RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Game Proposals, Input, and Advice

12:02, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Fun and Easy Combat.

Posted by shapeshade
shapeshade
member, 207 posts
Fri 21 Oct 2022
at 01:51
  • msg #1

Fun and Easy Combat

Okay so-- what game system has the most FUN and SIMPLE combat rules?

I'm talking about something that makes combat simple, easy, and fun.

Suggestions/votes: GO!
This message was last edited by the user at 02:01, Fri 21 Oct 2022.
tmagann
member, 813 posts
Fri 21 Oct 2022
at 01:57
  • msg #2

Fun and Easy Combatq

Have you tried Risus? I can't promise it's your idea of fun, but it's certainly simple.
shapeshade
member, 208 posts
Fri 21 Oct 2022
at 02:08
  • msg #3

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

tmagann:
Have you tried Risus? I can't promise it's your idea of fun, but it's certainly simple.


(Goes and starts reading up on Risus)

...Wow, that is simple, and maybe fun.

...Would I want to USE this system, though?

...Mmmmmmmmaybe. I'll have to read more and think about it...

Thank you for mentioning it, though.

Anyone else got an alternative suggestion?
nauthiz
subscriber, 757 posts
Fri 21 Oct 2022
at 02:34
  • msg #4

Fun and Easy Combat

"Simple" and "fun" are honestly quite subjective.

Some people find the fun in bending complex rules to suit their whims, others can't fathom needing to keep track of which dice to roll when if there's a choice of options with more than six sides.

It may be easier to suggest some systems you already find "simple" and "fun" to see if anyone knows of similar systems.  Or perhaps listing systems which you absolutely don't like and why, so people might suggest something that reconciles those issues.

The most simple system I know is "Roll for Shoes", which can be quite fun for particular types of games.
shapeshade
member, 209 posts
Fri 21 Oct 2022
at 20:17
  • msg #5

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

tmagann:
Have you tried Risus? I can't promise it's your idea of fun, but it's certainly simple.



Looking at it more, I think that while I do like Risus's combat system, it would be better for funny/comedy/goofy games. I still want to find a good combat system for more serious tones...



nauthiz:
"Simple" and "fun" are honestly quite subjective.



Somewhat, but so are a lot of words, yet most of us manage to agree on what they mean most of the time anyway. Try giving it a shot anyway, Nauthiz.


nauthiz:
Some people find the fun in bending complex rules to suit their whims



That's not the fun I'm looking for.


nauthiz:
others can't fathom needing to keep track of which dice to roll when if there's a choice of options with more than six sides.



Yeah, I can understand why those people feel that way.


nauthiz:
It may be easier to suggest some systems you already find "simple" and "fun" to see if anyone knows of similar systems.


Risus.

Except it's a little too silly/goofy to fit just any type of game.


nauthiz:
Or perhaps listing systems which you absolutely don't like and why


Combat-wise, almost everything, which is why I'm asking.


nauthiz:
The most simple system I know is "Roll for Shoes", which can be quite fun for particular types of games.


(Goes and reads about Roll For Shoes)

...Interesting. In fact, I like it. But, again, seems like it would be great for more light-hearted games... Let's keep suggesting things...
sirsaurus
member, 1 post
Fri 28 Oct 2022
at 18:41
  • msg #6

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

I find the Cypher system to be a very enjoyable, middle of the road kind of game.

A little less complex than D&D 5e, but still lots of flavor.  I think 5e itself is excellent, though I actually enjoyed running 4e better, but I know that's a curse word in some places.

I'm a big fan of the FFG Star Wars system, but getting people to look at pictures on dice instead of numbers can be like pulling teeth sometimes.

Mutants and Masterminds 3e is frankly amazing for it's genre.  That system can do so much, but I know they're are some who find the power level limits make it feel a bit sterile.

FATE is very light, and if it weren't for how the game handles equipment and powers, it might be my favorite.  Movement is a breeze and translating what you want to do into mechanics is very intuitive with the way the tools are laid out.

All those are medium-light crunch because I personally enjoy a bit of complexity to differentiate characters, but too much shifts the focus of the game away from what I want to highlight.  That being said, when I'm in the mood for more complexity, I do enjoy Shadowrun 5e, and I'd love to play a game using HERO system someday, only because I like rolling lots of dice.

I don't think any system is the most fun or most simple, because the majority of them work the way they're intended.  I wouldn't use D&D to run a Star Wars game, or the other way around (nothing against SW5e, I will have to get around to trying it, but I like the FFG one a lot).
shapeshade
member, 210 posts
Sat 29 Oct 2022
at 01:50
  • msg #7

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

sirsaurus:
I find the Cypher system to be a very enjoyable, middle of the road kind of game.


