Declaring CP? Running 2v1 combat? Movement during combat?

[Loki]

When you run a combat, do you make the participants reveal how many CPs they have in total at the beginning? Knowing that your opponent is throwing 6 dice in the first exchange and that he has 4 remaining is a lot different than not knowing how many he might have in reserve for the 2nd exchange.

Admittedly unless the player has very poor arithmetic skills, this is only a question on the first round of combat, but it could be cool to have two fighters "feel each other out" the first round.

My second question is how you run a 2v1 combat (or any combat that's not an even 1v1 matchup)? Can the "1" have initiative v one opponent, but not the other? Is it essentially like running 2 duels in tandem, but the "1" has to split his CP? And do you run it "round-the-table" style, or do you let the "1" fight/defeat one opponent, then switch to the other?

My last question is if 2 combatants are engaged, do you allow them to move around while fighting, or just circle each other? Do you have to disengage to back up to a wall, fight down a staircase, or swing on a chandelier? Do they move during the exchanges, in between, etc?

That's way more than just 3 questions. :) TROS doesn't seem like a game of hard and fast rules, which I like, so I'm aware there may be a lot of different styles to handling the above. I'd just like to hear what you've found to work, and what doesn't.

Loki

[Valamir]

Admittedly unless the player has very poor arithmetic skills, this is only a question on the first round of combat, but it could be cool to have two fighters "feel each other out" the first round.

Taken a step farther, its rather common around here to not only not announce, but to not use your entire pool the first couple of rounds.  That way when your opponent plans his attack thinking you only have 12 dice and you've used 8, you still actually have 6 and can catch him unawares.

Basically, sandbagging your own abilities to sucker your opponent into being more aggressive than he should be.

My second question is how you run a 2v1 combat (or any combat that's not an even 1v1 matchup)?

The first step is for the outnumbered party to try to use the Terrain Rules to avoid being outnumbered.  In a nutshell you sacrifice a part of your CP to make a Terrain Roll.  If successful you've manuevered such that one opponent is blocked by the other, or by a piller, or some such and for the rest of that round you don't have to fight them.

My advice to all new TROS GMs is to memorize the Terrain Rules in detail and then be prepared to take them far beyond what is written and use them basically to handle just about any "ok, I want to..." declarations by creative players.  (The above is actually a standard use).

If the player fails or chooses not to use Terrain rolls and is actually confronted with two opponents yes it is like running two duels in tandem with the outnumbered guy being on one side of both.  And yes he does only get 1 combat pool to split between each.  Unless he's a vastly superior fighter, or really hyped up on SAs, he'd better play defensive and perform a lot of evades and hope someone comes to give him a hand...and yet a well times surprise aggressive move can often even the odds if skillfully done.

[Lance D. Allen]

As Ralph says, the terrain rules are extremely useful for most any sort of movements or stunts pulled while in combat. If your character wants to back up some stairs to give himself a height advantage, make him make a terrain roll. If he succeeds, then he's successfully taken the stairs, and gained the height advantage. If the other character wants to try to outmaneuver him, to avoid him getting that advantage, they'll make their own terrain roll in contest of the first character's roll. If the former wins, then he gets the advantage. If the latter wins, the former does not get the advantage, and it's possible that the latter will, instead, end up on those stairs, with the height advantage.

Other advantages gained by a terrain roll could be swinging from a rope away from your opponent(s), removing you from the combat, which might be a good thing if you're outnumbered. Likewise, you can simply move on to uneven terrain, where your opponents may slip up and fall if they follow you, though you risk the same.

Have fun with different ways to use the terrain rolls. If you come up with a unique use for the rules, such as throwing half a deer at someone, feel free to share it with us.

[Loki]

If you come up with a unique use for the rules, such as throwing half a deer at someone, feel free to share it with us.

/me begins writing "deer tossing" campaign setting... conflict between full- and half-deer factions... yes, yes, it's all coming together...

[gregkcubed]

If you come up with a unique use for the rules, such as throwing half a deer at someone, feel free to share it with us.

/me begins writing "deer tossing" campaign setting... conflict between full- and half-deer factions... yes, yes, it's all coming together...

i want to play an h1 hummer going 120 mph. :-)

[Valamir]

/me begins writing "deer tossing" campaign setting... conflict between full- and half-deer factions... yes, yes, it's all coming together...

Heh...that's either the strangest coincidence of all time, or Lance is actually remembering an old actual play post of mine (from well over a year ago).

My character was beset by two guards, so I made a Terrain Roll to avoid one.  Since I was carrying a partially dressed, newly poached deer at the time, it conveniently provided me with the narrative justification for making the roll :-)

[Brian Leybourne]

My character was beset by two guards, so I made a Terrain Roll to avoid one.  Since I was carrying a partially dressed, newly poached deer at the time, it conveniently provided me with the narrative justification for making the roll :-)

Actually, I remember you talking about that one quite a few times, Ralph. I guess it must be very deer to your heart...

Brian :-)

[Lance D. Allen]

It was indeed a reference to your post, Valamir. It stuck with me because it was easily the most novel terrain roll I've ever heard of. I'm dying for the day that one of my players pulls something similar.

[Valamir]

Actually, I remember you talking about that one quite a few times, Ralph. I guess it must be very deer to your heart...

Groan.

Yeah, I probably have.
It was my very first game of TROS...with Jake as GM no less.

That simple action which no rule book no matter how crunchy has ever had rules for "deer throwing" but which was handled completely simply and well by a Terrain Roll sold me on the game.

[Mulciber]

Actually, I remember you talking about that one quite a few times, Ralph. I guess it must be very deer to your heart...

Would that be hart, rather?  ;o

I'd like to avoid the appearance of horning in on the discussion here by asking a topic-related query, but most of my Riddle questions I find have already been answered here or on the site.  Curse your good game support, Brian and Jake!  Curse you!

[Brian Leybourne]

I'd like to avoid the appearance of horning in on the discussion here by asking a topic-related query, but most of my Riddle questions I find have already been answered here or on the site.  Curse your good game support, Brian and Jake!  Curse you!

Yeah, we're real bastards that way :-)

Brian.

(edit: You did say "most" though... if you have other unanswered questions, make a new thread and ask away...).