USH'S MATRIX GAME- The Dojo

The way to find out the stats of a person you are fighting... is to fight him. Else you do not truly know them...

It is evry reasonable to dodge a higher skill person but Grim is giving you a real speed problem, Rade- what with all your normal attacks against him now being slow by default.

Grim rolls +1 giving him a 7. Your dodge takes you to 7 which is a dead hit. That would do nothing, but Grim now spend four focus to make his attack do three extra damage with Sharpened Scales. You had twsited most of the way out of his blow but what should have been a glancing blow to your side hits with great force!

Rade: 5/3/2
Grim: 2/3/-1

Now it is Grim's attack! Having twisted to your side he now aims a (kick) at your rear.

Meanwhile- just a single bullet, Burn, you sure?

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Path powers are now on version 1.2, as up in the Combat reference areas. The Dojo uses these rules from this point on.

Please check your Paths as many powers have changed slightly. All powers now have names for reference.

Version 1.21 follows soon. This will have some more minor adjustments, will put back in rules for powers temporarily removed (for balance issues), and will also have a new Path- the Path of the Defiant Farmer- for nunchukas.

ALSO:

Dallas is seeking for volunteers for a combat exercise in the Dojo. He would like six players in total and currently we have three. Please indicate your willingness to take part in this event which should prepare you for assignments...

Also note: Gun attacks in Close Combat now only get their bonus to hit on a the first attack after someone has moved into close combat with them. However, the bonus is now +2.

Also, the defensive value of the Guns skill is now worth two less in close combat- dodging up close with a High Guns score was becoming a little too good...

hmm..i'd volunteer for the mission also..after i'm done with grim.

okay, let's see....
i assume i can use the same moves more than once.

venerable grasshopper -2 focus, reflex attack.
defense dodge.

Rade slowly crouches to let the kick go past his head, then jumps and strikes him at face level with his foot.

oh, i didn't see the new download version. lemme translate, then
i use unyielding grasshopper stance. if not successful, the defense is as stated above

Okidokey, what happens Rade, is that you are actively trying to kick his attack. If YOU hit, his attack is countered and you hit him (but you then miss your next attack as you effectively took it early). If you miss, his attack goes ahead as if you were Defending.

He will (Dodge)- he doesn't like the sound of that. He tries to arc his foot in under yours. He would make a better dodge but he has blown too much focus.

Your attack is plus 3. Sadly, Rade, that JUST misses him due to the minus one you get from kicking. His attack continues as normal.

But he rolls a -5, and misses! Both attacks are countered in the confusion of kicking!

So in the end, all is square! You miss your next attack and he attacks again.

Nice try ant being flashy from everyone there, and everyone missed!

Rade: 2/3/2
Grim: 2/3/0

Frustrated, Grim attempts a accurate lightning punch- he uses Hands Without Shadow to make a Punch attack that you cannot Dodge, Rade, unless you use a Focus power to do so. His hand blurs slightly as it flies towards your face...

ok im gonna fire 3 bulletts at the first guy's head then

but..but...i thought venerable grasshopper doesn't get a -1 for kicking.....(though i might be mistaking if it's in the new version..i didn't study it that carefully)

defense: absorb. (hope the 3 at strength will do it...)

question: no matter what move he does on me, defending from it would be futile EVERY TIME just because he has higher MA score, am i right?

Not necessarily, it depends on his roll. Certainly fighting someone with a higher skill is a pain but you knew that!

Absorb! Brave man. Well, let's see what happens...

Oh, wait. If you meant 'is Absorb the only option as I cannot defend against him' then no, definitely not. He did, after all, just miss you with his kick which was only Defended against. Absorb will make him more likely to hit. So... are you sticking with that?

Ok, Burn, your target dodges, giving him a 2. You roll +2, giving you an 8. Three bullets from a gun that size adds two to the final result on a mundane, making thel result a 10. Oh, and then another +2 for Coppertop Killer, making it a 12. And also making the attack fast so you lose an exertion.

Ouch! BOY is that guy down... you just blew him way away... you beat his score by ten.. evemn if I havw to make Mundanes more dangerous, that shot TOTALLY whacked any such person I put up against you...

The others, obviously enough, all unload three rounds a-piece from their Glocks at you.

Warning- System Changes

Thankyou very much for all the system testing you guys have done so far.

Having analyzed it all, I have decided to risk thaking it all a step closer to the tabletop version as mostly things are coping well.

Therefore, there will soon be a major revision of the Download system and a few changes to the combat rules.

This will be the last major change before you go on assignment. It will be 'bug tested' in the coming mock mission for minor changes only.

