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From: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Movement and Dying Nasties
Message-ID: <16707@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 17:05:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: watmath.16707
Posted: Fri Oct  4 17:05:43 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Oct-85 03:19:22 EDT
References: <117@drutx.UUCP>
Reply-To: jagardner@watmath.UUCP (Jim Gardner)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 48

In article <117@drutx.UUCP> slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) writes:
>How do you
>handle movement, especially before and in combat?

I don't really know how to fit things into a D&D context, because
I haven't enough experience with the game to make a balanced
suggestion.  However, you might get some ideas from the way things
are done in other games, so I'll describe the way it works in
Fantasy Hero.

Combat is played out in Turns that take about 12-seconds game time.
Each second is called a segment, numbered Segment 1, 2...12.  Players
and NPCs and monsters are all allowed a number of actions during a
Turn.  This number is called their SPEED, and it is more or less
based on DEX.  A SPEED 3 character (average fighter) would be
allowed 3 actions, coming in segments 4, 8, and 12.  Monsters
often have high speeds, so that the D&D claw-claw-bite sort of
attack would be represented by giving the monster a speed like
6 or more (6 is turns out to be very fast, 8 is gross, and 12
is mind-boggling).

In one action phase, you can choose to move, to attack, or to move
and attack.  (Also many other actions that we won't worry about).
For a full move, you get a standard 12 meters of running; if you
move then attack, you get 6 meters.  If you use this sort of running,
you are assumed to be moving with some caution: weaving, staying low,
keeping your eyes open, etc.  This means that you are as hard to hit
while running as you would be in any other circumstance.

You can also run in a "non-combat" way.  This lets you run up to
24 meters in your phase, twice the normal maximum.  However, you
cannot run non-combat and attack.  In addition, you lose any defensive
bonus you might have for battle skill and DEX; you get a small bonus
for running speed, but you are presumed to be relatively easy to hit
because you are running undefensively in a straight line.

Maybe the difference between combat and non-combat running may help
solve your problem.  It also occurs to me that your battle may be
made easier if you consider a D&D round to be considerably shorter
than the minute it's supposed to be...after all, if it takes 20 or
30 seconds for MU's to prepare a spell, it's no wonder that some
fighter can run in and slit their throats first.  An unencumbered
person could sprint almost a quarter mile in that time.  Admittedly,
fighters are encumbered in most instances, but thieves aren't.
Of course, this is a drastic change and may be more trouble to you
than it's worth.

				Jim Gardner, University of Waterloo