Evaluate(Opening) - Results from playtesting

This post is in part a repost of an earlier blog entry introducing the concept. I repost the key bits here for convenience, and add to this my observations after playtesting. 

You will find more on Evaluate on +Douglas Cole 's Melee Academy 301 - Evaluate.

The Serendipity Engine

Screen Shot of the alpha version on May 21st 2013

http://serendipity-engine.appspot.com

Objective

Simulate how combats are made of serendipitous opening that perceptive and skilled fighter take advantage of. One can fight according to a plan, or be nimble and go with the flow. This option provides the "flow". It is based on a web-based app, requiring nothing but a browser.

Principle

A skill contest between the Per-based melee combat skill of the attacker against the DX-based melee combat skill of the defender. In case of a success by the attacker, the attacker spot a combat opening with a benefit that is a function of the margin of success. If the margin is negative, but the Per-based skill check was successful, the bonus is applied to the next active defense.

To generate interesting openings, the random "table" is implemented as a web application. This has the potential to generate over a few hundreds different combinations of opening and conditions, and this number of permutations blows up into the thousands if we take into account the range of possible attack bonuses and defense penalties.

Procedure

The phasing player may call an Evaluate(combat opening) as a melee combat move. The skill contest is resolved by the app, determine the success and generate an opening. In case of failure, the phasing player my be compelled to take a Do nothing action. In other cases, the phasing player is free to take advantage of the opening by converting the evaluate into a new action and immediately resolving it to exploit the opening, or take instead a Do Nothing or All-out defense action. The gamble here is that if the opening isn't desirable, the turn will be spent looking  for an opening and deciding not to take it.

1. Declare an Evaluate (combat Opening)
2. Per-skill vs DX-skill (handled by app)
3. Pick Either of:
   1. Immediately convert to attack to exploit opening.
   2. Do Nothing

A critical fail on the Per-based skill check is narrated to the player like a critical success, but is converted instead into a bonus for the opponent as a bonus to any form of counter attacks.

Discussion

This is not a new idea, if you want a low-tech table instead, try Sean Punch's post of SJG's forum, or +Douglas Cole 's post on Gaming Ballistic. Here follows some questions that I was looking for in playtesting this combat option:

Are players using the the Evaluate (opening)?

In my Face-to-Face game, yes. At first for novelty but then again because I think that my players enjoyed the unpredictability that it brought. As a disclosure, I tend to limit combat to a few very important once which tend to revolve themselves fairly quickly: the first strike often sets the tone for the rest of the combat.

When presented with an opening, are the players deciding to exploit the opening?

Usually yes. If the random opening generator suggested something that didn't make sense, there is a button to generate another opening without re-rolling the skill contest. 

1. If not,
1. Sometime, ending in the kneeled position isn't outweigh by the bonus conferred by the opening (especially for contest won by a small margin). 
2. If so,
1. I think that my players like how it sends the combat into unforeseen directions. It comes down to a gamble: waste a turn looking or get something more substantial than a plain Evaluate. 

In summary, I like this option and we find it fun. Rolling against this option gives an edge for perceptive characters and bring laughters all around.  I can't recall a single instance of a player getting a smile out of using the base Evaluate maneuver (let alone the whole table). It works really only against an anthropomorphic foe.

Reconciliation of adventure rewards and the GURPS skill learning system

I've posted a few times on the topic of learning and skill acquisition in GURPS. There seems to me that there is a drastic disconnect between getting a point at the end of a session and placing it in a skill, and having to learn for 200 hours in order to accomplish the same. Learning is learning, I propose here a records -keeping free way to handle abstracted learning which is compatible with the possible fast-pace of adventuring-based learning.

My motivation here is for the campaign Reclaming Khazad-Dum, where a large number of NPCs will have to learn vital skills, and time is sensitive. It can be applied in all other situation where PCs want to improve an abstracted manner.

Approximating GURPS Mass Combat Troop Strength (TS) for Dwarven units

In this post, I'm trying to approximate Troop Strength (TS) for dwarves for the purpose of Mass Combat. It should be 2 according to GURPS Mass Combat p.17, but yet again it should also be 2 for orcs if we follow these rules as written (maybe less due to training and equipment). Let's see: this post is both a thinking aloud post, and way to communicate to the campaign's player how dwarves and orcs compare, and a chance to get shot down by my thoughtful readers. The punchline is 6:1 assuming parity of number and an infinite and unrestricted terrain that +Peter V. Dell'Orto doesn't love at all (and neither do I, but that is material for another post). 

Informal game theory and GURPS Social engagements

This post looks at tactics for social engagements using the second draft of the rules.  People playing in an engagement won't go to this length to understand their options: they should focus on having fun. However,  a little head-scratching is in order before the next playtest.

