For a conflict to exist, multiple sides or factions must want to achieve mismatched or conflicting goals.

What does each side gain or lose from the conflict?

The clever combatant will prepare the arena of conflict and carefully choose the moment to strike long before the victim imagines a conflict at all.

Sun Tzu's The Art of War contains 10 core principles of conflict to consider when designing a conflict encounter.

The Adventurers opponents may also attempt to set Ambushes if given opportunity and time.

☐ AMBUSH SITE OR PREPARATIONS
How or where will the attackers take cover or conceal their attack?

What preparations may allow one side to ambush others?

☐ AMBUSH SPOILERS
What events might spoil the ambush or cause the attackers to abort their planned attack?

☐ AMBUSH CONDITIONS
What events or target locations cause the attackers to spring the ambush?

What quote or action will the attackers use to start the attack?

If the Adventurer's successfully set an Ambush, they may take a free Round of action against their unprepared opponents.

However, if the opponents successfully detect the Ambush, no surprise Round need occur as both sides ready for conflict together.

If the Adventurers fail to detect an Ambush set by an opponent, the opponent may take a free Round of action against the Adventurers.

Carefully consider how to “fail forward” in this case to avoid a possible “total party kill” (TPK).

In the spirit of early 20th century serial films, consider allowing the opponent to monologue and gloat then rebuff or capture the Adventurers, rather than outright slay them.

Roll an opposed Reflexes check of each participant to the conflict to decide which participants may act on the surprise round.

Some Skills or Special Effects allow Adventurers to avoid Surprise situations.

Generally, the Adventurer's Reflexes Attribute will govern how quickly they act or react within a conflict.

The Guide may choose to add modifiers to accommodate specific circumstances.

Consider who may notice or react first in the circumstance, and possibly assign a bonus.

Also consider who may not notice or react first, and possibly assign a penalty.

Many other options for determining Initiative and Turn Order exist such as:

• Random: Assign each action to a card, shuffle the deck of action cards and draw each card to find whose Turn comes next.

If there is a surprise round, and for subsequent rounds, roll for Initiative with Reflexes bonuses and penalties.

Design Alternatives Analysis Archive - Combat Round Structure And Initiative
Roleplaying Tips #0503 - Taking The Initiative - These Methods and Ideas Will Surprise You
Roleplaying Tips #0630 - How To Take Care of Initiative
Roleplaying Tips #0873 - Use Initiative To Keep Players Engaged
Roleplaying Tips #1033 - Novel Ways To Use Non-Combat Initiative

◢ Salvage Space: Initiative

If the group determines Initiative only once per Session or once per Conflict, it may help for everyone to seat themselves at the table in Turn order.

Guides may speed up resolving conflicts by acting for all Opponents in a single Turn within the Round, instead of each Opponent acting in Turn individually.

On each Adventurer's Turn, also call out who comes next to help prompt them to ready their next Action.

This may help keep conflicts moving swiftly.

Sort the participants into a Turn Order from highest to lowest results of the Initiative rolls.

Guides may choose to act individually for each NPC or group the NPC actions together on a single Initiative.

◢ Salvage Space: Turn Order

☐ BRAWLING / STREET-FIGHTING

☐ BOXING

☐ WRESTLING

☐ MARTIAL ARTS

Generally, Adventurers take 1, 2, or 3 actions during their Turn depending on their Speed attribute.

Encourage the Adventurers to plan their actions as a sequence on their turn, and consider narrating the intended actions as a story.

☐ LOOKING
Facing and Field of View have critical influence on effectiveness in combat.

Without enhancements, the average person:

• faces forward in the direction in front of their shoulders.
• can turn their head to face left, face right, or face straight ahead
• can focus on activity or aim at targets clearly within a 60 degree field of view in the direction they look.
• includes 120 degrees peripheral vision looking in a forward direction they look where Awareness checks may allow notice of specific actions or details.

☐ PARLEY
On their Turn, an Adventurer may request a truce, open a dialogue or start negotiation rather than attack, possibly de-escalating the fight into a Social Conflict encounter.

☐ TAUNT
On their Turn, an Adventurer may hurl taunts or insults at their opponent to distract or otherwise disrupt their tactical thinking.

Taunting enemies may also rally teammates and improve their morale.

☐ TURNING
Combatants may use actions to change their facing, turning their forward-facing direction one hex-side per action without moving into a new location.

☐ MOVE / WALK
Combatants may use actions to move and change location (a square, hex, or area) per action.

While moving, Combatants may change facing by one hex-side without using an additional action.

