Monday, November 30, 2009

Abstract Combat rounds in AD&D



“OK, you have a full minute to attack the guy. But, uh, only one chance to hit.”

In my earliest experiences with AD&D, one of the concepts that chapped my ass the most when it came to combat was the abstract nature of a “round” or “combat turn.” As described in the rules, two (or more) combatants would attack, dodge, and block many times in that 60-second round, but only one opportunity to actually get a strike in occurred in each of those rounds.

I know that for my first few years of gaming I just accepted this for the most part, but as I got older and my games themselves matured, and there came times when the one-minute round just didn’t jibe with what was going on in-game. I saw the need for a shorter combat round, assisted by experiences with other games that had shorter combat “turns” or “rounds” of only a few seconds in length that worked out so well. I mean, who wants a minute’s worth of stuff to go on in the game that they don’t get to experience?

So my D&D one-minute “round” turned into a six-second “combat round.” I don’t really recall how I came up with that, but I think it was based on the six-second segment that applied mostly to spellcasting. That seemed long enough for just a little bit of dodging and jockeying, before getting in your chance to actually hit. Thinking in those terms, it just got easier to visualize and describe what was going on almost exactly in a combat, not just a bunch of superfluous flailing around. Also, combats between mid-level or higher opponents didn’t have to be assumed to be 8-20 minute affairs (watch a heavyweight boxing match and you’ll see that length of active non-stop hand to hand combat is beyond ridiculous). Two half decent swordsmen would fight for around a minute if they each got a little less than a dozen attacks in.

I really don’t know that the creators where thinking with the one-minute combat round where you only get on chance to hit. What were they smoking, the drapes? Let’s face it, usually a minute can seem like a long time. Did you ever stand in the shower waiting for conditioner to work? How about a minute-long elevator ride that somebody had just previously farted in (I almost died that day – I’d give anything to get back at that human skunk)? Those AD&D combat rounds stand out as one of the earliest things I “fixed” in my games.

OK, so to make things fair for the spellcasters, some winging it had to happen when it came to doing spells in combat. Most given rounds for spells are a minute as well (outside of 6-second segments and full ten-minute turns), but it’s pretty easy to look at the particular spell and decide on a case-by-case basis if it includes a one minute round or a six-second “segment.” Yep, on spell timing I really wing it, but that is maybe a post for another day.

I should probably mention as an aside, that the abstract nature of hit points never really bothered me. In fact, I actually like the concept of a hit point pool that mostly represents luck, divine favor, and defensive tricks, with just a nick or a heavy wound being abstract in amount compared to the health and size of the victim. Get down to one hit point, and you are almost out of life and luck both. Gotta love it.

11 comments:

  1. This is exactly how I have always done it, right down to the 6 second increment. On the one hand, D&D has never been about "simulating" reality to any great extent, but on the other, why go out of your way to make combat more unrealistic than you need to?

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  2. Oops, didn't log out of my work email before I posted that comment!

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  3. This is also something I had trouble imagining when I first got into AD&D 2nd edition back in junior high. I think our group just used the combat rounds from basic D&D, assuming that it must have been a typo. In my current AD&D1 campaign, we are rarely concerned with just how long a combat lasts. In my mind, I imagine combat rounds to be around ten seconds, give or take. Spell durations that are given in rounds are adjusted accordingly.

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  4. Short rounds lead to "I take three steps forward and then swing for his head" crap. The one minute round is better in pretty well every way, not least that it eliminates the need for minis.

    The object is not to simulate reality, but to simulate fantasy. Heavy-weight boxing has no relevance to Basil Rathbone fencing with Errol Flynn.

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  5. Carl: I dunno man, I think Kiva Grocery has a nice ring to it as a handle.

    Ryan: I wasn't sure if they had the one minute round in 2nd edtions, so I didn't mention it. I don't really know how they do it in any of the later editions.

    Nagora: Inside our minds I think we all envision things a bit differently, so I guess it is another one of the many things in gaming that is up to preference. I know that none of my players describes the "taking three steps and swing" thing quite so mechanically. String together 10 six-second rounds of two sword guys fighting, and you get the fencing duel you mentioned.

    I'm not at all going for realism, but I just picture it in my head a certain way. Maybe too many comic book fights when I was growing up (many lasting only three or four panels). Anyway, my players don't seem to mind.

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  6. @Brunomac- Yes, AD&D 2nd edition had one minute combat rounds. I think Cyclopedic had ten second ones, but I don't remember and I'm not in a place where I can check the books.

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  7. Hey! Look at my friend Thurston! So,ye can do something else besides drinkin' like a sponge eh?
    Just kiddin'. Im Ivildir in James on-line campaign, just found your blog..wich, by the way, is full of great stuff!

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  8. Vlandil: Yeah, Thursty hasn't been able to do much but sip whiskey and offer wine and ale to the guys actually in a position to do something! If I had gotten a higher Con, I swear to God I would be doing a sober fighter instead of a drunk/stoner wizard!

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  9. Vlandil: P.S. - I want to go back to trying to get conversational in Spanish in the upcoming year, so I joined your blog to practice my stuff! Es bueno.

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  10. Is there anything more dangerous than a wizard? Yeah, a DRUNKEN wizard. Just imagine what would happen if he got angry as well...!
    And thanks for joining my blog, if you like poetry about vikings,warrior gods and the like, Im sure you will enjoy it.
    Por cierto,sería un placer ayudarte con tu español. Un saludo!

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  11. I want my combats to be abstract, but I still strongly dislike 1 minute rounds. In traditional melee combat, you could probably get away with it, but it becomes more problematic when people decide to do other things than strike their opponent that round. Just look at firing arrows. A fully trained archer should be able to fire 20 arrows during a full minute, not one or two. Another good thing about using 6 min rounds like you do is that it means 10 minutes=1 minute, so its still easy to keep track of time.
    BTW: BECMI/RC D&D used 10 seconds, like Ryan mentions.

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