Fighting the good fight

Copyright 1986© Stefan Jones

The close-combat system in the SPACE OPERA game, adapted as it was from a set of miniatures rules, lacks a certain authenticity despite its complexity. The give-and-take manoeuvering of melee combat is missing, as are rules governing parrying, facing, and shields. This variant introduces some of these elements in order to make melee combat in the game more exciting and skillful. With these rules, fighting primitives on a backwater planet and tussling with rowdies in a starport bar become tactical exercises rather than die-rolling contests.

All or part of this variant may be used to add some spice and realism to your SPACE OPERA melee battles. Persons more familiar with the fighting arts should feel free to correct the systems used above to more accurately simulate the «real thing.» I’ve tried to present systems which give a good fight, rather than simulate actual brawls. To properly use this variant, it is necessary to mount 25mm miniatures of the combatants on 1/2»-square pieces of balsa wood, thick cardboard, or plastic. If you’re using cardboard counters or figures instead of figurines, no base is necessary.

The front face of the base or counter should be indicated with an arrow or dark line. This base is used to determine when the figures or characters are in contact (able to use melee weapons), and it helps determine facing. A facing diagram is below:

The front of the character is the area in which he can use a melee weapon in his primary hand against opponents. The shield arc is the area in which the character can use a shield or other device in his secondary hand to parry attacks. If a character has no shield, the area to his side within the shield-use arc becomes undefended. The side and rear areas of the diagram are those in which weapons and parrying devices may not be used to attack or defend:  i.e., they are blind spots.

In this variant, a character is engaged, or in contact, when the bases of the character- figures involved are touching. (Note: If a figure has an extraordinarily long weapon, such as a pike, the GM may wish to allow the figure bearing the weapon to engage enemies at greater distance.) When a close-combat situation has been initiated, the following sequence is followed for each HTH combat phase:

1. The facing of the engaged characters is noted.

2. Using the initiative chart in vol. II of the SPACE OPERA rule books, page 48, the initiative of the characters involved is computed. Facing can affect this score, as noted below.

3. Players declare what actions the characters will take (i.e., stand and fight, parry, turn to face enemy) in reverse initiative order, going from the lowest score to the highest.

4. Characters perform their actions with the highest initiative figures going first and lowest initiative figures going last. Effects of combat results are applied as they are resolved

5. HTH combat phase ends for this turn. If a character is engaged by an enemy in a rear arc, the character’s basic initiative score (without the, 1d20 random factor) is halved. The character may turn to face the engaging figure when his turn to act comes, but he may not then attack or parry. The engaging figure may attack with a 25% bonus added to his «to hit» chance if the attacked character turns to face him, +40% if the attacked character keeps his back turned. If a character is engaged by a figure in a side arc, the character may turn to face the engaging figure and may parry with a weapon or shield on the side that the attacker engaged. The initiative of the character is reduced by 25% before the 1d20 roll. Round all fractions up.

In this variant, the percentage chance that a character will be able to strike his opponent is equal to his basic initiative score, without the 1d20 random factor. Thus, if Mike Spaceman has a HTH factor of 32 with his Monofilament knife, is carrying a heavy load, and is facing an opponent with a weapon one point slower than his, his percentage chance to hit is equal to (32 + 3 + 3 - 2) = 36%.

If a character has a «to hit» score over 50% or has an expertise of 6 + with the weapon he’s using, the attack roll may be split into two different attacks. If the «to hit» score is over 80% or the character has an expertise of 9+ with the weapon, the attack may be split up into three attacks.

There is no penalty for multiple attacks, other than having to split the percentage chance to hit between the opponent(s) the figure is attacking.

Warriors on primitive worlds often use shields to fend off blows. Modern warriors use daggers, chairs, and other objects for the same reason. These rules cover the use of such parrying devices.

If a character is being attacked by a figure who is within his shield arc, and if the character is properly equipped, he may parry to reduce the chance that his enemy will strike him. There is a chance that the shield or weapon being used to parry will be struck or damaged by the opponent’s attack. Parrying devices are divided into the following classes:

«5%» parrying devices reduce the attacker’s chance to hit by that amount. These devices include daggers, knives, bottles, and tools such as wrenches or screwdrivers. If the character using the device has fighting expertise with it, the protection factor is raised by 2% per expertise level. If using an ordinary tool or random object, the factor is raised by 1% per brawling expertise level.

«10%» parrying devices include bucklers, daggers, and swords specifically meant for parrying, and any other long melee weapons used for defense. If one is skilled with the device used, and if it is a shield or special parrying weapon (i.e., a main gauche), the protection factor is increased by 3% per expertise level. Other weapons used gain a bonus of 2% per expertise level of user.

«20%» parrying devices include large shields such as the target shield, and large objects such as chairs held in one hand as a makeshift shield. Actual shield use nets the user a 3% bonus per shield expertise level. Makeshift shields have their protection factor increased by 1% per brawling expertise level.

«30%» parrying devices include huge shields like the tower shield, and small tables or chairs used two-handed. The protection factor is increased by expertise as per the «20%» devices described above. When using this type of shield, the user’s chance to hit is reduced by 30%, minus his level of shield expertise, assuming the user has a hand free to use weapons in the first place!

When an attacker rolls to hit a shielded figure, his «to hit» percentage chance is reduced by the shield’s total protection factor. If the «to hit» roll would have hit if the target was not using a shield or parrying device, the shield or parrying device may have been hit and damaged. The percentage chance that the device has been damaged is equal to (5 X attacker’s weapon expertise) - (3 X defender’s shield expertise) + 20%. If damage is scored, roll to see if the shield is penetrated. There’s a 50% chance of penetrating a defending weapon, which will break it. This roll may be modified greatly if the weapon and defending device are of vastly different tech levels of material. (A LightSword will certainly penetrate a wooden club!) If the parrying device is penetrated, the attacker may roll to see if his attack penetrated the target’s body armor. Penetration chances are then reduced by 1d6 due to the stopping power of the shield or parrying weapon. Shields may be penetrated an indefinite number of times before becoming useless, with a 50% chance each time damage is done that the shield is destroyed by the attack. Weapons damaged while used a parrying devices may be ruined or only partially destroyed.

Rather than attacking the defending figure, an attacker may attempt to knock a shield or weapon out of his opponent’s hand. The percentage chance to succeed is reduced by 2% per defender’s weapon expertise (if going after his weapon), or 1% per defender’s shield expertise plus the basic factor of the shield (if going after the defender’s shield). The defender may not use his shield or parrying weapon to reduce the chance to disarm.

The GM might allow the defender to roll a CR strength roll to hang on to a successfully «caught» weapon. Success means the weapon is not lost, but the wielder may not attack or parry with it next turn in order to get a better grip on it. A weapon successfully knocked from its wielder’s grip will fly 1d6 - 3 meters from the scene of the battle.