In GUMSHOE what can be done to make the combats more dynamic, more exciting?
[RPG] How to make GUMSHOE combats more dynamic
combatgumshoe
Related Solutions
I've been successful in developing good combat grids by chaining more than one room together. This way, the outnumbered team can keep retreating further inside (maybe acquiring reinforcements on the path), and the outnumbering party can try to set flanks and move in parallel rooms, trying to surround them. This keeps the fight from staying stagnant (everyone adjacent, trading blows), and give the outnumbering party a glimpse of strategy beyond "send our best melee fighter to fight at the chokepoint".
PCs have no reason to move during combat unless you give them one
In my game experiences, I have seen very little movement by creatures during combat that wasn't forced upon them. There really isn't any incentive to change position (mostly because moving away/out of reach generates Opportunity Attacks.)
What you need to consider are environmental or other effects/objects that require interaction or movement with/around by all the creatures. Otherwise, the risk of moving away is greater than the reward of the more cinematic feel.
So what next?
Consider the environment is moving itself. Whether it's on a slope, there's high winds/water that is moving ALL creatures around or something else that creates the requirement of movement without putting creatures at risk of generating OAs to move. Or even bits of the environment are breaking down and remaining stationary will kill you.
Consider adding elements that cry out for interaction. Whether it's the discovery of Glyphs (via Glyphs of Warding) that will buff/debuff creatures (giving an incentive to move to one, or to move someone to one), environmental interactions like statues that could be toppled, or chasms/bridges that can be closed/withdrawn, etc.
Consider Simultaneous objectives in separate locations. My concern with this is in splitting the party, but an encounter that requires split parties to fight simultaneously - and possibly require a positive outcome from one to improve odds in the other is an interesting device.
Utilize an alternate grid system. As an example, in one of our sessions the DM prepared a series of cards layed out like a grid. The story was we were in the Plane of Air and were travelling via the strong winds. The problem was that we didn't really know the path and the winds could take us places we didn't expect. We would choose which 'direction' we wanted to go and flip the card. The card would have a direction choices of which way we could go next, or have an encounter. Utilizing this system, you could have grids that do different things to create movement/action as they cross them.
Consider giving bosses scripted special movement abilities that trigger at certain HP thresholds. Maybe when a boss reaches 3/4, 2/4, 1/4 he teleports/does a massive leap/knocks back the party (with some chance to save)/breaks the floor and the party finds themselves suddenly somewhere else or is forced to chase it down. Just be sure that if the party has to chase that they have a reason to do so. Either a boss they don't want to get away or are still in danger from it. The actions should be part of the narration and cinematics - not just a standalone action.
Best Answer
First, here are some suggestions that don't involve hacking the rules.
Give NPCs one point of Health. This lets PCs kill lots of people easily, for full dramatic effect.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Let a rolled 1 mean an automatic fail. (This works well for Stability rolls, too.)
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.