History Main / CommonTacticalGameplayElements

!!Added spice:

!!Ranged combat rules:

!!Melee combat rules:

* '''Concealment'''. Similar to Taking Cover rules, Concealment allows a combatant to get close to an enemy without alerting him to his presence, allowing for an easier takedown or targeting. Usually requires exploiting the terrain or a [[InvisibilityCloak special ability]]. Watch out for detectors.

* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. The orc brute punched you down, it's gonna be hard to get up for a while. Maybe it's the force of his fists. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, either to dislodge them from cover, to stagger them, or simply to put some distance between them and the attacker.

* '''Attack Range'''. Different weapons have different [[ArbitraryMinimumRange minimum]], [[ArbitraryMaximumRange maximum]], and effective attack ranges. This concerns both ranged weapons (cf. pistols and sniper rifles) and melee (cf. daggers and polearms).
* '''Flanking'''. By attacking an enemy from his side or [[BackStab even from the back]], a combatant can ignore his cover and generally has better chances of dealing damage. Alternatively, a unit's armor may be concentrated on one side, so it's much easier to piece it from the other.

* '''{{Grappling Hook|Pistol}}''', '''JetPack'', etc. Any ability or tool that allows a combatant to move vertically, giving him access to elevated positions that might not have been reachable otherwise.

* '''{{Grappling Hook|Pistol}}'''. An ability or tool that allows a combatant to quickly change his position and elevation (particularly upwards).

* '''Rule Breaker'''. A combatant can break or ignore one of the basic rules of the game, usually balanced by some kind of tradeoff. That cool cyborg you got can deploy an arm minigun, but he only has 200 rounds for it, and the gun can only be used if a charging meter is full.

* '''[[DashAttack Charge]]'''. A combatant charges towards the target before striking it in melee, dealing additional damage proportional to the momentum gained. BayonetYa. Especially relevant in MountedCombat.
* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. The orc brute punched you down, it's gonna be hard to get up for a while. Maybe it's the force of his fists. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, either to dislodge them from cover, to stagger them, or simply to put some distance between them and the attacker. Swing a hammer, the foe is tossed away, now the sniper can kill him because he's not taking cover behind anything.
* '''[[CombinationAttack Pincer Attack]]'''. An extension of the Flanking rule, melee combatants have much better chances of damaging an enemy when attacking him simultaneously from opposite sides. Sword attack from both sides = orc brute sandwich.
* '''Crowd Control'''. A melee combatant has means of preventing enemies from moving past him or out of his melee range, such as a free attack against any enemy attempting it, a sweeping attack that pushes back anyone in range, or just cook them with fire/microwaves/phlebotinum/whatever.
* '''Defensive Stance'''. A combatant sacrifices some of his offense to temporarily boost his defensive stats (especially against ranged attacks). You can't raise your sword/gun/{{BFG}}/whatever when your shield is up for example.
* '''Guard'''. Similar to Defensive Stance, but the combatant instead defends an adjacent ally (who may be incapacitated, busy, or otherwise unable to defend himself), potentially even TakingTheBullet for him. So you have a deployable shield? Good. Cover the gunner so he can wipe the foes down.

* '''Smoke Screen'''. A combatant deploys a smoke screen over a small area around himself or his allies to make them temporarily harder to hit or even to prevent the enemy from targeting them altogether. Beware thermal targetting systems. Combatants covered by smoke can usually aim at the enemies outside of it without penalty, otherwise they have to rely on thermographics too.
* '''{{Grappling Hook|Pistol}}'''. An ability or tool that allows a combatant to quickly change his position and elevation (particularly upwards). Or you can tie the {{Mook}} to your car and [[RuleOfFunny drive round town dragging him along]].

* '''Context Action'''. At predetermined points, a combatant can perform a context-sensitive action (heal a friendly, resupply ammo, pick a lock, disarm a bomb, hack a computer, etc.), leaving himself exposed to enemy fire.

* '''Attack Range'''. Different weapons have different [[ArbitraryMinimumRange minimum]], [[ArbitraryMaximumRange maximum]], and effective attack ranges. This concerns both ranged weapons (cf. pistols and sniper rifles) and melee (cf. daggers and polearms). Sniper rifles may have infinite range, but will still perform poorly at close range. Knives can kill within touching distance, and that's it.
* '''Flanking'''. By attacking an enemy from his side or [[BackStab even from the back]], a combatant can ignore his cover and generally has better chances of dealing damage. Tank armour, for example, is front-heavy, so if your [=RPG=] guy can nail it from the sides or the back, the tank is toast.

