I'm at page 83 or something of the Adventurer's book at this point. So there's time.

Not pretty, but here are some Stance Cards that I will be using to record which Stance each PC is in and noting some relevant information.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14355510/StanceCards.pdf

They are designed to be printed, folded and placed in card protectors or folded as stand ups.

So basically:

you roll the d12 and add that to your stat.
Then you roll 1d6/skill level and add that to the total.

you succeed if you equal the difficulty, which defaults to 14.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;474928So basically:

you roll the d12 and add that to your stat.
Then you roll 1d6/skill level and add that to the total.

you succeed if you equal the difficulty, which defaults to 14.

Not quite.

You roll the d12; an 11 is a 0 and a 12 is an automatic success
Then you roll d6 per Skill level and add that to the total
You can spend a point of Hope to add your Stat

You succeed if you equal the difficulty, which defaults to 14.
You acheive a great success if a Skill dice gets a 6 and you acheive an extraordinary success if two Skill dice get 6s.

This in the core mechanic and doesn't include additional complications that arise in specific situations like:

- the use of Traits, which can also be used to get automatic successes in certain situations
- when Wearied, you ignore 1 to 3 on every Skill dice
- when Miserable, an 11 becomes a bout of madness
- when performing a Called Shot, an 11 is a critical failure
- when you spend Hope with a favoured Skill, you get to add a little extra that your stat

To my untrained eye 14 seems a little high.

I do love a different dice mechanic, though.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;475049To my untrained eye 14 seems a little high.

I do love a different dice mechanic, though.

It's 50% for Skill level 3 approximately. It is high for starting PCs but Hope is powerful (normally +4 to +6) as you only need to use if once you know you have failed, making it very tempting and highlighting the benefits and serious consequences of that resource.

Also, traits can grant automatic successes for quite a few of the more peripheral Skill rolls.

Any more detail on the combat system?

Quote from: B.T.;475170Any more detail on the combat system?

I wrote quite a bit about it on the other thread. Overall its quite flexible and open, relying on narration by GM and players and no physical tools. Though simple, it still has a few choices that do have a significant impact on the outcome. So you are not just rolling dice for attacks. For example, it is a common experience for PCs in their first combat to charge forward in Forward Stance, only to subsequently scatter to a variety of different Stances more appropriate to the PC and situation

The full version of combat (including stuff in the Adventurer's Book and Loremaster's Book) is:

1. At the onset of combat, there is rules for surprise and being surprised. Each PC makes a roll as appropriate. Extra successes allow PCs to warn or assist other PCs.

2. Each PC can roll their Battle Skill to gain a number of extra dice that they can use or gift anytime during the combat to represent tactical advantages and beneficial terrain use. The TN for the roll depends on the situation i.e. TN12 if you surprise your enemy, TN14 if you are defending, TN18 if you are attacking, not at all if you are surprised.

3. Most combats start with an opening volley of ranged weapons, though this will depend on the situation.

4. Each combat round alternates between sides. The one to go first depends on the set up i.e. PCs would go second if surprised but first if they surprised their foes.

5. Each PC chooses one of 4 stances - Forward, Open, Defensive (all 3 are melee), Rearward (ranged). A PC may only take Rearward if there are two PCs in melee and the PCs are not overwhelmed by numbers.

6. Stance determines 3 things, all of which are on the Stance Cards I posted. First is Order of Action. Forward goes first, then Open etc. Second is the Parry Value of you and your opponent. Forward is Parry + 6, Open is Parry + 9. So, if you go all out, its easier to hit your enemy but its easier to be hit. Third is the non-attack actions available. There is one for each Stance and include intimidation, rallying, aiming and protecting another PC, and Escape Combat for everyone.

7. Engagement. The side with the most combatants pairs PCs and NPCs on a one to one basis and then can double up or use ranged with extras.

8. Attacks rolls are like any other Skill. You do damage to Endurance for a hit based on Weapon and extra damage based on your Body Attribute for each extra success. A target can choose to halve damage by choosing to be knocked back and essentially loosing their next action. If you hit 0 Endurance you are unconscious (dying if you have a Wound).
 
9. If you roll high on your Feat Dice, you can also score a Wound. The target's armour gives a chance to resist the Wound. One Wound doesn't do much other than hinder healing (and grant Shadow Points for any PC that has you as a Fellowship Focus - "I'll save you, Mr Frodo!" . However, if you are Wounded a second time, you are unconscious. Also, if you are Wounded a second time and taken below 0 Endurance, you die.

10. You can take a Called Shot. Each Weapon has a different Called Shot effect, such as automaticaly threaten a Wound for a bow, disarm for a Sword or shield smash with an axe. To make a Called Shot you must success and get an extra success or nothing happens. If you roll an Eye, you critically fumble, essentially loosing your next turn.

11. Monsters do Called Shots when a PC rolls an Eye.

12. Monsters are a little simpler to operate than PCs. They automatically add their Attribute (they have 1 rather than 3) to any favoured skills. They go down with a Wound (though creatures of great size still need two). They have Hate points to fuel special effects, which are generally easier to use than PC Virtues.

Any questions?

Sounds interesting, but the game may be too storygamey for my tastes.  The mechanics sound interesting, though, and I'll have to check it out.

Quote from: B.T.;475372Sounds interesting, but the game may be too storygamey for my tastes.  The mechanics sound interesting, though, and I'll have to check it out.

There is certainly a Prince Valiant/Pendragon vibe to the game, so there are moments where such storygame like elements arise. On saying that, nearly all of them are relative open to interpretation just like they are in those older RPGs (and unlike a lot of modern storygames which tend to cause the greater issue). For example though there is a Fellowship phase, how formal/visible you make it in play will be almost entirely over to the GM. I could see it being entirely invisible to the players in some games and in others a tool for cooperative storytelling.

Is stance chosen once per battle or each round or?

Do both sides get the chance to get a tactical bonus with their Battle skill at the start of combat?

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;475394Is stance chosen once per battle or each round or?

Do both sides get the chance to get a tactical bonus with their Battle skill at the start of combat?

1. Every round, though you can be restricted from changing Stance, say if you have been knocked back or are bound in a web.

2. No, just PCs. Monsters have equivalent advantages but they are all bundled in one place with other special abilities - Special Abilities and Hate. In play, this makes them easier for the LM to run as you aren't tracking dice pools for each monster. For example, Denizens in the Dark give a bonus if at night, in dense forest or underground. Commanding Voice allows a monster to assist other monsters.

I was thinking of using a Stance mechanism in my game, but I felt it was just one element too many. Having to choose a stance as well as all the usual just seemed a rather camel-unfriendly straw.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;475421I was thinking of using a Stance mechanism in my game, but I felt it was just one element too many. Having to choose a stance as well as all the usual just seemed a rather camel-unfriendly straw.

I am not sure what "the usual" is

FWIW in TOR there is no positioning, movement, terrain, range or line of sight rules. Stances wrap the pertinent parts of that and leaves the rest to narration. If you tried to add Stance on top of all that stuff, then yeah, you could be right.