Murderthon
Murderthon is a competition sport with elements of track run
ning and marathons, but adding combat to the mix ! Typically,
the game is run around a track (500-meters long) that can ac
commodate as many as ten participants, although most Murder
thon games have 5-8 players. The objective is to cover the
distance in the best time possible
Murderthon Rules:
Contestants leave the starting line when
a shot is fired into the air. They must run around a 500 meter
( 1 640 ft) long track, consisting of two long, straight paths and
two curves, for an oval shape, 20 times, for a total run of 1 0,000
meters ( 1 0 kilometers, a little over 6 miles). The participants can
attack opponents as they run, but if they pause to fight for more
than 1 5 seconds (one melee round), they are disqualified. Like
wise, if a contestant is knocked off the field, he is also disquali
fied.
The key to winning this event is to either run so fast that the
other contestants cannot outpace you, or to make quick "hit and
run" attacks on one ' s opponents.
Weapons are allowed! The limit is two throwing weapons no
larger than a knife, and one hand weapon of choice (sword, etc.).
Most contestants favor spiked gloves or forearm blades attached
with ceramic bands (less likely to be dropped if attached), and
throwing knives, bolas, or shurikens for their ranged weapons.
The winner is the person who completes the 1 0,000 meters ( 1 0
km or roughly six miles) first.
The average Juicer (Speed 40) can run the course in under
thirteen minutes (keeping a grueling pace that no human could
match), and can complete a "lap" in less than a minute. The fast
est Juicers (Speed 80+) can finish the entire run in less than
seven minutes ! The record time in the Los Alamo Annual Tour
nament dates from 1 0 1 P.A., and was 4 minutes and 30.2 sec
onds.
Speed is not the only determination in winning. Slow players
often win by injuring the other contestants while continuing to
run at a steady pace. There was a case where a Titan Juicer ran
slowly and ponderously down the course, but every time a faster
contestant tried to pass him, the Titan would clothesline him,
knocking him down or even out! The Titan was the second place
winner (the first place winner was a Hyperion who managed to
dodge the Titan' s attacks). Shortly after that, Titans were banned
from the sport; they were killing too many other contestants.
Murderthon Play in an RPG:
The easiest way to play Mur
derthon is to use paper and pencil, and record each melee round
the player(s) participates in, and write down how much distance
each player covers during each round. Remember that the speed
of a character, times 20, is the number of yards/meters covered
in a minute. Every melee round, the Juicer covers five yards/me
ters for every point of speed. For example, a Juicer with speed
60 will cover 300 yards/meters in one melee round.
If a character is attacked while running, he can parry or
dodge, but in either case he is slowed down; reduce Speed by -
20% for each dodges or counterstrike, and 5% for a parry in
which he parries and keeps going (-20% for a parry that misses;
the shock of getting hit and hurt slows him down a bit) for that
melee round. At the beginning of each melee round, we assume
the character is moving at maximum speed.
27
Attacking while on the run is at -3 to all attack and defense
rolls. Remember, characters cannot stop and fight for longer
than 1 5 seconds (one melee round) or they are disqualified.
If a Juicer is hit and takes serious damage, 12 points or more,
reduce his speed by 1 point for every such injurious attack, any
thing else is shrugged off, at least for the moment (consider ef
fects from blood loss).
A team of 6-8 judges is watching the field to determine any
penalties, and most games are recorded on a video chip and re
viewed at the end of the run to double-check the judges' deci
sions.
Every act of attacking (strike) reduces the character' s speed
by -20% that melee round. For example, a Juicer who attacks
four times during that melee will lose -80% of his speed; most
Murderthon players will only attack once or twice per melee. A
character can only attack the targets on either side or directly in
front of him. To attack the guy behind you is pure folly.
Attacking is only possible if the target is within 30 feet (9. 1
m) of the attacker; by keeping track of the distance covered, the
Game Master knows where each contestant is. The faster runners
will eventually overtake the slow ones as they gain "laps" on
them; this is where most slow runners decide to attack and slow
down their opponents.
The Quickie Way:
For Game Masters
and players for whom a detailed Murderthon game feels like a
tough SAT question, there is a quickie way to resolve the entire
race in a matter of a couple of rolls. Roll as follows: Use the bo
nuses to strike or dodge (whichever is higher), add them to
gether, and then add + 1 for every twenty points of Speed. Then
each player rolls I D20 plus those bonuses; the highest roll wins
the race, second highest wins second place, and so on. If there is
a tie for first, second or third place, roll again to break it.
Special Attacks:
Some special attacks and maneuvers in
clude:
Attacking the Guy Behind You : This is usually a revenge
move, because it can cost one the game to use it. To get the char
acter running behind you, one must stop, roll to dodge oncoming
contestants (-8 to dodge) and strike. This uses up three melee ac
tions and gets a -60% speed penalty. Worse, if the attacking
character fails to dodge, he is bumped and elbowed by 2D4 fel
low contestants as they speed by him, suffers 4D6 damage and
loses all remaining actions for that melee round (three of next
melee if this was his last attack that melee).
Body Block Stop Action : The character suddenly stop and
bends into a crouching position while covering his head; the
move counts as two melee actions and there is a -40% speed
penalty. 2D4 opponents behind him must roll a dodge at -6 to
avoid him. Even a successful dodge costs them -20% reduction
in speed for that melee. A failed dodge roll send them tumbling
over the crouched character and they lose 1 D4+ 1 melee actions
(reduce speed 20% for each). The crouching character can safely
resume running after six seconds/two melee actions.
Clothesline: This striking attack does I D6 plus P.S. bonuses,
and has a 1 -50% chance of knocking one ' s opponent down (he
loses two melee actions/-40% on speed that melee).
Elbow Strike: This is a strike that does normal punch damage.
Sideswipe: The attacker bumps into the target, knocking him
sideways. Instead of normal strike and parry/dodge bonuses,
both the attacker and the defender roll I D20 and add their P.S.
Dostları ilə paylaş: |