So . . . Snowball fights!

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

This issue came up approximately a decade ago, in my very first GURPS game. I think the season is fitting to raise it. So, the issue is the stereotypical snowball fight. Yes, that's right. Snowball fights.

Typical engagement range seems to fall between 5-20 yards, with hits at the further end being rare yet still possible.

I'm assuming that a late teen has DX10 and thus Throwing (or Throwing Sport) at level 7; less for the awkward adolescents. A snowball is unlikely to have more than +1 Acc. In fact, it is probably Acc 0, since knives are Acc 0. That means that modified skill with AoA is 8.

At 5 yards, that gives us -2, down to skill 6, which is a 9%ish chance to hit before Dodge (which cuts the final chance to hit roughly by ¼, down to 7%ish).
At 10 yards, -4, or skill 4, a 2%ish chance to hit before Dodge (1½%ish after).
At 20 yards, -6, skill is down to 2, with all that entails.

Someone with a point in Throwing Sport/Throwing will have it at DX-1, or 9, improving the chances slightly.

Yes, I understand that while the opponent is throwing the ball, s/he is neither Dodging nor Moving Evasively. But if someone is performing Erratic/Evasive Movement (even without Dodging), things get even worse for the attacker.

So, don't the numbers look too low to you?
Thanks in advance!

[Icelander]

Why are you assuming that children and teens who spend hours per day playing ball games don't have Throwing skill?

We also tend to lose some of the agility that lets us climb trees like monkeys and throw balls with great accuracy as we get older. I don't have a problem with a lot of kids and teens having DX 11+.

Are there some who lack the Throwing skill and/or improved DX? Yes. We call them people who lose at snowball fights.

[Tinman]

I have to agree with Icelander. I don't know about other countries but in the USA the popularity of Football, Baseball, and Softball means that most boys (and many girls) will have at the least 2 pts in throwing.

In the rest of the world with Soccer being more popular, I don't know.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Tinman

I have to agree with Icelander. I don't know about other countries but in the USA the popularity of Football, Baseball, and Softball means that most boys (and many girls) will have at the least 2 pts in throwing.

In the rest of the world with Soccer being more popular, I don't know.

2 points is pretty serious. That's 400 hours of training with a teacher, or probably 800-1600 with a whole class / self-training.

Not sure if football qualifies (it seems to be more about Lob than Throw rolls), but Baseball definitely looks impressive in this respect.

There's also the local variation of children's dodgeball, but I think the different balance between a volley ball and a snowball is rather drastic. Still not sure if it's enough for 1-2 points.

[smurf]

Not forgetting all out attack determined.

Relaxed bonus because it's only a snowball fight.

Maybe a couple of seconds of aiming.

[Green-Neck]

Also +4 because its not real combat with life and death consequences... perhaps up to +10 using all the 'plinking' bonuses.

[adm]

Originally Posted by Tinman

I have to agree with Icelander. I don't know about other countries but in the USA the popularity of Football, Baseball, and Softball means that most boys (and many girls) will have at the least 2 pts in throwing.

In the rest of the world with Soccer being more popular, I don't know.

There was a reporter from the 1980s/90s, PJ O'Rourke I think, that noted that areas that had baseball type games, Central America, Philippines, S. Korea, and Pakistan (were the examples given, note that Pakistan's game is Cricket), that the kids could be deadly with small stones if you weren't wearing a helmet; but places like Palestine and South Africa they were more of a nuisance.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by smurf

Not forgetting all out attack determined.

Relaxed bonus because it's only a snowball fight.

Maybe a couple of seconds of aiming.

AoA(D) bonus already included in the OP.

I'm not sure a plinking bonus is legit against a moving target with no rangefinder etc.

[Mr_Sandman]

A lot of kids spend a good amount of time playing catch, that's practice in throwing. I also think 20 yards is getting to be very long range in a snowball fight, lots of misses will happen at that range. In my experience most attacks in snowball fights happen at 3 to 10 yards.

I agree that all out attacks or committed attacks should also be used frequently, since no one is really afraid of getting hit. This will increase the number of hits and reduce the number of dodges.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by Mr_Sandman

A lot of kids spend a good amount of time playing catch, that's practice in throwing. I also think 20 yards is getting to be very long range in a snowball fight, lots of misses will happen at that range. In my experience most attacks in snowball fights happen at 3 to 10 yards.

3 seems to be plunging into close combat assault trooper territory (a cause for slight sneers). But sure, 5-10 still seems like one of the actual range brackets. And yet 20ish attacks, likely beyond the ½D range (rather arched) seem more surprisingly less hopeless in life than on paper.

Originally Posted by Mr_Sandman

I agree that all out attacks or committed attacks should also be used frequently, since no one is really afraid of getting hit. This will increase the number of hits and reduce the number of dodges.

Well, AoA is overrated, but at these levels it is required. OTOH, CA is not available for ranged attacks.