From: laird@think.com (Laird Popkin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS: defenses
Date: 11 Dec 1992 20:42:48 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: django.think.com

In article <10DEC92.00440466.0060@VM1.MCGILL.CA> CX6L <CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA> writes:
>In article <1992Dec10.020618.4553@news.columbia.edu> jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim) writes:
>
>>CX6L@MUSICA.MCGILL.CA (CX6L000) writes:
>
>>>I believe the Retreat bonus covers this. You can Retreat on *any*
>>>one defense (block, parry, dodge, acrobatics dodge) in a turn,
>>>adding +3 to that defense.
>
>> Being the GURPS guru that you are - a question: in a one on one
>>combat is it a) possible, and b) standard for each combatant to always
>>retreat on his defense, then just step up to attack - so the combat see-saws
>>back and forth over three hexes?
>
>Well, you can always Step 1 hex on a Step-and-Attack, and you may
>always Retreat the distance of 1 hex during your regular series
>of defenses. That's just the rules, and both combatants are subject
>to them. In my experience (moderately extensive) with one-on-ones
>in GURPS combat, the sequence of events is:

It struck my gaming group as odd that using the above interpretation you
get an extra hex of movement by being attacked, and that you could get
attacked, retreat and defend, and then immediately step and attack,
whereupon the opponent could retreat and defend, then step and attack, with
the two fighters bouncing back and forth with no overall movement.  You
might as well just give everyone a +3 on their first defense and forget
about the retreat!

As a house rule, I have the retreat count as a step, either from the
current turn or borrowed from the next turn.  The goals were to (1)
eliminate the free movement that a retreat otherwise gives, and (2) to
force someone who is retreating to actually retreat.

The resulting combat sequence between combatants A and B, with A pressing
the attack, looks like:

A and B are one hex apart.

A's turn:
   A steps and attacks.
   B retreats and defends.

A and B are one hex apart, moved one hex in the direction A is facing.

B's turn:
   B attacks.  He cannot step since he just retreated.
   A defends.  He may or may not retreat.

If A retreats, he can do so by borrowing the 'step' from his next turn,
leaving himself unable to step to pursue B.  This would allow B to escape,
or B could choose to step and attack to press the attack.

so if A simply defends:

A's turn:
   A steps and attacks.
   B retreats and defends.

(repeat until B runs out of room to retreat, then neither A nor B can
retreat unless A wants to give B a chance to escape)

Note that retreating is only useful if you are trying to avoid the combat,
or are certain that your opponent will press the attack.  Retreating gives
your opponent control over the flow of the combat, by giving him the choice
of stepping to continue the attack, or running away while out of range of
your weapon.  This, to me, feels dramatically correct.


-- 
- Laird Popkin, Thinking Machines

Connection Machine: Massively parallel supercomputer.  Also a cool black
cube with more blinking lights than you can shake a stick at.