How to avoid killing your player characters as GM

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

This is where Gurps' relentlessly "fair" alternation of Turns becomes problematic. You can back up every Turn but your enemy can advance every Turn in pursuit. It's not likely that you're going to hit terrain where you can back up but he can't follow you. A friendly pike wall isn't exactly "terrain". :)

I mean, that's correct too. You can't force somebody to let you go without some actual tools for that purpose. The point of the backing away is to give them an opportunity and incentive to not keep pushing.

Originally Posted by sjmdw45

What's to stop you from declaring that you'll Wait until he attacks you, and then attack him back and step away from him while turning? Then on your next turn you're already an extra yard away (so probably two yards total), and you Move another 6 yards or so away, and 7 yards per turn thereafter until you run out of endurance.

It comes apart if there's a second attack that comes after your Wait has triggered and takes you in the back, but if you're sure there won't be it does seem to have potential.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by mburr0003

Yeah, yeah, I know. Which is why I mentioned Mike Mearls attitude about D&D, I suspect Murder Hobo was his preferred style, so it got baked into 3e. There are reasons my group hasn't played D&D since 3rd ed.

Mearls' involvement with D&D post-dates D&D3's publication, and even v3.5 doesn't have him in the credits. The fault for the initial emphasis on dungeons, and on DM rulings over morale checks lies elsewhere.

That Mearls is/was entirely okay with this, and ran with it, I do not doubt.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by sjmdw45

To clarify: I did not think you were addressing me, and do not disagree that johndallman's advice is good in general especially for player characters.

Thank you for clarifying. As you can tell, I was confused. ^^'

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by sjmdw45

What's to stop you from declaring that you'll Wait until he attacks you, and then attack him back and step away from him while turning? .

I don't think Step includes turning. I mentioned movement pts originally because in the most rigorous form of mapped combat for Gurps every hex of Ground Move becomes 1 "Movement pt" and you have to spend 1 MP for every hexside of facing change.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I don't think Step includes turning. I mentioned movement pts originally because in the most rigorous form of mapped combat for Gurps every hex of Ground Move becomes 1 "Movement pt" and you have to spend 1 MP for every hexside of facing change.

"You may always turn to face a different direction as part of any step (or as the step, if you just want to change your facing)"
B368

See also "the step in tactical combat" on B386.

I've seen the not understanding that a step is not 1 point of regular movement before, but I don't quite understand why it happens.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I don't think Step includes turning. I mentioned movement pts originally because in the most rigorous form of mapped combat for Gurps every hex of Ground Move becomes 1 "Movement pt" and you have to spend 1 MP for every hexside of facing change.

B386, the box labeled "The "Step" in Tactical Combat," states that you can change facing freely as part of a Step. Looking at the rules, absent being able to take advantage of the free facing change from a Step, probably the best way to retreat is to spend 1 movement point to change facing to the foe's front-left or front-right (rather than front-center) hex, then 1 movement point to move into your new front-left or front-right (whichever is further from the foe) hex, which automatically changes your facing a second time, and then run in a straight line. This basically only burns up 1 movement point to turn away from the foe, rather than needing to burn three to turn in place (it also means if they had a Wait or similar you were unaware of that you moving away triggered, they're attacking your Side hex, not your Back).

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Varyon

B386, the box labeled "The "Step" in Tactical Combat," states that you can change facing freely as part of a Step.

As a GM I would rule that this "free" Facing change is only 1 hexside.

On p.387 there are 2 instances where it is explicit that you can face _any_ Hex. When you take a Move action and spend no more than half your MPs or when you take All out Defense(Increased Dodge).

The AoD(Dodge) might help as it allows you to change Facing on your Active Defense rather than your regular Turn. So on your opponent's Turn you AoD(Dodge and Retreat and get your Facing change in. then on your Turn you run for all your worth.

<shrug>It is no doubt subject to criticism as a way to effectively Move when it's not your Turn and string Turns worth of actions together.

[sjmdw45]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Mearls' involvement with D&D post-dates D&D3's publication, and even v3.5 doesn't have him in the credits. The fault for the initial emphasis on dungeons, and on DM rulings over morale checks lies elsewhere.

That Mearls is/was entirely okay with this, and ran with it, I do not doubt.

For whatever it's worth, even the Gold Box CRPGs from the 1980s, which did have morale checks and occasional fleeing monsters, were still tuned to be 95%+ fights to the death.

Obviously CRPGs are not TTRPGs, but hack and slash TTRPGing and CRPGing are close cousins.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

As a GM I would rule that this "free" Facing change is only 1 hexside.

Note that in DFRPG Kromm wrote the rule more explicitly:

Most maneuvers allow you to take a step. This lets you do one of the following: • Stay where you are! • Move one hex in any direction. • Go from a kneeling posture to a standing one (or vice versa) without moving. You may also turn to face any of the six hexes surrounding yours, before or after you move or change posture. -DF Exploits pg. 33

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by sjmdw45

Note that in DFRPG Kromm wrote the rule more explicitly:

Most maneuvers allow you to take a step. This lets you do one of the following: • Stay where you are! • Move one hex in any direction. • Go from a kneeling posture to a standing one (or vice versa) without moving. You may also turn to face any of the six hexes surrounding yours, before or after you move or change posture. -DF Exploits pg. 33

It wouldn't be the first time Kromm changed a rule between straight Gurps and DFRPG. I find the text in Campaigns clear enough. when it wanted to say "any" facing it did.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

It wouldn't be the first time Kromm changed a rule between straight Gurps and DFRPG. I find the text in Campaigns clear enough. when it wanted to say "any" facing it did.

"You may change facing freely before or after you move." pretty clearly lets you turn as many times as you want. If you could only turn once that wouldn't be 'freely'.