Blocking and Weapon Speed

Burning Wheel Modifications, Hacks and Expansions
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Watching Crazy Samurai Musashi (thanks Dro!), I realize that I have overlooked a currency in combat: weapon speed.

Each margin of success of the Block action should reduce your opponent’s weapon speed by one.

Being staggered should reduce weapon speed by one.
Being knocked down should reduce weapon speed by two.

The penalty lasts until the character takes a non-Strike action.
Weapon speed X weapons are immune to this penalty.

It’s a small penalty that should create unpredictable moments in combat.

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I’d need a computer to keep track of that, although it’s a great mechanic, for sure.

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I might suggest this to my one on one dm, it works out to be very good for me personally :smiling_imp:

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Really like this idea! Few fiddly rules questions:

  1. Does the Block benefit apply just to the Block action, or also to the defensive portion of Block and Strike?

  2. Does the Block benefit require spending MoS like the other Block benefits (such as +1 Ob to actions), or is it an innate bonus on top of the MoS spends?

  3. If the Block benefit causes the opponent’s WS to drop and their next action is a Strike that they no longer qualify for, do they just Stand and Drool, and then reset to normal WS?
    3a. If yes and MoS had been spent to cause a Stand & Drool already, does the opponent take 2 actions of Stand & Drool or just 1?

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  1. Just block. B&S is OP as it is.
  2. The benefit is tagged on to the existing MOS expenditures.
  3. They should Strike with an alternate weapon or unarmed blow.
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The bits about staggered and knocked down are about those “conditions”, yeah? Getting staggered from a Charge or a Push also inflict the penalty as well?

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So! I’ve tried this system out and so far, it seems pretty good. That isn’t to say that the WS penalty ever actually came up though. I was fighting a much more skilled and armored opponent who had a spear with my bare fists. Fortunately, I was able to win positioning due to her clumsy weight, but my only possible winning strategy was to keep trying to stack on Ob penalties so I could throw and lock. Because of this, and my being in defensive stance, my opponent knew that I would be either taking an aggresive action or Block (My strike actions couldn’t do any harm). But because she knew I would be blocking, she kept squeezing in these risky great strikes. Having more incentive to do the block action actually really shook up combat, and I’ve learned that I should just Avoid more.

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Oh hey, what about Beat? I recall this topic. Is Weapon Speed the answer?

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