Oh! Yes, that just reminded me of the other approach we used, just
before my last gaming group went on the hiatus of doom.


I've just dug out the house rules file with that procedure here, and
will paste it here:


<bold><fontfamily><param>Palatino</param>Aimed Blows in Melee</fontfamily></bold><fontfamily><param>Palatino</param>


If a character has an attack% of 50% or more, allow the character to
roll the hit location that would be affected by that attack during the
Statement of Intent phase, so that the character may decide whether to
attempt to exploit that opportunity, or to try a different attack in
the hopes of hitting a different location. A character may roll one
opening for every available attack over 50%. If an attack skill is
over 100%, the player character may roll two openings.


<italic>	Rationale: Aimed blows in melee are not so much a matter of
shooting at a target as they are a matter of waiting for and
exploiting a suitable opening, and passing up openings on other
locations. This approach models that, and also creates incentive to
vary one’s attack choices.</italic></fontfamily>



PC: Okay, so I'm facing the angry mercenary, right? Let's see, I have
a sword attack of 78%. I rolled a 16, so his left arm. Which has a
shield strapped to it, right?


GM: Yep.


PC: Hmmm. So it's gotta have somewhere upward of a dozen armour points
if I hit it. Bah. I have a Fist attack of 62%, can I check that?


GM: Sure. Technically it's probably a sword attack, if you're bashing
with the pommel of your sword, but I'll allow it using fist skill and
fist damage.


PC: Great! Okay, I rolled... 12. I can punch him in the chest. Nah,
don't think I like that, not with his armour and only fist damage. 


GM: Not necessarily such a bad thing. He's wearing bezainted, which is
normally 4 points, and with your damage bonus you could do up to 7 on
a normal hit. Plus on a special you'd get knockback.


PC: Yeah, that's true. Well, I've got to shield parry that sword slash
at my exposed abdomen, for sure, but for my attack, do I want to punch
his chest or take my chances kicking for a random location? I don't
have any other available attacks at over 50%. Hmm. All right, I'm
tempted to try a kick and  hope for a good location. Yeah. Shield
parry the sword slash, and kick randomly, that's what I'll do. And
maybe improve that kick skill, too, even.




On 18-Nov-10, at 8:05 AM, Phil Hibbs wrote:


<excerpt>Pete Nash:

<excerpt>As for allowing regular selection of 'Choose Location', well
that is exactly

what happens in a real armed combat between two competent fighters.

... but if your opponent can't get their block or ward up

in time then you will hit them in the face because it is precisely
what you

were aiming for.

</excerpt>

From my limited experience of LARP fighting, you take the shots that

you can get. I might want to hit the guy somewhere specific (head

shots were forbidden for safety reasons), but he's got a shield or

weapon in the way most of the time, so I mostly ended up hitting

people in the ankles. So a "failed" parry might well mean that I get

to hit him, but not where I wanted to.


I think I might try running my next MRQ fight with a rule mod: Choose

Location can only be picked on an unopposed melee attack. The tank in

my group has a bonus CA from Enhance INT and Enhance DEX so in most

1-on-1 fights he gets one or two free hits anyway.


Phil.

-- 

Don't you just hate self-referential sigs?


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</excerpt>