Fightin' Talk!

 I've had some time off which has allowed me to:

• Take a relaxing holiday
• Grow older
• Make some progress with Legends of Alba

One of the things I've been meaning to try out on my own before taking the rules for a test-spin with players is combat. In the rules as they stand just now (which you can find here) combat is very simple. Like any other Test in the game it's a modified D20 Roll vs a Target number (Challenge). If you pass you deal a Wound, if you fail you suffer a Wound. So enemies don't roll, the Character's Test covers both sides of the conflict. The aim is to make combat fast and decisive so we have plenty of time in our sessions for other things to happen.

Combat Playtest

I thought I'd write up my notes from a very short Combat playtest. In this scenario we have 2 Characters, Thorfinn Seawolf and Sigrid Darkwater. They are travelling by land in the Storm Isles when they get attacked by 4 Muck Bogles! 

Muck Bogles are not too threatening a foe, so their Challenge is 10 (C10). I imagine they'd split their attacks between hurling dirt clods at Range, and good old fashioned fist-punching in Melee. Thorfinn and Sigrid ready themselves and leap into action!

Thorfinn & Sigrid vs The Muck Bogles

• Round 1: Sigrid tightens her grip on her runic staff and strikes down one of the Bogles! Thorfinn doesn't fair so well, his barbed spear getting lodged in the Bogles mucky body, allowing it to strike back at him and deal a Minor Wound.
• Round 2: Grumbling Thundine curses, Thorfinn frees his spear and takes out the Bogle that Wounded him. Sigrid's staff whistles through the air to take down a third.
• Round 3: With a voice like thunder, Sigrid calls on the Might of Teran, God of Storms, to Help Thorfinn take down the final Bogle.

Victory for the Characters! They take a moment to let Thorfinn catch his breath, recovering from his Minor Wound before pressing on.

The following day they come across an alarming scene: The Crystal Wyrm attacking a crofting hamlet! Its huge form hangs in the air, pale and scaleless, embedded with glittering purple crystals. In its paranoia, it has come to believe these crofters have been conspiring against it. This is a desperate situation, The Crystal Wyrm is easily capable of delivering on this threat and worse, its Challenge is 25 (C25). Still, Thorfinn and Sigrid have heard the Covens' Call to answer The Legends - they have to do something. So here they go.

Thorfinn & Sigrid vs The Crystal Wyrm

• Round 1: Thorfinn dives at the Wyrm's claw with his spear, only for it pull back and score a deep gash that opens his forearm - gah! A Major Wound! Sigrid gathers her strength and tries to shove the sharp end of her staff into the Wyrm's pale skin. This goes disastrously wrong, as the Wyrm blocks the attack with its crystalline tail, skewering Sigrid straight through the gut with one of its spines. A Mortal Wound: Sigrid is dying.
• Round 2:  The situation has become dire - Thorfinn & Sigrid need to get out of there. They choose to Flee, leaving the crofters to their grim fate.

With Sigrid carrying a Mortal Wound she needs treatment or she will die. Thorfinn served the Seawolf Clan as a Healer but is in bad shape himself and this Wound is beyond his skill. They are currently two days' travel from Windvale, home of The Thunderhawk Clan. Its the nearest Settlement and so they make their way there in search of an expert healer. Thorfinn keeps Sigrid's Wound clean and dressed on the way, while she offers her homespun shawl to bind his arm. Together they make it to Windvale where they find care and rest.

Thoughts

Even though this was a very staged, hand-wavey test of the combat, it was immensely helpful. It was fast to resolve and still left plenty of room to paint a mental picture of the action based on the results of the dice rolls. I wanted to test both ends of the extreme in terms of Challenge and got pretty much the results I was expecting. The Characters easily bested the Bogles, whereas they were lucky to escape with their lives against The Wyrm. It also highlighted a few things to work on as well:

• I had to add Rules on the fly for how to handle Mortal Wounds. The Character is dying, but what does that mean? Mechanically, I ruled that if you go to sleep with a Mortal Wound, you might not wake up. If anyone in the party is Mortally Wounded, healing should be their top priority.
• It's my intention to add some random tables for Wounds so you can be specific. Thorfinn took a Major Wound to his forearm, which I just described for flavour. It might have been a Hindrance if he'd kept fighting though - whereas if he'd hurt his leg, that might have Hindered movement (arguably worse!)
• I still need to add Rules for Fleeing combat. In my D&D games I've offered it as a party option which can be performed at the start of the Round if everyone agrees. The party get away, no Roll required, but suffer a narrative loss. I think it works just great!

That's it for now, till next time!