Post by Paul on Jul 6, 2010 12:14:37 GMT -6
Cinematic vs Tactical Combat:
I’ve been thinking about this debate for a little while and come to the conclusion that I really prefer Tactical Combat.
While perusing the internet I found a good discussion about the topic.
www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/142222-gritty-vs-cinematic-k-edition-war.html
In this particular thread they named Tactical combat gritty but it is more or less the same thing.
To summarize:
This is a very good piece of advice.
This quote to me sums up what I feel as cinematic combat but doesn’t really define tactical. This is however a good example of gritty.
From my perspective and the purpose of this thread are my personal thoughts on the difference.
Each has its place and I mean no disrespect for Cinematic players but what is the point in saying I decide to swing my sword with a nasty upward motion while spinning around singing the lyrics from the hms pinafore? To me it is a waste of time. You DO NOT get any bonuses for your elaborate descriptions in combat and IMO it slows things down. Cinematic players always seem to think that the rules should bend for them when they try to act all ‘leet’. Per the quote above and from past experience from cinematic preferred players they want things to bend to their will to do things beyond the realm of the rules. What I tend to disagree with about that quote is the speed at which the combat happens. If you spend the time to describe every attack then you are wasting time. It also becomes a competition between players to make the most ‘leet’ attack. As a player at the table I don’t care, just go and roll I find it boring to have to sit there and wait for someone to out ‘leet’ someone else.
The flip side.
Most people tend to get bored faster with I roll, you roll, he rolls, they roll over and over again. Any good GM will be able to keep this flow and still make things exciting. Here are some of the things that I always try to do.
1. Get everyone involved. If there is a group that is mostly combat based but with one person that is the best hacker in the universe then here is what I usually do. The base we are in is set to self destruct in 5 minutes. It becomes the combat specialists’ job to protect the hacker. The hacker will work each round to hack into the computer, thus giving him something to do that suits his character.
2. Make something unexpected happen. During the fight a young child wanders into the danger zone. WTF! Someone cover me while I get that stupid kid out of here. Pork Chop Sandwiches!!
3. I have recently fallen in love with timed combat. We have an OOG hour to capture that scientist. GO!
4. Sometimes you have to mix up the cinematic feel. Once in a while that light saber strike just cleaved the enemies head into two pieces. Fried Chicken anyone?
This does however seem to contridict my bonuses for social situations. I place RPing social situations different then combat. Fighting is fighting. Swinging a weapon is swinging a weapon. The dice decide how effective your swing was. Using choice words and the dice decide how effective you are while speaking.
I’ve been thinking about this debate for a little while and come to the conclusion that I really prefer Tactical Combat.
While perusing the internet I found a good discussion about the topic.
www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/142222-gritty-vs-cinematic-k-edition-war.html
In this particular thread they named Tactical combat gritty but it is more or less the same thing.
To summarize:
A tactical DM that wants a more cinematic feel just has to let the rules slide when it is appropriate. A cinematic DM has accepted that the rules are there for consistency and fairness, and that letting things run rampant is only fun as long as every one is on the same page.
This is a very good piece of advice.
Nah, 'Gritty' and 'Cinematic' is something that will be defined by play style. A cinematic game will -- regardless of rules set - be 'looser', more forgiving to the PC's in terms of actions they can attempt without significant penalty or with vastly less drastic consequences of failure than in the real world, faster paced, and several other attributes I probably have forgotten. Gritty games will still be ones where there are equally hard choices and neither option is really good for the PC's, where life is hard and short, where greater attention is paid to the real-life limitations of bodies, the scarcity of luck, the inevitability of consequence and other trappings of a more realistic style of gaming.
This quote to me sums up what I feel as cinematic combat but doesn’t really define tactical. This is however a good example of gritty.
From my perspective and the purpose of this thread are my personal thoughts on the difference.
Each has its place and I mean no disrespect for Cinematic players but what is the point in saying I decide to swing my sword with a nasty upward motion while spinning around singing the lyrics from the hms pinafore? To me it is a waste of time. You DO NOT get any bonuses for your elaborate descriptions in combat and IMO it slows things down. Cinematic players always seem to think that the rules should bend for them when they try to act all ‘leet’. Per the quote above
A cinematic game will -- regardless of rules set - be 'looser', more forgiving to the PC's in terms of actions they can attempt without significant penalty or with vastly less drastic consequences of failure than in the real world
The flip side.
Most people tend to get bored faster with I roll, you roll, he rolls, they roll over and over again. Any good GM will be able to keep this flow and still make things exciting. Here are some of the things that I always try to do.
1. Get everyone involved. If there is a group that is mostly combat based but with one person that is the best hacker in the universe then here is what I usually do. The base we are in is set to self destruct in 5 minutes. It becomes the combat specialists’ job to protect the hacker. The hacker will work each round to hack into the computer, thus giving him something to do that suits his character.
2. Make something unexpected happen. During the fight a young child wanders into the danger zone. WTF! Someone cover me while I get that stupid kid out of here. Pork Chop Sandwiches!!
3. I have recently fallen in love with timed combat. We have an OOG hour to capture that scientist. GO!
4. Sometimes you have to mix up the cinematic feel. Once in a while that light saber strike just cleaved the enemies head into two pieces. Fried Chicken anyone?
This does however seem to contridict my bonuses for social situations. I place RPing social situations different then combat. Fighting is fighting. Swinging a weapon is swinging a weapon. The dice decide how effective your swing was. Using choice words and the dice decide how effective you are while speaking.