Re: [DL] (long) speed up combat resolution?

["Roy Spence" <roy.ster@virgin.net>]

Thomas Mayfield wrote in reply to Brian Leybourne's question

>>So, I'm looking for ways to speed up combat, and make it more roleplaying
>>based.
>First, I only use Stun checks when it's really nessessary to do so.
>Westerns are filled with scenes of cowpokes taking a bullet, then shruging
>it off a moment later.  However, if the giant beastie smashes a character
>up against the side of train car, then I require a check.

I agree with the above, it probably means more NPC and PC deaths, but we
have to try and keep up with Goff somehow :)

>Second, when the posse is fighting a lot of enemies (more than ten) I don't
>use hit locations.  They roll to hit; if they get one raise, it's a gizzard
>shot; two raises, a noggin shot.  Anything else I decide.  I know the odd
>are changed by that, but I find it speeds up mass combat _a lot_.

The posse I Marshal tend to aim for the head most of the time (they have
good dice :/), so for the times that they don't  I just get them to roll
random locations and not bother with the raise business - however I might
use Allans idea for using raises to determine left or right arms but not to
change locations totally.

Even with this I find that combat can run a bit slow.  However, I have
recently observed that it can often be due to players sitting there flicking
through books deciding what they are going to do, or simply not paying
attention that can cause things to drag.  In these cases just keep on going
down through the cards and if they are not ready - pass them by.  If I miss
an NPC action the players wouldn't be happy with me going back to sort it
out - I may stick it up his sleeve if he doesn't already have one - but it's
tough luck, and it should be the same for the players.  It may seem harsh
but it keeps things moving - it is meant to be combat after all you don't
get time to sit and ponder the outcome of your actions, it's snap decision
time (I'm a military ignoramus, but that's how I see it).

Also to GM's in general, don't be afraid to "jump" target numbers  rather
than flick through the book for lengthy periods of time, if you cannot find
it scrap it and pick what you deem to be a reasonable number.  OK you may be
wrong and once the session is over you can check up when you get time.  It's
not the first time I've said to the posse, "When I said X for the action
last session I was wrong, the rules specify it should be Y, so from now on
it's going to be Y, OK."  I haven't had a problem yet with that kind of
approach, however that said you cannot keep changing your mind from week to
week, once you set your rule stick to it.

As a GM you can sit back and let them roleplay, but when it comes to combat
you generally need to drive it to keep things moving.

As for descriptive action (Feng Shui anyone?), the better and more
interesting they describe the action, the better and more descriptive you
make the outcome, possibly even giving them a slight bonus to the result.
This could be a good way to reincorporate stun - when your character
performs an action that he has described and is cool, then makes the TN, the
NPC could be so dumbstruck that he loses his next action.

Anyway just my multitude of pence.

Roy