Resource: World of Darkness (old)

An Alternative Initiative System

As much as I love the World of Darkness™ there is always one thing that always seems to grind a game to a halt: combat. Now, while the game tries to promote more roleplaying over monster slaying sometimes combat is inevitable. For instance, you may get around playing Vampire: The Masquerade without once entering combat, but try doing the same with Werewolf: The Apocalypse. I mean, the you play creatures that turn into 12ft tall killing machines that can tear you limb from limb before your brain even sends the signal for your knees to start quivering like jelly. Or Hunter: The Reckoning in which, sooner or later, as much investigation and surveillance you might enjoy, you have to live up to your name and kick some monster ass.

Combat is inevitable. But sometimes combat is a bitch and can really screw with your plans for an evening as a Storyteller when your players get into combat situations that last just too damned long. The system as stands seems fairly reasonable on paper:

1. Roll Initiative. Wits + Dexterity plus a roll on 1d10 (as of Revised)
2. Declare actions beginning with lowest Initiative.
3. Take actions beginning with highest Initiative.

However, the reality of this is far more cumbersome. I don't know about other people, but when I try using the system as is, by the time I get back to the lower Initiatives I've forgotten what the hell their actions are. The above system may work fine if you have a small group of say one or two players, but when you're playing with four to six players it's just a pain in the proverbial.

I bought (perhaps because I was bored one day) World of Darkness: Combat. I think it was to try and inspire my players to engage in more interesting combat than just "I claw him", "I'm clawing him again", and "Um. I'm just going to keep clawing him." However, following the system in WoD: Combat as is written is both restricting and tedious and was quickly dropped. (The book is used better as an inspiration pad than as is presented.) However, one thing I loved and adapted for my games and it has sped up combat no end: the Initiative system.

I have used my system at several conventions and it as always worked very well, allowing for a very fluid system of combat. After presenting the system I'll offer some tips on how best to employ it.

The system is simplicity itself:

1. Roll Initiative. Wits + Dexterity plus a 1d10 (as per usual)
2. Lowest Initiative declares and takes action.
3. Anyone with a higher Initiative may interrupt the action (this should be done before rolling for the action begins, but the person can wait until they know what the action is going to be if they wish).

Effectively, this means that everyone is holding their action automatically. In practice, this lends itself to a far more fluid combat since people often interrupt (maybe just because they can) but it also gives them a sense of more control over the combat when they've just interupted their opponent's action.

The Willpower check required to change an action is only likely to happen when someone has interrupted your action and you want to change your previously declared action based on their attack.

Example: Marcus is facing off with a vampire. Marcus' player rolls an Initiative of 11, but the vampire has an Initiative of 15. Marcus gets to declare and go first. Currently with his twin machettes sheathed in his belt Marcus makes to draw them. The vampire, seeing Marcus go for his blades decides to interrupt him, leaping forward and attacking with a punch square on his jaw. Knocking Marcus back a little he can now still go for his blades as intended, but Marcus' player decides he now wants to change his action to grab the vampires head and pound it into his knee, to try breaking it's nose. Just for being so cheeky. Marcus needs to make a successful Willpower check (as per standard rules) to do so, else he pulls his blades out before the idea crosses his mind.

The trick is in remembering who has taken their turns so that no one gets more than their legal number of turns. I like fast and loose combat without the hassle of paperwork (with the exception of noting Health Levels). Therefore, I tend not to note people's Initiative ratings, just remembering the lowest (and sometimes the highest), and then counting up until I hit someone's actions. This is a common technique used by GMs (especially D&D) counting down from the highest.

The most important thing for the Storyteller to remember is if everyone has had their turn. If the guy with the highest Initiative of 16 has interrupted at the start, be sure that when you count up to 16 he doesn't try getting another turn. This is not always done deliberately; I've known this to happen accidentally. Likewise, if someone as forfeited their action to take a Dodge then unless they split their dice pool to do so they've already had their action.

Another tip worth noting is how NPCs make use of this. Generally, unless I want the players to feel on edge, and unless I want to make them feel like things are hotting up and getting real dangerous for their characters, I usually take NPC actions (especially for opponents) on their Initiative without interrupting anyone lower. Usually this is best played by ear. If a thug has just drawn a gun on a particularly bothersome player character with a lower Initiative it makes sense for him to try shooting them before they get a chance to try disarming him or use their own weapon. Usually it's always worth waiting to see what the player has planned and only interrupt if it's more dramatic for the action and makes more sense. For two guys duking it out with their fists there's probably not much point.

By concensus (usually) it might be an idea to stick to one Initiative roll for the entire combat. Everyone should be in agreement with this (sometimes people roll badly and just don't want to stay with such a bad score).

Finally, find your own rhythm. If you decide to use this alternative system, find what works for you. Above, I've detailed a few tricks that I use in making combat easier (oh yeah, I usually disallow split dice pools for simplicity's sake), but you need to look at what works for you. If the system needs a bit of tweaking to fit your preferred style of play. Go ahead. Tweak. It's all part of the Golden Rule.