GURPS - Basic Set 3r..

The GURPS combat system is designed to allow a realistic simulation of allkinds of combat action. This involves a great deal of detail. Therefore, combat is presentedin two versions: Basic, for the beginner and for the group more interested inroleplaying than combat . . . and Advanced (p. 102) for those wanting playable detailand realism.COMBAT TURN SEQUENCECharacters act one at a time, until they have all taken a turn: then they start over.The sequence in which they act can be determined in either of two ways (see sidebar).Your turn starts when you choose a maneuver, and ends when you choose your nextmaneuver - that is. after all other characters have acted once. Each turn represents onesecond of real time.MANEUVERSStart each turn by choosing any one of the following maneuvers. The maneuver youchoose will also affect your defenses if you are attacked before your next turn. You donot select a defense until you are actually attacked - but the maneuver you choose willgovern the defenses you can use. Defenses are explained on p. 98.MoveMove, and do nothing else (except for the "free" actions listed on p. 97). You mayuse any legal active defense.Movement and special actions are wholly abstract: no gameboard is required. If adecision about movement becomes important ("How long will it take me to run acrossthe room and grab the jewel?"), the GM provides it. A character's Move is equal to thenumber of yards he can run per second - a Move of 5 lets you run 5 yards per second,and so on. If you prefer more detailed and accurate movement rules, use the AdvancedSystem.Change PositionGo from standing to prone, kneeling to standing, or any other position change. (Ittakes two turns to go from prone to standing: first you kneel, then you stand.)Exception: You can go from kneeling to standing, or vice versa, and attack on the sameturn (below).You can use any defense on the turn you change position.ReadyReady any weapon or other item (see sidebar, p. 104). Any weapon is "unready" if itis in its scabbard or holster. An axe, mace or other heavy weapon becomes "unready"when you swing it; it must be readied again before each use! Some weapons must be"readied" for more than one second after each use.You can parry with a weapon, or block with a shield, as soon as you have readied it -that is, on the same turn! You can also use any other legal active defense on the turnwhen you ready an item. Exception: If you are "readying" a missile weapon by reloadingit, your only defense is to Dodge - and if you Dodge, you lose the benefit of that Iran ofreloading.Note that, even if you are ambidextrous, you cannot ready one weapon on the sameturn you attack with another.Turn SequenceThere are two ways to determine whogoes first: the easy way, and the realisticway.The Easy WayEach player rolls a die. The winnergoes first. After that, players take theirturns in order, moving clockwise aroundthe table. If a player controls several characters,they may act in any order - and itdoes not always have to be the same order.This system has the advantage of simplicity.However, there is a slight advantagein going first in each rotation.Realistically, this advantage would go to thefastest characters. If you would prefer to playthis way, use ....The Realistic WayBefore combat begins, compare theMove scores of all characters. The highestMove goes first: put a "1" in the"Sequence" box at the top right of hischaracter sheet, as a reminder. (Use pencil!)The second-highest Move score goes next,and gets a "2" And so on. In case of ties, thehighest basic Speed goes first; here is wherea 5.5 is better than a 5.25, for instance. (Ifanyone is still tied, roll dice to see who goesfirst.)Which is Better?Over a few turns of combat, the advantagesand disadvantages of sequencing tend toaverage out. Use the method you are mostcomfortable with. If there are more than adozen fighters in the game, though, the easyway is much faster.A weapon with a length of chainbetween the handle and the head is a flail. Theone-handed flail is a "morningstar."Because of the chain, a flail can "wraparound" a foe's weapon when he tries toparry it. Therefore, any parry against a flailweapon is at a -4. And fencing weapons,with their light blades, cannot parry a flail atall! Even a shield is less useful against a flail;blocks are at -2.