AFJ continued his chosen course of action, cocking his head to listen for anyone following him. The bush whacker issues another bird call, into the night.

The Texan hears the bird call, same as before.

OOC: Interesting.

The Judge draws initiative for r6 (from an un-shuffled deck):

Jake: Five
AFJ: Joker, Ten

With the Joker, as we learned from Jake earlier, AFJ gets +2 and may act at any time. The initiative deck would be re-shuffled for next round.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 39):

Jacob Richardsen had remained prone for maybe half a minute, total. Now, he hears hoofbeats pounding away from him, up the slope where that bush whacker had tried to waylay the Texan.

It's fair to say, reckons the riifleman, that his opponent -- or one of the bush whacker's allies -- had ridden off. Whether any more were hereabouts, Jake couldn't tell. He just knew he had never heard more than one gun nor more than one sound of movement at a time, whether it be human or equine.

OOC: Jake's action in r6. AFJ used the Joker up front.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:48, Sun 26 Aug 2018.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 40):

~Reckon that's him ridin' off,~ Jake thought to himself as he heard the receding hoofbeats. The more the Texan thought about it, though, he could think of other possibilities.

If the bushwhacker was an especially crafty rascal, he could have hit his horse on the rump and sent it galloping off, then settled in behind a rock to await Jake to come trudging up-slope. Or, even if the bushwhacker hisself had left, he might have left a pard or two behind to finish the job -- Jake still hadn't figured out what the bird-calls meant.

But when it came right down to it, Jake couldn't resist heading up to the top of the ridge to see what he could see -- just like the bear who went over the mountain. He was downright curious, and just plain wanted to know what he'd find up yonder.

The Texan rose up to a crouching position and started moving forward through the underbrush . . .

OOC:

Move: Jake will rise up to a crouch and start heading towards the slope of the ridge, his rifle held at the ready.

Action: If a target presents itself, Jake will take a shot. But I consider that unlikely (this Round) and haven't rolled for the Attack.

Notes: BTW, I finally figured out who AFJ is -- it was the "A" that threw me off-track. I obviously forgot that the gentleman in question was known by his middle name. :)

PS. Since this is an ongoing encounter, am I correct in assuming that Jake's expended Bennies do not refresh?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:57, Sun 26 Aug 2018.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 41):

OOC: Bennies refresh when: the Judge decides to award any. That could be one at a time -- good RP, spectacular combat action, gut buster, etc. -- or it could be all at once. SW bennies are refreshed in each "game session." It will be up to the Judge as to when that happens during the course of play in this forum.

You start with 3 bennies, plus or minus any as per Edges/Hindrances. For Jake right now, it is clearly still the same game session. But whenever we play a full session again (solo or with other characters), Bennies would be refreshed (and they are NOT accumulated over sessions. Use 'em or lose 'em.

AFJ ... 'bout time you reasoned that out, pard.

---------------------

Richardsen, waddling up a slope in dim pre-dawn light of the chaparral, thinks various thoughts. In another few seconds, he will be near the edge of the ridge -- the place where the bush whacker had begun the skirmish.

---------------------

OOC: Jacob should make a Notice test.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 42):

OOC:

22:14, Today: Jake Richardson rolled 11, 5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+5)11,5.  Notice Check.

Jake is strikin' it rich on these Notice rolls. Would love to save some of these Aces for Shooting or Damage rolls . . .

PS. Judge, when it comes to initiative, are you physically drawing cards at your desk, or does the RPoL Dice-Roller have a card-related option? I'm just, you know . . . curious. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 02:27, Mon 27 Aug 2018.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 43):

The Texan nears the top of the ridge. He sees the brush, just 2 or 3 yards ahead, where the bush whacker had hunkered down to fire upon Jacob. Just now, he hears something to slightly to the left of that position -- movement, he thinks, but it's tough to distinguish for certain with his bad ear. And then he sees a shape that could be the top of a man's head.

-------------------------

OOC: The Judge re-shuffled the initiative deck. (Currently, drawing from an actual deck of cards. RPOL has card drawing options in the dice roller, but as far as I can tell, so far, none of them include functionality to track cards that are drawn and sent to the discard pile in a continuous use, until re-shuffling. Still poking around -- if there is such a deck feature, I would prefer to use that, but for now just handling the initiative draw manually.)

Jake: Nine
Head: Five

Jake has the initiative.

OOC:

A couple of rules questions, Judge:

1. What will the modifiers be if Jake takes a shot at the man in the bushes this round?

2. Does SW make a distinction between cover and concealment? For example, bushes might conceal someone from your sight (i.e., would effect a Notice check), but, when you think about it, aren't all that effective as cover -- bullets pass right through them, in most cases.

I believe that one or more of the D&D editions made that distinction, but I don't recall seeing it in the SW rules.

Thanks.

