions (it is optional), for timing of spell casting with Aid.

For example, your wizard has a higher DX than his apprentice. The wizard delays casting his spell until his apprentice has casted Aid. The same DX count the Aid goes off, the wizard casts.

Re: Weapon Expertise: +1 per die of damage
 

Not the way I see it. Declaring an option is merely saying what you intend to do, but you can change your mind and take whatever legal action when your turn to act comes, unless you already took it.

Particularly when you let people say they Defend or Dodge in response to attacks, this makes complete sense, because then no one ever needs to pre-declare an intent do Defend, so if they're not attacked then they certainly don't (and if they are attacked, they rarely do either, because they want to attack).

If you do require pre-declaring Defend, then there is a cost to doing so, in that you must defend if someone attacks you, which most fighters do not want to do.