The Philosophy of Ex3 Combat by Holden Shearer

A few days back, Holden Shearer posted an article in the White Wolf forums talking about the philosophy of Exalted 3rd Edition combat. I’ve reposted it here for convenience:

Exalted 1 and Exalted 2 both used what I think of an ‘action model’ combat engines– that is to say, when you rolled your dice pool, that represented a discrete action. This dice roll is an attack, for example, and it tells me how good the attack is.

This is a good model in that it feels very textured and involved– “my roll represents my attack, and because I’m a ferociously skilled swordsman, I get to roll a lot of dice.” That’s visceral, and good.

The problem of the system was that what Exalted wanted to emulate, when two of its larger-than-life heroes battled, was the martial clashes of cinema (whether this meant Errol Flynn, Chinese wuxia, or Jedi lightsaber battles was largely up to the tastes of the group playing). And Exalted did a fairly faithful job of recreating this! Unfortunately, an action-by-action recitation of such a battle usually looks like this: *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *whiff* *dead*

That’s faithful to the source material, but we felt that it had problems as a gameplay model– as a player, it was frustrating. It felt like you were getting nowhere, until very suddenly you won or lost. But in the epics, and in cinema (again, this is true whether you’re talking Shaw Brothers kung fu, Lu Bu vs the Brotherhood of the Peach Orchard, or Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader), most of the storytelling of the fight is contained in that “dead zone” where every swing is getting blocked or dodged or only banging the enemy around and otherwise generally not accomplishing its main goal of killing or defeating the other guy. It’s not just whiff-whiff-whiff– we can look at that fight and see how the momentum of the battle is running, we can tell who’s winning and losing, and we can tell when someone has just pulled a marvelous reversal and is mounting a comeback. When Luke and Vader fight in Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader only strikes a single blow that really injures Luke– the last one that cuts off his hand– but we can see that Vader is clearly dominating the fight before that. Luke makes a desperate strike near the end, but only manages to graze Vader’s arm and goad him on finish things by battering Luke to the end of the bridge and ending the fight with a decisive blow. That’s good storytelling, that’s an exciting fight scene– much more than just the sum of “whiff whiff whiff whiff over.”

That’s what EX3 aims to capture, by turning the ‘dead zone’ into something compelling.

In Exalted Third Edition, the majority of attacks heroes launch at one another don’t damage the opponent’s health track*. Instead, these attacks are used to build momentum, gain the upper hand, and place the character in an advantageous position relative to his opponent(s!). They are also calculated to stymie the enemy’s attempts to do the same, to disrupt his tempo, and to confound his efforts to harm you. If an attack of this sort succeeds, then it might force the opponent back, batter down his defenses, push him into disadvantageous position, or even land a blow that rattles him but inflicts no telling injury.

Once you feel you’ve garnered sufficient advantage, your character can attempt to launch an attack which can damage the enemy’s Health Track– and if you’ve fought well enough, picked your moment well, and the dice are with you, you might even slay your opponent in a single well-aimed blow, striking off his head or running him through! However, attempting to strike such a blow with undue haste can be quite risky– it might even create an opportunity for the opponent to turn the tables completely, and seize control of the fight!

This is the battle dynamics philosophy of EX3, and is the result its combat engine has been designed to realize.

*Note: This is a mechanical abstraction intended to represent the ebb and flow of cinematic combat, not an actual thing that exists in the setting. When a Solar and an Abyssal are swinging daiklaves at one another, they very much are trying to cut and kill their enemy with each blow– even if we, the players, know that all the attacks this round are able to do is to win them advantage.

The focus on making combat focus on the momentum of the fight is an interesting one in my book. I don’t fancy myself as a big mechanics person, but the idea of combat simulating momentum is novel and I am certainly looking forward to hearing more about how it works in practice. Add the fact that it will impact a great number of Charms and I can imagine the amount of rework that EX3 has gone through. Overall, I can’t really say more about it than this as there’s precious little to go on. The intent of the design team is made clear, but we can’t tell if they’ve achieved their goals until we’ve seen the mechanics.

[Kickstarter] It’s an Anime kind of season

Looks like the recent RPG kickstarters are all looking kind of anime-inspired lately. Not that I’m complaining as I have enjoyed the occasional show or two and many of the games look like they’re really worth the money that people will be pledging. I for one am already earmarking funds for all three of the following games:

OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game

OVA came to my attention a long time ago when it first came out. It was a quick rules-medium anime game that promised to deliver a ruleset that could keep up with anime tropes without being bogged down with the technical weight of generic systems like GURPS and HERO. It was pretty well written and the author, Clay Gardner was someone who had an obvious love for Anime, but didn’t let it cloud his ability to write a fairly balanced system. I’ve heard he was working on a new edition for a while now and I’m glad to have a chance to jump into it early.

Golden Sky Stories

Another intriguing concept is this heart-warming roleplaying game translated into English. The game concept is one that seems perfect for young kids, as players take the role of Henge, animal spirits who can take on human form and have special powers. These Henge go off on non-violent adventures that have them helping people out or solving mysteries in a small town.

