Theatrical Combat

The Theatrical Combat System is the cinematic and storyful sibling of the Tactical Combat Rules. The Theatrical Combat System assists the players in telling a combat story. Combat in the Role Playing System employs the 4D2 Mechanic to guide the combat story. The 4D2 Mechanic evolved from a legacy mechanic called the Theatrical Combat System. The name has stuck for sentimental and legacy reasons. The Theatrical Combat System guides combat stories so that players can make the most fun choices.

The Theatrical Combat Rules are not tactical in nature. All of EXP’s rules build off of the tactical combat rules. The tactical combat rules requires maths, hex mats, tokens, miniatures and lots of dice. The tactical system feigns war game level single persona combat outcomes. The players measure success by removing a target’s hit points and increasing their persona’s experience points. The Roll Playing System’s and it’s tactical combat rules are storyful, but dice rolls more heavily direct the outcomes.

The Role Playing System employs a single dice mechanic that helps players direct the story. The Role Playing System’s Theatrical Combat System is not necessary for combat situations. If a particular combat resolution makes for a better story, then the Theatrical Combat System is not activated. Successes are qualitative and descriptive.

In the Theatrical Combat System, there are only descriptions. The system has no hit points, no movement, no proficiencies, and no attack rolls to monitor. The players must work their imagination muscle more than their maths muscle. A description often requires more effort than subtracting six from 48. The outcomes are descriptive and require a creative description.

The Role Playing System and its combat resolution tool still have dice rolls. The dice offer randomness and force the players into unexpected storylines. The Theatrical Combat System only uses the 4D2 Mechanic.

Often the Outcome gives enough info for the players to tell the story. Describing an outcome is easy for Immaculate Successes and Cataclysmic Failures. The other 19 possible outcomes are more subtle and harder to turn into a description.

There is a Descriptor Table for Combat when the players can’t manage a description or agree on a description. Most players prefer a descriptor table for when a persona’s life is on the line.

If a player were to roll a Majestic Success (+7), her persona has dealt a mortal wound to her opponent. If a player were to roll a Major Failure (-3), her persona has been knocked back by her opponent.

If the player rolls an Immaculate or Wondrous success, her persona earns a skill of her choice. The player must actually roll +10 or +9 on the actual die roll. If a roll has been shifted or folded to +10 or +9 a skill is not earned.

The new skill should be related to the roll being made. If the persona is shooting a rifle she can add a rifle skill to her persona record. The next time she is shooting a rifle she can use a shift of plus one.

Shifts are similar to bonuses or penalties. A shift is anything that moves the Descriptor. A shift only applies to the descriptor. A shift does not change an number or an outcome.

A Shift moves the Descriptor and benefits the player’s persona. A Shift of 2 would move a Knockback (+2) to a Severe Stun (+4).

Shifts are fundamental and are the only way players can gain an advantage in the Theatrical Combat System.

Shifts come from the persona’s attributes, abilities and skills. However, anything can become a shift if the table accepts it. In hand-to-hand combat, a player can use STR as a shift. When shooting a pistol, a pistol skill is an obvious shift. A glorious description of how the persona throws a grenade can earn a shift.

The attack types in the Theatrical Combat System Ranges are qualitative and descriptive. The details are here to aid in story telling and fun.

The Theatrical Combat System is based on anthros fighting anthros. Robots behave slightly differently due to their size and inorganic fabrication. Aliens behave slightly differently due to their size.

There are some advantages to being an inorganic life form in combat. Mental attacks like ESP or mental control are not effective on the inorganic brain. Robots cannot be stunned or wounded and keep fighting until destroyed.

Size counts as a shift for robots in hand-to-hand combat. Ramming is the robotic equivalent of hand-to-hand combat. If the players are using size shifts, larger robots can earn a size advantage.

There are some advantages to being an alien in combat. Many aliens have natural attacks that do not run out of ammunition or batteries. Aliens are not affected by wounds or mortal wounds and will keep fighting without penalties. Aliens can be stunned by a combat blow.

Size counts as a shift for aliens in hand-to-hand combat. If the players are using size shifts, larger aliens can earn a size advantage.

There are no Armour Ratings in the Theatrical Combat System. Personas gain combat advantage from their skills, abilities, weapons, and size. Completely ignoring armour is too unrealistic for even the Theatrical Combat System. Armour can shift the persona’s descriptor in her favour. A suit of combat armour can decrease a mortal wound to a mere wound. More powerful armour may have an even more significant beneficial shift. Plus two is the highest possible shift armour can offer.

There are no minis or hex mats rules for the Theatrical Combat System. Ranges are descriptive, and the effects of different ranges are qualitative. The ranges help tell the best combat story possible. In most cases, the story will any need for ranges. Each descriptive level indicates how far apart the combatants can be and still engage a target.

Under normal circumstances, each persona gets one 4D2 roll per turn. Some attacks allow for more than one 4D2 roll per turn. Some aliens are fast and can make multiple bites per turn. Some weapons have fast triggers and can make multiple attacks per turn. Some weapons are automated and fire bursts of projectiles. The exact nature of the multiple attacks is in the weapon description.

Each attack allows the player one 4D2 roll. The player may choose the best number from the 4D2 rolls. So a player whose anthro persona has a plasma rifle (3 attacks per unit) would get three 4D2 rolls and pick the best one.

Only aliens with multiple attacks and mercenaries can spread their attacks between different targets.

If the player table feels that size should matter.

There are no real rules here, just concepts. If any of these rules are crucial to gameplay, then consider using the tactical combat rules in their place. The two combat systems mix and match very well. If detailed initiative and movement are essential, the players can use the tactical versions of these rules.