TROS - First "Read Through" Question

[Melkor]

I've had TROS for a while, but I just sat down to read through it this afternoon, after reading about Paka's Midnight campaign over at EN World.

I'd like to start with asking the first of many questions I will probably have about the system while I am trying to absorb/learn it:

P. 86 Section IV Movement and Combat
It states that "Even if not charging, one must move half as far (1/2 Move) during each Exchange (melee combat only). This movement may be forward, backward, or to the sides.

Does this mean that characters are naturally "bobbing" and "weaving" and vying for position during combat so that they have to move at least a little bit, or am I misinterperating a rule that has something to do with Charging ?

My group prefers not to use any form of physical representation (i.e. - the accursed miniature figure) when we play, so this rule would only affect descriptive flavoring I suppose.

Thanks in advance.

[Lance D. Allen]

It can be essentially descriptive flavoring, but it also means that terrain is always an issue.

If your character were standing still in the middle of a broken field, he'd not have to worry about terrain at all. However, in a real fight you're always moving, so terrain becomes an issue in such cases as a broken field. Likewise, if you're fighting on a narrow bridge, or near a ledge, you have to be conscious of your movements.. For the most part this is also descriptive flavor, but if your character or your opponent decides to take advantage of it ("I'm going to maneuver him toward that cliff!") then it suddenly matters. Suddenly you're having to make terrain rolls to avoid moving where you don't want to be (such as falling into the abyss..).

[Melkor]

Thanks Wolfen...

Next Question:

Would you mind explaining the concept of Spiritual Attribute Points ?

From my initial read-through, it seems like Spiritual Attribute points are used to add dice to the use of certain actions related to the Spiritual Attribute....The confusion for me comes with what is said about gaining spiritual attribute points on P.66 - 67....It seems like you can gain points rather quickly, which, if not spent will add an outrageous number of dice to an action using that SA.

Is there a built in mechanic that forces players to spend their SA points once they reach a certain level, or could one of my players run around adding 20 dice to an action related to his Destiny if it was at 20 ?

Thanks again.

[Ashren Va'Hale]

most people follow the rule in the book that the max any sa can reach is 5. I personally houserule that the max one can translate into extra dice is 5 although the "bank" can go up unlimited. Best thing to do is follow the book rule and max the sa's at 5 for your first few games, then do what you think is best.

Some people like having their PC's throw tons of sa's around others like to keep them few and far between. You as the seneschal can set the pace by dictating the number of sa's you hand out each game. Maybe you only give out one or two per session or maybe 5 or 6. Heck, if you want a fast track with lots of sa's theres nothing to stop you from giving out 12 or 15 if they are earned. Basically what I am saying is that you can limit the sas from getting out of hand by how many you give the players. If they are hoarding too much you can explain that you would give them more in that area if they spend it down but until then ... yadda yadda, you get the idea.

[Draigh]

The concept of Spiritual Attributes: (as I understand it) SAs are basically the driving force behind your character... his motivations, etc.  They help players to define exactly how their character feels about the world around him and his place in it.

Is there a built in mechanic that forces players to spend their SA points once they reach a certain level, or could one of my players run around adding 20 dice to an action related to his Destiny if it was at 20 ?

Individual SAs cap at five points each, but if your character was in a situation where all of his SAs applied, and they were all maxed out, he could basically give himself +25 dice to whatever he is doing.  That can be percieved as an outrageous amount of dice, but it's gonna be pretty rare.

[November Kilo]

P. 86 Section IV Movement and Combat
It states that "Even if not charging, one must move half as far (1/2 Move) during each Exchange (melee combat only). This movement may be forward, backward, or to the sides.

I had a similar question.  I get and like the idea that combatants must really move (I like the accursed minis :).  However, if I as a defender am very willing to give ground, shouldn't I have bonus dice?  Or is that what voiding the attack is for?  And conversely, if I'm Horatio at the Bridge, and absolutly cannot give an inch, how many dice should I lose?  

And half your movement?  That sounds like alot, but the author's the closest I know of as an expert.

PS, Mr Norwood, thanks for one helluva game

[Judd]

Thanks Wolfen...

Next Question:

Would you mind explaining the concept of Spiritual Attribute Points ?

Welcome to the party, Melkor.

SA's are the players way of letting the GM know what is important to him about this character.  My players tell me what they want through their SA's, what they want their advenures to be and where they want their characters to go.

SA's are my blueprint for every adventure, paired up with the PC's actions in game.  When I need an ide for an encounter I look at the player's SA's and see where I can hook 'em.

There are some GREAt threads about SA's above, in the newcomer's thread at the top of the Forum.  Browse at your leisure and check it out.