* '''{{Friendly Fire|Index}}'''. Friendly combatants are just as vulnerable to SplashDamage and attacks by panicking teammates as the enemy. [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty Sometimes not tolerated]]. Attacking and missing an enemy risks [[StrayShotsStrikeNothing wounding a friendly combatant]] standing near him.

* '''[[TakeCover Taking Cover]]'''. A combatant positions a solid object between himself and ranged attackers to minimize damage taken. Said cover can range from large pieces of the environment (an archer firing from a wooded hill or a soldier using shipping crates as protection), through [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe mobile shields]] (ballistic riot shields), to {{Human Shield}}s (you grab someone, he blocks the shots). The quality of cover often determines the amount of protection it provides. The riot shield will always endure better than the unfortunate guy you grabbed.
* '''[[IGotYouCovered Covering]]/[[PinnedDown Suppressing Fire]]'''. A ranged combatant aids his ally's advancement either by taking a free reaction shot at any enemy who tries to hinder it, or by preemptively firing at the known enemy position to [[PinnedDown pin them down]]. A machine gunner best fits this example, [[MoreDakka with a mass of bullets at the ready and a fast fire rate]], he can deal out fear as much as he can deal damage.
* '''Aimed Attack''' a.k.a. '''Called Shot'''. Instead of dealing normal damage, a combatant can attempt to [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands disarm an enemy]], [[BoomHeadshot hit his vital areas]] for massive damage, etc. at the cost of a lower success chance or a longer aiming time. Headshots always deal more damage, but the smaller size of the head compared to centre mass means good accuracy and a keen eye are essential to hit the spot.
* '''Indirect Fire'''. A combatant uses gravity to fire projectiles at an enemy without establishing a direct line of fire, usually from behind cover. Firing can be blind or assisted by a forward observer. Your artillery, for example, can rain hell upon the {{Mook}}s your recon spotted, even with a wooded hill in between.
* '''Blind Firing'''. The ranged combatant can bombard an area outside of his effective aiming range (or covered by smoke or the FogOfWar) but within his firing range, giving him a (small) chance to hit an enemy in that area. The artillery can for example, fire a salvo over that wooded hill in hopes of nailing a few {{Mook}}s in that vicinity.
* '''{{Target Spott|er}}ing'''. A ranged combatant has a much longer firing range than his viewing range and can attack enemies currently seen by his allies ("spotters") even when he cannot see them himself. The artillery can bombard the {{Mook}}s [[RunningJoke over that wooded hill]] even if they can't see what's beyond it, as long as the recon have them within sight.

* '''[[CompetitiveBalance Unit Specialization]]'''. Combatants with different training shine in some situations but are at a severe disadvantage in others, enforcing close cooperation within the team. A sniper can't deal with close range attackers, while a submachine gunner can't snipe enemies. They can work in a sniper-spotter pair: The [=SMG=] guy picks off anyone who comes close, while the sniper take down the further away foes. Specialized combatants may have access to unique [[SpecialAttack special moves]]. The sniper for example may pack an [=SMG=] himself as backup.
* '''[[TheLeader Leader Unit]]'''. A combatant specializing in [[FrontlineGeneral frontline command]] boosts the efficiency and morale of all friendly combatants within limited range. His death, however, can have [[DecapitatedArmy dire consequences]]. Similar to leaders in RealTimeStrategy games are Heroes. Sometimes, the mission fails if your Hero gets slain.
* '''[[MoraleMechanic Panic]]'''. When faced by overwhelming odds, a combatant can panic and start acting erratically instead of following the player's orders. Say a machine gunner has you pinned down. You may not want to assault the objective as per your commander's orders for fear of being killed.

* '''FogOfWar'''. Terrain features are revealed to the player only after they come into an allied combatant's viewing range. Dynamic parts of the level, such as enemies and moving/destructible objects, are not displayed (and sometimes not animated) unless they are ''currently'' within the viewing range of an allied combatant. Some games allow you to shroud units under a fog-generating unit or structure.

