In our last example, we got unsurprising yet not exactly satisfying results. Realistically, noncombatants should have little chance at defeating robot sentries in combat. Psi-Wars style space opera isn’t exactly realistic. In GURPS Psi-Wars, this is handled in a few ways including:

Most “noncombatant” templates have some combat skill at a competent (12+) level
Extra-Effort in Combat
Impulse Buys
Luck
“Mook” rules
Other “cinematic” combat rules

In Fudge, we have similar options including:

Fudge Points
Luck
- This could be its own Gift or be implemented with extra Fudge Points
“Mook” rules
Other “cinematic” combat rules
“Success with cost” rules

The option lists are similar although the implementations may be a bit different. Five Point Fudge doesn’t work well with assumed combat competency. Action characters tend do be more broadly competent at the basics while also having specialization. I may need to revisit skills in the future.

Let us see how these options could change the scenario to give a “more satisfying” result.

Fudge Points / Luck

Fudge points are the generic luck type metagame currency in Fudge. The default uses Fudge Points in the SRD include:

Automatic success at an unopposed action
Alter a die roll by one after the roll has been made
- For comparison, Fate gives a +2 bonus for invoking an aspect
Reduce the severity of an injury (Flesh Wounds)
Get an automatic +4 result instead of rolling
- This may be used for opposed actions
Scene altering

These options are similar to the Impulse Buy options. The SRD doesn’t give specific guidelines, but it does give some general ideas.

Crank Botwhisperer did a decent job at his ambush despite being a noncombatant, but the feat did require luck. Fudge Points could make that sort of feat much more reliable. They could also ensure his escape at the end if necessary.

Noriko Tan-Shai was even less of a combatant than Crank. Fudge Points could have given her a chance to off a mook or two. Given the nature of the facility where she was being held, scene altering could have provided her an eldothic device that could have provided her an edge. Depending on the nature of the device, it could have even turned her into a capable combatant at least for a little while.

“Cinematic” and “Mook” Rules

Mook rules wouldn’t have changed anything because I already applied them. I already considered shooting a mook and defending against a mook unopposed Fair difficulty tasks. The combat used Story Elements which supports the Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Training trope without any special rule.

Non Fudge Point “cinematic” combat rules are largely handled by setting difficulty appropriately for the genre and using Story Elements. Perhaps I could have considered hitting a mook at close range a Poor difficulty task rather than Fair difficulty which would have allowed Noriko a chance to hit and make Crank somewhat accurate.

Success with Cost

Fate allows certain “failures” to be treated as “success with cost” where the character succeeds at the task but has some sort of cost attached. I don’t want too much Fate in my Fudge Psi-Wars, but I am not entirely opposed to “success with cost.”

The cost should typically be something related to the action. For example, if a mogwai tries to fast talk a door to let a prisoner out with a flimsy excuse, perhaps the door opens but sounds the alarm. If the scavenger fails to jump over a chasm to reach an artifact, perhaps he succeeds but is fatigued and hanging from a ledge.

Note that Fate stress boxes are largely equivalent to Fudge scratches, but I am not sure adding scratches makes sense as implementation of fatigue. Perhaps there is a better option for Fudge.

Retrospective

using fairly default 5 Point Fudge without Fudge Points makes combat against mooks difficult for noncombatants as expected. Fudge does have options for supporting “cinematic” combat where noncombatant PCs have a chance in a fight against small numbers of mooks. We shall see in the next test how well combatant characters can take on larger numbers of mooks in Story Element combat.