Vie for Position

Hey all,

Just a couple questions about the positioning rules in BWG. I’ve attempted to scour the forums for some answers but I’m still unclear.

I think I may understand this one, just want to confirm:

  1. Test Speed + Stride + Positioning Advantage from the chart on p. 436

That’s all fine and good. The sentence at the top of p. 437 is what’s confusing me – if you win, what Positioning table is it referring to that you’re meant to consult? I’m guessing the one on p. 431. So if you win the Vie for Position test, your opponent takes the +Ob penalty indicated on the chart on p. 431?

  1. Retaking or Taking the Advantage (p. 438 )

This section talks about the fighter with the advantage at the end of the current exchange getting a bonus to Vie for Position at the beginning of the next exchange. It says to consult the table under the Vie for Positioning heading (p. 436) to determine what kind of bonus you get. What is this bonus? When you Vie for Position do you not already apply the bonus from the p.436 chart to the test? If so, do you get the bonus twice?

Thanks!

  1. Correct. The special Vie for Position chart on page 436 is only for top-of-exchange vie for position rolls. The main difference is that when vying for position the weapon with the current advantage gets additional dice whereas for all other events the disadvantaged weapon gets Ob penalties.

  2. Both charts are meant to be read with the left side being the weapon that currently has the advantage and the top being the weapon that is currently at a disadvantage. Which weapon gets to read the chart favourably can change throughout the course of the fight based on actions taken.

Example: I have a sword (and advantage) and you have a knife, it’s the last action of volley three and you scripted beat. If your beat succeeds you take the advantage and when we come around to the top of the exchange and vie for position again, you get a +2D advantage because you ended the last exchange right up in my face. Had you failed to beat my weapon (or not scripted it at all), I would have kept the advantage instead.

EDIT: I just re-read “Retaking or Taking the Advantage” on 438. What that section is saying is that it’s possible to gain the advantage during the middle of an exchange through the use of certain actions and that whoever ends the exchange with the advantage gets to claim it for purposes of bonus dice when the Vie for Position step happens at the start of the next exchange. By extension, it’s also saying that if you started the exchange with the advantage and someone else took it from you, you don’t get to claim any advantage bonuses until you regain it (either through winning the Vie for Position roll or through the use of an advantage modifying action).

Thanks!

Just to clarify: You can only Vie for Position if you have a different weapon length than your opponent, correct?

Well, you still technically need to script Vie for Position and go through that step even if you have the same weapon lengths. You’ll skip the roll (because it doesn’t matter unless someone changes to fists or something) but Vie for Position is the positioning script for “stay in the fight but keep moving” so you’ll still need to enter that as your intent.

Actually, page 436 covers this explicitly. You have to script Vie in case your opponent wants to Disengage, but as long as you’re both remaining in combat you don’t roll. (If it helps, you can think of this as an extension of Say Yes: there’s no consequence to either side for failure, so why bother?)