BALANCED TABLETOP COMBAT
RPG's are games. A game needs to maintain a measure of fairness and equality among the players involved. This is not true of life, and I do not feel that an RPG should ever be approached as a simulation of life.
Key to most RPG's is a combat system. This is a reflection of the RPG's evolution from table-top combat simulations or "War games."
Balancing the many aspects of combat to produce equivalent but varied combatants has always been one of my chief design goals.
The ideas below are a result of originally trying to balance aspects of weapons and armor ... my thought was that a swashbuckler with light weapons and little armor should be just as deadly as a knight clad in heavy armor and wielding a claymore. These two figures approach combat differently, but within the trappings of adventure fiction and within the confines of a game and its rules set, the two figures should have equal chances of success in battle.
In my mind, the best way to balance combatants is to compare the measures of strength versus speed.
Below is the skeletal framework for a character design concerned with producing balanced combatants positioned in various points along the pendulum of strength versus speed.
Combat Characteristics
ATTACKS
This attribute defines the number of attempts a player has on their turn to successfully "hit" an opponent.
DEFENSES
This attribute defines the number of attempts a player has before their next turn to attempt to "eliminate" any successful hits against them.
DAMAGE
The amount of injury caused for each successful hit that has not been eliminated.
RESISTANCE
Reduce the damage of each successful hit against you by this amount.
Selecting Combat style
The number of ATTACKS and DEFENSES allowed by a combatant is a reflection of their combat style. A character's combat style is determined by the player's choice of both DAMAGE and RESISTANCE.
LOW DAMAGE = +1 ATTACK and +1 DEFENSE
MED DAMAGE = +1 ATTACK and +0 DEFENSE
HIGH DAMAGE = +0 ATTACK and +0 DEFENSE
LOW RESIST = +1 ATTACK and +1 DEFENSE
MED RESIST = +0 ATTACK and +1 DEFENSE
HIGH RESIST = +0 ATTACK and +0 DEFENSE
DAMAGE
LOW
Roll 1d6 ... roll any result of 6 again and add to previous rolls.
MED
Roll 1d6 as above ... add 3 to each die rolled.
HIGH
Roll 2d6 and add them together ... re-roll every result of 6 as indicated above.
RESISTANCE
LOW
Reduce total damage received from a single hit by -2.
MED
Reduce total damage received from a single hit by -4.
HIGH
Reduce total damage received from a single hit by -6.
Power versus Skill
Some heroes are more skilled at the cost of power ... other heroes are more powerful at the cost of skill.
POWER
A reflection of the life-force or pure energy that the character can call upon to survive.
SKILL
Determines the chance for a successful skill test (Accuracy and Evasion.)
If POWER is HIGH ... SKILL is LOW
If POWER is MED ... SKILL is MED
If POWER is LOW ... SKILL is HIGH
POWER HIGH
Character can suffer 20 points of injury before being eliminated from combat.
POWER MED
Character can suffer 15 points of injury before being eliminated from combat.
POWER LOW
Character can suffer 10 points of injury before being eliminated from combat.
Combat Skills
ACCURACY
The roll needed to successfully "hit" a target.
EVASION
The roll needed to "eliminate" a successful hit.
"Zero" Attacks Or Defenses
Any character in combat who is able to fight is allowed one attack roll and one defense roll. If a character's ATTACKS or DEFENSES value is zero, they are still allowed to make 1 roll at a reduced ACCURACY penalty or a reduced EVASION penalty of -2.
SKILL CHECKS
Roll 2d6 and get the number listed or higher to succeed. (Number in parenthesis is the number required to succeed when rolling skill check with a penalty.)
SKILL LOW
Accuracy = 7(9); Evasion = 9(11)
SKILL MED
Accuracy = 7(9); Evasion = 7(9)
SKILL HIGH
Accuracy = 5(7); Evasion = 7(9)
MOVEMENT versus RANGE
Placing the game of combat on the tabletop and adding the visual representation of miniatures, we introduce two new aspects that should be considered: MOVEMENT and RANGE
Like comparing aspects of strength and speed, by balancing movement and range, we create a choice for the player that impacts style of play without producing a shift in power.
The Basic Movement/Range rule becomes:
A figure must be in base to base contact with a target in order to attempt to hit.
A figure can use one of their ATTACKS to move 4 inches on the tabletop.
When creating your character decide if the character will have a MOVEMENT advantage or a RANGE advantage.
CHARACTERS WITH A MOVEMENT ADVANTAGE
A "MOVEMENT THEMED" combatant can sacrifice one of their attacks to perform a CHARGE with their next available attack action. A charging character can move up to 12 inches in a straight line towards a target and then immediately attempt to hit that target as part of their CHARGE action.
CHARACTERS WITH A RANGE ADVANTAGE
A "RANGE THEMED" combatant can sacrifice one of their attacks to SHOOT with their next available attack action. To SHOOT, roll to hit any target still on the table that is in your character's line of site (regardless of distance.)
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I would love to hear feed back from others on what I present here and ideas on the continuing struggle surrounding "balancing combat."
Ragards,
Jeff Moore
Character Creation Example
Character Creation Example
Bob wants to make a Wizard type character using the guidelines above. He knows that his Wizard will be able to throw magical energy attacks at a range, won't wear armor, and that the magical energy should inflict a lot of damage.
High Damage (magic) and Low Resist (no armor) means that Bob has 1 Attack and 1 Defense each turn.
Bob also decides that his character is frail but that his magic almost never fails, so he chooses high Skill with low Power.
Finally, Bob's Wizard is a Range Advantaged Character and so possesses the "Shoot" combat advantage.
WIZARD BOB
Attacks 1
Defenses 1
Damage 2d6
Resistance -2
Accuracy 5
Evasion 7
Power 10
Combat Advantage: Shoot
Jeff Moore
http://www.1km1kt.net/Jeff-Moore.htm