[FMAS][long] AAR: Initiative card draw

The Baabarian tribe is eager to have guests for dinner, but Sgt Rutherford,
Cpl Raynes and Pvt Frock are just as eager to decline the honor. In order to
reach the riverboat and safety, however, they have
to pass through sheep-infested jungle...

Humans are QD8, LDR2 with 3 cards apiece. Sheep are QD6, Ldr3, 2 cards apiece,
and have no commander. There are two Turn End cards in the deck.

1.1 Black Baart activates first and moves through swamp towards the prey. 1.2
Vorfleece (who is of course a Baarayaran) also moves closer 1.3 Black Baart
moves again, nearly within charge range 1.4 Turn end

2.1 Ewe Baastid advances 2.2 Sgt Rutherford elects to wait 2.3 Ewe Baastid
moves again, to where the sergeant would have been if he'd moved 2.4 Wooliam
the Conqueror moves into the swamp where Black Baart was in 1.1 2.5 Wooliam
moves again...hm, might need to shuffle a little better.
2.6 Pvt Frock has a point-blank shot at Ewe Baastid, but is distracted
by a glimpse of a scantily clad jungle princess, or a flying mokey, or
something. In any event, he misses. 2.2.1 Sgt Rutherford uses his held action
and charges into
hand-to-hoof combat.  The bayonet thrust goes home, and Ewe Baastid
falls! 2.7. Turn end

3.1 Sgt Rutherford calls Cpl Raynes, who advances. 3.2 Black Baart charges the
sergeant, but the sergeant's flashing bayonet keeps him at bay (Rutherford won
the melee QD roll but did no damage) 3.3 Vorfleece attacks Raynes (might have
been better if Baart had waited and they'd charged together, but they didn't)
Raynes swings wildly, Vorfleece slips under and locks his jaws on the
corporal's knee. 3.4 Lambo, at the far edge of the field, finally advances 3.5
Wooliam the Conqueror has his chance to join the fray, and charges Sgt
Rutherford. The sergeant deftly counterthrusts and stops the killer sheep, but
again fails to do any damage. 3.6 Wooliam presses the attack; Rutherford
reverses his weapon and plants the rifle butt squarely on Wooliam's flank,
temporarily stunning him (5 Impact vs 3 armor) 3.7 Black Baart decides the
sergeant is too tough and turns to attack Cpl Raynes. A flash of teeth, a
splash of gore, and Raynes goes down kicking... 3.8 Frock finally decides to
join the party and attacks Wooliam ("the only one I could get to"). Despite
the fact that Wooliam is stunned (melee d4, down from normal d6), Frock still
has visions of jungle princesses distracting him...both of them roll 1's.
Sergeat Rutherford makes a few pithy comments. 3.9 Frock, squirming, takes
another swing. This time he connects! Wooliam collapses. 3.10 Rutherford
rather coldbloodedly decides to head for the riverboat, reasoning that Baart
and Vorfleece will attack Frock...which looks like not much of a loss for the
Imperial Army. 3.11 Rutherford keeps quickmarching toward the river 3.12 Frock
yells in indignation and scrambles after the sergeant. 3.13 Turn end

4.1 Lambo can't quite reach Sgt Rutherford, so decides to wait 4.2 Turn end

5.1 Rutherford suddenly swerves left, running between the swamp and a patch of
trees. 5.2 Lambo charges forward, chasing the sergeant and incidentally
getting into position to intercept Pvt Frock. 5.3 Black Baart finishes
munching on the late corporal, turns and sees Frock facing the other way. He
charges but not quite far enough to make contact. 5.4 Frock spins and fires at
the killer sheep at a range of twenty feet. His rifle jams...(double ones) 5.5
He screams in rage, clubs his rifle and wades in swinging wildly. Baart is
stunned. 5.6 Turn end

6.1 Baart shakes of the effects of the blow and leaps to the attack. Frock's
backswing catches him squarely on the shoulder, wounding him. 6.2 Vorfleece
glides down the slope, deftly sidesteps Frock's swing, and....egad, how awful!
Frock doesn't even have time to scream. 6.3 Vorfleece turns to pursue
Rutherford, leaving little red hoofprints. 6.4 Lambo chases the sergeant and
is hot on his heels 6.5 Black Baart's second card comes up and is discarded,
since he's wounded. 6.6 Sgt Rutherford flees towards the river
6.7 Rutherford picks up the pace--only a few more yards to safety...
6.8 Turn end

7.1 Baart decides he's too far away to catch up, and merely nibbles on the
late Private. 7.2 Sgt Rutherford bursts through the last few jungle plants and
races up the gangplank. Safe at last! 7.3 Turn end

Summary: 43 cards turned -7 "end of turn" cards = 36 actions over
seven turns, avg 5.14/turn. Nice and quick--no dithering over which
unit to activate. The sheep didn't have a CO and the humans only once made use
of the sergeant's "transfer an action" ability (action 3.1); neither side made
much use of coordinated moves or attacks. The humans were mainly interested in
escaping, and the sheep in attacking
without regard for losses--if they'd had different objectives, they
might have been more cautious.

I think "held" actions should be able to carry past the end of a turn, but I
also think you should only be able to hold one action rather than multiples.
The topic of "when is a leader qualified to pass actions" didn't come
up--the only time it happened, the sergeant was ahead of and within 6"
of the corporal.

FOr our card based initiative games we allow a unit to hold an action until
their next action. At that point they either need to use or lose
the held action, and can then use their new action to re-new the hold.

This seems to make a lot more sense then arbitraily causing the held action to
lapse at the end of the turn. It also makes holding an action very powerful in
defensive positions, as you will most likely get to fire twice in a turn at an
attacking unit (held action and regular action for that turn). So it makes
timing much more crucial when assaulting a position, as you will want to wait
until the target unit doesn't have a held action or has just expended their
action for the
turn before hitting them, or will want a co-ordinated attack so that you
can absorb some losses going in but still have a good chance to close.

--Binhan

[quoted original message omitted]

> From: B Lin lin@rxkinetix.com

I think I'd do it differently: "you can hold an action until your next action
comes up, at which point you lose the first one."

Laser wrote on 10/04/2004 11:45:25 AM:

> >From: B Lin lin@rxkinetix.com

Er, isn't that the same thing just said differently? Just wondering what I'm
missing some point.

The_Beast

> >From: B Lin lin@rxkinetix.com

I said:
> I think I'd do it differently: "you can hold an action until your next

Doug said:
> Er, isn't that the same thing just said differently?

His way is, you can USE the first card when you draw the second (so you can
get two actions in a row); my way is, you LOSE the first action when you draw
the second.

> His way is, you can USE the first card when you draw the second (so you

But the first action can be used up until then, your way.
Uber-overwatch;
not merely shooting, but all other actions available. Is this about it?

I understand the motive, but sounds potentially complicated. 'No, move those
back; I was going to activate when the sarge had moved ahead. My engineering
unit was going to...'

The_Beast

> But the first action can be used up until then, your way.

Except that you don't know when that unit's next card will turn up, so you
have an incentive to go ahead and use that action.

> Uber-overwatch; not merely shooting, but all other actions available.
Is this about it?

You could specify OW or leave it open, however you want to do it. I think
leaving it open is simpler...but that doesnt necessarily mean better.

> I understand the motive, but sounds potentially complicated. 'No, move

I draw a card, I dither and hold it. I draw a second card, rats, guess I
missed the opportunity--now I only have one action (2nd card) instead of
two. No move backs, no "I was going to..."