Roll For Initiative

It's official! I'm still alive!

There've been a lot of things going on in the life and times of yours truly since the last update, and I'm sorry for stopping the regular updates. Life had to come before the blog, and I'm sorry for going dark. I promise it wasn't deliberate.

Let's get to blog time!

So, anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of R. Talsorian Games' Interlock system - specifically games such as Cyberpunk 2020,  Mekton Zeta, and the like. The basis of the Fuzion system is Interlock, and it's a good, solid, simple-mechanic system that many other, later-to-the-game systems (*cough cough* D20/OGL *cough cough*) emulate or outright imitate. It's a Stat+Skill+Die Roll VS. Difficulty/Opposing Roll system, and it's very solid.

But, as with all systems, it does have its flaws. One of the most frequently brought up issues is that the Reflexes statistic can be a little... fiddly.

Many people see as problematic the fact that Reflexes controls not only a character's Attack and Defense values (as it is added to ranged/melee combat, as well as melee defense and dodge rolls), but it also adds to Initiative values. In Cyberpunk, it's combined with the Combat Sense special ability (for any Role that has that ability) to make even higher Initiative numbers.

Basically, if you have a high Reflexes, you go first.

If you have a high Reflexes and a Reflex Booster cyberware implant, you go really go first.

If you have a high Reflexes and a Reflex Booster cyberware implant and Combat Sense, son, let me tell you how many ways you are going to go first.

Of course, those scenarios specifically apply to Cyberpunk, but Reflexes rears its ugly head in other games in the ruleset, as well.

So how do we fix it?

Well, the answer is: We don't.

Reflexes in and of itself isn't broken. Argue all you want, but it's not. "Split it in to Dexterity and Reflexes!" many cry. "They're two different things!"

Well, yes, they are. But, and here's the important part: splitting the stat up only complicates matters. The key to good game design is to keep things simple, but not so simple that they become ineffective.

We don't fix Reflexes.

We fix the combat system. Specifically, we fix Initiative.

So, in Interlock, you get two actions a turn at no penalty. Period. End of.

Additional actions can be taken at a -3 penalty, cumulative, per action.

You take actions on your Initiative, which, as we've talked about, is REF + 1D10 + Combat Sense. The higher the better.

(Funny side note, in the playtest for Cyberpunk in Japan, the Japanese playtesters figured out that instead of shooting, it was more economical to take something like 10 extra actions and just huck grenades at their targets - the grenade deviation rules meant that over half the grenades would still encompass the target in their blast radii, resulting in certain kills every time.)

 So, how do we "fix" this? How do we keep people from dumping everything in to their Reflexes stat, pumping up their Cyberware boosts, and taking Combat Sense every time? You end up with a ton of Solos (or other Combat Sense enabled Roles), and everyone moves fast, and everything gets torn up in a hail of bullets.

So let's decouple Initiative from Reflexes. Not entirely, mind you. Physical reaction time is a part of how fast you (or your character) does things in a time of crisis. Combat is certainly a time of crisis.

Here's my suggested solution. I've been running a lot of theoretical scenarios with this method - and I'm using it in my Cyberpunk 2XXX: The Metro from here out - so I'll of course check in with updates if it all goes pear-shaped. But I don't think it will. So, let's get to it:

We first remove Reflexes as the sole proprietor of the character's Initiative value. We replace it with the average of Intelligence, Reflexes, and Cool. That's one Mental attribute (Intelligence), one Physical attribute (Reflexes), and one Social attribute (Cool). Initiative therefore becomes a measure of how well you react to a situation: Intelligence as a measure of how well your mind reacts, Reflexes for how well your body reacts, and Cool for a measure of how well you maintain your composure (enabling you to actually act in the situation in the first place).

This number is your set Initiative value. Combat Sense? No longer applies to Initiative. It still adds to the skills it normally affects (Awareness/Notice, etc.), but it no longer makes you faster in combat, because it shouldn't. Help you avoid surprises? Yes. Absolutely. Help you shake a tail in the dirty streets of Night City? You bet. But crank your reaction time up beyond belief? Nope.

So let's talk about what that Set Initiative does.

Your Initiative is now a set number - when combat starts, you're acting on that number. Ties go to the person with the highest Intelligence, then Reflexes, then Cool. Combatants who have three matches are considered to act simultaneously, with Player Characters declaring actions first. Resolution is still considered to be happening at the same time, but the PC's have a chance to declare first. It works out.

"But Jim," you say. "What do Reflex Boosters do in this solution?"

I'm glad you asked, random reader. The answer is simple: Reflex Boosters remove additional action penalties.

So let's say you have a +2 REF booster. You take your first two actions (let's say you move your full MA and then you pull off a 3-round burst at your nearest bad guy). You also want to take a second burst at another nearby goon. Normally this would be a -3 penalty, but with that +2 REF booster, your penalty is only -1. Reflexes is a measure of your physical reactions, your alacrity - hand/eye coordination - and a Reflex Booster should reflect that. Reducing or removing penalties is a reasonable compromise for removing Reflexes as the primary motivator for Initiative.

And yes, this does mean that someone with a +3 REF booster could effectively take a penalty-free third action every turn, but those things are expensive, kids. (Note: In The Metro, the cost for each level of REF boost is progressively more expensive than the last, which is a departure from the 1-2k EB in Cyberpunk, but that's a topic for later)

So basically, you end up with REF adding to attack rolls (sure), some defense rolls (remember that ranged combat in Cyberpunk is done against DC's, not contested rolls), and lots of skills - but not Initiative.

Reflexes no longer triple-dipping in to Initiative, is no longer the instant game-winner when coupled with Combat Sense, and Initiative itself is now a value that's determined by three aspects of the character, not just one.

Now, obviously, there are going to be people who min-max in to those three stats to get the upper hand, but that's going to happen in most games. And with three attributes controlling Initiative, now, they'll have to spend more points during character creation to become ridiculously combat effective.

It's not perfect. But it's worth trying out.

I'm planning on giving it a good, thorough testing. So far, it looks like it's going to work out.

Do let me know if you try this solution in your games. Or, leave comments with your solution, if you have one!