* '''Viewing Range'''. Different combatants dispel the FogOfWar at different distances. Example: recons can see very far, ranged units can only view their adjacent tiles. Additionally, a combatant's line of sight is limited by terrain features and mobile objects. Viewing range can be extended artificially with special abilities/devices. The abovementioned ranged units can employ spotters (maybe the recons) to see what's beyond that wooded hill.
* '''Movement Speed'''. Different combatants can traverse different distances within the same time span on the same terrain. Cavalry can run three tiles, for example, while their footmen equivalent can only traverse two tiles, both within a turn. Movement speed and general maneuverability can be increased with [[SprintShoes special items]] or abilities. Maybe an item will allow the footmen to catch up with the cavalry.
* '''Sprint'''. A combatant can move faster than normal for a short time but cannot attack during (and possibly right after) the sprint. His maximum movement speed may be [[SprintMeter temporarily reduced afterwards]], too. Some games have abilities to accelerate the sprint speed or lengthen the sprint endurance - some even provide infinite sprint as an option.

* '''Completing Objectives'''. Good tactical games give players additional mission-specific objectives or sidequests that run contrary to the main one (defeating all enemies), such as taking captives, avoiding collateral damage, snatching up volatile resources, maintaining long-term morale, etc.

* '''Competing Objectives'''. Good tactical games give players additional mission-specific objectives that run contrary to the main one (defeating all enemies), such as taking captives, avoiding collateral damage, snatching up volatile resources, maintaining long-term morale, etc.

* '''FogOfWar'''. Terrain features are revealed to the player only after they come into an allied combatant's viewing range. Dynamic parts of the level, such as enemies and moving/destructible objects, are not displayed unless they are ''currently'' within the viewing range of an allied combatant.
* '''[[GeoEffects Movement Modifiers]]'''. The movement speed of a combatant depends on the terrain he moves across, e.g. going down a slope is faster than climbing it.

* '''[[EverythingBreaks Destructible Environment]]'''. Many parts of the level, such as doors, walls, trees, bridges, etc., can be destroyed by applying explosives or sufficient firepower to [[DungeonBypass create shortcuts]] or to deny the enemy passage/cover. Some combatants may have [[TheEngineer abilities to repair them]].

* '''Viewing Range'''. Different combatants dispel the FogOfWar at different distances. Example: recons can see very far, ranged units can only view their adjacent tiles. Additionally, a combatant's line of sight is limited by terrain features and mobile objects. Viewing range can be extended artificially with special abilities/devices. The abovementioned ranged units can employ spotters (maybe the recons) to see what's beyond.

* '''Sprint'''. A combatant can move faster than normal for a short time but cannot attack during (and possibly right after) the sprint. His maximum movement speed may be [[SprintMeter temporarily reduced afterwards]], too.

* '''Flanking'''. By attacking an enemy from his side or [[BackStab even from the back]], a combatant can ignore his cover and generally has better chances of dealing damage. Tank armour, for example, is front-heavy, so if your [=RPG=] guy can nail it from the sides or the back, they're toast.

* '''{{Friendly Fire|Index}}'''. Friendly combatants are just as vulnerable to SplashDamage and attacks by panicking teammates as the enemy. Sometimes not tolerated. Attacking and missing an enemy risks [[StrayShotsStrikeNothing wounding a friendly combatant]] standing near him.

* '''{{Target Spott|er}}ing'''. A ranged combatant has a much longer firing range than his viewing range and can attack enemies currently seen by his allies ("spotters") even when he cannot see them himself. [[RunningJoke The artillery]] can bombard the {{Mooks}} over that wooded hill even if they can't see what's beyond it, as long as the recon have them within sight.

* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. The orc brute punched you down, it's gonna be hard to get up for a while. Maybe it's the force of his fists. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, either to dislodge them from cover, to stagger them, or simply to put some distance between them and the attacker. Toss a grenade, the foe is tossed away, now the sniper can kill him because he's not taking cover behind anything.
* '''[[CombinationAttack Pincer Attack]]'''. An extension of the Flanking rule, melee combatants have much better chances of damaging an enemy when attacking him simultaneously from opposite sides. [=RPG=]s from both sides = fried tank filet sandwich.

* '''Defensive Stance'''. A combatant sacrifices some of his offense to temporarily boost his defensive stats (especially against ranged attacks). You can't raise your gun when your shield is up for example.

* '''Smoke Screen'''. A combatant deploys a smoke screen over a small area around himself or his allies to make them temporarily harder to hit or even to prevent the enemy from targeting them altogether. Beware thermal targetting systems. Combatants covered by smoke can usually aim at the enemies outside of it without penalty.
* '''{{Grappling Hook|Pistol}}'''. An ability or tool that allows a combatant to quickly change his elevation (particularly upwards).

