First Blood and lethality

[captainjack23]

Suggestion to first blood rule.

This came up in the discussion about lethality of the combat system at our recent bar fight.

As it is, a first strike that reduces End to 0 effectively bumps up the damage from wounded to unconsious; Perhaps reducing two chars to 0 with one blow should cause a kill.

This need not be the first blow - in fact, a shot that reduces an already damaged END to 0 with enough left over to reduce another stat to 0 would be a kill shot also.

This would make all weapons more effective without changing their damage ratings; the elusive one-shot kill is much more likley with a rifle, or a mighty swing with a broadsword; low plus weapons could do a kill to a lightly wounded character.

Average value of two stats = 14.

Rifle 2x+4 for a first shot will do this for any effect of 3 or better (ouch !)
Pistol 1x+4 can do it in any two shots if effect is 3+ or better.

Broadsword 1x+5+str can do it in one if the player is exceptionally strong (+3; gonad the barbarian, anyone ?), in two guaranteed with a str bonus of +1.

Needless, all the above assumes no armor.


A thought.

Cap

 

[Court Jester]

Does the system need to be more deadly?

 

[captainjack23]

Does the system need to be more deadly?

Actually, the system seems to have gotten less deadly with the armor changes.

Also, "one hit to kill" has been discusssed as a needful thing. A way to close on this without overpowering guns or overblowing tables seemed a good thing to contribute.

Also, If deadly = dead, then the system isn't very deadly at all .
If deadly =defeated, yes, you may have a point.
But it's still less so this iteration.

Cap

 

[AKAramis]

Does the system need to be more deadly?

YES!!! ABSOLUTELY!!!

When Traveller is run, firefights should result in significant impairment and/or dead characters.

MoTrav does neither as of Draft 3.

The healing rules are TOO powerful, especially first aid. (reduce it to one roll per character.... not per damaged stat...)

 

[Halfbat]

When Traveller is run, firefights should result in significant impairment and/or dead characters.

Why? We want to play a game in which we can continue with our characters, develop them, survive by the skin of their teeth, leave behind foes who swear honour retribution...

The last combat we ran appeared to produce the right balance. One NPC, dead, 7 injured, 5 unconscious (out of 8) two PCs injured by surviving by the skin of their teeth, but trapped in a sealed cargo hold (don't ask), one PC unconscious and one isolated PC triumphantly striking the winning blow by the skin of her teeth. The survivors were used in a prisoner exchange.

That sounds good. It's also much closer to 'reality' (forgive the use of the word) in the injured:dead ratio, too.

The healing rules are TOO powerful, especially first aid. (reduce it to one roll per character.... not per damaged stat...)

Absolutely not. The game needs to be able to flow. I applaud the team's use of Mongoose policy to speed up healing for PCs (see Conan, MRQ).