☐ CRAWL
Prone combatants may use two actions to belly crawl or slide on their back to another location (square, hex, or area).

☐ RUN
Combatants may move increase the distance per action used by running instead of walking, but other actions taken while running happen with a -1 to -3 penalty.

Heavily loaded or encumbered combatants cannot cover the same distance running while encumbered as when unencumbered.

The combatants Speed Attribute determines the additional distance they may cover while running.

☐ DROP PRONE
Combatants may use actions to drop prone to the ground.

The combatants Speed Attribute determines how many Actions it takes them to drop prone safely.

☐ GET UP
Combatants may use an action to stand up from a prone position.

The combatants Speed Attribute determines how many Actions it takes them to get back on their feet.

☐ DODGE
Hand-to-hand and melee combatants may attempt to dodge incoming attacks rather than parry them, including twisting out of the way, stepping back, or to the side.

☐ WITHDRAW / RETREAT
Combatants may begin disengaging from the field of battle, backing out of the lines of attack or fire while maintaining defensive stances, ability to block further attack, or still return fire.

☐ FLEE
Combatants morale may break and they panic, turn, and run, possibly dropping their weapons.

☐ ATTACK
Combatants may choose a number of possible ways to inflict harm on their opponents, beyond those listed here.

☐ CLAW / GOUGE
Combatants may use their fingers to claw an enemy or attempt to gouge them in a specific area such as they eyes using their Dexterity.

☐ PUNCH
Combatants may strike with the closed or opened fist using their Dexterity.

☐ PUSH / SHOVE
Combatants may push or shove using both hands Dexterity or their entire body Agility.

☐ ELBOW
Combatants may strike with their elbows using their Agility.

☐ KNEE
Combatants may strike with their knees using their Agility.

☐ KICK
Combatants may strike with their feet using their Agility to inflict blunt trauma.

☐ TRIP
Combatants may strike with their feet using their Agility with the intent to tangle their opponents feet to knock them down.

☐ BITE
Combatants may bite their opponent by successfully using their Agility for positioning.

☐ BLOCK
Combatants may attempt to defensively block incoming strikes using Agility for best positioning.

☐ GRAPPLE
Combatants may use Agility or Dexterity with skills such as Wrestling (if trained) to grapple an opponent setting them up for additional close combat attacks.

☐ CHOKE
A combatant may use Dexterity and their hands or Agility and a choke-hold to choke a grappled opponent.

☐ PIN
A combatant may use Dexterity and their hands or Agility and their body leverage to pin a grappled opponent.

☐ MARTIAL ARTS MOVE
Combatants trained in a martial arts may use appropriate moves on their Turn, which may require using one or more actions to complete.

☐ DRAW / DROP WEAPON
Drawing a weapon from a holster, safe, or hiding spot uses one or more actions, depending on what is required to disengage any safeties or locks and free the weapon for use.

Certain cultures may require melee weapons secured with elaborate straps, ropes, or knots as a guard against reckless or impulsive dueling which may also require additional actions to correctly free the weapon for use.

☐ SWING WEAPON
Combatants armed with larger melee weapons may swing them to attack as an action.

Two-handed weapons require two actions to fully swing for greatest effect.

☐ STAB
Combatants armed with pointed weapons may use actions to stab at their opponents with the points, including daggers, knives, or bayonets intending to cause small but deep wounds.

Two-handed weapons such as a spears require two actions to lunge and stab to deliver the full impact and force.

☐ SLASH
Combatants armed with pointed weapons may use actions to slash at their opponents with the points, intending shallow but long wounds.

☐ AIM
Combatants may use actions Turn by Turn to steady their ranged weapons and improve their accuracy before firing.

☐ THROW
Combatants may throw objects or weapons at their opponents as an action.

Objects requiring two hands to throw, such as chairs or large boxes, require two actions to fully handle and throw.

☐ FIRE
Combatants may fire a weapon, as a snapshot or after actions used aiming carefully.

☐ LAUNCH MISSILE
The number of actions required to prepare a missile for launch varies by missile.

Combatants may trigger the launch of a previously prepared missile weapon as an action.

☐ RELOAD
Combatants may reload a weapon such as preparing another arrow, crossbow bolt, fitting a new magazine to a firearm or speed-loading a revolver using two actions.

One action retrieves the reload from its storage, such as pulling an arrow from a quiver or magazine from a pouch and the additional action fits the reload to the weapon.

Without a speed-loader, reloading a revolver uses an action per bullet.

☐ AID
Combatants may provide first aid to the wounded, requiring one or more actions depending on the aid rendered.