Deluxe Exalted 3rd Edition

 

After what feels like ages, Exalted’s 3rd Edition is coming out, and the Kickstarter for the Deluxe rulebook is pretty spiffy. There’s a host of goodies to be had here, and there’s a promise of a lot of spoilers for what Exalted 3rd will have in store. While I’m genuinely stoked for the game, I’m going to have to admit that the price of the tiers has me pained as the only way I can get a deluxe copy of the book in physical form is by shelling out $130.00, which is definitely out of my casual spending habits. That won’t stop me from pledging $30.00 for the PDF though.

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Kickstarter has been a boon for the RPG industry, and I’m very happy to see these guys all succeeding at their respective projects. Likewise PDF tiers are perfect for people like me who don’t have the kind of income to be able to consistently order physical copies, insuring that I get a little bit of the semi-instant gratification bit even if I live half a planet away.

[Let's Study] God-Machine Chronicle Rules Updates Part 4: Combat

Today we’re taking a look at the updated rules for combat from the GMC. Those familiar with nWoD combat will find some interestin changes here, as well as a few optional rules that emulate aspects of combat that don’t normally show up in most games.

Some of the tweaks applied to the combat system are:

• Weapons now have an Initiative Modifier that affects the initiative roll. Bigger, heavier weapons have bigger penalties.
• All weapon damage is now Lethal. Which makes sense, getting hit across the face by a crowbar isn’t Bashing damage no matter how I think of it.
• Weapon Damage is now applied as straight damage rather than additional dice to the attack roll. Needless to say the use of any weapons now are definitely indicative of doing some serious harm.
• Defense is now calculated as the Lower of Dexterity or wits plus Athletics. This makes for slightly higher Defense scores for most characters.
• Dodging allows for characters to double their Defense score and roll it as a pool of dice against an attack. Successes on a Dodge roll are subtracted from the attacker’s successes. This comes in very handy as this might be the best way to use Defense against ranged attacks that would otherwise nullify Defense.

Down and Dirty Combat

This system introduces a “one roll” combat for those fights that aren’t a dramatic focus. While some might argue that every fight deserves screen time, sometimes a fight exists as a speedbump and this system allows for the game to move past those as quickly as possible.

Intent is key to the Down and Dirty Combat system, as the attacker declcares their intent to justify a “one roll” approach to the Storyteller. If the ST is okay then they proceed with the simplified combat. Of course, Storyteller characters aren’t allowed to use these rules.

The roll is handled as any combat task. The Attacker rolls their combat pool, and the target rolls either a combat pool against it, or an attempt to escape.

If the attacker succeeds, then they win the contest, and deals damage equal to the difference in successes plus her weapon damage and achieves her intent. If the intent includes killing then that happens too.

Optional Rules: Beaten Down and Surrender

The Beaten Down and Surrender rules have to be one of the most interesting additions I’ve seen in a game set in the modern-day setting. As an optional rule, a character that takes more than their stamina in Bashing damage or any amount of Lethal damage has the fight knocked out of them and gains the Beaten Down Tilt (a Tilt is a special condition that affects combat, but more on that later.)

Characters who are Beaten Down must spend Willpower each time they want to take an offensive action. He can defend, dodge and run but can’t strike back without spending Willpower.

One of the most important considerations here is that the character who is Beaten Down can then surrender, and gains a Beat and a point of Willpower for their trouble. Furthermore, the assailant now has to spend Willpower to attack you and will most likely suffer a breaking point for doing so.

I’m especially fond of these rules as it simulates a common fact in a lot of real fights. People fight until someone gives up or runs away. Very rarely do fights escalate to the point at which someone dies, and even in those instances, it’s often an accident.

Of course these rules only apply when the side that surrenders has something that he can give up. If the assailant is purely after the person’s life, the Beaten Down and Surrender rules do not apply and both fight with the same kind of desperation.

Intent

I know we mentioned Intent before, but it matters at all times now. Intent is gathered at the start of any hostile encounter to determine what people are after in a fight. This is very important as if an Intent is to commit violence for it’s own sake, the Beaten Down Tilt doesn’t occur.

Storyteller Characters and Willpower

Storyteller characters now have caps on how much willpower they’re able to spend, which is always a good thing, as opposed to the old situation where a character with 5 willpower may end up facing off against 3 nameless goons with a combined pool of say, 12 Willpower.

Combat Tilts

With the Conditions rules, there are now Combat Tilts that affect gameplay during a fight. These conditions range from ones that are obtained after being hit by a called shot (like Arm Wrack) to various environmental factors like extreme temperatures or being flooded.

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The new combat system improves the game in ways that I’d not considered, which is a very good thing. New insights into the brutal and occasionally non-lethal outcomes of combat are greatly appreciated, and will come into play somehow. I’m very eager to try this out and see how it works out side of the usual empty room scenario, with actual stakes, intent and props to work with.

[Let's Study] God-Machine Chronicle Rules Updates Part 3: Social Maneuvering

Social Maneuvering is a new system introduced in the GMC rules to simulate the process of trying to convince someone to do something for your character. It’s an interesting mechanic, and one that makes for an interesting rules-based fallback for players who might not be in the mood to handle socials from a pure roleplaying angle.