PS. 3. Is Jake within moving distance of cover, himself?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:44, Mon 27 Aug 2018.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 45):

OOC: In general, the Judge doesn't desire to pre-calculate attack rolls (regardless of the game system). Players can estimate modifiers for distance, cover, light, etc. but until the shooting starts, the exact modifiers aren't known. Jake has fired upon this position before, so he has some idea, as noted below.

To the Judge, there is a difference in questions #1 and #2.

The first question is about particular Judge rulings on the amount of cover. Until Jacob fires, he can't be sure. What he knows so far is the current conditions are: dim light (-1), close distance (0) and available cover (which was -1 or -2 for Jacob earlier against the bush whacker who was in pretty much the same place as the "head" -- with the -1 or -2 depending on the circumstances during any given round).

The second question is about the rules -- which I'm happy to talk about. I don't see specific rule differences for "concealment" vs "cover" in SW. There are 4 categories of cover and the Judge rules on which one applies. This Judge would certainly take into account the nature of the cover -- a brick wall is different than hedgerow, but both provide cover that is factored into an attack roll. The question is how much cover.

The third question is both a particular Judge ruling and a rules question. "Crouching" which is what Jacob has been doing as he "waddled" up the slope, includes -1 for attackers.  It would become -2 if Jake went prone, or perhaps -2 or even better if he could find natural cover on the slope and remain crouching while he reached it. The Judge rules that Jake could move to his left a few yards, or slide backward a few yards, to reach some natural cover (brush vegetation). Exactly how much cover that would give him, Jacob isn't sure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:52, Tue 28 Aug 2018.

~Most likely a hos-tile,~ Jake thought upon seeing the man skulking in the bushes, his Texas drawl drawing the final word out into two syllables.

The rifleman scuttled over to his left to find some cover, but this time he stayed crouched over instead of dropping prone. He recalled that the last time he had gone prone, he had lost sight of his target, and he didn't care to play that game again.

Upon reaching cover, he fired a shot at the other man.

---

OOC:

Move: To his left, to find some cover. Jake will stay crouched over.

Action: 16:43, Today: Jake Richardson rolled 4,1 using d10,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1.  Winchester Shot.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 47):

OOC: Reading Jake's roll, it appears that you made the roll either:

1. without any modifiers at all, including your own mods for Edges.
2. with mods that you figured even out (+2 for ITW, -1 for dim light, -1 for cover.)

Are either of those assessments by the Judge true?

If 1. is true, the Judge needs to apply the plus for ITW as well as any situational modifiers (dim light, cover), and any mods against ranged attacks that the opponent may have (e.g., Dodge).
If 2, is true, the Judge needs to confirm whether the cover mod was correct, and then include any mods for the opponent (e.g., Dodge).

Please confirm or explain if I have missed something. The result of 4 is close enough to make sure we have this correct before proceeding to Damage and then the opponent's action in the round.

For the record and to clarify, the Judge has no problem with the PC rolling with modifiers that are KNOWN (and then continue to be known in subsequent rounds). In this case, as I noted in #46, that would have been the -1 for dim light and +2 for ITW (but not Marksman because Jake moved). Which is why I am thinking your roll could be either case #1 or #2. All the Judge would need to know is what the PC considered in the roll, or didn't consider when making the roll. For example in the "reason for roll" you could include a note such as "no mods" or "mods included, except range" or "except cover" or whatever might be questionable. Or as Jake has done many times in the past, include a note in OOC about what was considered in the roll so the Judge can fully adjudicate.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 48):

#1 is correct -- not knowing what modifiers might benefit the target, I simply ignored all modifiers, so that you could adjust the results as appropriate.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 49):

OOC: Okay. The Judge was giving cover +2, so the result of 4 is a miss (-1 net). This is a play-test, so we're trying things out, here.

--------------------

Richardsen squeezes another round from the Winchester. He believes his shot missed, perhaps deflected by a rock by the sound of it. Feeling the rocky footing beneath his own boots behind the thicket where he had sought cover, Jacob wasn't too surprised; the chaparral had its share of jags and crags and pebbles, stones and boulders.

Now, however, came something the rifleman hadn't anticipated. From the bushes at the edge of the ridge, the shadowed head emerges at a run, straight for Jake's position. He leaps into the air over the lip of the ridge, landing only a few feet from Jake. He attempts to push Jake backwards.

---------------------

OOC: Push is an opposed Strength test. The Judge is ruling against the +2 for Running before a push (p75), as the opponent jumped and landed after running. It's debatable, but in this circumstance, going with the raw roll.

The Judge rolled '9' on the d10 (and 1 on the d6 Wild Die). It is a Trait test, the Judge just made the rolls separately because he forgot about that and then remembered as soon as he had rolled the Str die for CDM.

Jake, make Str test (with the Wild Die).

