Topic: Charging rules/advantages/disadvantages in not-merp

[damilano]

Am playing a pbp with some great players, and we need to know whether not-merp has any rules for charging.  I know, for example, that in melee, the strikes are resolved in the order of the highest maneuvering bonus.  I also know there is nothing on the not-merp Weapon statistics table offering advantages or disadvantages to charging.  Neither I nor my main combat player can find any mention in not-Merp first edition or Revised Rulebook.

Is there anything there I'm missing?

Thanks!

[Grenandine]

I am not sure exactly what you are asking.

Theoretically, depending on how one interprets the rules, melee strikes on the same phase are either:
1) simultaneous
2) initiative order

In the case of two opponents with the same initiative, the strikes will always be simultaneous.

So, if you play the phase version, all melee strikes in phase 2 (the default phase for melee) would occur at the same time. Weapon length plays no part in the formula. It might play a part in initative.

Many people (including myself) play a house rule which basically states that long weapons (lance, pike, halberd, etc.) attacking from out of range of another player will strike first in a scenario where movement will bring the players together in the same phase. But other people re-structure the round to make movement happen first, then attacks. In that case, as best as I understand it, the player with the longer weapon may get an attack of opportunity.

In any case, I am not sure what other information you would be looking for to help make the decision. Weapon length is, of course, unique to each weapon, but standard weapon lengths are available on the weapon charts.

[damilano]

Thank you; this is a beginning.  Let me try to ask again with a clear example; maybe that will better articulate the question:

A warrior is charging with mace and shield towards an opponent ready with broadsword some hundred feet away.  The dwarf isn't going to stop charging until he gets there.

It appears that in the not-Merp rules, the charging player receives no advantages or disadvantages for the charge.  He uses his actions to run until he's in melee range, and then the attacks are resolved in the round after he arrives as if he had merely stepped into melee range from a standing position; that is, the combatant with the higher Maneuvering in Armor bonus goes first, and the one with the lower bonus goes second.  Since there is no special provision in the weapons statistics table regarding charging, there are no bonuses for charging.

The question is:  is this correct, or have I missed something?

Thanks!

[markc]

Mod Note:
Moved to the RM2 baords as it is not RMU related.
MDC

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

The question is:  is this correct, or have I missed something?

The quick to solve answer: the "Arms Companion" provides bonuses for charging into combat (p25, section 4.2 — "Optional offensive bonuses and penalties").
The long but more accurate answer: the RoCoIII provides rules for charging whilst mounted that can easily be used for any charge (p18, section 3.5 — "Mounted combat")

[Wolfhound]

It has been so long since I've looked at the rules for "that game that we can't use the name of without getting sued by the publisher who holds the rights to Tolkien's works" that I'm not sure, but if you have access to the books mentioned by OLF, that might be a good approach to take with it, since the game you are talking about is basically a simplified version of Classic Rolemaster.

[yammahoper]

+1 OB per 10' of movement in the melee round if spear/lance/puncture weapon used.  +1 OB per 20' of movement all other attacks.

[Marrethiel]

+1 OB per 10' of movement in the melee round if spear/lance/puncture weapon used.  +1 OB per 20' of movement all other attacks.

RAW, it is probably a negative to OB, as you have used part of your round moving. This means you wan't get a full round swinging.
In some ways just because DnD gives a bonus to charging, people seem to assume that is "right".

If you really want, and with out adding house rules, you could use a contested MM. It might be something like Sprint vs Athletic Games or some other ST related skill. It might be hard to sprint on uneaven ground and easy to set for a charge. Add the results given to the OB's of the combatants.

[yammahoper]

A full rule set is covered in RMCIII, from which I pulled the 10'/20' rule.  Assuming a mount is doing the moving, the result is almost always a bonus.

[Witchking20k]

Actually- you can use the Mounted Combat example as a method to resolve a charge- basically you make a MM vs. the terrain difficulty and if the roll yields a bonus (exceeds 100%) you can applies this to the subsequent attack. 

[Grenandine]

Page 25 of Arms Law (RMC2) table 03-01 provides a +15 initiative for longer weapon when charging.
Page 28 of Arms Law states:
1) the person charging must be moving at a pase of "run" or better.
2) The bonus to OB is the number of feet the person charging moves in a straight line. So in the example of a dwarf moving 100 feet, it would be +100, except the bonus is capped at +50. So it would be +50.
3) The penalty to DB is the same, so in this case, the penalty would be -50DB.

I am not aware that RMC had any penalties to combat for moving. We usually played that it was a moving manuever, and the resulting value was the penalty to OB with a corresponding bonus to DB. So if you charged at a foe (as in the example above), you would get +50 OB, -50 DB for the charge. You would then make a moving manuever (we used a terrain-base, so a nice floor was easy, but rocky ground was hard.) If your manuever resulted in a penalty (any number lower than 100), your OB suffered that penalty, but you gained that in DB. (Erratic movement.) So, assuming you made a successful moving manuever, you would have a net +50OB.

And, if you had the longer weapon, you would likely win initiative, as +15 is significant in a 2d10 environment. If you had a shorter weapon, that -50DB would likely send you to the grave.

Some of the companions changed the charging rules, and moved the damage up instead of OB. I liked that batter, and we switched to using that once we understood the rules. But they are more complex, because you have more to calculate.