More movement questions

[Ville]

How have you guys handled combat movement? I have read the previous threads. What I was wondering is the following:
It is one crucial tactic in self defense (armed and unarmed) to force your opponent to move into bad positions. This is also very crucial part in all the swashbuckling movies: People forced to retreat to a ledge etc.

One has to move 1/2 movement in exchange either back to the sides or to the rear. But does the winner decide where to move?

And another quick question: I can't find it anywhere but I am sure there were modifiers for pools listed somewhere. For example describing something vividly earned a extra die. Where on earth was that or did I read it here on the forum...

[Richard_Strey]

As for movement, in a fight, this does not neccessarily have to do anything with who strikes and who "parries". The attacker can try to force the defender in a particular direction. But if he's good enough, the defender might well "evade" sidewards, even stepping towards the attack as he ridirects it with his own weapon. It all comes out to a contest of skill. *g*
I'd prolly do that with a contested terrain roll. Say, TN 4 or so. One guy declares he's going to force the other a certain way and the "victim" can then decide to counter that. If he doesn't, he gets pushed around, but may use the opportunity to score a hit.

Edit:
Now I have a small request myself... We were playing around a bit last night, fudging with the combat system and stuff. But I couldn't for the life of me -or my character, for that matter- find the different shield stats (DTNs etc.) in the book. Could someone help me out with page numbers? Thanks!

[Durgil]

Table 4.5: Armor and Shields page 85.  The Target Numbers are in parenthesis after the Type/description entry for each.

[Salamander]

How have you guys handled combat movement? I have read the previous threads. What I was wondering is the following:
It is one crucial tactic in self defense (armed and unarmed) to force your opponent to move into bad positions. This is also very crucial part in all the swashbuckling movies: People forced to retreat to a ledge etc.

One has to move 1/2 movement in exchange either back to the sides or to the rear. But does the winner decide where to move?

I have found in my experience as a Scholar of the Longsword that it is very easy to move in ditections that the aggressor cannot control. In the renaissance style of Fence, or Fechten (Fighting) the combatants have the option of moving in any direction described on a compass. Obviously it would be very difficult for a person to control the direction you were to go in a fight. I am one of the most junior members of the class I am in and have had no trouble finding my way around my betters in sparring. They may routinely beat the snot out of me, but they have never been able to maneouver me into a corner...

As you make note of in the above passage the MOVIES. While I find no fault in a person playing a more cinematic game, it generally wouldn't happen in one of my games.

[Mike Holmes]

Remember that thread about the fencing maneuver, what was it called, press? I think that a terrain roll that resulted in CP loss to the opponent could be cool as a sort of cinematic maneuver.

Mike