A Minor Mechanical Problem

[wyvern]

Ok that's all well and good...

So what if F is running away and S is doing the chasing?

Then you've got a faster person running away from a slower person, and, barring the intervention of fate points, clever maneuvers / declarations, or a sequence of really lopsided rolls, the faster person will simply get away.  I don't see a problem with that; if you're a human trying to run down a cheetah on a straightaway, you're going to lose.

There are, of course, all sorts of maneuvers you can try - from finding shortcuts, to the patch of gravel that other people have mentioned, etc.  But if you're person S, trying to chase down person F, you can't win in a straight contest, and will have to either get creative or accept defeat.

[Sanctaphrax]

I like Wyvern's answer here, and I think I'll use it if the issue ever comes up. Characters with Speed powers should certainly be able to run away if they choose to. But they shouldn't be able to strafe their opponent endlessly while incurring zero risk.

This stuff is actually probably better handled as a non-combat contest most of the time. But sometimes that won't be appropriate.

[noclue]

This stuff is actually probably better handled as a non-combat contest most of the time. But sometimes that won't be appropriate.

Yeah, I'd probably run the chase as a consequential conflict and then continue on with the combat mechanics.

[Tedronai]

The easiest solution that I've come up with to address the zero-risk strafing problem is twofold:
1) run combat as an undifferentiated continuous cycle (allowing delayed actions to preempt opponents with a higher initiative)
2) allow delayed actions to interrupt opponents' actions

[devonapple]

2) allow delayed actions to interrupt opponents' actions

I think we already have that rule in there somewhere. I so remember being confused awhile back because one section seemed to say we couldn't do that, but then an example with Mouse expressly showed him interrupting an action by delaying.

I don't have the page number references, either - my apologies.

[Belial666]

The zero-risk strafing problem appears not so much when someone is plain faster than the other guy but when he can take his normal action and move two or more zones at the same time as a supplemental action.

[Tedronai]

re: delayed actions interrupting opposition:
From what I recall, YS seems somewhat conflicted on this subject, but since it's integral to the solution I was putting forward, I included it.  If it's already allowable within your interpretations of the RAW, then that's fine.  If it isn't, then implementing that solution would require you to house-rule a change to allow it.

[Sanctaphrax]

Interrupting actions by delaying is detailed on page 199 of YS. But I don't see how it solves anything.

[Tedronai]

In order to strafe, they need to get in close enough to attack YOU.  So long as your attacks have range at least close to theirs, if you are able to interrupt their action with your own, you can delay until they close the gap before striking, yourself.  So long, that is, as your game is not using the RAW compartmentalized combat round where a delayed action cannot stray into subsequent rounds.

[devonapple]

Interrupting actions by delaying is detailed on page 199 of YS. But I don't see how it solves anything.

In order to strafe, they need to get in close enough to attack YOU.  So long as your attacks have range at least close to theirs, if you are able to interrupt their action with your own, you can delay until they close the gap before striking, yourself.  So long, that is, as your game is not using the RAW compartmentalized combat round where a delayed action cannot stray into subsequent rounds.

What Tedronai says. If you delay your action, you can wait until an opponent is about to hit you, which means they are "in range," and then you can preemptively hit the opponent as an "interrupt" (to use a term from my old Magic: the Gathering days). *Then* the opponent gets to hit you, and your initiative remains until you delay again.

The Speedster can adapt to that, unfortunately. So if you have a prolonged conflict with a Speedster, the non-Speedster is somewhat obligated to delay every other action in order to line up the possibility of an attack on the Speedster. Which effectively gives the Speedster two attacks to the Regular Joe's one attack. Which many people argue Speedsters should have, so this is kind of alright.

[Tedronai]

The example with Mouse would actually seem to indicate that the rules may be using a different definition of 'interrupt' than I am using here.
In the example, when Mouse 'interrupts' the ghouls, he acts entirely before they do, not partway through their action as is necessary for this 'fix'.

[zenten]

On the strafing issue, why not just do a Block on the speedster?

[Tedronai]

Because you'll never win a conflict by taking solely defensive actions, and in order to impose an all-actions block, you STILL need to be 'in range' of your opponent.

[zenten]

You'll only block them while in range, but there's nothing that says you can't initiate the block while they're not.

[noclue]

Well, a delayed action grapple could be a good option for some.