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 50):

OOC:

Here you go:

10:45, Today: Jake Richardson rolled 3,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,2.  Strength Check (Opposed).

That was . . . unexpected; Jake didn't get any Aces on his roll, which was his only hope.

On a more positive note, having finally figured out who AFJ is, taggin' this hombre with a name is as easy as the proverbial pie.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:54, Wed 29 Aug 2018.

OOC: Re-cap.

Jake and the Judge took part of this to PM, because there was a question about Jacob's design.

Jacob has First Strike, which gives him a free attack action against an opponent that moves adjacent. He used it, getting a hit, but no raise (as per the dice roller). He rolled damage and got a success, but no raise. That means a Shaken result against his opponent (butt to the face, perhaps, sounds like something worth a benny, iffin the Judge were in a generous mood).

His opponent failed the Vigor check. He spends a benny to unshake and take his action. Having lost some of his momentum, the Judge's earlier ruling not to award the +2 for running makes sense. CDM still gets his action, which reconnects us to Jake's previous post . . .

-------------------------

The burly bush whacker -- not the same one as had fired the Winchester earlier -- was caught off guard by the rifleman's quick use of his long arm's butt. It didn't deter the muscle-bound feller. He sinks his weight and pushes with both arms, forcing Jake to a prone position, but causing no other damage.

The Texan finds himself in a familiar position during this early morning. On the ground. His rifle is still in hand but quarters are too close to use it for shooting against the big feller, at least as things now stand.

--------------------------

OOC: So, the Push was successful. Jake's opponent had a choice to push him backwards, or to push him down (to prone). He chose the latter.

The Judge draws initiative:

Jake: Joker (you lucky bastard, twice in one combat)
CDM: Queen

It is Jake's action. He has the full use of the Joker, but he is prone and cannot use his rifle as a ranged weapon against an adjacent foe (ranged weapons in close combat, page 75). Being prone is not good in melee.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 52):

OOC:

1. I see that moving out of melee (in Jake's case, to free him up to use his long-arm, not to run away) gives his opponent a free Attack (what us D&D types think of as an Opportunity Attack), per p. 87 ("Withdrawing From Close Combat"). In Jake's case, he would need to stand up from prone before moving away from CDM.

In CDM's case, I get the impression that he does not have a weapon readied, and the attack would be with a fist -- is that correct? And will his target in this instance be Jake's Parry (5, in his case) instead of the normal "4"?

2. Re: Jake's drawing a Joker for Initiative -- as I recall, CDM was considered to be a hard-luck kind of feller (which might explain what happened to him in Northfield). By some measures of logic, if A is unlucky and is fighting B, then B should be lucky. :)

3. I was all set to dump "First Strike" for a different Edge after the end of our play-test. Now, hmmmm . . . I may still do so, but it is a closer question.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:47, Wed 29 Aug 2018.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 53):

OOC: Always with the questions . . . it's like you think this is a play-testing ground. Oh, right . . . .

1. Not exactly. Correct about the opponent's free attack if Jake moves away (there is an Edge called Extraction for that). (Your page numbers in the EE seem different than mine, btw). But the free attack part is true.

Jake wouldn't necessarily have to stand. He could "crawl" as per the Movement section, which he did earlier. The Judge would interpret "rolling away" as crawling. If Jacob's goal is to withdraw from combat, standing is probably going to help. And as per the Movement rules, it requires 2" of movement to stand up from prone.

Jake didn't see a weapon, but that doesn't mean his opponent couldn't ready one this round. At present, he would be fighting bare-handed (open-handed). But the TN for Parry would be the same for a melee weapon or a fist (Melee attacks, armed or unarmed) go against the opponent's Parry. Ranged attacks are always against a TN 4 (and normal Trait tests are TN 4).

2. Oh, I see, this one isn't actually a question. Just rubbing the Judge's nose in it. Uh-huh.

3. It's a good Edge. Jacob used it exactly the way in which it is intended. As I said in PM, I could see how it fits into a rifleman's design. It is a guard against his weakness -- can't use rifle against adjacent melee. If you had Aced, you might have foiled his attack completely.

Here's a vital point -- all of the Edges are pretty good. The trick is to combine and balance them and decide how many Edges you want versus increase in Attribute die types and skill dice. Jake's approach, using the Archetypes, proved to be a good start for the PC, and then he assembled a good selection of Edges. The Archetypes can be helpful if you are inexperienced at SW character design. When you are doing your design, make sure to log each advance after the initial character creation. That makes it easy to fact-check for proper order of operations and meeting pre-requisites.

Here's another rules question, this one having to do with the Judge having drawn the Joker on Jake's behalf this round.

As I understand it, one of the perks of having drawn a Joker is an "interrupt at will" feature -- i.e., the PC or NPC who drew the Joker can act when he wishes to do so during the Round, even interrupting his opponent's actions if he choses to do so.

