Combat

The Combat Round

A combat round is defined by the number of actions that can be performed by each PC (one tactic, twitch, and freebie; or one task and a freebie) and the order in which those actions happen, called the initiative order. Other than those two traits, a combat round has no definitive limits. In terms of time, one combat round is usefully vague enough to allow the group more storytelling options. Groups are free to narrate fights in a style befitting the painstaking slow-mo of a John Woo shootout, or they can opt for a sudden, second-long burst of bloodshed ala a Tarantino stand-off.

For ease of reference, here's a summary of the combat round:

1. Initiative
⁃ The Market rolls one Red die for every Market force involved in the combat.
⁃ Players roll one Black die each and add their SPD
⁃ Players declare from highest to lowest numbers, after their SPD is added. The Market uses Red dice from the pool to place Market forces in-between their numbers. This is called the initiative order. (For instance, the players rolled and the Market got a 10, 4, and 1. Bill goes first with 11, Thug A goes next with a 10, Melanie got an 8, DeMarcus 7, Thug B goes at 4. The Market is out of forces, so the 1 is dropped and the initiative order established)

2. Declare, Spend, and Resolve
⁃ The highest initiative player or Market force declares a tactic, buys-a-roll, and resolves the action.
⁃ As the round continues, twitches and freebies are demanded by the actions of Market forces or used at the discretion of the player. Both twitches and freebies are unbound in the initiative order.

3. Deal Damage and Assess Penalties
⁃ Damage is recorded directly after the tactic that caused it. Damage is always the Black. Hit location is always the Red. The weapon used determines if the damage is Kill or Stun damage. The damage is unmodified by extra spends unless the gear is specifically upgraded.
⁃ Assess and implement any penalties as a result of health or Humanity loss.

4. Repeat
⁃ After everyone has acted, the combat round ends. Twitches unspent by the end of the round are discarded (unless the character is specifically using upgraded gear that allows them to be spent). The initiative order cycles back to the highest player and repeats until the conflict ends.

Tactic

A tactic is a planned action. It may not be planned particularly well, but it is something the Taker intends to do. Some example tactics are...
• Firing a weapon
• Making a Melee or Unarmed attack
• Drawing or holstering a weapon
• Running to cover
• Reloading a weapon or refreshing charges on other gear
• Administering First Aid
• Barricading a door
• Full defense (converting an tactic to a twitch)
• Full offense (converting the twitch to a second tactic, which occurs at the end of the
initiative order)

Tactics resolves in initiative order. Initiative order has a lot of power to determine tactics: checks the player planned on making might be invalidated or rendered impossible by events taking place earlier in the initiative order. Tactics near the beginning of the order can set the tone of the entire battle.

Twitch

A twitch isn't planned. It's an animal instinct that goes off when prompted, such as when the hint of motion out of the corner of an eye causes a spastic dodge. Since a twitch is so fast and prompted by the Market's forces, it's use is limited to...
• Roll Athletics checks to dodge attacks
• Roll Athletics checks to get under cover
• Block an incoming Melee or Unarmed attack
• Recover from knockback
• Quick draw an item by dropping previously held gear
• Reload or perform another quick action, as allowed by a specific gear's upgrade

A twitch is entirely defensive. Its power comes from being unbound by the initiative order. After spending a twitch, a player can make a skill check immediately no matter where their tactic lies in the initiative order. So, though Angel might not act until last in the initiative order, she can spend her twitch to get behind cover so all the Market forces acting before her can't declare attacks.
Each character only gets one twitch per combat round. If Market forces declare an attack and the target player doesn't have a twitch to spend, the attack hits automatically (see "When the Market Rolls" p.XX).

Freebies

Freebies include intellectual and verbal actions that can be carried out while performing tactics and twitches, or whenever the Taker chooses. Characters get one freebie per combat round. Some examples of freebies include...
• Foresight checks to get tactical information
• Awareness checks to spot something
• Shouting or whispering, or CHA skill checks where appropriate
• Self-Control tests called for by the Market
• Command using Profession: Animal Handling or Profession: Drones

In Red Markets, freebies are as close as characters can get to multiple actions. There are no superheroes out in the Loss (unless you count Aberrants), and nobody can dual-wield pistols while simultaneously hacking a military drone and leaping away from an explosion. This is not to say that freebies aren't powerful; a shouted order or spotted ambush can save lives. Therefore, only one freebie is allowed per round. The Market isn't obligated to allow a soliloquy in the middle of knife fight, though barking "Get down!" is fine and wouldn't require a check. And while it might be possible to see where the raiders are flanking from (Awareness), nobody has the time to complete a Where's Waldo? book in the middle of combat.