* '''Equality Before The Rules'''. Both the players and their AI opponents play by the same rules (i.e. MyRulesAreNotYourRules is ''not'' in effect).

* '''Viewing Range'''. Different combatants dispel the FogOfWar at different distances. Additionally, a combatant's line of sight is limited by terrain features and mobile objects. Viewing range can be extended artificially with special abilities/devices.
* '''Movement Speed'''. Different combatants can traverse different distances within the same time span on the same terrain. Movement speed and general maneuverability can be increased with [[SprintShoes special items]] or abilities.

* '''[[CompetitiveBalance Unit Specialization]]'''. Combatants with different training shine in some situations but are at a severe disadvantage in others, enforcing close cooperation within the team. Specialized combatants may have access to unique [[SpecialAttack special moves]].
* '''[[TheLeader Leader Unit]]'''. A combatant specializing in [[FrontlineGeneral frontline command]] boosts the efficiency and morale of all friendly combatants within limited range. His death, however, can have [[DecapitatedArmy dire consequences]].
* '''[[MoraleMechanic Panic]]'''. When faced by overwhelming odds, a combatant can panic and start acting erratically instead of following the player's orders.

* '''Attack Range'''. Different weapons have different [[ArbitraryMinimumRange minimum]], [[ArbitraryMaximumRange maximum]], and effective attack ranges. This concerns both ranged weapons (cf. pistols and sniper rifles) and melee (cf. daggers and polearms).
* '''Flanking'''. By attacking an enemy from his side or [[BackStab even from the back]], a combatant can ignore his cover and generally has better chances of dealing damage.
* '''SplashDamage'''. Some attacks, particularly involving StuffBlowingUp, deal damage not just to the targeted combatant but to everyone/everything within a certain distance of the impact. Can lead to SplashDamageAbuse, where the player causes Splash Damage to a target that isn't targetable directly.
* '''{{Friendly Fire|Index}}'''. Friendly combatants are just as vulnerable to SplashDamage and attacks by panicking teammates as the enemy. Attacking and missing an enemy risks [[StrayShotsStrikeNothing wounding a friendly combatant]] standing near him.

* '''[[TakeCover Taking Cover]]'''. A combatant positions a solid object between himself and ranged attackers to minimize damage taken. Said cover can range from large pieces of the environment, through [[LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe mobile shields]], to {{Human Shield}}s. The quality of cover often determines the amount of protection it provides.
* '''[[IGotYouCovered Covering]]/[[PinnedDown Suppressing Fire]]'''. A ranged combatant aids his ally's advancement either by taking a free reaction shot at any enemy who tries to hinder it, or by preemptively firing at the known enemy position to [[PinnedDown pin them down]].
* '''Aimed Attack''' a.k.a. '''Called Shot'''. Instead of dealing normal damage, a combatant can attempt to [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands disarm an enemy]], [[BoomHeadshot hit his vital areas]] for massive damage, etc. at the cost of a lower success chance or a longer aiming time.
* '''Indirect Fire'''. A combatant uses gravity to fire projectiles at an enemy without establishing a direct line of fire, usually from behind cover. Firing can be blind or assisted by a forward observer.
* '''Blind Firing'''. The ranged combatant can bombard an area outside of his effective aiming range (or covered by smoke or the FogOfWar) but within his firing range, giving him a (small) chance to hit an enemy in that area.
* '''{{Target Spott|er}}ing'''. A ranged combatant has a much longer firing range than his viewing range and can attack enemies currently seen by his allies ("spotters") even when he cannot see them himself.

* '''[[DashAttack Charge]]'''. A combatant charges towards the target before striking it in melee, dealing additional damage proportional to the momentum gained. Especially relevant in MountedCombat.
* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, either to dislodge them from cover, to stagger them, or simply to put some distance between them and the attacker.
* '''[[CombinationAttack Pincer Attack]]'''. An extension of the Flanking rule, melee combatants have much better chances of damaging an enemy when attacking him simultaneously from opposite sides.
* '''Crowd Control'''. A melee combatant has means of preventing enemies from moving past him or out of his melee range, such as a free attack against any enemy attempting it.
* '''Defensive Stance'''. A combatant sacrifices some of his offense to temporarily boost his defensive stats (especially against ranged attacks).
* '''Guard'''. Similar to Defensive Stance, but the combatant instead defends an adjacent ally (who may be incapacitated, busy, or otherwise unable to defend himself), potentially even TakingTheBullet for him.

