Thinking with your feet

[Tobnac]

How does movement in combat work in Legend?

On page 126 it seems that you can move and attack and only spend 1 combat action.”Each Combat Action may include all, some or none of the Adventurer’s remaining Movement in addition to an attack or other action . On p. 128 it seems that Move is an independent Combat Action. ”Move: If unengaged, the Adventurer may move his full movement rate. ”

To me it seems like a contradiction.

1. Can you move 1-8 meters and use a Combat Action at the same time?

2. Does the option Move mean that you can move 1-8 metres and then an additional 8 metres (with a single CA)?

3. If you can move and use a Combat action (and it costs 1 CA), can you also Change Distance in addition to a CA? Change Distance is kind of a movement, isn't it?

4. Or, (I might have misunderstood something, since English is not my first language) do you move (1 CA) and at the same time add a Combat Action (attack, parry or whatever) thereby using two Combat Actions?


I just want to understand the rules – nothing else. It seems that you can move pretty freely when it comes to metres, but when you get close by you have to spend Combat Actions (Change Distance) to get the right distance to your enemy. Either you interpret the rules that you can move in big steps and attack (or something else) but you cannot come into your enemy's reach at the same time. Or you interpret the rules that you can move and attack by spending two combat actions (move becomes a reactive action that you can spend whenever you want). Or, does the rule on p. 126 mean that when you use Evade, Move or Change Distance you cannot move more than a total of 8 metres?

Or you simply disregard the rule on page 126. You have to use an independent CA to move in combat.

Shields and small arms
I have an additional question regarding shields and sidearmes. The adventurer gets the additional Combat Action only if he actually uses what he got in his off-hand, right? Carrying around a shield doesn't make you faster or makes is possible to attack with your main weapon one more time?

 

[RangerDan]

Stuff on Movement

My take on movement and CAs is this:
* Movement can be combined with whatever else you're doing with your CA (ie move and attack for 1 CA).
* If the only thing you're doing is Moving (ie advanding towards opponents), your CA becomes the 'Move' action. In my mind it's kind of the 'Do Nothing' action while covering meters.
* In my mind a CA is simply a 'mini-round'. If that mini-round is spent moving, then that's what happens.

As for your specific points:
1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Not really. Change Distance is not really movement but changing the engagement range of weapons. It can be as tiny as a half-step.
4. No. It is certainly a possible scenario split over two 'Strike Rank cycles' if I am sufficiently far away:
- Round 1: I Move (1 CA).
- Round 2: I close the distance and Attack (1 CA).

On Shields and other off-hand items

Some people prefer what you have described, others believe that the simple threat of having something in your off-hand makes you more dangerous with your main hand.
The correct answer is probably: whatever makes most sense to you and your players.
For more discussion on this subject see for example this thread: http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=49685.

 

[Tobnac]

Runequest 6th Ed doesn't have this move and attack-thing at all, does it? How does it work i MRQII?

 

[RangerDan]

Actually, in RQ6 it works pretty much exactly the same, and it was the clarifications in RQ6 that helped me understand it as above. If you have the RQ6 book, take a look at the sidebar on p. 140 (wouldn't really be appropriate for me to quote it here).

As for MRQII, as I recall it's the same as well (MRQII / Legend are largely the same in terms of rules).

 

[Tobnac]

I can't find what you are referring to. To me it seems that RQ 6th Ed simply doesn't have this move/attack-thing.

Isn't this move & attack some kind of holdover from an older RQ-edition?

 

[RangerDan]

I assure you that - just like in MRQ2/Legend - movement is generally a separate thing to Combat Actions in RQ6.
There's some optional/advanced tactical movement rules in the appendix on p. 438 that might be what you are looking for.

Having said that, if 1 Move = 1 CA makes more sense to you (and I get the feeling that's the case), go with that

 

[Tobnac]

Now I found it in RQ. Thank you.

 

[DamonJynx]

Dan is right. Let me attempt to break movement down:

1. Your MOV rate (generally 8 metres for humaniods) is the maximum you can move in a ROUND, unless you undertake special actions like Charging, or Running.
2. If you are unengaged, you can use a CA to move up to your MOV freely.
3. If your movement above takes you within reach of an opponent (with a weapon of the same, smaller or 1 size larger reach), you may make a single melee attack without spending an additional CA. If your opponents weapon is 2 or more Reach sizes larger you cannot attack on this CA as you have to use the Change Range action to close.
4. If you are engaged and wish to move, you use the Change Range action to disengage and then move on your next CA. Of course your opponent is quite capable of staying with you.

As Dan said, the off-hand thing is a house rule and a pretty good one, we use it. RAW just grants an additional CA, there is nothing specific on how it should be used.

 

[Tobnac]

All right, but how does Closing and Disengaging work?
"An Adventurer whose reach is two sizes less than their opponent, needs to actively close into Close Combat range, otherwise remain unable to strike at them. Closing on an opponent requires a Combat Action (if not taking advantage of a Combat Manoeuvre) and requires the opponent to decide whether he wishes to counter the closing action, or whether to strike at the closer instead. Either option uses a Combat Action."

Does this mean that the opponent can strike immediately, not waiting for his next Strike Rank?

 

[DamonJynx]

All right, but how does Closing and Disengaging work?
"An Adventurer whose reach is two sizes less than their opponent, needs to actively close into Close Combat range, otherwise remain unable to strike at them. Closing on an opponent requires a Combat Action (if not taking advantage of a Combat Manoeuvre) and requires the opponent to decide whether he wishes to counter the closing action, or whether to strike at the closer instead. Either option uses a Combat Action."

Does this mean that the opponent can strike immediately, not waiting for his next Strike Rank?

Yes. The attacker uses the Change Range action (i.e. makes an Evade roll) if successful he gets into close combat range. The defender can choose to:

• a) Do nothing and let his attacker into close range - not a good idea!
  b) Make a 'free' attack vs. the other guy's Evade roll - if he wins the opposed test he damages his opponent, but the opponent still gets into close range if the evade was successful. In this instance, 'free', means a reactive attack outside of the normal initiative cycle, the attack still costs a CA. CM's can be applied as normal.
  c) Also use the Change Range action to keep the distance, in which case it is a straight opposed roll of Evade skills.

In my experience most of the time when this comes up it is a 2H Weapon user vs. 1H weapons user (closer) and the option to attack is not without merits, given the damage 2H weapons do.