Combat concerns

[Patadin]

Hello all!

I am just starting to look at RuneQuest in hoping to find a viable altenative to d20. My biggest complain about d20 is that it turned into a wargame between me and my players. We would play for five hours and have three encounters at the most.

Is combat quicker in RuneQuest?

Thanks,
Patadin

 

[Verisimilitude]

That can happen, but on the other side of the coin, if you had more combat and less RP, wouldn't it seem more like wargaming?
..

 

[Chardros The Reaper]

Combat is much swifter in RuneQuest than in d20 systems. Despite the fact that there may be a reaction roll from the defender to parry or dodge and an additional roll for hit location, there are hardly the number of modifiers you need to apply during a d20 combat scene.

Most importantly, combat in RQ is actually dangerous. Unlike d20, a lowly peasant with a knife can actually kill you! Hey, it's like the real world! This may not represent 'heroic' roleplaying very well, but it's not supposed to and is much, much quicker than d20. And if you want a more heroic style simply reduce damage done by weapons; there's even an alternative weapons rating list in one of the Signs and Portents.

 

[kwinland]

Howdy,

I haven't played much d20 in the last 6-7 years, but I have played a lot of RQ in the last 24 - combat is indeed quicker.... usually.

There are a few more rolls (i.e. dodges, parries, POW or Pers/Res saves) here and there, but depending on the number of combatants and scale, it goes pretty smoothly. Hit Points are a LOT fewer, thus damage is MUCH more significant.

The 3.5 d20 has added a lot of factors to make D&D combat drag a bit. In contrast, some of the slower elements of combat in RQIII (strike ranks) were streamlined in MRQ.

My recommendations? Find some good critical/fumble charts for MRQ (you can port the old RQIII ones), and cut lose. Combat in MRQ is more gritty, flavourful, and interesting.

Ken

 

[frogspawner]

RuneQuest combat is generally thought to be slower than in D&D/d20 - quite a lot slower.

But RQ is a so much better system, that it's worth it.

The System I use (http://www.boldhome.freeserve.co.uk/panrules/default.htm) combines the best of both. Combat is basically RQ-like, but to speed things up I use the d20-style initiative (once per combat, with everyone doing all their actions in turn) and don't roll for location of every hit (just when it's significant).

I beg to differ from the opinion that RQ combat is not 'heroic'. D&D characters, hiding safely behind stacks of Hit Points, are not heroes - they're just bullies.

RuneQuest makes Heroes.

 

[Halfbat]

RuneQuest combat is generally thought to be slower than in D&D/d20 - quite a lot slower.

I must be one of the un-generals, then, as are the peeps above. :shock:

When comparing RQ with low-level d20 combat, with few feats, few bonuses and no RP'ing, then d20 _is_ faster, though RQ is _way_ more interesting.

When you're talking higher-level d20 with loads of hit points, a complex series of feats and bonuses and options, then RQ is much easier and faster - and very different (see below). For example, I've had to generate an options list for a d20 barbarian which shows all his different attacks with two weapons, one weapon, with power attack, without, and when raging or without, simply because recalculating his options every time slowed d20 combat to a complete crawl.

But RQ is a so much better system, that it's worth it.

Absolutely, in so many ways. We find that combat isn't a separate activity stuck in the middle of an RP-ing session but is frequently role-played much more, and the system encourages role-playing much more.

Best of luck with RQ - if there wasn't 5,000-6,000 miles between us I'd offer a demo run. :roll:

 

[duncan_disorderly]

RuneQuest combat is generally thought to be slower than in D&D/d20 - quite a lot slower.

I must be one of the un-generals, then, as are the peeps above. :shock:

I think that the perceived wisdom is probably that a single round is quicker in D&D but the combat as a whole is quicker in RQ as combatants are likely to go down quicker. But it's still open to a whole lot of variation too, depending on how much you have "pre-calculated" and exactly what options you are using.

These perceptions are probably mostly based on AD&D too, rather than d20, where, as you point out, different feats and abilities can make a lot of difference

Ultimately, all you can do is try out the different options (remembering that things will speed up as you become more familar with them) and see which one suits you/your group best.

(Of course, the other solution to combat taking a disproportionate amount of game time is to run adventures with less combat in them. I'd say that RQ would help here as having a better skill system. Also changing systems can break the players "mindset" so they don't necessarily assume combat is the answer to everything

 

[Quire]

There's no doubt that roll for roll, even when feat permutations and bizarre versus species clauses are figured, Unnameable System 3.x combat is much faster to resolve per combat round than RQ combat.

It's also much more abstract, oddly constrained and 'unrealistic'. 'Heroic' doesn't even come in to it.

It's all about horses for courses. If you dig the way Unnameable System 3.x does it, cool, but give RQ a proper go and you might be surprised how much more tangible combat becomes. You're going to start visualising attacks being blocked, strokes bouncing off armour...and more than often the odd severed limb arcing into the air trailing blood...

It's a world away from how many Hit Points you have.

- Q

 

[Patadin]

Thanks for everyone's insight.

Pat

 

[weasel_fierce]

One thing to note is that one round of fighting in RQ is similar to 2-3 rounds of low level characters doing things in D&D.

Also, RQ really doesnt encourage the genocidal fight to the death junk

 

[Sinisalo]

Also, RQ really doesnt encourage the genocidal fight to the death junk

unless they have runes ;-)

 

[weasel_fierce]

Also, RQ really doesnt encourage the genocidal fight to the death junk

unless they have runes ;-)

well, yeah, then its business :twisted:

 

[Halfbat]

One thing to note is that one round of fighting in RQ is similar to 2-3 rounds of low level characters doing things in D&D.

Yes. I have to say I forgot to mention this passive assumption on my part. Thanks weasel_f.