Grand Battles in Free-Style Role-Play
Concepts
A. Traits
B. Task Resolution
C. Skills
D. Wounds
E. Combat
F. Quick & Dirty
G. Magic
H. Ignobles
I. Advancement
J. Missions
K. Encounters
L. Digressions
F. Quick & Dirty (Q&D)
Another advantage of free-style play is the scale of battles that can be easily fought. Most rules
simply leave the referee and players guessing when it comes to large scale battles or ship
engagements. Or worse, the rules shift to a total war-game environment where the players need hours
and boxes of figures to get anything resolved. In Better Games, the players are given a system of Q&D
tables that allow the referee to generate the action for the players in these grander battles where
the simple stuff (like unsheathing, charging and swinging a sword) can be assumed. When a player fights
in a ship battle or faces a horde of opponents, he doesn’t just attempt single actions like Warrior’s
Sidearm or Plasma Generation, he fights looking for key actions that allow continuation or resolution
of the battle.
Q&D tables are almost like encounter tables used inside the heart of great battles. As players fight
and do all those things they would in individual actions, the Q&D tables will prompt them to make dice
rolls, usually based on skills, that truly make the difference, turn the tide, fill the wide screen so
to speak for the viewing audience. Again, think of the story or movie. As players battle, occasionally
the camera will come in for a close-up, a detailed event in the heart of an otherwise chaotic affair.
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