10 by 10 room

OnRPGNet, Bailywolf sets of a brainstorm about how to justify melee combat in a high tech setting. There’s some excellent suggestions, of varying scientific validity. (The idea of relying only on social mores doesn’t need science at all! Except for social science.)

I especially like Shreyas’s contribution:

There is a telepathic kung fu that is popular among BADASS MOFOS. They’re highly perceptive, to the point that they can dodge projectiles by knowing where the gun is before the trigger’s pulled. But the greatest strength of their kung fu is in projection, and it’s very difficult to do this. In a combat situation, telepathic attack through the air is nigh-impossible.

But metal carries it, like electrical current. So they carry swords. Long, fast ones, the longest that will fit in the hallways. The purpose of the cut is not to injure, but only to make contact, to carry a mental attack from body to body. When they kill, the body is barely scratched, but blood wells from its mouth and eyes and its face is frozen in a look of terror.

I like this because it’s basically an excuse to plug fighting-game style combat and techniques into the game. (My love for the SoulBlade/SoulCalibur series is great.)

From the White Wolf LJ: The Violence Is In Your Voice It points to a rather crunchy discussion of depicting gritty & colorful combat, which is probably of use if you’re a major WW player currently. I found the post itself interesting:

Somewhere, here and there, I think each of the World of Darkness developers has written an example of how to use the Storytelling combat system to fuel and inspire your narration of action rather than dictate it. The Storytelling combat system gives you some particulars, but it doesn’t usurp the Storyteller’s voice for what a particular fight should look, sound or feel like. Don’t let combat rolls and successes tell you what to do. It’s your story. The system works for you. You decide what the numbers mean. You decide what four successes of firearms damage looks like in this fight, tonight.

On one hand, there could be a valid criticism that this puts of onus of depicting a gritty combat onto the Storyteller’s narration, rather than in the results of the system. (And I’d be concerned that some of this is chalking it up to the GM’s discretion to gloss over the less helpful results of the system in order to get the gritty combat results in the story.)

That said, this is a clear statement of what you should be expecting and contributing when interacting with the WW system, and in that respect it’s really helpful. WoD combat relies on a steady hand from the Storyteller/moderator, and playing without such a role will result in more irregular results in your stories.

Also, consider: “You decide what four successes of firearms damage looks like in this fight, tonight.” This actually is true in lots of games; for example, is it really worth considering what a Strength 7 really means in Sorceror (or how much you can lift with a 7d6 in Dogs in the Vineyard)? It’s good not to get caught up in looking for real-world analogues that aren’t there, when what’s really needed is a group consensus about how story power is reflected in the fiction.

With no monthly fee, the game designers have no reason to waste your time[...] But the other thing I love about Guild Wars is that combat feels like a game instead of a task.—“Guild Wars: Give me MMOR!”