Potential combat system for Adventurer:

 A simple combat system for Adventurer.

This is the initial lightly edited version of the simpler combat system I'm thinking of including in addition to the Traveller SRD version in previous revs.  

Swords and Sorcery combat is often more literary than tactical ; much is abstracted in order to provide the story a visceral  punch, and to advance it.  The SRD rules provide a reasonable compromise between the two approaches, and is included in a modified version (to allow for spellcasting, for instance).  Optionally, the following cinematic/literary/abstract combat is presented for those wishing a quicker or at least less detailed resolution.

Combat

When the party of adventurers comes into contact with enemies, the order of events is as follows:

1.     Declare spells

2.     Poltroonery

3.     Determine Initiative. (Party with Initiative acts first in each step)

4.     Shooting

5.     Movement

6.     Second movement

7.     Combat

8.     Second Shooting

9.     Magic

10. Final actions and morale.

The round is complete; keep initiative order for the next round if the battle has not been resolved.  Exception: see tactical skill use in final actions.

General rules:

A character is engaged in melee whenever within range of a non-missile armed opponent who is not engaged in Melee with another character. 

A character engaged in Melee only act in the combat phase to make a non-missile attack or attempt to disengage in the combat phase.

Declare spells.

Spellcasters declare what spells they are casting this round.

Poltroonery

Any character may declare poltroonery and immediately take a full standard move away from any opponents and may discard one ready weapon and one ready shield and apply a -1 to all attacks against him. Each opponent gets a free attack before hand, and count the poltroon as an unengaged attack, and any discarded weapons as additional modifiers.  

Determine Initiative.

At the beginning of a combat round, each side rolls Initiative on a d6—high roll wins. The winning side acts first, moving, attacking, and casting spells. The other side takes damage and casualties, and then gets its turn. Exception: see Charge attacks and the defend option.

Modifiers:

+1 Member of same side declares a charge.

+1  Leader of same side has highest Tactical skill

+1  Fastest character on same side

+1 Slowest character on opponents side.

First Shooting

Characters with ready missile weapons may shoot at available targets. Optionally, a character may hold the shot into the movement phases.

A character shooting in this phase may not move.

First Movement

Characters in melee or holding a shot may not move.

A character not in melee may declare a charge attack and must move at least half movement.

A character not in melee may declare a defend option, and move no more than half standard.

A character not in melee may declare a Run option, and move up to their run speed. 

A character engaged in Melee character may declare a disengage option and not attack.

A character may declare a blocking action, and move no more than half standard.

{a blocking option allows one to engage any number of targets which come in range until the end of the next round next round.  The character may not shoot, or cast spells.  Other options will be described in the next version}

Otherwise:

• Characters may move up to their standard movement and still attack in the combat phase.
• Characters may move greater than their standard movement up to their run speed but may not  attack or shoot further in this round.
• A character must stop all further movement when engaged in Melee. 

Characters who have held a shot lose the shot at the end of this phase.

Combat.

Characters engaged in Melee or who are otherwise able to make an attack (for instance, drygulching an opponent otherwise unable to fight back, or fighting another opponent).  

• Charge attacks against non-charging characters are resolved before all other hand to hand attacks, regardless of initiative.
• Attacks by a character taking the Defend option are resolved after all other attacks regardless of initiative.
• Multiple attacks by the same character occur immediately after the effects of the previous attack are resolved.

Modifiers:

Charging                        +1 to hit for both attacker and defended.

Defending                         -1 to hit for attackers and defenders.

Unengaged attack            +1 for attacker

Second Shooting

A character who has moved no more than half standard may now shoot. 

Second movement.

Characters who declared poltoonery may now make an additional half move.

Characters who declared a disengage may now move up to a half standard move away from his opponent(s), keeping current facing.

Characters who won initiative, may now move up to half their standard move if:

They are not engaged in melee, declared poltroonery or a disengage option,

and have moved no more than half  in the first movement movement phase.

A character must stop movement when engaged in Melee.

Magic

Spells declared in the magic phase take effect and are resolved.

Final actions and Morale

 {yet to come}

 Thoughts ?