I feel the need to point out, as both a battle ref and an experienced player of battles, that Empire does not have an OOC game mechanic call of ‘Execute’. None, nada, nope, zip, zero.
If you can’t roleplay sufficiently well enough for five seconds and convey to your target and those around you what you are undertaking, then you probably shouldn’t be trying to execute players/monsters. The Empire game (or any game IMO) does not need an Execute call. Such calls encourage OOC meta-gaming and reactions. They detract from the IC-ness of the situation, generally sound and look crap in delivery, and don’t make for fun.
During the Summer battle, I thought a friend had died and was going around executing barbarians by raising my sword and bringing it down acting a hard hit to the neck, but because I didn’t want to accidentally hurt the player I was striking the top lip of their breast plate and saying “execute”.
I will admit I was caught up in the role-play and didn’t really think about what the rules were on executing, so I wasn’t counting how long I was spending on the execute. The monsters seemed to play a long, and probably would have put their finger up a few seconds later regardless. If one of them had got up afterwards and attacked I would have rolled with it.
Felt terrible a few minutes later when I discovered my friend wasn’t dead after all, and I might have endangered wounded imperials by my treatment of the enemy.
[quote=“L’Oreal”]I feel the need to point out, as both a battle ref and an experienced player of battles, that Empire does not have an OOC game mechanic call of ‘Execute’. None, nada, nope, zip, zero.
If you can’t roleplay sufficiently well enough for five seconds and convey to your target and those around you what you are undertaking, then you probably shouldn’t be trying to execute players/monsters. The Empire game (or any game IMO) does not need an Execute call. Such calls encourage OOC meta-gaming and reactions. They detract from the IC-ness of the situation, generally sound and look crap in delivery, and don’t make for fun.[/quote]
The hidden calls in the Empire rules system are STAY WITH ME, GET IT TOGETHER, HEAL, SWIFT HEAL, PURIFY, RESTORE, MEND and EXECUTE, unless I’ve missed one - one needs to know what these calls do, but they aren’t on the list… Of these, there’s an argument for losing EXECUTE (as you’ve presented) and rolling the HEAL call into SWIFT HEAL.
As a monster I tend to use the rules for what you can do while Incapacitated to try and make PCs make a decision either to execute me or deliberately not do so. I think it adds to coolness factor.
One of my favourite moments at Empire is when a friend of mine planted himself above a down Ork, took out his dagger, lined it up perfectly between ribs and called “Execute” when at the same time the Ork tried to bound to his feet just in time to sprawl lifeless on the floor. Great bit of roleplay from both involved.
I don’t understand why the rule cannot simply be changed to “Execute can be called after 10 seconds of roleplay where you are undeniably roleplaying a finishing blow to an unresisting target, this is reduced to 5 seconds of roleplay to a character who is already terminal”.
10 seconds give everyone enough time to realise what is happening and react. If you lie on the floor for 10 seconds when someone is above you undeniably doing something with a deadly weapon you have no one to blame but yourself.
This might mean instead of 5 seconds per person on a battle field to be safe you wait for 10 seconds. But it’s surely undeniable that you’re definitely dead if someone has spent a good 10 seconds?
To a point you are correct - they are ‘hidden calls’ - words that are key to roleplaying allowing players to communicate mechanical intent and context. The rules for spell casting don’t actually require you to use HEAL or MEND in your vocals. Obviously it helps with communication, but I am certain with elaborate roleplay, vocals and somatic gestures you can convey the actual context of what you are attempting to most people. They are not mechanical calls though, more ‘trigger words’ for appropriate reaction - you could swap HEAL for CURE THESE WOUNDS or MEND for RESTORE THIS ITEM. The important thing here is that all of the ‘hidden calls’ you mention above are legitimate IC words for use in spell vocals. EXECUTE is an OOC word - I’m pretty certain Charles’ I didn’t have his executioner shout it before the axe fell…
EXECUTE isn’t a call in the game. You shouldn’t need an OOC mechanic word if there is obvious roleplay between the two parties involved. In the context of a battle where you are monstering a barbarian, the onus is on you to roleplay suitable reactions to players wanting to execute your presumably dying Thule/Druj/Varushkan bandit…
I strongly believe that if you are conveying offensive abilities such as SHATTER or STRIKEDOWN with official calls then you should also convey at least SWIFT HEAL, EMPOWER, STAY WITH ME and GET IT TOGETHER with mechanical calls in this manner - especially SWIFT HEAL and EMPOWER because they are delivered by what are effectively weapon blows! There has been confusion observed, especially in the not unknown case of having someone with access to every healing ability in the system.
