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Old 04-11-2021, 01:52 AM   #42
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plane View Post
I never paid close enough attention to B552 to notice until now, but...
This goes all the way back to Man-to-Man.

If you want a "realistic" answer it's because the original combat rules assumed that all fighters were melee/unarmed fighters standing in "refused" stances with the left leg leading and the left arm protected by a shield.

The game mechanics reason is that there's no good way to assign even probabilities of a hit to the left/right arm/leg locations using 3d without using sub-tables.

It's not as elegant, but if you want a truly random hit location generator for a standing adult, start with 1d and assign hit location probabilities based loosely on the medical "rule of 9s" which defines surface area for various body parts. From there, roll one or two additional d6 to determine exact hit location.

1 = Head/neck (1-2 = skull, 3-5 face/head, 6 neck)
2 = Arms/hands (2nd d6 = 1-3 L, 4-6 R, 3rd d6 1-2 upper arm, 3 elbow, 4-5 forearm, 6 = hand)
3-4 = Torso/groin (1 vitals, 2 Upper chest (Hit Location 9) 3 Chest (Hit Location 10), 4-5 abdomen, 6 groin)
5-6 = Legs (2nd d6 = 1-3 L, 4-6 R, 3rd d6 1-2 thigh, 3 knee, 4-5 shin/lower leg, 6 = foot)
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