04-11-2023, 02:04 PM | #41 | |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central Europe
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
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I think the key thing is that the players understand how combat works in the game they are playing. If they approach a gritty 1960s military and paramilitary game like a game of D&D, they will lose a lot of characters.
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"It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature |
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04-11-2023, 03:45 PM | #42 |
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
I'll pile on to say that it's hard to get killed outright by any TL5 or less weapon that isn't a cannon or siege engine short of a hit to the brain or vitals. Instead, Bleeding and Infection are and were the big killers for battle casualties.
Forensic examination of medieval battle casualties indicates that there might be one or two wounds that could have been survivable (with fast access to a TL8 trauma center or your friendly neighborhood magical healer) that took victims down initially, then lots of hacking on the victims' bodies once they were down to make sure they were dead. Forensic examination of black powder era battlefield casualties (insomuch as you can determine cause of death) indicates wounds that caused massive bleeding which couldn't be treated using standard TL4-5 battlefield First Aid. In some cases, a bullet might have taken a soldier out of combat and then he was finished off using melee weapons. Excavations of hospital or major encampment graveyards show, no surprise, lots of evidence that soldiers died from infection or disease. |
04-11-2023, 05:59 PM | #43 |
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The Athens of America
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
Right up until at least 1865 and the end of the US Civil War.
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My center is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent. I shall attack.-Foch America is not perfect, but I will hold her hand until she gets well.-unk Tuskegee Airman |
04-11-2023, 07:24 PM | #44 |
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: New Zealand.
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
Another option for keeping the PCs alive is through education.
Showing them how the mechanics feel in play with either a non lethal but very tough event or an opening vignette where the players use some pregenerated characters who are destined to die in the first scenario. Ideas might be a brawl to settle the differences of two groups in a gun free western town with the rifle armed sheriff ensuring fair play. An opening scenario might be the doomed miners who unearth the ancient evil. Then the players can then have a consequence free session where they know their players will die. The players might also get a feel for how character creation works as well.
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Waiting for inspiration to strike...... And spending too much time thinking about farming for RPGs Contributor to Citadel at Nordvörn |
04-11-2023, 08:51 PM | #45 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Central Europe
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
It looks like an Enfield p/1853 or Springfield M1858 do 3d+2 pi+, so it takes an above-average roll to reduce to -1×HT. A character who gets shot with one of those is going to be out of the fight.
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"It is easier to banish a habit of thought than a piece of knowledge." H. Beam Piper This forum got less aggravating when I started using the ignore feature |
04-11-2023, 08:51 PM | #46 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
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A TL5 Springfield "trapdoor" does 5D P+. That's an average of 26 pts even on just a Torso hit. This leads to a Survival Roll for anyone with 13 hp or less. 50% fatality for someone with HT 10. One of those double-barrel 10 gauge shotguns could easily do 5 buckshot hits of 2D P each and that could be 2 Survival Rolls for persons of average HT and HP. Even the 1873 Winchester in .44-40 does 3D+3 P+ which could do 20 pts to the Torso. At TL3 or less it's hard to suffer a 1-shot death check without a Vitals hit but even at TL4 you get these P+ and P++ guns that are in the right range. I'd be a little more cautious than "cannon or siege engine". If you look at the math above you can also see how handy a few more HP can be.
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Fred Brackin |
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04-12-2023, 03:33 PM | #47 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
Although if your players are dying frequently enough, are you sure you just aren't running the game in a hospice? |
04-12-2023, 06:02 PM | #48 |
Join Date: Dec 2022
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
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04-13-2023, 09:36 AM | #49 |
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Chagrin Falls
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
I tip my pedantry cap to you, sir.
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Benundefined Life has a funny way of making sure you decide to leave the party just a few minutes too late to avoid trouble. |
04-13-2023, 02:20 PM | #50 | |
Join Date: Dec 2020
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Re: Keeping you players alive for dummies
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1 Air 2 Water 3 Breaks 4 Snacks Last edited by Willy; 04-13-2023 at 02:20 PM. Reason: spelling error |
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combat, old west, survival |
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