[RPG] How to make GUMSHOE combats more dynamic

combatgumshoe

In GUMSHOE what can be done to make the combats more dynamic, more exciting?

Best Answer

First, here are some suggestions that don't involve hacking the rules.

  1. Give NPCs one point of Health. This lets PCs kill lots of people easily, for full dramatic effect.

  2. Make damage more interesting. For example, if the thing attacks you, you get infected. Alternatively, if you are hit successfully, you continue taking damage (because of, say, acid).

  3. Work other rolls into combat. For example, have the Investigators fight a Flying Polyp: they must roll Sense Trouble to see it. Have them fight an aspect of Daoloth: they must roll Stability in order to attack it.

  4. Calibrate combat so the Investigators are actually likely to fall below zero Health. They then need to make Consciousness rolls, which are a fun mechanic (they require spending more Health, which makes later rolls harder). Also, when they fall unconscious, other Investigators must run around helping them. This works best when fighting creatures that will kill you if you fall unconscious.

  5. Use the rules in The Esoterror Fact Book. They let you take huge pools of Firearms and Scuffling, which you spend for benefits. For example, you can do a sniper-style Called Shot, to take out a particular opponent, by spending a few points.

None of this, however, fixes a particular problem with Gumshoe combat: you can always hit if you spend enough points. To fix that, you need to start hacking. Here is a small hack and a big one.

  1. Let a rolled 1 mean an automatic fail. (This works well for Stability rolls, too.)

  2. When you spend points of Firearms (or similar), they no longer give you points added to the roll. Instead, they give you extra dice to roll. For example, if you spend two points of Firearms, you roll the "basic" die, plus two extra. To hit, roll the Hit Threshold on any die.

This last hack, although it's a big one, has the pleasing effect that spending points makes you more likely, but never certain, to hit. Also, you get to roll handfuls of dice. You'll find the probability of hitting, when spending different numbers of points, is more or less the same.

Finally, here's a fun hack, stolen from Tunnels and Trolls.

  1. Instead of rolling a damage die, let the damage equal the difference between your attack roll and mine. (Whoever rolls lowest takes the damage).
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