* '''Concealment'''. Similar to Taking Cover rules, Concealment allows a combatant to get close to an enemy without alerting him to his presence, allowing for an easier takedown or targeting. Usually requires exploiting the terrain or a [[InvisibilityCloak special ability]].
* '''Smoke Screen'''. A combatant deploys a smoke screen over a small area around himself or his allies to make them temporarily harder to hit or even to prevent the enemy from targeting them altogether. Combatants covered by smoke can usually aim at the enemies outside of it without penalty.

* '''Context Action'''. At predetermined points, a combatant can perform a context-sensitive action (pick a lock, disarm a bomb, hack a computer, etc.), leaving himself exposed to enemy fire.
* '''Rule Breaker'''. A combatant can break or ignore one of the basic rules of the game, usually balanced by some kind of tradeoff.

* '''Aimed Attack''' a.k.a. '''Called Shot'''. Instead of dealing normal damage, a combatant can attempt to [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands disarm an enemy]], [[BoomHeadshot hit his vital areas]] ForMassiveDamage, etc. at the cost of a lower success chance or a longer aiming time.

Gameplay rules that are commonly used to add a tactical dimension to combat-oriented {{video|Games}} and {{tabletop games}}--from TurnBasedTactics, through WesternRPG, to {{Tactical Shooter}}s. At the most basic level, these rules revolve around positioning multiple player-controlled combatants in such a way that allows them to deal damage to enemy combatants, while avoiding getting damaged/killed in turn.

* '''Charge'''. A combatant charges towards the target before striking it in melee, dealing additional damage proportional to the momentum gained. Especially relevant in MountedCombat.

* '''Crowd Control'''. A melee combatant has means of preventing enemies from moving past him or out of his melee range, such as a free attack against any such enemy.

* '''Crowd Control'''. A melee combatant gets a free attack against any enemy within his weapon's reach who attempts to move past or away from him, preventing them from moving further if it hits.

* '''SplashDamage'''. Some attacks, particularly involving StuffBlowingUp, deal damage not just to the targeted combatant but to everyone/everything within a certain distance of the impact. This often leads to SplashDamageAbuse, where the player can use Splash Damage to attack a target that normally isn't directly targetable.

* '''SplashDamage'''. Some attacks, particularly involving StuffBlowingUp, deal damage not just to the targeted combatant but to everyone/everything within a certain distance of the impact.

* '''[[GeoEffects High Ground]]'''. If a combatant is positioned above his target, the accuracy, range, and damage of his attacks increase. By the same logic, a physically larger attacker may also have an advantage over a smaller target in melee.

* '''{{Grappling Hook|Pistol}}'''. Allows a combatant to quickly scale great heights without additional climbing aids.

* '''[[CripplingOverspecialization Unit Specialization]]'''. Combatants with different training shine in some situations but are at a severe disadvantage in others, enforcing close cooperation within the team. Specialized combatants may have access to unique [[SpecialAttack special moves]].

* '''Viewing Range'''. Different combatants can have different viewing ranges that dispel the FogOfWar. Additionally, a combatant's line of sight is limited by terrain features and mobile objects. Viewing range can be extended artificially with special abilities/devices.

* '''[[GeoEffects High Ground]]'''. If a combatant is positioned above his target, the accuracy, range, and damage of his attacks increase. This can be also expanded to simple difference in size between the attacker and the target.
* '''[[EverythingBreaks Destructible Environment]]'''. Many parts of the level, such as doors, walls, trees, bridges, etc., can be destroyed by applying explosives or sufficient firepower to [[DungeonBypass create shortcuts]] or deny the enemy passage/cover. Some combatants may have [[TheEngineer abilities to repair them]].

* '''Viewing Range'''. Different combatants can have different viewing ranges. Additionally, a combatant's line of sight is limited by terrain features and mobile objects. Viewing range can be extended artificially with special abilities/devices.

* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, to drive them out of cover or to let the combatant gain some distance.

* '''Knockdown[=/=]KnockBack'''. A combatant knocks an enemy onto the ground, rendering them helpless for some time. Alternatively, the enemy is pushed away, allowing the combatant to gain some distance.

* '''Movement Manipulation'''. A combatant manipulates an enemy to move to a certain spot (towards or away from him), either to distract them from discovering his allies' (or his own) position or to [[FishingForMooks lure them into an ambush]]. Alternatively, he can force enemies out of [[TakeCover cover]].