Compressing a wound to stop additional bleeding requires an action per Turn and prevents using both hands for two-handed actions.

☐ USE ITEM
Combatants may prepare and use some other item carried into battle.

The actions required to prepare and use the item vary by item.

☐ SHEATHE WEAPON
Larger melee weapons may type an extra action to correctly sheathe.

☐ HOLSTER WEAPON
Combatants may take an action to return a weapon correctly to its holster, including securing it if the holster provides a way to.

☐ SLING WEAPON
Combatants may take an action to reposition a weapon on a sling to their back to free their hands.

◢ Salvage Space: Actions Per Turn

Adding events to conflicts adds choices and decisions for Adventurers to make beyond “who do I attack next?”.

While planning conflict scenes, consider adding one or more external events driven by a countdown clock, to change the stakes and add more choices and decisions of which actions to take or delay.

At the start or top of a Round, or at the end or bottom of a Round, update the Adventurers on the changing countdown of the events, even if the update is a cryptic clue that something may get worse soon.

• Air runs out.
• Fires spread
• Sounds of approaching reinforcements grow louder.
• Distant lights grow stronger or dimmer.
• Ships sink further.
• Cracks grow wider threatening to break sooner.

Change the arena of conflict in overt and subtle ways to help each Round of a conflict tell its own story around the Adventurers.

◢ Salvage Space: Events in Conflicts

A Guide can prepare a list of possible actions or moves for the first few Rounds of anticipated conflicts during their preparation time.

Then, during the conflict, the Guide consults their menu of prepared options rather than spend more cognitive effort and time considering strategy and tactics in the moment.

Combined with Conditions, a Guide may prepare an “AI Table” to simply roll on to find their NPC combatant's next action.

Example Table:

The sheer number of possible actions allowed may paralyze a Player on their Turn, unable to decide which to commit to.

If you find a Player getting stuck, quickly review some common options with them.

The Roleplaying Tips “Five Actions” cover five common actions an Adventurer may choose on their Turn:

• Avoid any action
• Explore for more information
• Parley with the opponent such as attempting to de-escalate or negotiate
• Trick the opponent (which may including taunting or bluffing)
• Fight by continuing with an attack

Guides should limit their time to choose their action within their Turn to return the “spotlight” back to the Adventurers quickly.

If a Player has questions about the situation or requests clarifications about rules or actions, try to resolve or advise them on those questions quickly.

Strive to limit “out of character” discussion to the briefest possible amount and return to the action as quickly as possible for the benefit of all Adventurers.

Answer questions with a simple yes or no where possible and aim for brevity to improve response time and overall speed of conflict resolution.

Roleplaying Tips #0670 - Combat Roleplay: Teach Your Players To Narrate The Action
Roleplaying Tips #0996 - Make Your Turns Go Faster
Roleplaying Tips #1178 - 4 Ways To Surprise Players Who Know All The Monster Stats

◢ Salvage Space: Actions

For the Guide, roll all Task Resolution and damage dice together using dice of different colors to speed up Conflicts.

The Adventurers may choose to roll Damage separately to draw out their moments of impact to the story.

◢ Salvage Space: To-Hit Rolls

Before calling for any dice rolls, know which result ranges mean which degrees of success: total success, passable success with possible complications, and failures.

Consider and review modifiers needed to include current circumstances.

◢ Salvage Space: Core Mechanic

Attribute versus Attribute conflicts may extend for a number of Rounds.

Wearing down Attribute Reserves allows clear signals when one side of the conflict may choose to concede or withdraw.

Consider an upper limit of Rounds before one side or the other should concede or withdraw.

◢ Salvage Space: Opposed Attribute Score Test

Resolve Tasks using the Adventurers full range of Attributes, Skills, Modifiers, and Dice to allow Adventurers the widest range of choice for solving situations.

Consider creating conflict tasks which require differing Attributes, Skills, and SFX Abilities to engage multiple Adventurers within each Turn of each Round.

Avoid repeating the Task resolution from Adventurer to Adventurer in the same Round.

◢ Salvage Space: Task Resolution

The 2d6-2d6 roll heavily stacks the results in favor of the central, average outcome, leaving the extreme results as rare occurrences.

When an Adventurer scores a Critical, celebrate the event with an “over-the-top” result, even if it might “break” or “ruin” the rest of the encounter.

And when an Adventurer scores a Fumble, celebrate that with a surprising “curve ball” rather than total abject failure with no way forward.

When planning encounters, consider the slim possibility any roll could result in a Critical or Fumble for the Adventurers, or their Opponents.