For me, the Rule 7 would apply in the circumstance of playing possum, not resisting a reasonably roleplayed 5 sec or more execute, then springing to life simply because you weren’t on zero hits to begin with.
Hence for a Rule 7 = if you’re concious and don’t try to resist an appropriately RP’d execute, then you die.
[quote=“shemp”]For me, the Rule 7 would apply in the circumstance of playing possum, not resisting a reasonably roleplayed 5 sec or more execute, then springing to life simply because you weren’t on zero hits to begin with.
Hence for a Rule 7 = if you’re concious and don’t try to resist an appropriately RP’d execute, then you die.[/quote]
Note that this remains a grey area where if you were planning to execute another PC you are advised to take a ref with you. Then if anything like this comes up they can make a ruling on it, having seen everything first hand. Otherwise the policy is that in case of a dispute they will generally take the defender’s side.
I appreciate that this will not always be possible, but worth bearing in mind.
[quote=“L’Oreal”]
EXECUTE isn’t a call in the game. You shouldn’t need an OOC mechanic word if there is obvious roleplay between the two parties involved. In the context of a battle where you are monstering a barbarian, the onus is on you to roleplay suitable reactions to players wanting to execute your presumably dying Thule/Druj/Varushkan bandit…[/quote]
Execute kind of has to be a call in the game. If you’re not looking directly behind you, wether it’s someone “cutting your throat” or dashing your brains out with a mighty overhead swing of a huge mace, you’re not going to know it’s meant to be an execute unless someone gives the call.
Roleplay doesn’t enter into it if you don’t know someone is using a game mechanic that isn’t obvious.
[quote=“gwoodhouse”]
Execute kind of has to be a call in the game. If you’re not looking directly behind you, wether it’s someone “cutting your throat” or dashing your brains out with a mighty overhead swing of a huge mace, you’re not going to know it’s meant to be an execute unless someone gives the call.
Roleplay doesn’t enter into it if you don’t know someone is using a game mechanic that isn’t obvious.[/quote]
You have obfuscated my point. There is no call to give in the current rules!
How can you look directly behind you anyway? Having your back turned doesn’t fulfilled the being an un-resisting target condition. At what point isn’t it obvious that a giant overhead mace swing that connects with your head (ground next to your head) isn’t meant to snuff out what little life remains?
As I mentioned before, it is up to the executor to make their roleplay suitably awesome enough to make it obvious to the target (and probably those close enough to become covered in viscera) what is happening. As a monster, receiving such awesome attention should be a stimulus for you to roleplay out a suitable reward for their actions, having your head explode, your corpse giving a final twitch before lying still, or a blood curdling and attenuated scream. Given the requirements for being able to execute someone, I would think it reasonable for someone lying on the ground, with no hits left, roleplaying the slow bleed out of their character, to expect someone to execute them. It should not be unexpected!
I am currently of the opinion that some players want a mechanical call so they can conduct “SNEAK ATTACK!” with their characters and drop others like ninja samurai assassin secret agents…
Allow me to construct for you a situation from play.
Negotiations with a Herald of Spring broke down due to the inimitable psychological character of the negotiators, at which point a scuffle broke out: a certain Archmage made an Ambitious and Courageous assault upon the person of the Herald, armed only with a minimum-length holdout knife and with one body hit remaining. The Herald responded with a heroic blow and followed it up with a blow delivered to the prone Archmage. The second blow was well telegraphed and would absolutely have been traumatic wound material if there had been a ref watching; it did not take five seconds to deliver, but other than that it was pretty close to what a valid mechanical execute looks like and could easily have been confused for one in the heat of the moment. I didn’t break character at the time, later verifying whether the crew member playing the Herald had intended for that to be an attempted execute (he hadn’t).
Had there been a mechanical execute call, as the player of the Herald believed that there was, there would not have been any confusion.
(As a monster, I take anything suitably roleplayed as an execute if I’m a valid target, even if it doesn’t meet the rule requirements, because I’m there to make someone look like a big damned hero. In fact I tend to make use of ‘you may make noise while dying’ rules to make PCs’ executing me or not a deliberate choice.)
