My philosophy is that combat is generally won or lost before it starts. Â Not because I always work it out beforehand, but because Sun Tzu was a genius and everything he wrote is still just as true today. Â Smart characters play to their strengths, pick fights they can win, and avoid fights they will lose.
I've seen the "referee" system of combat before where you have a sort of dungeonmaster calling the shots. Â It sounds weird, but if you have a good ref, it does work.
That said, you should be fine if you just use common sense. Â If you're a squirrely archer teenager of slim build, it is generally a bad idea to get into a barfight with an eight-foot-tall mercenary with a face that looks like he peeled it off the sole of his boot and cauterized it back onto his skull. Â And if you're that eight foot tall mercenary and you know the archer is out there at a distance, don't walk out into the open. Â Walk into every possible confrontation with a plan.
I've seen the "referee" system of combat before where you have a sort of dungeonmaster calling the shots. Â It sounds weird, but if you have a good ref, it does work.
That said, you should be fine if you just use common sense. Â If you're a squirrely archer teenager of slim build, it is generally a bad idea to get into a barfight with an eight-foot-tall mercenary with a face that looks like he peeled it off the sole of his boot and cauterized it back onto his skull. Â And if you're that eight foot tall mercenary and you know the archer is out there at a distance, don't walk out into the open. Â Walk into every possible confrontation with a plan.