Running a Fight Night

When I GM’d the Jewel of Yavin adventure for my Desert Rose Solutions SWRPG campaign, one of my players expressed an interest in participating in the cage fights at the bar called the 4 1/2 down on the lower levels. To prepare for that, I worked up a three-roll process to handle each match, representing the tactics being used, the actual fight itself, and how much the match wore the participants out. That rule set came in very handy several other times during the campaign, and the form it takes here is the result of input from the players. It can work for Genesys as easily as for SWRPG.

Actual plays or serialized stories benefitting from these rules have the Fight Night tag.

Note: We only used these fight night rules in one-on-one matches. What were the other players doing? Talking to bar patrons, making side hustles, spying on NPCs, betting on matches…

Tactics

Use any skill of your choice that you can justify to reflect tactics or tricks to hamper your opponent. The roll is opposed by a skill of the opponent’s that makes sense to counter it. Here are some suggestions.

SkillOppositionExplanation
DeceptionVigilance/Perceptionfeints
CoordinationCoordinationcontrol the fighting rhythm
AthleticsAthletics/Coordinationpush/pull opponent off balance
Streetwise/PerceptionStealth/Deception/Coolanalyze opponent’s strategies to counter them
MedicineResilience/Coordinationidentify any physically weak points
CoercionDisciplineintimidation/taunts
CharmCoolwoo the crowd to demoralize opponent
Stealth/CoolPerception/Vigilanceposition to hide your moves
SurvivalVigilancesand-in-the-eyes type trickery
Example Tactics Skills

The outcome affects the upcoming Fight roll. Advantages could still be used to recover strain, but here are some other things the roll results can do.

CostResult Options
Successupgrade difficulty of opponent’s Fight roll
2 Advantagesadd a boost die to your own Fight roll
Triumphupgrade your ability on your own Fight roll
Failurenothing
2 Threatsadd a setback die on your own Fight roll
Despairupgrade the difficulty of your own Fight roll
Spend Table for Tactics Roll

Fight

Melee or Brawl, your choice, opposed by the Melee or Brawl of the other combatant. Remember to apply the pool adjustments from the Tactics roll or last round’s Resilience roll. Compare the (Success,Advantage) result of both combatants to find out who won. Even if no one gets successes on this role, someone wins the match.

Success and advantages go towards determining the winner. Here are some possible ways to spend other symbols.

CostResult Options
Triumphcount as two successes or upgrade a roll on your next match
Failurenothing
Threatsfor winner, add a setback die to your Resilience roll; for loser, at setback die to the next social check at this establishment
Despairsuffer a Critical Injury or upgrade the difficulty of the upcoming Resilience roll
Spend Table for Fight Roll

Resilience

After each victory, if you are proceeding to another match, make a Resilience roll. This roll represents the accumulated effects of all the blocking, as well as the hits you’ve been taking. On a failure, you’re more reluctant to suffer the pain of blocks, which makes things easier for your next opponent.

The difficulty is one die for each match you have fought so far. If the tournament goes long enough to exceed 5 difficulty dice, start upgrading to challenge dice.

CostResult Options
Successnothing
2 Advantagesadd a boost die to your own next Fight roll
Triumphupgrade your ability on your own next Fight roll
Failureupgrade skill of next opponent’s Fight roll
2 Threatsadd a setback die on your own next Fight roll
Despairupgrade the difficulty of your own next Fight roll or suffer a Critical Injury
Spend Table for Resilience Roll