Welcome to the Riddle.

[Brian Leybourne]

Melkor, I just wanted to echo Paka's comments.

I can't emphasise strongly enough how important SA's are to TROS.. read through some of the threads, get a feel for them, then get back to us with any questions you may have.

Regards,
Brian.

[Valamir]

Yeah.  The SAs really are the key to the whole game.  They are not merely a variation on alignment or XPs.  Quite special really.  In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the awesome combat system in the game is just the bait to get you in the door and keep you there long enough for your jaw to hit the floor when you realize what SAs do for your game.

[Mike Holmes]

I had a similar question.  I get and like the idea that combatants must really move (I like the accursed minis :).  However, if I as a defender am very willing to give ground, shouldn't I have bonus dice?  Or is that what voiding the attack is for?

Evasion. A Full Evade is, essentially breaking contact and running away to reset things.

And conversely, if I'm Horatio at the Bridge, and absolutly cannot give an inch, how many dice should I lose?

See the terrain rules. The GM should use those to make this situation a difficulty, IMO. If the character wants simply to make the opponent look bad, he can fight without moving to some extent, and take similar penalties. Think of Neo in the Matrix fighting stock still with one hand. Requires lots of CP to pull off successfully.

Mike

[Melkor]

Thanks for the comments.

This is not a stab against Riddle, in fact, I think the game is AMAZING.....so take this for what it is worth.

Reading TRoS has made me feel like an amateur - and I have 18+ years of RPG experience including a decade of playing Rolemaster.

For some reason, the various system concepts (SAs, Maneuvers, Exchanges) are so different from "standard fare" RPGs that they are difficult for me to grasp.....Something about having
to "unlearn" what I have "learned" from other RPGs.

It's worth it though.

And on that note, I have another couple of questions:

I am attempting to create my first character - and I can't seem to figure out a bit about the skills.

Language Skills
Does the text state that you get your native language skill free ? If so, where can I find it (must have missed it, and the Index points to the language section which doesn't mention Native Language).

Here's how I figured it worked: In reading through the section on a character from Taveruun, it states that they receive free Read/Write if they are Freeman on up. It also states that they receive the Imperial Tongue as a free skill.

So my character placed a Priority A in skills so he has a "6/6". I assume he gets his native language (Taveruun ?) free with the free Read/Write skill at 6 (since his other skills are at 6, modified based on packet for difficulty and the fact that he is a Freeman based on his Priority C Social Class). He would also get the Imperial Tongue at 6 as well. Am I correct on this ?

Skill Packets
On P.30 of the rulebook it states:
"Other packets not found here may be designed by the Seneschal or by players with the Seneschal's approval). General guidelines are thus: Skill Packets have a minimum of 5 skills, maximum of 15. Difficult skills are at +1, easy at -1, and average at no change from the beginning SR.

Therein lies my question. Does the skill list specifically state anywhere which skills are considered Easy/Average/Difficult ? Maybe it's the allergy medicine, but I couldn't find it.

And that leads to my final question (for now): Would "bonus skills" gained from my characters Mental Affinity score start out at the same SR as the packets I picked with my priorities (6/6 for the character I listed above with Priority A in Skills) ? What if they had a priority B with a split 6/7 - would the bonus skills from MA be at an SR of 6 or 7 ?

Thanks!

[Mike Holmes]

Something about having
to "unlearn" what I have "learned" from other RPGs.

That's one of our themes at The Forge. Lots of what you learned was good. Other parts, not so good. Designers here alter those parts. So there's always going to be some catch up. :-)

I assume he gets his native language (Taveruun ?) free with the free Read/Write skill at 6

I'm not sure, but I think the answer is on P.31, or thereabouts.

Therein lies my question. Does the skill list specifically state anywhere which skills are considered Easy/Average/Difficult ? Maybe it's the allergy medicine, but I couldn't find it.

They have the +1 or -1 with the skill in the package. So, for different professions, different things are Easy/Average/Difficult. When making a package up, you choose which are which for that profession.

No idea on the last question,
Mike

[Brian Leybourne]

P19, Section 4: Skills covers the last question (new skills are picked up at your worst skill packet rating, so for 6/7, use 7).

Brian.

[Jake Norwood]

Concerning the you have to move half of your move score thing...

That's really there to prevent combats where everyone stands still, as always happens when minis get used (or any kind of on-table representation) in my experience. In a real fight, every "exchange" would feature a a step forward, backward, traversing, or in place.

And welcome to the forum, Melkor! Thanks for being here.

Jake

[Mike Holmes]

Meaning that if the character can't move that he does not have to? Or would you use my terrain roll rule to cover being cornered and the like?

Mike