It should not require a MAJOR re-think of your Downloads, just some tweaks as you may have overspent in the new system, and so on. Thew new system should better discourage over-specialisation and work better for the long term- right now it had difficulty coping with the xperience system.

Thanks for your patience! Testing on this game is nearly complete and you guys are the pioneers, so thanks again!

Please carry on with your fun...

Ok, guys, here goes, new rules are in! You will want to check your downloads...

Major change are as follows:

1. Downloading has been re-done. You now have 40 points in total but several things cost more

2. Most Paths now have a Basic Level and an Advanced, rather than Master Level. The bigger Paths- which were just too good for the cost before- now have a third tier Master Level, which costs 5. Naturals now get a -1 discount to the cost of any Path they buy, to a minimum of one.

3. Speed and Strength are now out of 5 and cost more. However, everyone starts with more. Increasing your speed and strength in the Download system is now a drastic, rather than essential, move. Everyone but Hackers are limited to Speed and Strength 4 unless they pay extra. Your base for your MA and Guns scores is now TWICE your Speed.

4. Martial Arts and Guns now cost a flat rate- but if your final total is impossibly high (as most of you, sensibly, operate at), you have to pay extra points to 'support the impossible'. Paying for the impossible counts as a skill for the purposes of the Hot Zone.

5. The numbers have gone up. The average cop is now skill 9. You guys are at about 13+. You can now take 25 hits before being wounded, 35 before being at risk of dropping. But you also now do more damage. This is part of a general re-doing of numbers that balances the system.

6. Naturals are back to +4 focus, Veterans now start with +2 MA and +2 Guns without having to Download due to experience- this compensates them for that lost point in Speed compared to a Hacker being more of a problem now.

You may ask questions like- why is Speed out of 5 when no-one has less thsn 3. Well, that is not literally true, random people you meet in the street would have less. But it is mainly for two reasons- 1. so it gives you the right amount of base MA and Guns, and 2. so it is directly comparable with strength.

And why is Strength out of 5 when no-one has it less than 3? 1. so it does the right amount of damage and 2. so it is directly comparable wit speed...

Ok, I am going to update the rules now and then change your download loadouts. Any questions ASK ME!

This will be the final inconveneince before actual play starts. Thank you for your continued interest!

Dexx- your fight can carry on but under the new rules. Once you approve your new Download load-out I shall change what has occurred so far.

yup..aproove.

correction to my defense.
i use: defend. try to drive his punch away.

Ok. Both of you have taken more damage, I shall just reflect that.

Rade: 2/5/2
Grim: 2/4/0

-1 for Grim means he JUST hits... you drive his punch away but he does hurt you a little in the process- one damage.

Your move!

attack: swoop of the grasshopper.

Rade approaches and unleashes his kick, hoping to catch grim in his chest, to send him back.

Ow, Grim wants to dodge that... as it sends him prone it is tradtionally a leg sweep- so he will jump neatly over it with his (Dodge).

Oh dear. Sorry, Rade, this doesn't happen much but you just rolled -11.

That is a miss under ANY circumstance but at least his dodge was wasted. You just don't seem to get that one working- your kick is slow and falls short.

Rade: 0/5/2
Grim: 2/4/1

Grim, with a big grin, does the same thing as last time- he chops with great speed to your neck, using his last Focus to use Hands without Shadow so it cannot be dodged.

(defend) again, as before

Rolling evens, Grim's fast blow connects once more. damagaing you for another two points. Damn it, he;s just as fast as you and well co-ordinated... you need to get a good hit in!

It is your move, last of the round,

rade starts a series of punch attacks at him at either side of his body until he can find a spot in his blocking and jab towards his throat very fast

I assume you did not mean to make that a fast attack, Rade; could be a little confusing there...

Grim defends, raising his arms either side of him to block every blow you make.

You roll a +1. Similar to what happened to you earlier, he DOES block you but your blows hurt him anyway, for one point of damage.

New round, focus refreshes!

Rade: 10/7/2
Grim: 14/5/1

Grim does the same as last round- spending three focus to activate Speed of the Snake and Eyes of the Snake, cancelling out the spent exertion and making all your attacks against him this round one greade slower.

Grim smiles. "Not bad..." he says, before he retuens to his continuous movements and engages you again...

Grim blows two focus to make a Strike of the Subtle on you, a Punch attack (again made out outstretched finger tips) that is fast and does +1 damage. He ia aiming for your throat.

REMINDER:

Dallas is seeking for volunteers for a combat exercise in the Dojo. He would like six players in total and currently we have four. Please indicate your willingness to take part in this event which should prepare you for assignments...