Tasks

Tasks require a long-time, at least relative to the pace of combat. A single combat round represents a few frenetic seconds of bloodshed and terror. That's usually not enough time to pick a lock, hot-wire a car, or bandage a wound, but the situation might demand such concentration despite distractions like shrapnel and arterial spray. When performing a task, the Market quotes the number of uninterrupted combat rounds required to attempt a check OR the number successful checks required to complete the task (never both, unless the whole group likes constantly rolling dice and failing). Sometimes, a task might not require a check at all, but the time it eats up still means a lot in a firefight.

The Market stipulates whether the player's task requires uninterrupted focus or merely cumulative focus. For instance, battlefield surgery can't be stopped for the doctor to return fire: the Market might say it requires two rounds uninterrupted before the player can make a single Profession: Surgeon check to determine success.

On the other hand, somebody chopping down a door with an axe can spare one swing for the casualty that strays too close: in this instance, the Market might require two successful Melee checks before the door breaks, but successes don't have to occur concurrently.

Finally, maybe the task is too simple to warrant using the dice; cranking a generator might require two rounds spent on the task, but failing to grasp a handle isn't an interesting or reasonable way to fail, so the Market doesn't require a check at all.

Freebies don't interrupt tasks, but tactics and twitches do. Thankfully, Takers engaged in tasks can be in cover at the same time, but they have to trust their coworkers to keep them from getting flanked and killed.

In short, to perform a task, forgo all other actions except screaming for the Crew to help.

Casualty Specific Maneuvers
A few combat maneuvers are specific to Casualties only: peeling, luring, and chumming. All of these maneuvers count as a tactic.

Peeling
Peeling is used to reduce the size of mob headed towards someone else. If the player declares they are peeling for their action, they need to move closer to the mob than the person currently setting the shamble. So, for instance, if Prole has a mob closing in a 4 shambles, Kapital would have to move to at least 3 shambles in order to peel.

Once closer to the zombies, the Taker needs to use a freebie to get the attention of the undead. The Market can either roll randomly to determine how many Casualties "peel" off from the mob, or it can be decided merely by dividing the mob in two. All peeling does is create two mobs out of one; it might make the monsters more manageable, or it might just provide them a second victim.
The benefit to such a distraction is a reduced Mass for the mob heading towards another player.

Luring
"Luring" kites zombies behind a Taker, leading them to a specific location. To lure, make a successful check with a CHA skill (player's choice). Failure means the mob is too distracted by its current prey. Unless a Taker gets close enough to the mob to become the closest target (peeling), the mob continues after the original victim. A success is loud and boisterous enough to draw the attention of the entire mob and Shamble is reset. However, Casualties do not respond to subtly: anything loud enough to get their attention is treated like the use of a loud weapon. Thus, Takers can't just play "keep away" with mobs endlessly without being overrun, but they can keep amassing followers up until they get cut off from every direction.

Once a mob is successfully attracted, the Taker can keep luring them at the cost of one ration per round (you have to stay close). The Market might say difficult terrain or obstacles cost more or call for an Athletics check.

Luring in a vehicle can potentially go on as long as there is open road and fuel. Herding large numbers of Casualties away from certain areas is a common contract for Takers, and enclaves have been destroyed by rivals chumming a massive horde to the city's gates.

Chumming
Chumming involves temporarily directing Casualties to an area by providing them a free meal. But the Blight only wants live victims. If a crew wants to ensure the zombies go into the containment area or stick around for the explosion, sacrifices must be made.
Animals work; Casualties eat anything living, including the carrion eaters that attempt to feed off them. Humans work even better, especially if they're competition.

There's no skill check required for chumming besides whatever the Taker had to do to get a fresh victim offered to the dead. Once a sacrifice is secured, the victim need only be closer than the Takers for the tactic to work. The Casualties always go for the easy kill. The only difficulty in chumming is the psychological damage of watching it happen, which prompts level-2 Self-Control checks against Detachment or worse, depending on who is on the wrong end of the mob.