Movement and Combat
Movement and Combat
Basic movement does not require a game board. Instead, the GM should have a general idea of the environment, and mentally keep track of relative distances between combatants or objects – possibly referring to maps, notes, or diagrams. Should the players ask about reach or distance ("I want to run up and swing at him ... how far away is he?"), the GM's judgment is final.
Since movement and facing issues are in the GM's head, it's up to the GM how much detail to give the players. The GM might carefully keep track of every yard of movement, taking notes on paper ... or he might only worry about exact distances when they are of vital importance. Most GMs will want to adopt a middle ground.
The GM should always provide enough detail to give the players tactical choices, but not so much as to overwhelm them. If things get confusing, a sketch map with a few notes can often help. Groups that desire more detail than that should consider using the tactical combat system – or at least adopting some of those rules to add extra detail to the guidelines given here.
Here are a few "rules of thumb" for movement and combat. See Mounted Combat and Vehicles for notes on mounted and vehicular combat, respectively.
Movement
A combatant can move a maximum number of yards equal to his full Move score if he took a Move or Move and Attack maneuver. He can move up to half his Move if he chose an All-Out Attack or All Out Defense (Increased Dodge) maneuver.
Obstacles and bad footing will generally slow movement. The GM decides how many yards of movement a fighter must give up to cover one yard of difficult terrain or to cross a given obstacle. For instance, tangled brush might cut Move in half, while climbing over a fallen body might cost an extra yard of movement.
You can move while in almost any posture, but you only get your full Move if standing. You have 1/3 your Move while crawling or kneeling – and you have a flat Move 1 while lying down (belly crawl or rolling). You cannot move at all while sitting!
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