Blocking Zocs

[mpademko]

I'm having a difficult time forming any intuition about the conditions in which a Zoc is blocked.

Rewording what I see in the rules:
* Any stand that is in close combat has no Zoc.
* Any friendly stand blocks a Zoc (causes the Zoc to be a rectangle that extends less than 2mu forward).
* An enemy stand blocks a Zoc only if the enemy is in combat.

From what I can tell, the only type of stand that _doesn't_ block a Zoc is an enemy stand that isn't in combat - I get why this is desirable (you can Zoc two stands to your front that aren't directly side-by-side), but it feels like a very gamey condition.

I feel like maybe this rule is reaching for something that I'm not appreciating.

Random and arbitrary thought - what if the Zoc always extended forward 2mu, but was only effective against stands that could be reached by an unobstructed line traced from the center of the stand exerting the Zoc? Or maybe only effective against stands that could be reached by an unobstructed line traced from any point on the front edge of the stand exerting the Zoc?

[mpademko]

Never mind, I see that this was addressed in a previous thread.

[mpademko]

...and there are some design notes with the diagrams in the appendix which help with this question as well.

[David Kuijt]

Random and arbitrary thought - what if the Zoc always extended forward 2mu, but was only effective against stands that could be reached by an unobstructed line traced from the center of the stand exerting the Zoc? Or maybe only effective against stands that could be reached by an unobstructed line traced from any point on the front edge of the stand exerting the Zoc?

The first idea is "Laser ZOC"; we experimented with that for about 12 months before abandoning it for the better system now in use. It works, but isn't as simple to measure or as clean as the current system. The second idea is "Flashlight ZOC" -- it causes some serious problems.

ZOC isn't an easy issue -- we've put major analysis into it. Somewhere on the web is a treatise I wrote in like 2005 on three or four ZOC interpretations then prevalent.

[David Schlanger]

Agree with DK. To go a bit further, I would say that coming up with a good mechanic for ZOC was the single biggest rules barrier to completing Triumph. I am very pleased with the ZOC rules we have now. The development path was not easy!

DS