jb.teller4
06-18-2008, 03:42 PM
Since one of the scenarios I'm considering running would likely involve some large battlefield fights (focused on the PCs, not the larger battle) and I would want to keep the momentum moving, rather than spending multiple turns on each individual opponents, I was thinking about just using Bloody Versus tests for those situations and using Fight! for more "spotlighted" fights. I'm picturing battlefields focused on the players. Enemies are lunging at them, and it's sweaty, confusing and dangerous. Most opponents are resolved (one way or the other) with a couple sword swings at most. However, sometimes a character winds up squaring off against a champion or commander and the camera stays on that fight for a couple minutes, really capturing every swing, push, narrowly successful block and grunt.
To handle that, I was thinking about using Bloody versus tests for all "nameless opponents" in larger fights, and using Fight! for named or significant opponents. In and of itself, I think that will work fine. My main question is this--if some players are involved in Bloody versus tests while other players are involved in Fight!, will they combine well? My thought is that one exchange of three volleys takes the same time as one Bloody versus test.
Or another use--for a band of orcs or something like that, I'd probably make it so several "nameless" opponents (who would all be Bloody Versus tests) had to be fought past to get to the commander (who would use Fight!), but when the commander fell, all of the band would break and run (if I wanted a chance of them staying, I might make it a Steel test, but I'd probably just have them run without a roll). That would make squaring off against a larger force still very dangerous and gritty, but faster and probably a little more likely to succeed (since the PC's higher skills would count for more and they wouldn't be taken out because of poor scripting).
I guess the reason is that for somewhat larger scale battles, I don't want to do full scripting and blow-by-blow, but a single roll feels too little for the "bosses"
Has anyone done this? How did it work? Any suggestions or alternatives? I think it's pretty simple and straightforward, but I haven't had a chance to play BW yet and so I don't have a good feel for how mechanics actually work in play.
-John
To handle that, I was thinking about using Bloody versus tests for all "nameless opponents" in larger fights, and using Fight! for named or significant opponents. In and of itself, I think that will work fine. My main question is this--if some players are involved in Bloody versus tests while other players are involved in Fight!, will they combine well? My thought is that one exchange of three volleys takes the same time as one Bloody versus test.
Or another use--for a band of orcs or something like that, I'd probably make it so several "nameless" opponents (who would all be Bloody Versus tests) had to be fought past to get to the commander (who would use Fight!), but when the commander fell, all of the band would break and run (if I wanted a chance of them staying, I might make it a Steel test, but I'd probably just have them run without a roll). That would make squaring off against a larger force still very dangerous and gritty, but faster and probably a little more likely to succeed (since the PC's higher skills would count for more and they wouldn't be taken out because of poor scripting).
I guess the reason is that for somewhat larger scale battles, I don't want to do full scripting and blow-by-blow, but a single roll feels too little for the "bosses"
Has anyone done this? How did it work? Any suggestions or alternatives? I think it's pretty simple and straightforward, but I haven't had a chance to play BW yet and so I don't have a good feel for how mechanics actually work in play.
-John