Mm, I don't really like the "the GM has to decide the difficulty level of this roll every time" part. At least not the way Cypher does it...


sirsaurus:
FATE is very light, and if it weren't for how the game handles equipment and powers, it might be my favorite. Movement is a breeze and translating what you want to do into mechanics is very intuitive with the way the tools are laid out.


Yeah, there's a lot to agree with in what you say...
Andhaira
member, 577 posts
Mon 7 Nov 2022
at 16:27
  • msg #8

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

shapeshade:
Okay so-- what game system has the most FUN and SIMPLE combat rules?

I'm talking about something that makes combat simple, easy, and fun.

Suggestions/votes: GO!


Shadow of the Demon Lord. Simple, yet fun with lots of options.
shapeshade
member, 215 posts
Mon 7 Nov 2022
at 16:59
  • msg #9

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

Andhaira:
Shadow of the Demon Lord. Simple, yet fun with lots of options.


Mm, somehow SotDL combat didn't really speak to me. A little complicated, and yet a little vague.

If others like it, that's fine, but not my cup of tea.
Alyse
member, 796 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
[married since 2011!]
Mon 7 Nov 2022
at 20:06
  • msg #10

Fun and Easy Combat

The Yellow King without a doubt. The difficulty of each group of foes depends on the outcome the players desire: one might be easier to defeat than kill, easier to escape than defeat, and easier still to drive off. Another might be nearly impossible to escape or drive off, but easier to defeat or kill. Other tactics use a default option. Each player decides how many points they want to spend from their Fighting pool, rolls a single six-sided die and adds those points, and the GM compares the result to the target number. If a character's margin of success is 3 or greater, that character may either refresh one general ability other than Athletics, Fighting, or Health; or gain a Push. Dangerous foes exact a Toll... a number of points a character must spend from Athletics, Fighting, or Health to avoid a Minor Wound specific to the foe (these are card-based in TYK). Failing the roll means taking a Minor Wound, and if there is a Toll the character must pay it or receive a Major Wound instead.
shapeshade
member, 216 posts
Tue 8 Nov 2022
at 00:17
  • msg #11

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

Alyse:
The Yellow King without a doubt.


(researches it)

It sounds more complicated than I want, and yet I'm interested. Wish there was a full summary of the combat system lying around somewhere, it sounds... inspiring.

TYK sounds like a modification of the GUMSHOE system-- BUT, IF i understand correctly, the combat part is maybe what they've altered the MOST from regular gumshoe, so that doesn't tell me much.

Don't suppose you can tell me a little more about it...?

Alyse:
depends on the outcome the players desire: one might be easier to defeat than kill, easier to escape than defeat, and easier still to drive off. Another might be nearly impossible to escape or drive off, but easier to defeat or kill.


Particularly interested in this part...
Alyse
member, 797 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
[married since 2011!]
Tue 8 Nov 2022
at 17:19
  • msg #12

Fun and Easy Combat

shapeshade:
TYK sounds like a modification of the GUMSHOE system... the combat part is maybe what they've altered the MOST... Don't suppose you can tell me a little more about it?

The Yellow King is indeed a Gumshoe game, and combat is indeed the most-altered portion. The relative challenge table used to outline difficulties for various foes changes in small ways in each of the four volumes (each a setting unto itself) to better reflect the dangers involved.

Fighting
Though the characters spend most of their time solving mysteries, sometimes the answers they seek lead them into violent conflict. Fight scenes in YKRPG unfold in the following stages:
  1. Define Objectives
    Define the objective of each side. The GM chooses for the opposition. Players confer to choose their collective objective. If they fail to agree, and any player chooses kill, that’s the objective. Common objectives are:
    • Kill: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side of the fight is dead.
    • Render Helpless: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side of the fight is too hurt to continue. Helpless opponents remain on the scene. You may take them prisoner or depart as they roll around on the ground in pain. Killing helpless people, or intelligent creatures, generally requires Composure tests (baseline Difficulty of 6) to avoid Shock—Minor: A Crossed Line; Major: Out of Control.
    • Gain Surrender: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side agrees to be taken into custody, in exchange for a promise of fair treatment. Not all combatants will willingly surrender. When they don’t, the GM treats the situation as if the players have chosen the Render Helpless objective.
    • Beat Up: Thrash your opponents and walk away, leaving them badly hurt but not dead.
    • Block: Stop your opponents from moving past you.
    • Drive Away: Keep fighting until everyone on the other side retreats. If they were attacking you, they flee back to wherever they came from. If they were defending a position, they flee in random directions or back toward the nearest position of safety. Use when you want to defeat your enemy without killing or capturing them.
    • Escape: Flee to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect.
    • Escape With A Captive: Grab a member of the opposing force, then flee with your new captive to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect. Where the enemy group includes combatants of varied ability, you take its weakest or most vulnerable member.
    • Gain an Item: Grab a portable, easily seized item held by a member of the opposing force, then flee with it to a position of safety the enemy is not attempting to hold or protect. Suitable items include books, weapons, amulets, purses, satchels, and documents.
    • Overrun: You forcibly move through a group of opponents attempting to block you from going somewhere.
    • Topple: You knock the target off its feet—which is only worth doing when your enemy stands on a cliffside, on the brink of a raging river, in a precarious rowboat, or in some like situation where a fall will cause a more-than-momentary setback.

