Haeshka Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 I am preparing to run a Play by Post (PBP) campaign using 6th edition. I am looking to make combat run as smoothly as possible, and especially as quickly as possible; with respect to Speed. Factors to consider: 1) Most players check the site no more than once per day, thus if combat begins - and players have more than a speed of 1 - they will likely only manage to type-out/roll a single action (phase) at a time. 2) I don't want to get too ham-fisted about restrictions, although I am limiting speed to 4 - I don't want to get any tighter than that. 3) I intend for there to be between 4-6 PCs. 4) I am sure that there are others, I just went brain-dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostDancer Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 You could just make all the named combatants, including Player Characters, SPEED 4. Mooks could be SPD 2 or 3. You could encourage players to advise you regarding their general plan for this specific combat- i.e...Segment 12, duel at Honolulu's Chinese Plaza, fighting over the restaurant bill. Player: White Tiger says, "I told you, I'm paying the bill!" He is going to attempt to Cover Dragon Master, interrupting any aggression with a Martial Flash, poke to the eyes. If that works, next he'll try an Offensive Strike Crescent Kick, Pulling it for less BODY damage. Should that knock him down, he'll follow up with Nerve Strikes to the neck in a covert fashion- he's gonna try to make it look like he's checking for a pulse. GM: How are you allocating your Combat Skill Levels, grandmaster? Also include many pics, aiming for at least one on most of your posts. We notice when GMs, tabletop or otherwise, are remiss with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRealDeal Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Just have them give you a full Turn of actions in advance, so if Speed 4, they give you 4 phases of actions per post. Have them include some default triggered actions, such as 1) If my STUN drops below X, I abort to a Dodge (if attacked by 3+) or a Block (if attacked by 1-2) with my next Phase 2) If my BODY drops to 0 or less, I 1/2 Move nearer to the Medic and use the other 1/2 Phase for a Dodge 3) If my target drops, I 1/2 Move to the next Target (they can name it for you or just say closest) and if not able to reach in 1/2 move, I use a ranged attack (if they have one) or do a Move By, etc. This way you can make combat go faster. You can always pause the fight if something usual happens, allowing all involved to update their actions accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haeshka Posted March 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 Thank you all, these are neat ideas. Ghost Dancer- I don't like the more ham-fisted methods of saying "you can't customize your character", however; yes Pics/Paper/etc is definitely quite wise here, as it will help with player actions more. TheRealDeal - This is something towards which I am leaning, and seeing it written out like this actually gives me a clearer idea on how to implement it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Samson Posted March 26, 2014 Report Share Posted March 26, 2014 If the game is not s superhero game, I don't think that SPD 4 will seem that limiting to the players. The biggest issue I have seen in PbPs is aborting actions because actions are usually declared and rolled for in the same post (as least in the few games I have played in). In one game aborting actions was not allowed by the GM (it was hard to balance because no one would waste a phase dodging an attack that had already failed) while in another players had to declare aborts in their action posts (for example at the end of an action post, "I'm low on STUN so if Dr. Dayruiner attacks me before my next phase, I abort my next phase to dodge!"). EDIT: Bah, after a closer read I see that RealDeal scooped me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostDancer Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Here's a seed of a character concept for those who think Speed 4 is slow: Kame (Japanese: Turtle) Kame is reputed to be a martial arts master. This is not so. In reality, she comes from a long line of regal mutants know as the Blood, and has their typical abilities- lethal blasts, see-through vision, telepathy, and teleportation. She refers to her lethal blast as Kame Hame Ha (Turtle Blast). Kame calls her teleportation Zanzoken (After Image). Apologies to Dragon Ball Z, TMNT, and the late, great Aaron Allston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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