Suggestions and Notes for Chapter 3: Combat

[Melbourne Accords]

I’m grateful to Mongoose for this opportunity to contribute to the definitive science–fiction RPG. The Beta draft represents the product of careful thought. It will provide a robust framework for combat.

Please find below a few suggestions/observations.

p. 70 para 3 ‘When a Traveller takes a combat action, he makes a skill check, and he sets his Initiative to the Timing of that action’. I take it that the concept of Timing was removed from a previous draft. Suggestion: Delete the reference to Timing.

p. 70 Initiative is now based on a DEX or INT check. Although I note the reference to ‘quickness of mind’ under the description of Intellect (Chapter 1), I’d prefer initiative to remain the province of Dexterity (or Tactics for groups/units).

p. 70 Ambushes – Please make the consequences of surprise explicit. Suggestion: 'The side that is ambushed may not act in the first round of combat'.

I suggest that Delay is returned to the rules. This option facilitates important tactical choices for players. Suggestion (our current house rule): ‘Any action(s) may be delayed until later in combat. This does not change the initiative score of the character’.

pp. 70-2 Perhaps the revised rules could speak in terms of Major and Minor actions. This strikes a better balance than Significant and Minor.

p. 71 I like DEX (p. 71) as the DM for Melee Attacks and STR as the DM for damage (p. 74).

p. 71 Common Modifiers to Ranged Attacks – The relevant table is presented at the bottom of the page, not with the text. Suggestion: Rectify formatting here.

p. 72 – ‘Difficult terrain, such as ruins or mud will halve a Traveller’s Movement’. Suggestion: Might snow be a better example than ruins?

p. 73 The treatment of range is fantastic.

p. 73 Might characters not dive three metres to cover as per At Close Quarters (p. 10)?

Overall, the Beta rules should facilitate streamlined and engaging play. Well done!

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I am very confused about the Actions allowed.

Each combat round a Traveller can make a Significant Action, a Minor Action and any number of Reactions and Free Actions.

OK, no where in the Combat section does it say that all these extra actions garner a DM-2 per additional action from the Multiple Actions rule. Please clarify that (a lot).

While Minor Actions (moving, reloading etc.) may not require a skill roll, many Reactions DO require a skill roll, so even if you don't have to roll for a Minor Action, you still have to count it against your Multiple Action DM when you do a Reaction.

OR, are these all NOT considered part of your Multiple Actions penalty.

I really think this area needs to be clarified.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Also, on Reactions, you garner a cumulative DM-1 for multiple Reactions. Is this IN ADDITION to the normal DM-2 for Multiple Actions or INSTEAD of the normal penalty for Multiple Actions.

I can see it going either way and I am not suggesting one way or the other, but I do think that the INTENT is not clear in the rules.

 

[MongooseMatt]

I see where you are getting caught up - I have renamed Multiple Actions to Multiple Tasks, thus moving the rule completely from combat (which is based on actions) and properly into skills (based on task checks).

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

So, all these reactions etc. only have their DMs applied and are not considered multiple tasks?

Just clarifying.

 

[MongooseMatt]

Correct! They are Reactions _not_ Tasks.

 

[Melbourne Accords]

Additional Thought - The description of surprise is very clear in Space Combat: 'If one ship does manage to surprise another, its opponent will not be able to take any actions in the first round of combat' (p. 155). This is a commendable and crystal clear rule.

Perhaps a similar statement could be included in Chapter 3. 'If one side manages to ambush another, the surprised side cannot take any actions in the first round of combat'.