  2. Determine Difficulty
    The GM (or scenario) defines a Difficulty reflecting the overall strength of the entire opposition, including any tactical advantages or disadvantages they may have in this particular situation. Difficulties for foes described in this book come with assigned Difficulties, but you can always bounce them up and down to fit the logic of your story. Describe situational modifiers to make shifts feel consistent to players. The battle-hardened soldiers of The Wars find it easier to kill opponents than their art-student counterparts from Paris. On the other hand, their foes, toughened by the rigors of battle, are harder to flee from. Used to skulking in the shadows as opportunistic hit-and-run fighters, Aftermath characters are better at escaping than their counterparts from other sequences. As ordinary people less able to buckle a swash than even the art students of adventurous Paris, This Is Normal Now characters start paying Tolls lower down on the foe scale and find it harder to bump off even the weakest foes.

Paris:
Relative ChallengeEscape DifficultyOther DifficultyKill DifficultyToll
Weak2330
Tough But Outmatched2240
Evenly Matched3451
Superior3461
Vastly Superior3672
Overwhelming4783
Too Awful To Contemplate58104

The Wars:
Relative ChallengeEscape DifficultyOther DifficultyKill DifficultyToll
Weak2330
Tough But Outmatched2430
Evenly Matched3541
Superior4541
Vastly Superior4662
Overwhelming5772
Too Awful To Contemplate5883

Aftermath:
Relative ChallengeEscape DifficultyOther DifficultyKill DifficultyToll
Weak1330
Tough But Outmatched2340
Evenly Matched2450
Superior3461
Vastly Superior3672
Overwhelming3782
Too Awful To Contemplate38103

This Is Normal Now:
Relative ChallengeEscape DifficultyOther DifficultyKill DifficultyToll
Weak2340
Tough But Outmatched2350
Evenly Matched3451
Superior2561
Vastly Superior3573
Overwhelming4784
Too Awful To Contemplate58106

shapeshade
member, 217 posts
Tue 8 Nov 2022
at 18:27
  • msg #13

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

Alyse:
Define Objectives


I like the objectives, but what are they for, exactly? Are they just for making sure we're all on the same page about what we're doing, or does choosing one also involve some mechanical component?
Alyse
member, 798 posts
Pretty, witty, and gay
[married since 2011!]
Tue 8 Nov 2022
at 22:55
  • msg #14

Fun and Easy Combat

In reply to shapeshade (msg # 13):

The mechanical component is the difficulty assigned, that's all. For example, trying to kill a foe Too Awful To Contemplate is likely to drain every PC's ability pools, between paying the toll and the points spent to insure success. Rolling 8 or 10 on 1d6 requires a spend of 7 or 9 to guarantee, with another 3 to 6 from the toll, and most characters won't have that many points. Thus a victory will require luck and as many points as each character can spare. Each character contributes to the overall margin, with any margin of zero or higher meaning the PCs accomplished their objective. Margins of success cap at 3, with anyone who rolls a margin greater than that getting a bonus. But you might spent zero (maybe you're out of points) and then roll a 1... giving you a margin of -7 or -9... and the other PCs have to make up the difference. Tense moment.
shapeshade
member, 218 posts
Wed 9 Nov 2022
at 00:50
  • msg #15

Re: Fun and Easy Combat

Alyse:
In reply to shapeshade (msg # 13):

The mechanical component is the difficulty assigned, that's all. For example, trying to kill...


Okay so the point of the objectives is: Escape is easiest, Kill is hardest, everything else is in-between, eh? Yeah, that makes sense...
shapeshade
member, 219 posts
Wed 9 Nov 2022
at 15:19
  • msg #16

Re: Fun and Easy Combat


Incidentally, for those asking what else I DO like, I'm interested in the combat in a little rpg I stumbled across called LUMEN right now. Look it up.
Sign In