Thinking About Changing The Combat System
I’ve been thinking about the way combat runs in most of the RPGs I’ve played, and while pretty good, isn’t quite what I want. This leaves me thinking about when it’s time for throwing out a good game element for a better game element.
The majority of roleplaying game systems I’ve played use a game mechanic for resolving combat that’s built on the general rules presented in the original Dungeons & Dragons. Combatants take turns rolling “to hit” their opponent, if they roll higher than the defence value of their opponent they score a “hit”, they roll to see how much “damage” they do, this is subtracted from the defenders “hit points”.
This system of taking turns trying to hit and damage each other was adopted from a naval war-game (I can’t recall the name at the moment), where I think the mechanic nicely emulates the feel of opposing battleships exchanging cannon fire and their armour gradually getting worn down until one ship or the other is sunk.
Of course with a more abstract game you can explain any number of things happening here as you roll the dice. 20 men facing off against 20 orcs. A knight and an Ogre battling. A dance-off where flashy moves reduce your opponents confidence… pretty much whatever you like. It’s a bit like how a chess set can have medieval figures or the characters from The Simpsons.
So generally it’s a good, simple system, and has stood the test of time as something that works well in a game. Particularly an RPG.
All the same… I still wonder if it’s the best model for all types of combat resolution. Even if we change the terms (rolling to attack, stamina loss etc) the back and forth of each side taking their turn to attack doesn’t feel much like how people actually fight. Your hit points and armour also matter more in resisting your opponents attacks than your own fighting skill – which has always made the lightly armoured fighting man a challenge to model in an RPG. In a setting like the Weird West where people generally don’t wear armour, I’m really not sure it’s the best system.
What I’ve been considering is changing the d20 vs AC attack roll to opposed dice rolls between the combatants with the highest roller being victorious. Rather than make you harder to hit, armour reduces the amount of stamina you lose in combat. The opposed dice rolls would use the dice step mechanic I’ve posted about before.
I’m not sure what’s holding me back from changing things. Maybe it’s that if I change the combat system we’ll have crossed the threshold of “modified D&D” to “new game”. I figured we’d get there eventually, but I’m still wondering if I want to do that yet…
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Go for it.
To wit: Omni System with its elegant, simple comparative opposed margin/result.
The free HELLAS rules are available on RPGNow:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=57437&filters=0_0_0_10096_0
I would not worry about it being “not D&D”. I saw similar systems tried and even used regularly in D&D games in the late 1970s. “D&D” wasn’t as narrow of a term then as some in the OSR make it sound today.
I think it’s your game, and if you’re headed in that direction, sooner or later you’re going to make the plunge at some point. It’s that plunge that is scary at first, with the thoughts of “what if they don’t like it” and “then it won’t be D&D”. You can always try it for a session or two, see how it works out, and if it doesn’t, simply go back to the way it used to be. Also, if you change combat, how will that affect other aspects of the game, such as dodging, aiming, and initiative?
I liked Legends of Middle Earth. Combatants have an attack ability in the 1-20 range. The attacker picks a number of d6 and rolls under. If he makes it, the defender can keep the number of d6 or raise it. The first one to loose is ‘hit’ and must make an endurance save with the same number of dice or be knocked out. That’s what I would build on because liked the ‘raising the stakes’ element. But as written the system has no weapon or armor effects and needs more work for a D&D like experience.
Thanks for the feedback!
@Timeshadows: Thanks for the encouragement and recommendation! I downloaded the free World of Darkness rulebook today, now I’m going to grab this one too.
@RandallS: Isn’t that where Palladium Fantasy came from? That’s a good point though – I remember trying out a lot of weird stuff we thought up or found in Dragon back in the early 80s. I expect there was even more of that in the 70s.
@Jay: I actually think my players won’t care much about whether it’s D&D or not – but the other things you mention are something that makes me pause. Once I start changing a major system like combat there’s lots of little things that will need updating as well.
@Alex: I have a (very underused) Middle Earth Roleplaying rulebook, but didn’t know there were any other LoTR RPGs. Raising stakes sounds interesting in that context.
@Stuart: You are most welcome.
–Please let me know what you think of the Omni System, as well as the HELLAS game.
Opposed dice rolls work quite well in combat, I’ve done it that way for years and its a much better system in terms of player buy in as well. It means that even when its not the players turn they get to participate, rolling their “defense roll” against the incoming “Attack roll”. This prevents people from wandering off when its not their turn for a dose of “tell me how much damage I took”
Among many other games that did opposed combat rolls long before (Talislanta, Midgard, Advanced Fighting Fantasy, Tunnels & Trolls, Ars Magica…) there are several OGL/d20-based games as well (in case you want to stay close to D&D).
My first pick would be a French system named Lanfeust de Troy (based on the popular graphic novel series of the same name). It’s a class-less take on D&D-style comic book fantasy.
The fighting abilities are a function of the attribute bonuses (which are the attributes in Lanfeust, as it does away with the 3-18 range), with
Attack being the sum of STR+INT,
Defense being the sum of DEX+WIS, and
Magic Defense (= Saving Throws) being the sum of CON+CHA.
(That is also the basic system behind skills which are all based on two attributes, eg. Climbing: STR+DEX, or Intimidation: STR+CHA.)
All rolls in the game are either opposed rolls, or d20+skill vs. DC. (Weapons do damage according to their size–1d6 to 3d6–and armor subtracts from the damage roll.)
C’est magnifique!
I need to track down that game. I’ve been noodling about with things being best of / worst of Str + Int etc.
My french is very rusty though…
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