Quote:
Originally Posted by tbeard1999
The back stab is not really hindered by my proposal. You can't pivot to face an enemy figure that began the turn in your side or rear arcs. (Pivoting figures would be those who move first. If you intentionally ignore an opponent already in your side or rear arcs, you deserve what you get).
I don't want to overcomplicate the rule, but you could require a 3/IQ roll for a figure to pivot to face an opponent that has the Thief talent. (The thief would still have had to start in the pivoting figure's front.)
Personally, I think that's overly fiddly, but if you really want to enable backstabs, this would do it pretty cleanly.
I don't favor making it a separate action because pivoting is a natural, automatic response to being engaged by an enemy.
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When I talk about side and back stab it is just to denote an attack from that direction it has nothing to do with any Thief special abilities. Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. And the problem or advantage we have today with the system is that a low MA character can not get within closing distance to a high MA guy without leaving himself open to the possibility of a side or even rear attack. Some see it as tactically challenging, I just see it as a trick to make fools out of beginners and a boring repetitive chore for people that knows the rules.
With a free pivot that will never happen or be a need for those calculations. But a free pivot, as has been pointed out in other threads as well, will also stop a player from rushing over to or around a group of other characters that are already engaged in a pitch battle and surprise one of them by striking them in rear. With a free pivot you will always chose the most tactical facing and will basically never be attacked in the rear.
I really want to solve the first one and it would be solved with the option to move 1 MA, slowly approaching and keep ready to pivot if attacked from an unexpected direction or from the expected direction too. And in the heat of the battle when everyone runs around engaging back and forth you can still make a surprise move and get someone in the back where it makes more sense.
One can see the pivot action as a ready action. If someone engage me in the rear or side I will turn around and face them. It is an action that exists in many games. Maybe we should include that one in TFT too. If he attacks, I will attack first. The first person that comes through that door will be immediately attacked. And so on. I am not sure it is needed, but I think a Pivot action is.
Rick's idea to let people Pivot at the cost of -2 adjDX is a reasonable rule as well. It would be like a defend light. You move, realize you are in deep **** and decide to go full defensive or you turn around to face your attackers but at a penalty. And often it would mean that you give one of your opponent a +2 side bonus or you turn and take a -2 yourself instead. So pretty often it might not even be used.