Turn-by-turn combat can often bog down play greatly, and is not always desirable. Below are two alternatives.

Scene Based Combat
Begin by assigning a Risk to the task (Benign, Precarious, etc.).

Compare each player with the general difficulty of the scene. The player’s ability in the scene is determined by adding together two relevant abilities (depending on their combat style and goal; for example, fitness and awareness if they are attempting to escape), and roughly average the skills the plan on applying to the task. Do the same for the toughest opponent, which will represent all opposition. Modify the scores as follows:

* +1 to the opposition for each of other combatant that can hinder the player
* +1 to the player for each other person that can help her
* +2 to the player for having a tactical advantage
* -2 to the player for having a tacitical disadvantage
* +1 to the player for suprising the rival (taking the initiative)
* -1 to the player for being surprised
* +2 to whichever side has a superiority of equipment
* +1 to either side for having adequate cover
* +1 to the player for a very good and clever description of her actions

Compare these numbers (where the player’s number adds up to the effort exerted, and the opponent’s number is amount of effort required). Apply the consequences of the Risk to whichever side has lost (this means applying the consequences of a calamitous failure). A tie means suffers the consequences of the Risk. After determining this, the Director should then freely narrate the actual battle and the ultimate outcome.



Interactive Scene Based Combat
Same as above, EXCEPT that once the “result” of the scene’s task is determined, players go about narrating their actions in a standard fashion. Players and the Directors should take turns narrating the action – the exact order is in fact not important – with the following rules:

* A described action requiring little or no effort should be assumed to happen; the result isn’t changed.
* The Director may let a task requiring some (1-3) effort succeed, but the Director should subsequently reduce the player’s result further.
* The Director may thwart a player’s action by increasing the player’s result by 1-3 points
* The player may improve the success of her result by +1 or +2 if she has enacted a clever move that creates a tactical advantage, or has switched to a tactic which she is better at (e.g. using a sword instead of brawling)
* The Director may deduct from the result if she has done a tactically dumb move.
* The director can modify the “result” by +1 or +2 for every success or triumph he grants to opposition against the player.
* The Director should not end the combat until it has balanced out at 0, unless the player has done something clever enough to end combat prematurely.

The idea is that a scene-based success of -1 means that a minor injury is “owed” to the player, and a success of more indicates more serious injuries or failures. Conversely, a more positive result means that the player is ultimately entitled to greater successes against her rival. The narrated attacks are largely for color, but the net exchange is largely the same; the one difference is that a clever move in the middle of combat is rewarded (and foolish moves are punished).