Quote:
Originally Posted by tbone
I can understand the feeling, but I wonder what this GM thinks the alternative should be. What RPG doesn't use some sort of turns?
|
The Burning Wheel family of games uses scripted combat. An Exchange is divided into three phases ("Volleys") and a character has between one and nine actions to evenly divide between those volleys; an average fighter has 3-4 actions. The actions are noted down and then resolved simultaneously, so there's an element of anticipating what your opponent will do in winning a combat.
For example, my fighter's up against a brawler known for his aggressive style and we're in a tavern brawl. I script my four actions as 1) Block, 2) Counterstrike, 3a) Push, 3b) Lock; I plan on parrying his first attack, parrying and punching back on his second attack, and then on the third volley shoving him off balance and putting him in a head lock or a pin.
You could probably adapt something like this to GURPS, but it would take an awful lot of work; both BW and GURPS have rather crunchy systems that proceed from different core principles.