[Nevercast] - Mechanics Reference
Ar Kayon:
The Battle Grid
I've examined the pros and cons of working with a grid against working without them. Nevercast combat is predominantly based on small-arms combat, and upon constructing combat models, I've come to a few realizations:
1. Grid cells are usually 1 square inch; much too small for firefights that can occur at several hundred yards away.
2. Having a grid as an inherent part of the system means that grids have to be used, which is limiting.
3. Grid maps themselves can be too small to encompass the entire firefight.
4. I can't turn my living room into a huge battlefield.
So, after playing with my plastic army men on my computer desk (the machine gunner took an excellent position on top of my coffee mug and mowed down the oncoming attackers) and examining spacing structure, I've decided to go gridless for Nevercast combat, in which a ruler will be used for determining distance. I feel that a ruler will not be cumbersome with this system considering that range increments are relatively large (half a foot to a foot). This means that there should be many instances where distance/movement/spacing can easily be adjudicated without the need to use any tool for measuring.
Ar Kayon:
The Battle Sequence
In Nevercast, combat time is not separated by individual turns. The reasoning behind this is that individual turns make it difficult for me to accurately model how events might play out in real time. So many things are happening all at once during combat, so why not try to emulate that chaos in a structured manner that doesn't make the GM go insane?
So, within a combat round, actions are resolved by an order of operations. Take note that all of these actions are occurring at generally the same time, but their resolution is dependent upon the complexity of the action.
1 - Command. When characters give out short instructions to other players during combat, that occurs before everything else plays out. This is an extremely important aspect of combat because players are not allowed to coordinate their tactics outside of the game world.
2 - Movement and Positioning. Next, all combatants that intend to move or position themselves (e.g. to move out of cover to fire) do so. During this time, it is possible for other combatants to reactively attack them, which is akin to D&D's attacks of opportunity. Even moving out of cover can elicit a reactive attack if an opposing combatant is aiming at that area.
3 - Ready Action. Any combat action that is immediately ready occurs at this time. So, if you plan on shooting after you just got out of cover, that action occurs here unless if you are taking your time to aim.
4 - Prepared Action and CQC. If you took the time to focus your aim, the action of shooting occurs here. Hand-to-hand combat exchanges are also resolved during this time.
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