Test Case 1 : Minimal example

In this minimalistic example, two characters are seeking consensus on a policy issue. PC has the initiative.

Draft rules for Social Combat in GURPS

These rules are in draft stage and posted here for the playtesters. Initial thoughts were posted here.

Social Combat rules

draft 1
Christian Blouin (bongotastic@gmail.com)

Principle

A social combat is a multi-character engagement where NPCs and PCs posture in a conceptual map. When the engagement is over, the NPCs will act according to their location in the tactical map.

Validating GURPS's ranged model : a GM on the range.

I often wondered what is my skill level in archery. I've been shooting for two years and have seen striking improvements between what the club beginners can do and how I shoot today. Let's crunch the numbers and figure out what is my skill level, and whether this is consistent with GURPS mechanics. I want to specify that I didn't try to make it fit as well as it did: I just threw in values that seemed reasonable from a GM's perspective. This post was inspired by a recent post by +Douglas Cole that can be found here. i once tried the same exercise with AD&D, and it didn't made a lot of sense.

Training Dogs in GURPS

This article is prompted by one of the character in my current campaign. The rules on training animals in BS:Campaign pp.458-459. 

Base Dog

Great Dane

ST 9; DX 11; IQ 4; HT 12

Will: 10; Per 12; Speed 5.75; Dodge 8; Move 10

SM +0; 150 lb

Traits: Chummy, Loyal, Discriminatory Smell, Domestic Animal, Quadruped, Sharp Teeth, Pacificism (Self-defense), Gluttony, 

Untrained Skills:

• Brawling-10 [1] (Dex/A)
• Tracking-11 [1] (Per/A) 
• Survival-13 [4] (Per/A)

Tricks:

• IQ2 : (Only for wild animals) "Come Eat", "Don't attack me"
• IQ3 : (Single step tasks) Such as pull, stop, tolerate people, increase Mount skill (horse),  
• IQ4 : (Multi-steps tasks) Fetch, Sit, Stay, attack, increase Will be 1 (can only be done once), increase tracking, brawling, etc.

All tricks count as a character point, unless it is a skill which cost as much as the skill would. Animal can't learn on their own and must be instructed. Animal handling serves as teaching skills. Treat all tricks as long tasks with a base cost of 200 hours of taught learning per point. Each hour of teaching triggers a Animal Handling roll, with the number of hours deducted from the margin of success.  There should be no more than 4 hours of active teaching per day. 

If you don't like to roll, or the exact timing is not important: here are the hours gained for each level of Animal Handling. Handling-10: 0.5 hr/hr (400 hours), Handling-11: 1.5hr/hr (130hrs), Handling-12 2.5hr/hr (80 hrs), Handling-13 (60 hours), Handling-14 (45 hours), Handling-15 (36 hours), etc A long task can never go into negative hours. However, this implies that Handling-9 teacher just can't teach anything to their animals. All combat training done without an assistant or some training facilities is done at -2.

Can an untrained Dog Attack to defend his owner?

Without the trained trick "attack", their disadvantage Pacificism (self-defense) would prevent them from attacking on demand. They will growl and hover around aggressive people, which can be intimidating and cause a minor distraction to the attackers, but will assume a full defense stance. If an attacker strikes or holds his owner, they will attempt a grapple (with their mouths) and a slam (large dogs only) as a full attack until the attacker backs down or flee. Use DX for grappling, it makes no sense to have a separate wrestling skill for dogs. The grapple counts as a strike if successful (because of the teeth). They will flee if they suffer a wound, trained attack dogs will not flee until ordered unless they suffer a major wound (at which point they need to succeed a will check). Multiple dogs will attempt to swarm from all possible directions so as to go for the arms, then legs, and eventually the head if the target is prone or kneeling.

Chivalric Code of Gondor

This post explores the a definition of the code of Honor (-15) disadvantage specifically for Gondor Nobility. 

Fundamental Principles

It is the duty of all nobles of Eriador to:

1. Fullfill all formal pledges.
2. Be loyal to the King's feudal hierarchy. 
3. Protect all from injustice.
4. Prosecute all forces and individual endeavouring to disrupt the work of Iluvatar. 

In absence of a law enforcement officer or a judge, each noble is required to identify injustice and prosecute perpetrators. Appropriate punishment are as follow:

1. Noble failing to fullfill a pledge: Take culprit to the nearest lord of the land, or directly to the culprit's feudal superior.
2. Disloyalty : Commoner: From fines and lashing (vandalism), execution (treason) Other Nobles: duel.
3. Injustice: apologies (insult to one or others), restoration with fine, force labor, lashing, imprisonment, death (murder, rape)
4. Working for the dark forces : Death.