The Control of Fighting Tempo

# Preview

* Combat is divided into *Rounds*, which is further divided into *Turns* when each side can act while the other side reacts
* The first person or group to escalate a situation into a conflict sets which side is the *Aggressing Sid*e, which gets the first *Turn* each *Round* of combat
* The side being attacked is the *Retaliating Side*, and they get the second *Turn* each *Round* of combat
* The *Retaliating Side* and anyone on the *Aggressing Side* who was not ready for the start of combat must make an *Initiative Test*
* Before a fight breaks out, characters can take *Anticipations* to be ready for when combat starts, allowing them to skip the *Initiative Test*
* The Difficulty penalty and the options for the Attribute/Skills used on the *Initiative Test* depends upon the *Alertness* of the individual prior to the fight
* A single leader may take *Command* and improve the *Initiative Test* results of his allies
* The outcome of the *Initiative Test* determines how many Focus and Reactions the character gets on the first *Turn*
* After the first *Turn*, combat proceeds as normal and both sides get their full number of Focus

# Before Combat

The conditions of potential combatants before the outbreak of hostilities plays a large role in determining their capabilities at the start of a fight.

## Alertness

The degree of situational awareness a character has before the start of combat directly determines the Attribute and Skill, and the difficulty of the **Initiative Test** (by determining the Penalty applied to it). For player characters, Alertness is determined based on the descriptions of the characters' behavior by the players. Barring any mention of behavior which would indicate a character being **Vigilant** or **Prepared**, all characters are assumed to be **Unsuspecting** when combat begins.

### Unsuspecting

A character is Unsuspecting when he is not aware that he's in danger at all. The character might know about the presence of the people who will be his opponents in the coming fight, but he has no idea that they are going to attack. Or the character might be completely clueless that there is someone around to attack in the first place, perhaps being focused on a distraction or sleeping.

### Vigilant

A character is Vigilant believes that he might be in danger and is keeping an eye out for it, but has no idea when or from where that attack might come. A soldier on patrol might not be able to see the enemy who is about to attack, but he is usually Vigilant so long as he has not given in to the dulling effects of boredom or exhaustion.

### Prepared

A character is Prepared when he is able to see the enemy who is about to attack and is ready for the coming fight. A tense standoff between two groups which is about to escalate into a conflict is a good example of when characters would be Prepared.

The character does not need to be aware of *all* of the hostile actors in order to be Prepared, only *some* of them. But he does need to know for sure that the individuals he is looking at are potentially hostile in order to be Prepared; being aware of a huge crowd which has several hostiles hiding within it is not sufficient to be Prepared. That would be **Vigilant**.

## Pre-Combat Actions

Before a fight has actually broken out, any characters can take any Actions at any time as is always the case outside of combat. These are handled immediately when they are declared, in the order that they are announced. Keep in mind that any Action which an enemy is aware of can incite an Ambush Reaction from an enemy on Watch, which would **start the combat**.

### Anticipations

Any characters who are **Vigilant** or **Prepared** can take steps to brace for the conflict to come. The act of readying for impending combat is called an Anticipation and come in two types: Guard (which is defensive) and Watch (which is offensive). A character who is Vigilant can only go on Guard, while one who is Prepared can go on Guard or Watch.

If a character has taken an Anticipation immediately before the start of combat, he does not take the **Initiative Test** and is instead treated as having achieved a Success on it, receiving all 3 Focus on his first Turn. Additionally, he receives one free Reaction of the appropriate type (a Defense Reaction from a Guard Anticipation, or an Ambush Reaction from a Watch Anticipation) to be used before the end of his first Turn in the combat.

#### Limitations

In both cases, in order to take an Anticipation, the character **must** have a reason to believe that hostilities are imminent. A sentry patrolling all night will not be on Guard the entire night, but if he hears a crack of a twig near him (perhaps due to a poor Stealth Test), he will likely go on Guard immediately.

Anticipations only last up to 1 Turn (approximately 15 seconds) before concentration begins to slip and the character loses the benefits of the Anticipation. Attempting to maintain a Guard or Watch for longer periods of time may require a Willpower (Resolve) Test for the character, with a Dilemma demanding a point of Fire to maintain.

# Starting Combat

Combat begins when exactly one condition is met: someone announces that they are Attacking someone else.

This Attack can be a proactive Attack Action, or it can be the an Ambush Reaction to something that the other side has done.

This attack **must** be immediately possible when the act of Attacking is declared:

* If it is a normal Attack, the character must be capable of making the Attack, with his weapon drawn and readied and his opponent within reach of his method of Attack.
* If it is an Ambush Reaction, the character must have been on Watch prior to declaring the Ambush, or else he is Ambushing a character who is taking a Maneuver Action and is not Concealed.

