nukeminc2 wrote:Actually, Wod round lengths really irk me since it is not simulationist and therefore I mentally have to fill alot of that empty space with some mental gymnastics, frequently filling in gaps in the narrative to make it work. If they were simulationist, they should be infinitely shorter or you should be allowed to do more in those three seconds. Do me a favor and test it for your self. Throw a punch. Now count three mississippi. Now throw a punch and count three mississippi at the same time. There is a lot of "lag time" in between that action and the next. Same goes with shooting. Go to a range and fire a semi-automatic pistol some time (its fun!). Guns are easier for me to mentally plug in the gaps though as I just imagine that the shooter is taking more recovery time, maybe hesitating as the shot is lined up, etc...
One of the old second edition D&D books explained this one quite nicely for me.
While in that 3 second round you only actually make one solid attack, that's not all you're doing during that time. You're keeping an eye on your own defenses, you're looking for openings in your opponent's, you're perhaps twitching to feint, or shying away from your opponent doing likewise, you're maybe even launching a couple of attacks, it's just that only the one you roll that has the chance of influencing the outcome of the fight.
To me, that's far from unwelcome mental gymnastics to pad out the time, it's the narrative that keeps the fight from being simply a succession of 'I roll. I punch. 2 bashing. Your roll.'
