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04-02-2021, 08:10 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
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table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
I never paid close enough attention to B552 to notice until now, but...
Legs: it's a lot easier to roll a 13 or 14 to hit the left leg (about 16.66%) compared to a 6 or 7 to hit the right leg (about 11.56%) Arms: it's easier to roll a 12 to hit the left arm (~11.57%) compared to rolling an 8 to hit the right arm (~9.72%) Even though they're all -2 to hit it seems in terms of "likelihood of being hit it goes Left Leg > Left Arm > Right Leg > Right Arm. This makes me speculate that maybe it assumes that the majority of people (right-handed) tend to pivot and keep their off-hand side forward: like if you're a right-handed boxer you jab with your left and cross with your right? Hands/Feet however don't have separate listings and have the same 50/50 odds of hitting either side (per note [9]) so this doesn't fall in line with my assumption. Maybe that's because torso blocks the rear arm and front leg blocks the rear leg, but since the rear hand is presumed to be held out/forward it does not enjoy cover, and the rear foot would be widely enough spaced for balance that it's equally likely to be hit as the front foot? If cover is the explanation for non-equal odds and this assumes a frontal attack, how could we shift that when being attacked from other angles? If you're left-forward then someone standing in the front-right hex presumably gets a better angle at hitting your right arm/limb, while if from the front-left maybe they'd be even more covered? |
04-02-2021, 08:17 PM | #2 |
Ceci n'est pas une tag.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Vancouver, WA (Portland Metro)
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
Total guess on my part, but if you're swinging a blade right-handed, wouldn't your opponents' left side be easier to hit?
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04-02-2021, 08:19 PM | #3 |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
A right handed fighter is assumed to be presenting a shield in the left hand, shield extended. This is not 100% consistent within the table but explains its “lean.”
Microscopic analysis of “implications” will mistake noise and coincidence for intent.
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04-02-2021, 08:32 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Binghamton, NY, USA. Near the river Styx in the 5th Circle.
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
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All of this means that when two people square off against one another their left sides are closest to one another, and more likely to be hit. Not 100% when taking shots from sides other than your front, but it explains the bias).
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Eric B. Smith GURPS Data File Coordinator GURPSLand I shall pull the pin from this healing grenade and... Kaboom-baya. |
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04-02-2021, 08:57 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Jan 2017
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
Which leads to a question, as a left-handed person myself, would I be at any advantage or disadvantage vs the right handed? We would be mirror images of each other instead of a typical right vs right fight.
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04-02-2021, 09:16 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Dreamland
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
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I don't think there are rules for it, but I could see it messing with some styles. Like maybe a perk where you can take advantage of a style but your opponent can't because they don't 'get' lefthanded yet. That's probably a bit cinematic, though. |
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04-02-2021, 09:41 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Binghamton, NY, USA. Near the river Styx in the 5th Circle.
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
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However, I'm not sure this would show up statistically at the granularity of GURPS, and if it did it would cost points - points you can just spend on skills, attributes, or talents to get the desired effect. OTOH there are some situations where a leftie could eke out an effective bonus - for instance many real world defensive fortifications are built in such a way as to favor a right-handed defender, with posts, corners, and walls designed to hinder a right handed attacker from attacking. This is more about avoiding penalties for tight spaces than about gaining a bonus though.
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Eric B. Smith GURPS Data File Coordinator GURPSLand I shall pull the pin from this healing grenade and... Kaboom-baya. Last edited by ericbsmith; 04-02-2021 at 09:45 PM. |
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04-02-2021, 11:06 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
Being left handed means your style is less familiar to likely opponents, which is an advantage, but also means it's harder to find people who know how to teach you, which is a disadvantage. Overall, it's probably a net positive. The fact that you're attacking your opponents from their weapon side instead of their shield side is negated by the fact that they're doing the same to you, and is thus net neutral.
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04-03-2021, 02:14 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
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The answer (from SJ) was, in game terms, no. They were aware of the effect. And if they included a bonus to make being left-handed an Advantage rather than player choice (a Feature, to use later terminology), which didn't seem worthwhile for the small effect. -- * They had an invitation to submit questions by mail, with the questions written out with enough space between on that sheet for an answer, and a SASE - Self Addressed Stamped Envelope -- with your return address, in which they returned your question sheet with the answers written in. Which might be an interesting historical tidbit on how much technology has changed communication in the timespan of the game's existence. |
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04-11-2021, 02:17 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Re: table make why does random hit location hitting left side more likely?
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Realistically, if you're a lefty fighting right-handers in a world where right-handedness is normal, you have a minor advantage. This is because you're used to fighting right-handers but right-handers have a minor Unfamiliarity penalty (-1 or -2) unless they've specifically been trained to fight left-handers or the combat skill you're using makes left/right distinctions relatively unimportant (e.g., wrestling or sumo wrestling). Likewise, unless YOU have been trained to fight left-handers, you also have an unfamiliarity penalty should you encounter a sinister-handed opponent (and vice-versa). In many cases, there are minor hassles to being a left-handed combatant, like guns with ejection ports mounted on the right side which spit hot brass onto your arm if you're a left-handed shooter and melee weapons optimized for right-handed users. In particular, some shields have strap arrangements which force leftys to use the shield upside down or at a similar odd angle and basket-hilted swords often have hilts which make it impossible for a lefty to hold them properly. Modern compound bows might have grips, arrow rests, and sights designed for right-handers. If you're a lefty in a "refused" stance, with a weapon in your left (leading) hand the side of your torso which contains your spleen and pancreas is facing forward, meaning a slightly greater chance of hits to those organs than to the liver which is on the right side. Likewise, the left ventricle of your heart (which pumps blood through the body) is on the leading side. Since getting shot or poked in any of those organs is bad news, it's a wash in terms of combat survival, but wound mechanics will be slightly different and damage to the left ventricle is more likely to be lethal.* If you're in an "open" stance (e.g., like a wrestler), left/right hand distinctions don't matter as much, unless you have a habit of attacking to just one side of your foe's body, in which case you have a Quirk. *Leftys are also at slightly greater risk for electrocution since they're likely to touch a live wire with their left hand, grounding themselves via their left arm and the left side of their body, so current is more likely to go through the left ventricle. |
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Tags |
hit location table, left arm, left leg, right arm, right leg |
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