Combat crutches.

[Headless]

Any one have any helpful combat crutches?  Ways to make it easier for the DM to decide if high ground plus being fresh is enough for the 3.5 warfair to beat third place?  

Also anyone use any kind of dice ever?  I want randomness in gun battles I know the rules say use 'stuff' but I want randomness, I know it's a crutch.

Any one allow their players to 'challenge the call on the field'?  Give the players a chance to say 'I think my sneaky edge is worth more than you seem to' so once a night each player gets to ask the DM to review their decision.  DM could say I'm not going to let you use it now.  Or could review their decision, what ever the new call is stands, and on you go.

[Gronan of Simmerya]

1) WTF?

2) WTF?

3) No, but we actually discuss things without any sort of "x number of times a night."  If a player disagrees with the ref they can say so.

[AsenRG]

Any one have any helpful combat crutches? Ways to make it easier for the DM to decide if high ground plus being fresh is enough for the 3.5 warfair to beat third place?  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxnsopHOxVg


Oh, wait, that word above is Warfare, not Warforged, right? (I dodn't notice what forum this was in).

Then yes, it's probably enough. Consider that Corwin defeated Benedict by virtue of Benedict having his feet trapped, and only being able to use one hand. Corwin was probably 3rd or 4th in Warfare, and bought it up past Eric.
Amber puts lots of importance into environmental factors, IMO.

Also anyone use any kind of dice ever?

In Amber? Not really. But I don't see why it should be wrong, if the GM wants to do it that way.

I want randomness in gun battles I know the rules say use 'stuff' but I want randomness, I know it's a crutch.

A multitude of factors I don't have time to represent might as well be random.

Any one allow their players to 'challenge the call on the field'?  Give the players a chance to say 'I think my sneaky edge is worth more than you seem to' so once a night each player gets to ask the DM to review their decision.  DM could say I'm not going to let you use it now.  Or could review their decision, what ever the new call is stands, and on you go.

Most decent GMs do that, I've found.

[JesterRaiin]

Any one have any helpful combat crutches?  Ways to make it easier for the DM to decide if high ground plus being fresh is enough for the 3.5 warfair to beat third place?  

Just a reminder:

• As far as I'm concerned, big disproportion between ranks renders all typical situational (ambush), environmental (terrain) and personal (health) advantages/disadvantages irrelevant. It doesn't matter that Gerard is sick, lying in a deep pit, it's night, heavy rain and you're called Chuck Norris. Come anywhere within the reach of his hands and he will snap your Human Rank neck like a twig. ;]
  
• This doesn't mean that the better one always and instantly wins, or that he comes unharmed from the fight. It's just that he is at serious advantage and controls the combat.
• All advantage and control might be lost. Everyone makes mistakes. The fact that Benedict, alleged Amber #1 Rank Warfare has lost his hand in a sword fight proves that.
• No matter how good you are, no matter how well you're prepared and how well you control the combat, you could be still caught off-guard, or face things that you don't know how to respond to. Here's where I disagree with creators of AMBER RPG. I think it was Eric Wujcik himself, that gave the example of Benedict being impervious to ambush. While his example might pass as "reasonable", there was the moment in Zelazny's books, when Corwin managed to lure Benedict into a trap and the result was that he could slit his throat and gut him like a harmless pig. Yep, master at warfare, the supreme leader and tactician, veteran of countless battles and duels was at the mercy of clearly inferior fighter.

This being said, when there's serious disproportion between combatants' ranks, I assume that at least initially control belongs to the better one and that any local advantages don't matter that much, which means that I don't bother my head with their existence. It's up to combatants to use whatever they can think about, in whatever way they think it might help them, aka "create their own advantages" or "getting the upper hand".

Initially - somebody is fucked and that's about it, no need FOR DM to care about the scene. ;]

[jibbajibba]

just talk it through.

As you explain the fight the fight will resolve itself.
I always insist that in Amber combats the players talk in character.

At the onset I try to reveal disparities through description.

Clever play will often let you escape but will probably not let you win. So a guy 3 ranks lower in psyche might find away to break his opponents concentration for a moment and escape the psychic lock but won't let them win. Likewise for Warfare.

Of course clever players will never engage in combat unless they have an advantage. My main PC (for the few games I have played not GMd) has an intelligent sword that can mold Shadow Reality and Amber ranked warfare. So it will generate disadvantages for the opponent allowing me to fight defensively until the opponents fell into the pit, tripped over the wire or whatever. it also had a racked spell to teleport me back to my home shadow should I start to loose.