MEATSAC (Might, Evasion, Accuracy, Talent, Speed, Affect, Constitution) is the stat system in Pit, our Discord MUD. This is a breakdown of the system's dodge mechanic and how it excels at bringing excitement to turn-based combat.
How dodging works in MEATSAC
When you make an attack in Pit, an Aim score is rolled with a maximum of your Accuracy stat. A Dodge score is also rolled for the defender with a maximum of their Evasion stat. You score a critical hit (dealing double damage) if your Aim score is higher than the target's Evasion stat. You glance (dealing half damage) if your Aim score is lower than the target's Dodge score. Otherwise, you hit and deal normal damage.
The interactive part of the system is that all combatants can use the Dodge ability on their turn. When they do so, any incoming attack's outcome is demoted by a rank (a critical becomes a hit, a hit becomes a glance and a glance becomes a miss). This is where MEATSAC gets interesting.
How to use post-decision randomness
Post-decision randomness can be a healthy game mechanic, but only if you make a promise. In MEATSAC, there is a promise that when you attack you are going to deal damage. It might be double, it might be half, but when you choose to attack, randomness alone can't make you whiff. There is also a promise when you take the dodge action that you are going to take less damage than you otherwise would have. Randomness alone cannot make your dodge useless. The only events that can violate either of these promises are decisions made by the opponent, and that makes for a game of prediction despite the exciting element of randomness.
Some other promises are implied by the design of the stat calculations themselves. Your Evasion stat is equal to the Accuracy stat required for someone to critically hit you. There is a promise that having a higher Evasion than the opponent's Accuracy will negate their critical hit odds.
How dodging interacts with other systems
With Pit in particular, the enemies have a rhythm to their decision-making that an experienced player can weaponize. Let's take a look at the Skeletal Dragon. The way its stats are set up, the Dragon can only use its Ashblast attack once before needing to rest for three turns. With this knowledge, a player could choose to dodge until the Dragon uses the Ashblast attack, and then proceed to attack while the Dragon is recharging. This is a simple advantage that can raise the skill ceiling of your games. It doesn't have to be all memorization though.
This mechanic can work intuitively for an inexperienced player as well. The flee mechanic allows a player to gauge the powers of enemies before fully putting their run on the line. Mechanics that provide freedom of experimentation like this are excellent for teaching your players how complex systems can work in their favor. In this case, you could observe how the Skeletal Dragons attack over a series of close encounters followed by fleeing. You would eventually recognize the patterns and be able to predict their every move. If this sort of trial-and-error isn't your playstyle, you can also calculate this by just looking at the Skeletal Dragon stats.
Takeaways from MEATSAC's dodge system
- Make promises when randomness is involved.
- Give meaning to 1-point differences between stats.
- Provide ways for players to experiment with more complex systems.