Skitzyfrenic
Elves are for lewding.
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I'm not sure what that is. Usually what I had to do was mark which ticks each player or NPC got their first action, and then add from there in a column. It would look something like this.
IIRC the core book for Ex2 had something like this(X and Y are characters)(I forgot to add a column on the left for numbers forgive me) and its pretty much what you did:
X | X | ||||
Y | X | Y | Y | ||
Y | X | XY | X | ||
Y | |||||
Y | |||||
X | X |
What I do is (something like) this(
X | Y |
|
|
|
|
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* | |
O | |
O |
But again, at least in 3E, you don't need to actually do any of this. As long as you know your current intiative, none of these are necessary. And calculating initiative shifts aren't even all that different from calculating the Seven Steps in 2E combat, you just substitute Health Pools for Initiative when it comes to withering attacks.
So I have two health pools to keep track of. One is attack momentum and one is actually health. Okay. And I would probably still do that (well stuff like it) because I'm not a shitter and I like my charsheet to be nice and easy to read for anyone. Especially my GM.
I still would much rather do something like "I hit someone for 6 withering damage, so my Initiative goes up by 7 and his goes down by 6. Because his initiative is now 6, he now goes after my friend with initiative 8." The math is more linear, and we don't need to look at the overlap in actions that might occur. We just need to know that 12-6 < 8
That's more complicated than: I act with a speed 4 action and act again in 4 ticks, no math required (Which is what happens 90% of the time for me. The remaining 10% is when I attack at speed 3 with charm augmentation or use rocket pack to slam into someone/fly). I don't understand how wait 4 ticks before acting again is less complicated than ipc1 = 5+7 = 12 and ie = 12-6 = 6. And then comparing init values and going 12 > 8 > 6 for the next round. And that's the simple version. That you just gave me. And if I read something you posted to Val (will find and quote) then the order in which people act inside of a round can change as well.
A change in initiative is only meaningful if the person whose initiative changed has yet to act. If so, they are pushed backwards or forwards in the turn order, relative to other people who have yet to act. Otherwise, the change only takes effect at the start of the next round.
The math is less linear.
If we were going by how I understand the RAW in Ex2 for ticks its on an action tick do: Tickcurrent+Speed = Tickmynextaction. When Tickcurrent and Tickmynextaction are the same, act. Which is still less math and even more linear. What makes it 'complicated' is that you have to do it for everyone, on their 'own track.'
Speaking as someone who GMs E on a weekly basis, all I need is a player's initial Initiative values. From there, I can track how combat shifts pretty easily as long as I have a pencil or a word doc. But I can guarantee to you that, if you can keep track of all the combat resolution steps in 2.5E, you can definitely handle ticks. It's just that one form of attack hits initiative, and another form of attack hits HP.
Yes... I can handle ticks. That's what I've been saying? Sorry, sorry. You mean handle initiative.
I'm sure I can. But one (ish. The equation of does x = y yet every tick, I suppose, counts) math equation for one character every time instead of possible several per round (just for my PC) is pretty appealing.
I can also handle the withering/decisive thing. I think its great in theory. Really allows you to paint a fight changing direction, and gaining momentum and finally crushing your foes. Very action/wuxia movie. I don't like the charm bloat it causes or that I have to remember that one accounts for hardness, that my weapon only counts when I'm attacking a certain way (which... is kinda weird a weapon's accuracy should affect both because its the same weapon basically doing the same thing). It basically doubles (a little hyperbole) the basic combat rules because there are two kinds of attacks.
But I only have to write down my next action tick every time I act. Once. I don't have the possibility of changing my init value more than once as the round progresses. My previous action's speed has dictated when my next action happens.
I understand the basics of both systems and continue to find ticks simpler and easier. It was less simple at a glance, but once I figured it out, ticks are a -less- complex system, in my opinion. They are poorly explained in Ex2, core tho. Init+Rounds is simpler on the surface and gets more complicated.
This is your opinion and likely from your experience in having players who didn't understand ticks. I think Tickcurrent + Speed = Tickmynextaction is easier as a player.
I will admit that there is a lot more 'gaming' of init values that can happen strategically, because of its deeper complexity. I think that the rounds system is easier to explain and understand because of the ease of explaining it, but it -is- more complex.
Edit: shit wording