Hmmm… Sorry for the double post, but I’m considering something here…
Quoting Luke from that old thread I linked to in my previous post:
I think this is the crux here. Intent and Task is usually used for single die rolls. It’s not explained how to apply it to a whole fight scene. Should I be asking players for their Intents before rolling for engagement? And then maybe asking for pre-engagement skill tests for certain special intents? Sort of a “set-up” for the fight before engagement is even broached.
Example
GM: OK, we’re about to enter a fight here. The orcs intend to kill you. What do you do?
Players 1 & 2: My knight is rushing the orcs! Mine too!
Player 3: My ranger is gonna hang back and keep the sorcerer safe.
GM: Are you sure? Three orcs are advancing, while two of them remain behind to guard their archer. Your buddies are outnumbered!
Player 3: Ah. OK, When I see that, I advance.
Player 4: My sorcerer is hanging back…
GM: OK, the two knights and the ranger have to roll engagement versus the three orc warriors. The others are not engaging in the first exchange, but still get to script! Everybody get out your scripting sheets…
Is this the way it’s supposed to roll out? I am now thinking that it is. See, I’ve been doing it the old D&D way, where “initiative is rolled as soon as the monster’s sighted”. I assumed that rolling for engagement was supposed to be your very first action in the combat. But without strategic movement in the combat system, it seems BW fight scenes require a short pause for setup. Is this correct? I hope so, because this seems a lot neater than the way I’ve been running it in the past!