The Social Maneuvers system works with the acting character attempting to break down a series of metaphorical “Doors” which represent the difficulty of convincing a character to take a desired action. Doors are a system term, and represent skepticism, mistrust or general disposition to not do what is being asked of them.

The number of Doors is variable, with a base value of the lower of the target character’s Resolve or Composure, and modified by other factors such as whether or not the action goes against their Virtues or Aspirations and other things like whether or not the action in question will trigger a Breaking Point.

Aside from doors, the other component of Social Maneuvering is the Impressions. Better impressions allow for an acting character to be able to make successive rolls in a faster time interval than those who make less memorable impressions upon the target character.

Ways to smooth over things and make a favorable impression is called Leverage, and can take the form of bribes, gifts, or a favorable experience. Each interval allows for a single roll, and if the roll is successful, then the acting character is able to open one (or more) Doors and moves closer to getting the target character to doing what they want them to do.

Sometimes however, one has to force a Door by the use of intimidation and possibly bodily harm. Such actions can trigger an immediate social roll, but allows for a door to be opened in quick order.

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The systems presented by the GMC are a novel one, and can be used in conjunction with standard RP to provide the necessary dice bonuses and penalties to the social roll when it comes to setting up Impressions or in Opening Doors.

I like this system a lot as it feels more organic, as opposed to straight-up mind control, and shows that getting someone to do something for you is a project in itself. Of course, I wouldn’t use this system on all social interactions, but reserve it purely for the ones that would be the most dramatically appropriate for.

[Let's Study] God-Machine Chronicle Rules Updates Part 2: Merits, Conditions and Soul Loss

Hello everyone and welcome back to Part 2 of the GMC series. Today we’re taking a look at the retooled Merits, the new Conditions system and a bit about Soul Loss.

Merits

The Merits system for GMC is still largely the same as it was in the core rules, with the exception that the Merits in GMC supercede those in the core rulebook. Many of the new Merits are much more balanced than their original versions, and have been toned down. The biggest change would be the fact that multiple attacks have been removed from the Fighting Styles. This reduces a lot of the rolling that used to happen with Fighting Style focused characters.

One other thing to note is that there are no longer dead dots in merits. Each dot does something, which is a big relief rather than spending experience for a speed bump dot.

Conditions

Conditions are a “new” system that might seem very familiar to those who have played any game that uses the FATE system. Conditions are descriptors with mechanical effects that are applied to characters. The neat thing about them is that they’re a source of Beats, and characters are therefore encouraged to accept or play through these Conditions to benefit from the added experience of resolving them.

Conditions caused by exceptional successes or via supernatural powers. Breaking points are also a source of Conditions. Furthermore, complex behaviors may also cause Conditions. In general an ST has a large amount of leeway on when he or she feels that they can apply a condition to players and NPCs.

I feel that Conditions are an inspired set of mechanics and I’m very happy to see them in the world of Darkness. It’s a simple mechanic, and yet it slots seamlessly into a more story-focused game. It also helps GMs enforce the gravity of certain situations and gives players roleplaying cues as to how their character feels or is affected by a situation.

Soul Loss

Soul Loss is a special kind of supernatural trauma that affects individuals in the World of Darkness (and is often something of severe importance in Mage: the Awakening games.)

Admittedly losing one’s Soul isn’t something that happens everyday, but several Supernaturals can have the ability to rip it out of someone. This leads to a downward spiral of conditions all based on the fact that the person has lost their soul.

The first condition, Soulless has characters at a state where they are more susceptible to possession and cannot gain Willpower through normal means, and the rewards of her Virtue and Vice are reversed. Virtues can’t give them the kind of affirmation they seek, but Vices are capable of giving more Willpower back but only while indulging their vice in a manner that is potentially harmful to themselves.

Enervated happens when their Integrity has been lost, and their Willpower is the only thing sustaining them. At this point Virtue is no longer capable of giving Willpower, and Vices restore Willpower while reducing the maximum cap of Willpower.

Thrall is the last condition, and is a point at which a player character is no longer considered playable. Willpower may no longer be spent, and they cannot apply their Defense in combat. Further more they cannot spend Experiences and are counted as perpetually under the Broken Condition.

Magics can restore a soul back to a person, but I’m pretty sure that unless Mages and other supernaturals are concerned the process is most likely difficult. Recovery is swift however, as regaining a soul (even ones that aren’t originally theirs) allows for the character to shed these conditions and begin regaining Willpower.

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Overall the changes in the system might leave a bit of a wrinkle in existing games, but I think with a few tweaks, they should be easy enough to convert. The new Conditions system is a great addition, and refreshes the Storytelling system to the point where it feels almost like a new edition with a stronger focus on making dramatic situations that are part and parcel of any horror game.

I’ve already had a chance to pitch the new rules onto my gaming group and we’re gearing up to do a quick playtest of the rules. I’m slowly putting a scenario together that ties in to the God Machine Chronicles themselves with a few twists to make it my own.

Tomorrow we take a look at the systems that make up the new Social Maneuvering System.