Couple questions about reacting on combat

[JimmyMarshall]

So I had my first play session in Traveller yesterday and while in combat a couple questions came up. I was hoping someone could help. Both have to do with reacting in combat.

First is dodging. The rulebook states that you take a -1DM to all actions and -2 to initiative UNTIL THE NEXT ROUND. This is what confused me. Does that mean that if you have already acted in that round of combat then there are essentially no penalties for dodging, since at the beginning of the next round the -1DM and -2 intiative are reset? Since if you've already acted your turn then the initiative hit doesn't matter and you won't be taking any actions until the next round anyway.

Secondly is for parrying. We were confused by the wording for this rule too. Is the parryer required to make a melee skill check and then add a negative DM to the attacker's roll equal to his effect? Or does he simply subtract his skill from the DM of the attacker (so if he has Melee 1 then he gives the attacker a -1DM)?

These rules were very confusingly worded. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[locarno24]

Does that mean that if you have already acted in that round of combat then there are essentially no penalties for dodging, since at the beginning of the next round the -1DM and -2 intiative are reset?

It's not clearly written, but sensibly, if that's the effect of using a reaction it must come in somewhere - i.e. if you haven't acted yet it'll apply to your action next round.

There's no statement that initiatives are 'reset' at a specific point in the round - certainly with recoil they aren't - so I always read "until the next round" as meaning "until you've acted act in the next round".

Secondly is for parrying. We were confused by the wording for this rule too. Is the parryer required to make a melee skill check and then add a negative DM to the attacker's roll equal to his effect? Or does he simply subtract his skill from the DM of the attacker (so if he has Melee 1 then he gives the attacker a -1DM)?

Yup. Melee (Large Blade)/1 means DM-1 to hit a parrying character. No skill checks involved.

Melee/0 doesn't help (you're better off dodging), whilst a professional duellist - Melee (Large Blade)/3 - armed with a rapier is nigh on impossible to hit with any weapon that can be parried.

 

[JimmyMarshall]

Ahh that all makes sense. Thanks!

 

[Chernobyl]

still trying to get an answer on SLOW drugs and combat initiative.