Running TROS

[Turin]

With the way the TROS combat system works, how do you handle running combat as a senshcenal? (I'm sure I butchered the spelling)?

I would think the best person to have run it would be slightly below the dueling ability of the group, but I would think that they may often be the best with the combat system in the group.

If so, would you tone down your fighting abilities?

And how would you play the opposing NPC's - As their death is know real loss to you, you could fight overly aggressive, almost suicidal.  But this would not seem right, as the opponents have their game lives they are concerned with losing, and the game would be fatal to PC's

Although having them fight very unagressively all the time does not make a lot of sense, either.  Always beating on the attack, targeting armoured areas, etc.

Although how would you handle how often the NPC's fight agressively?
Do you use some kind of random method?  I could see the players getting mad.  "You did this move to me, kind of a dirty trick, but with Bob you just did 3 beats in a row with 1/3 of your CP".

I could see where a mean SN could kill a lot of PC's, but to generous of one will not make opponents a real threat to the PC's.

How do you guys handle this?

[MonkeyWrench]

When I run fights in my games I try to play the NPCs as if they were my PCs (if that makes any sense).  They have game lives to and it doesn't add to the story to have them all be suicidal maniacs.  As a side note I have run opponents who are suicial and most of the time the PCs rip right through them because they fight smarter.

Some examples of how I've ran opponents:

The PCs were on the frontier ala Beyond the Black River and were trying to hunt down a group of Sslssk who were attempting to summon a demon to drive off the colonists.  Their first night at the port/fort/colony it was attacked by hordes of local tribes who were loyal to the snake men.  At best they were armed with clubs/shortspears and shields, or shortbows. It was a massive combat with well over 200 per side, plus on of the PCs was a sorcerer who tacked on some major mileage that night.  I tried to play up the savage angle of the opponents. Even though some of them had pretty high CPs I stuck to simple manuevers and straight forward tactics.

When I use Gols I don't hold anything back.  My players know that they're facing the creme of the crop and expect ambushes, dirty tricks, advanced manuevers, etc....

Usually I just sit down with my NPC stats before the game and jot down little notes about how I think they should fight. Concrete things like CP and kit also help to determine how I will play them. If they're mooks they will most likely try to run away the first time a solid blow is landed on them. If they're trained warriors and I feel it's appropriate then it's not ending until someone is dead.

Hope this helps

[ZenDog]

I tend to vary it. I have a few mook types (peasant spearmen) who are untrained and have no finnesse poor weapon skills and shoddy weapons and I play them as such. Then I haver tougher Mooks who have had some military training or experiance (warriors) and I play them better and the major NPC's I play as if they were characters.

[Malechi]

I play the NPCs as they would be in the game world(kind of Sim) and however the story dictates (kind of Narr)... So if a thug is stupid.. he's a stupid fighter.. if he's a smart thug he's fighting smart....

[Overdrive]

When I run fights in my games I try to play the NPCs as if they were my PCs (if that makes any sense).  They have game lives to and it doesn't add to the story to have them all be suicidal maniacs.

Oh yeah. Reminds me of bears. I seem to recall that normally bears are not very aggressive (depends..), but a mother-bear worrying about her bear-puppies (or whatever they are called :-) can be really dangerous.

Likewise; a normal NPC opponent usually shouldn't fight to death. If it seems that the odds are too bad (and this can be found out during the first couple of rounds), they should run away, or surrender. But take that occasional NPC who knows he will be hanged, burned and beheaded if caught alive, and have him fight to the bitter end! I'm sure the PC's will be extra careful knowing this.

As a side note, I've mostly had NPC's who are clearly inferior to the PC's. My usual grunts have 8-9 CP dice, and the more powerful ones like 12 at most. With a couple of SA dice they are easy to beat, even in 2-to-1 situations.