As far as I remember about what I read, fatigue is a pregnant part of the Arthurian books, and exhaustion often appears, either during travels, after long sleepness nights, and especially long knightly hammering fights not over in one lucky critical after a few rounds have been exchanged.

I know M. Stafford addressed the issues (Forced march, sprinting, Combat...) in a simple way that you all know. But I feel unsatisfied about especially the fighting fatigue rules, because a knightly fight hardly ever ends in exhaustion, or even reach that stat, as a lucky critical will often abruptly end the fight, while the arthurian books are full of long, indecise, exhausting, eventfull knightly duels. Moreover, the rules adress fatigue (-5), but not Total Exhaustion, when you are so out of breath that you just kneel there panting, or hardly able to raise your shield or retain your grip on you weapon.

Moreover, except my "judgment", I can hardly know when a knight will have to roll for exhaustion after an exhausting day, fall asleep because he just can't take it anymore... I mean there are no connections between the various exhaustion or fatigue rules.

I know fatigue might not sound like a knightly matter, but well, its in the books, and almost all tales adress it.
How do you feel about fatigue and exhaustion? Do you, as GM, take it into considerations? What is the limit between letting the players feel the fatigue, have it affect the game, and not burden it ? Do you have house rules about it, or just use the manual rules ?

Those fights are also between knights of incredible skill, meaning they're both getting crits often. When both combatants get crits, nothing happens (or, with the GPC rule, just 1d3 damage apiece). It's no longer a matter of getting a lucky crit, it's also a matter of getting one without your opponent getting one as well.

You raise a good point cromcrom.

I have often wanted a nice, simple way of adjudicating when to use fatigue rolls, and when to have situations where both fighters collapse from exhaustion before killing each other.

The 1d3 method dkd mentions can achieve a similar effect. A knight who gets injured, and then ties a couple of times, taking 1d3 each time, could well collapse from it, and those 1d3 points would heal very easily with first aid - so you oculd think of it as fatigue.

Regarding your larger point, of when to use fatigue and exhaustion - I'm in a similar boat. I find I rarely use those rules, because of being unsure when to apply it (the big penalty it applies means I'm reluctant to apply it unless I know the situation warrants it).

This is a really good question: "What is the limit between letting the players feel the fatigue, have it affect the game, and not burden it?" I don't know the answer :)

You raise a good point cromcrom.

This is a really good question: "What is the limit between letting the players feel the fatigue, have it affect the game, and not burden it?" I don't know the answer :)


I had a fatigue system and rejected it.
It was too fussy and fiddly and added little to my game.

When my player knights are fatigued it is time for opposed Energetic rolls.

You raise a good point cromcrom.



This is a really good question: "What is the limit between letting the players feel the fatigue, have it affect the game, and not burden it?" I don't know the answer :)


From Greg,

I had a fatigue system and rejected it.
It was too fussy and fiddly and added little to my game.

When my player knights are fatigued it is time for opposed Energetic rolls

I use 2 systems for fatigue in my game. When I feel they should be fatigued (long hard day's ride, numerous small skirmishes, etc), they I simply tell my players they are fatigued. They suffer a -5 to everything until they rest.

For a short term fatigue, (a battle that I expect will be more than 2 rounds), I do the following: I keep track of combat rounds, after each 5 rounds they suffer a cumulative -5 to all combat skills. Thus, after 10 rounds, they are at -10. What this does, is make those battles between knights of 30+ skill, end eventually because they will eventually drop below 20.

I agree with Greg, I could use a more complex version (and I had one), but also dropped it because if took too long and made things more complex.

Bob

I use 2 systems for fatigue in my game. When I feel they should be fatigued (long hard day's ride, numerous small skirmishes, etc), they I simply tell my players they are fatigued. They suffer a -5 to everything until they rest.

For a short term fatigue, (a battle that I expect will be more than 2 rounds), I do the following: I keep track of combat rounds, after each 5 rounds they suffer a cumulative -5 to all combat skills. Thus, after 10 rounds, they are at -10. What this does, is make those battles between knights of 30+ skill, end eventually because they will eventually drop below 20
This sounds simple and attractive, but I hate "flat" modificators. I guess I would have the CON or other value come into play at some point, or whatever...

When I think fatigue applies, I typically let knights fight for CON rounds before worrying about fatigue, and that is when on foot (I used Horsemanship skill if they are mounted). Then I have the characters make Energetic rolls or apply a -5 penalty.

But I only tend to pull that out during very long fights, or when two guys fight defensively for a long time. I don't use such a rule in battle, since I figure it would cancel out.

When I think fatigue applies, I typically let knights fight for CON rounds before worrying about fatigue,


I'd like to do something like that, but by the time I realise a fight is going to last a long time, I haven't been counting the rounds and don't know how long its been!

My interest in fatigue rules though isn't for single fights (I've seen very few fights last CON rounds), but in heavy activity over a day or days, or for multiple-fight situations like tournaments and multiple challenges.

I'd like to do something like that, but by the time I realise a fight is going to last a long time, I haven't been counting the rounds and don't know how long its been!

Me, too. But that's not really a problem. The trick is to apply fatifue every once in a while, when it looks like things are bogging down. That is just enough to give the players the illusion of fatigue without needing to resort to actual bookeeping.



My interest in fatigue rules though isn't for single fights (I've seen very few fights last CON rounds), but in heavy activity over a day or days, or for multiple-fight situations like tournaments and multiple challenges.


For stuff like that, I generally do something similar. Energetic rolls to see how well they hold up. Say after every challenge. But in most such cases I would cancel out (the other guy has been fighting for as many matches) and it is easier to ignore.