In this Round, Jake wishes to move away from CDM a sufficient distance for him to use his rifle (shooting it, not clubbing with it). As we have discussed, moving out of melee triggers an attack from CDM.

So. . . once Jake has initiated his movement, can he use the Joker's "interrupt at will" perk to shoot CDM before CDM can attack him (possibly foiling the "opportunity attack", as well as CDM's subsequent actions this Round -- depending upon the results of Jake's ranged attack, of course)?

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 55):

OOC: This is an interesting question; one of the "open to interpretation" rules in my opinion.

What it comes down to is "when does the action start and end?" If Jake starts his action by moving, then his action continues until he is done (whether that includes free stuff like moving, action(s) like Shooting or using Notice or whatever). He can't "split up" parts of his action. He can act when he wants, but he can't do different actions at different times in the round (at least based on my reading of taking actions in a combat). Therefore, I'm not sure what you are describing is something I would allow. I need to consider that further and I can ask a trusted resource how he would handle that. But right now, my thinking is:

1. If you were to say, I'll let him go first and then try to interrupt his action, then yes.
   
2. But if you are saying, start acting, see what he does and then interrupt his action, I'm inclined to say, no, because you can't split up your action because of the Joker -- you simply get to take your action(s) whenever you want. The Joker doesn't provide the ability to separate elements of your action for the round.

Something like First Strike is different. It gives a free melee attack action given a specific circumstance. That being a "bonus" action is different than using the benefits of the Joker more than once in a round.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:16, Thu 30 Aug 2018.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 56):

OOC:

Well, then . . . Jake will go with Option #1. :)

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 57):

The brawny feller pulls a knife and stabs at Jake.

OOC: Pausing for the roll, as the Judge expects Jake to interrupt with his action.

In reply to Judge Messalen (msg # 58):

OOC:

Is a roll needed in this instance, given that Jake is working with a Joker on his Initiative draw?

Per the "Jokers" paragraph (p. 72 in my edition of the rule-book), it states "When a player draws a Joker his character can go whenever he wants in the round, even interrupting another character's action if he wants."

It's your call, obviously, but I would read that "can go whenever he wants in the round, even interrupting . . " language to mean that this situation is different from the opposed Agility rolls that are called for when a player who has opted to "Hold" during any particular round choses to have his character attempt to interrupt another character's actions (which are addressed separately in the "Hold" paragraph -- also on p. 72 of my edition).

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 59):

OOC: Interesting that you ask that, because I was also pondering this one. It's debatable, I think. For now, as you say, the Judge is ruling that the opposed roll to interrupt isn't needed for use of the Joker, as it would be for the Hold action. That doesn't mean the opponent won't still get his action -- that depends on the result of Jake's action, same as we did it earlier in this combat. It simply means that Jake gets to take his action before the opponent takes his action, with usual combat rules applying to the adjudication of the subsequent elements of the combat round.

OOC:

Thanks. As you have mentioned before, there are several instances where the rules are not crystal-clear. I think that this is one of them.

Will post IC for Jake later today or this evening.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:22, Sat 01 Sept 2018.

Jake had felt the power when this new attacker shoved him to the ground, and the Texan didn't much want to get trapped in a close-range fight with a man this strong, especially since he wasn't able to use his long-arm effectively in a toe-to-toe dust-up.

So as soon as the rifleman saw the big man pull a knife, he scrambled to his feet and moved away, then fired a round at his assailant.

---

OOC:

Move: Jake will stand up from prone (2" of his allotted movement), then move away from CDM (using the remaining 4" of movement available to him).

Action: 17:45, Today: Jake Richardson rolled 13,9 using d10+4,d6+4, rerolling max with rolls of 9,5.  Ranged Attack (Winchester).

17:46, Today: Jake Richardson rolled 10 using 2d8+2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,4.  Damage (Winchester, Joker).

Notes: Jake gains +4 to his Attack rolls by reason of his Improved Trademark Weapon Edge (+2), and by reason of drawing the Joker in his Initiative draw (+2). The Joker also grants +2 to his Damage for this round.

In reply to Jake Richardson (msg # 62):

OOC: Based on the Judge's reading of the rules, CDM will get his "immediate free attack" before Jake gets his Shooting attack, because Jake is "Withdrawing from Close Combat."

Jake did in fact interrupt CDM's action, but Jake's own action triggers the WfCC rule, for the "immediate" attack.

All of Jake's good combat rolls will stand, assuming is able to take his action, after the adjudication of CDM's free attack. Unless CDM aces (and aces ace and so forth) during his action, the likelihood is good that Jake will be able to get his attack, because he has bennies to spend and he currently has zero wounds.

The Judge will make CDM's rolls later this morning.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:00, Sat 01 Sept 2018.