Re: OOC Thread IV
In reply to The Marshall (msg # 592):
We have a new player here so I'll go over some combat basics and fine points. Combat is as close as I can make it to tabletop DL, adjusted for PbP format. Have a read of the combat rules in the Home Rules thread.
One important mechanic is that you still make a TN5 Quickness for initiative to draw one or more cards and these form your total number of actions. (1 for a success plus an additional action for each raise.) Instead of counting down every single card for every PC in order (which would be a pain) your highest card now becomes your initiative for the turn. You take all your actions on that card. (This is the most workable solution I could come up with to retain card draws for initiative, which is the heart of the DL combat system in my opinion.)
Sleeved cards are still a held action. They can be used to change your initiative, so that you may still be able to use your sleeved card to act before an opponent who draws a higher initiative card (as long as you beat them in an opposed Quickness check). If you've already acted for the turn you can still use a sleeved card to conduct covering/reaction/overwatch if you are set up to do so. Lastly a sleeved (aka hole aka cheat) card can also be used to dodge/dive for cover.
The last is very important because an important rule change in my game is I don't allow spending of chips to negate damage. So remember to use cover and/or have a card sleeved to use for dodging! Some players in the past were not comfortable with this as this is a fundamental rule for both DL and DL:HoE and allows for a much more reckless play style. I may revisit this decision in the future although so far it hasn't seemed to led to excessive PC mortality so far over the years as I tend to play the opposition as fairly conservative in nature. But if you get to spend chips to negate damage so can the bad guys. Which wouldn't mean much for the mooks but heavy hitters like Modeen and the Boise Horror could have done a lot more damage, or at least gone down with a much longer fight and maybe taken a PC or two with them.
Speaking of chips, I will make a draw for Cannibal Jack now.
Lastly, a combat technique I picked up in a long-running Twilight 2000 game (Pirates of the Vistula) I was a player in is to have players include a ".tac bloc" at the bottom of your combat post. First comes ready weapon and ammunition count (at the start of the turn), followed second by your general location, then followed by actions listed in order (with ammunition counts). At least that's the idea and it makes things easier for me to keep track of the action, although it can, ahem, be a little bit of a struggle to add this information.
Thanks!
Tony