B/X is good. When characters have d6 hp and it’s instant death at 0 the combat becomes way more serious and tense.

Fair enough, but I think as long as you don’t let it extend to where players are trying to do things that they shouldn’t with their actions, encouraging them to describe their character flicking a sword around the opponent’s shield strap is encouraging them to engage with the scenario in a different way than just seeing stat numbers listed on a square.

I also think that the reactions in combat are exactly what you should be after. I love seeing a player take the ‘nontactical’ move that isn’t what they designed it to do (so a rushing charger kill everything in one hit character taking a shielding action).

I DMed a lot of shadowrun, and I really do love both of them equally. RP makes the world fun and meaningful, while combat gives it physicality, makes it real.

I miss it, if only I could afford to spend 10 hours on prep every week :<

I’ll expand this and say encounters. Sneaking past a patrol, disarming a trap, or charming a suspicious cook having a break at the service entrance… Those encounters often require some rp, but damn if there aren’t stakes.

Most ttrpgs are a roleplaying game glued to a strategy game and we flip flop between the games as we play. PBTA is a roleplaying game end to end. I love it with a group that enjoys roleplaying and doesn’t care for strategy.

Exactly this. Well said. I don’t understand why people love the long meaningless descriptions. Does FATE narrative always match the mechanics like PBTA does?

I don’t know PBTA well but I believe so.

Basically, every scene and character can have ‘aspects’, which are things that are true about them. They’re free form. Sometimes they’re just there, like if you’re in a bar it might have “Bubbling with drunk banter” or “Loud Pop Punk Soundtrack”. Aspects can then affect what makes sense in the scene. “Loud Pop Punk” can make it easier to move without being heard, but harder to make a speech because no one can hear you, for example.

You can also explicitly create aspects. Turn off the jukebox and the aspect might change to “Weirdly Quiet Bar” or whatever. In a fight, you can use the “create an advantage” move. That’s for stuff that isn’t about taking them out of the conflict right now, but setting things up. Like pushing them off balance, disarming them, screaming “LOOK! A DISTRACTION!” whatever. If the roll comes out if your favor, you can create an aspect that’s true and can also be invoked for a numeric bonus on a dice roll. So if you pants the guy you’re fighting, he can’t run full speed to chase you because his pants are down. You can also invoke that if you want to kick his ass, for a bonus on the dice roll.

These are all free form and it’s up to the group to decide what it actually means. Most groups probably wouldn’t let you invoke “I’m literally on fire!!” as a bonus if you’re trying to sneak through a crowd.

Typically, as I understand it, you’re either trying to take them out of the fight or trying to create advantages for side of the conflict. On a dramatic success on trying to take someone out, you can also create a small advantage.

Come play World of Darkness, where that’s the main focus!

This is one thing cool about DCC (among several), that warriors can attempt a mighty deed along with their attack to get extra effects, like slashing their ankles, throwing sand in their eyes, swinging from a chandelier or anything else. Then the GM decides what effect it has. It makes warriors a lot more bad-ass than just whack whack whack.

Imo WoD I feel gets the right balance of RP and streamlined combat with optional additional rules if they are needed. I’m also generally a firm believer in combat means all other forms of diplomacy has failed. I also love that no matter how strong you are, everyone has 7 points of health they can take (but there are ways of getting around that especially for mages)

And for all the good and bad that the 5e splats that Paradox is putting out, the “3 rounds and call it” philosophy of combat is something I enjoy immensely.

People will say this and still only play Dungeon Combat Game 5e rather than 1 of a thousand systems designed for exactly the type of player they are lmao

I just want the story to move forward.

Also, having a combat in 2 rolls build tension for when you can, in fact, avoid the combat.