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Message no. 1
From: "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject: Running on every action
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 1993 13:58:01 -0800
Brian said:

>>I disagree with the official rules on running and think that it is more
>>realistic to let a character/critter run every turn. The following is the
>>reason why.

Realistic!?!?!?!?! It couldn't be any farther from realistic.

Your talking about a little bit of reflex enhancers making a person 2, 3, even
4 times as fast. Would a simple reflex enchancer make you faster? Yes. This
much faster? No.

First off the human body just can't move that fast. Your muscles would knot
up and your heart would burst. You would either cripple yourself or die a
very quick but painful death.

Then you get into the world of wonky game mechanics. Following your rules you
can talk a totally natural guy with Quickness 6 and Reaction 5. If he rolls
a 5 or less on initiative he can run 18 meters without athletics, but if he
rolls a 6 on his initiative die his running speed for the turn DOUBLES to
36 meters!

Now assume this guy is a world-class sprinter with Athletics (Running) 8. On
the average roll he will get 4 sucesses. His quickness is then effectively
10, allowing him to run 30 meters on the average turn. But if that 6 shows
up on the initiative die, his speed increases to 60 meters a turn. This would
mean that on a lucky day, a world-class sprinter could run the 100 meter dash
in less than 6 seconds! And with maximum luck (Init rolls of 6, all successes
on Athletics Test) the world-class sprinter could run 42 meters in an action and
82 meters in a turn. That's an unagmented human doing the hundred in about 4
seconds.

Now tell me this is "more" realistic than the system in the book.

===============================================================================
See Ya in Shadows, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer."
Jason J Carter -- Deep Throat, The X-Files
The Nightstalker Carter@***.EDU

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