## Aggressing Side

Whichever side has someone who declares an Attack first is the Aggressing Side, and they get to act first. Every member of the Aggressing Side who is ready for the start of hostilities automatically gets to act with all 3 Actions in the first Round.

If – however – there are combatants on the Aggressing Side who are not prepared for the fight to start, the Gamemaster may call for them to make an **Initiative Test**. This can be due to several circumstances, but some of the most common ones are due to the character being:

* separated from the position where combat starts.
* not currently paying attention to the dynamic of the situation (usually due to focusing on another task or activity).
* hindered from noticing that hostilities have begun, such as being deafened, blinded, or in an altered state of mind.

Additionally, a shocking surprise attack on behalf of a single ally without any warning ahead of time can result in everyone on the Aggressing Side needing to make an Initiative Test along with the Retaliating Side.

Regardless of the cause, the Initiative Test is made normally (including taking into account the character's level of **Alertness** prior to the fight), but it is limited to Success (fighters on the Aggressing Side cannot achieve a Victory on the Initiative Test).

## Retaliating Side

The side which is attacked goes second and everyone on it who has not taken an **Anticipation** immediately before the start of combat is required to make an **Initiative Test**. This Initiative Test depends upon the character's level of **Alertness** prior to the start of the combat.

## Command

One person in a position of authority at the time can attempt to bark orders to those under his command to rally them to combat. There are four conditions which must be true for someone to take Command:

1. The person taking Command must have achieved a Success or Victory on his own Initiative Test, or else have been Prepared and on the Aggressing Side.
2. The person taking Command must be recognized by allies as a valid authority or someone worth listening to.
3. Only one person can take Command for any one ally, though multiple people can take Command in different locations of the battle. If more than one person attempts to Command a single ally, the overlapping shouts become nonsense and no benefits can be gained.
4. Command is limited by communication ability and distance (silencing effects, impenetrable noise, or insurmountable distance without voice transmission capability make communication impossible).

If these conditions are met, a person taking Command may take a Support Action for 1 Focus, making a Leadership Test to improve the **Initiative Tests** of any allies able to benefit from the Command. If a character under his Command does not need to take an Initiative Test (as a result of either having taken an Anticipation immediately prior to combat, or being on the Aggressing Side and not being distracted), then he receives the normal benefits of a Support Test.

Keep in mind that the negative ramifications of a poor Command also apply. A Disaster can impair the Initiative Tests of everyone under the character's Command. Confusing or unhelpful orders can be a detriment to combat readiness.

## Initiative Test

Any members of the Aggressing Side who were not poised to join the fight immediately, and all members on the Retaliating Side must make a Standard Test to determine how ready they are to respond to the start of hostilities.

The actual Attribute/Skills available to be selected for the Initiative Test (as well as the Penalty applied to the Test) depends upon the character's **Alertness** immediately prior to the start of the fight:

### Initiative Test Results

The results of the selected Skill's Initiative Test determine how many Focus each character has on his first Turn of combat.

* **Victory**: All 3 Focus on the first Round, and on the enemy's first Turn:
	+ ✠ (1 VP) **Jumpy**: Gain access to 1 free Defense Reaction on the first Turn, with the regular limitations for the chosen type of Reaction
	+ ✠✠ (2 VPs) **Prescient**: Gain 1 free Reaction of either type, decided when needed
* **Success**: All 3 Focus on the first Round
* **Dilemma**: Choose one:
	+ **Fixated**: All 3 Focus on the first Round but cannot take any Reactions on the enemy's first Turn
	+ **Cautious**: Only 2 Focus on the first Round with 1 free Reaction on the enemy's first Turn
* **Failure**: Only 2 Focus on the first Round
* **Disaster**: Only 1 Focus on the first Round

# Combat Structure

Once the Initiative Tests are concluded, combat proceeds in segments of time covering approximately 15 seconds each, called **Rounds**. Each Round is broken down into phases called **Turns**, during which each side is able to take Actions and draw out Reactions from the other side. Rounds do not have precise time lengths because they are happening simultaneously, with Reactions to the enemy's Turn taking place in between or amongst Actions taken on the side's own Turn.

## Round Phases

#### 1. Aggressing Side's Turn

The Aggressing Side takes its Actions, and the Retaliating Side may use its Reactions in response.

#### 2. Retaliating Side's Turn

The Retaliating Side takes its Actions, and the Aggressing Side may use its Reactions in response.

## Further Rounds

After the first Round, a new Round begins so long as there are still willing fighters on both sides. For all future Rounds, all fighters have the normal number of Focus and must secure Reactions the normal way, with no further Initiative Tests being made unless new fighters arrive to join the ongoing battle.

# Joining An Ongoing Battle

If a conflict is already underway when new fighters join the combat, they make an **Initiative Test** like normal for their first Turn. If their side has already had its Round, the newcomer may use all of his Focus on Reactions during the enemy's Round.