Ranged vs. Melee Combat
Aug 5, 2015 13:30:44 GMT -8
Post by savagedaddy on Aug 5, 2015 13:30:44 GMT -8
Hey, lowkeyoh, that came off a lot snarkier than I had intended it. I guess I'm trying to say that in my groups, an additional half-second to look up a number other than 4 is not what complicates and slows down the game.
Jim: And I rolled a 5, so I hit.
Andrew: No you don't.
Jim: Yes I do, you weren't aware of the attack.
Andrew: Bullshit. He shot at me last turn, of course I'm aware he's shooting at me.
Jim: But he left the room. You can't see him. You can't be aware of an attack from someone you can't see.
Andrew: I'm not a toddler. I have object permanence. Just because the bad guy hides behind a door to take cover doesn't mean I forget he exists.
Jim: Doesn't change the fact that you didn't see the shots coming. If you can't see the attack you can't defend against it.
Andrew: Is he shooting blind?
Jim: No, he peeks around the corner to shoot you.
Andrew: Wouldn't I have seen him when he peeked around the corner? Doesn't peeking around the corner negate the element of surprise?
Jim: No.
Andrew: Why not?
Jim: You're already punching this goon. The combat turn resolves simultaneously. You wouldn't have time to take evasive measures. He poked his head out while you were punching this goon, and shot you while you were distracted.
Andrew: I thought the metric was whether or not I knew the attack was coming, not whether I could take evasive maneuvers against it. Just because the attack is coming from behind cover doesn't mean I'm not anticipating an attack from the armed nazi that has been shooting at me all combat.
Jim: Yes it does.
Andrew: No it doesn't.
Jim: Yah-huh
And in that time, the combat would have probably been over. But nooooooo. Jim had to change the ranged combat rules.
The deciding which number to roll against isn't what slows down combat. It's adjudicating what is and isn't rolled against a 4. Furthermore, making it harder to hit in general is going to slow down combat.
Also, you're playing a game where players have magic tokens that let them shrug off bullet wounds, is realism the most important part of gun combat?
Furthermore, is 'being aware of your attack' really the best metric for deciding when you get to use you agility to dodge bullets? If I'm aware of Stu shooting at me and am taking evasive actions to avoid getting shot (Serpentine movement, dodging between cover, etc) does the fact that I don't know Stork is also shooting at me from a few feet to the left mean that it's easier for him to hit me?
In my eyes there's not change that could be made to ranged combat that is going to make the game better.
I hope this doesn't come off snarky, but everyone needs to RTFM. You can't dodge ranged attacks with an Agility check in Savage Worlds (that only applies to AoE attacks). Unless Alexander has the Dodge Edge, or takes cover he is getting hit on a Shooting roll at a 4 TN. Period... end of sentence. If Jim wants to be nasty about it he could make a Stealth roll opposed by Alexander's Notice and add +2 to Shooting and damage (+4 with a Raise) for hiding between shots.