[Rq-rules] Thanks!

[Brad Furst]

> ... Please, let me help you.
> http://www.yourdictionary.com/quibble
> quib·ble (kwib′əl)
> noun
> 1. Obsolete a play on words; pun
> 2. an evasion of the main point as by emphasizing some petty  
> detail; cavil
> 3. a petty objection or criticism
>
> I'm referring to meaning 2 or 3, take your pick.
>
> Your example is pointlessly chaotic.  Very simple: two guys with  
> melee weapons, within melee striking range.  Assuming NOTHING but  
> that they stand there and whack at each other.  We know for a fact  
> that person A (who happens to have a lower SR for *whatever*  
> reason) is going to swing first every single round.  Every round.   
> Is that even faintly realistic? I'd say no.

One reason it is not realistic is simply that the game system (any  
game system?) abstracts reality. Person A does NOT necessarily "swing  
first" in every single round. What happens every round for the  
characters, both characters, is continuous movement and activity.  
There are multiple "swings" or thrusts or hacks or dodges or parries  
or feints, etc.

What happens for the _players_ is that they take alternating turns  
doing arithmetic of some scoring algorithm. It is OK, even realistic,  
for the _players_ to always do their arithmetic in the same sequence  
every round. The scoring each round by the players is simply a  
_summary_ of the activity of the characters.

If the players choose to choreograph their characters in a minimax  
fashion, they can find innumerable ways to accomplish that at any  
time during the adventure, even if you have a "realistic" combat  
abstract.
%-)

And by the way, after person A has a chance to score in the first  
round, person B _always_ goes _before_ person A in each alternating  
sequence thereafter. That is, round 1 person B is always before round  
2 person A, and round 2 person B is always before round 3 person A,  
ad infinitum.

Who goes first only matters once and then only at the beginning. Who  
scores last at the end is what matters most.
:-)

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.thinbits.net/pipermail/rq-rules/attachments/20071023/5e352d57/attachment.html