Plan to make that memorable if it happens.

◢ Salvage Space: Criticals and Fumbles

Before taking an Action, Adventurers and the Guide should consider the potential reactions.

When planning encounters, consider the opponents possible reactions to the Adventurers actions, and consider the Adventurers possible reactions to the Guide's actions.

Consider planning reactions in the form of:
“If the Adventurers …,
then these Opponents might …”

Start with “if” to preserve and encourage Adventurer options and freedom within the encounter while using reactions as triggers to setup the next problem to solve.

◢ Salvage Space: Reactions

Dramatically recount the effects of Adventurers' actions or attacks against their Opponents.

If the Adventurers score hits, definitely tell that story!

Even if the Adventurers miss, those misses may still allow a story to tell.

What happened with the swing, the shot, the spell, power, or ability?

If it didn't “hit the target”, then what did it hit?

◢ Salvage Space: Hit Locations

It falls to the Guide to track and describe damage inflicted by the Adventurers in a conflict.

Describe this damage through what the Adventurer sees and hears happen to their target.

Scale any graphic descriptions to the agreed tone and lines or veils set with the group during Session Zero.

When considering how to describe damage, base the description on the anticipated emotional state of the target in that event or circumstance.

How do people, animals, or monsters react when bad things happen to them?

Successful attacks may reduce defender's Endurance Reserves by the difference between the Attacker and Defender Degree of Success.

Successful Reactions may restore lost Endurance Reserves by the difference between the two Degrees of Success.

◢ Salvage Space: Damage

The Guide may choose to track Attribute Reserves for the Adventurers' Opponents but should not share them numerically.

Describe the loss of Reserves, if used for Opponents, through narrative from how the Adventurers themselves perceive it in the moment.

For lower-priority Opponents, extended bookkeeping of Reserves may be avoided or replaced using descriptive milestones representing Attribute loss directly.

Martial conflict primarily erodes the Endurance to continue.

◢ Salvage Space: Reserves

Damage may trigger persistent impairments or conditions during the conflict which take an additional toll on the afflicted.

The Guide should describe these through narration for the Opponents, and encourage Players to incorporate additional storytelling to reflect their Adventurer's current Conditions.

◢ Salvage Space: Conditions

Aid and healing during the course of a battle provides many opportunities for dramatic moments and allows Guides to create more interesting choices within each Adventurer's Turn.

Whether to provide aid, attack, defend, or perform other actions can provide conflicting choices for the Adventures.

Create as many interesting choices in the Round as possible without completely overloading the Adventurers which could increase hesitations or delays.

Consider potential teamwork opportunities when Adventurers or their Opponents require aid or healing.

Reserves recover naturally at the rate of 1 point per rest.

◢ Salvage Space: Healing

Much like aid or healing, field repairs in the course of a conflict provide opportunities for interesting choices and dramatic moments.

Repairs require parts, tools, skills, time, and thinking.

The Amount of damage and Degree of Success for the repair efforts may greatly affect the Adventurers next choices.

Can the Adventurers, or their Opponents complete repairs in time during the conflict?

If so, will the repairs hold as long as needed?

These two countdowns may also follow one after another to increase the stakes within the conflict.

◢ Salvage Space: Repair

Mass Conflicts may span many missions and encounters and involve many factions.

Plot a mass conflict as a miniature “campaign within the campaign”, as a story arc which changes the world which the Adventurers will contribute to, for good or bad …

• List the factions and their goals:
  • Why would they go to war?
  • What would they gain?
  • What can they lose?
• Why would the Adventurers get involved?
• How would the conflict play out without the Adventurers?
• What differences can the Adventurers make?
  • Scouting Missions
  • Diplomatic Missions
  • Subterfuge Operations
  • Support or Supply Operations
  • Sabotage Missions or Battles
• Each mission may require multiple objectives
• If the Adventurers succeed to deliver their mission objectives, how does the conflict change?
• If the Adventurers only partially succeed, but do not complete some objectives, how does the conflict change?
• If the Adventurers fail a mission, how does the conflict change?

Assign goals to each faction to the conflict, including the Adventurers.

☐ WITHDRAWAL / ESCAPE

☐ SCOUTING MISSIONS

☐ DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS

☐ SUBTERFUGE OPERATIONS

☐ SUPPORT / LOGISTICS OPERATIONS

☐ SABOTAGE MISSIONS / BATTLES

Roleplaying Tips #0982 - A Simple And Fun Way To Run Army Battles

◢ Salvage Space: Mass Conflicts

▲ Chronology :: ◢ References: Conflicts