In C22 systems, maneuvers attempts to solve the “I am going to walk up and hit them” game play dilemma that a lot of RPG systems have. Following a core principle of C22 systems, maneuvers add meaningful choice for melee and ranged character. This maneuver system stems from the Effects and Status that were standardized to be used throughout the C22 system.
How the players use it
When a character makes an attack and draws two cards, the player assigns one card to the weapon and the other to the maneuver. We will use the 5 of hearts and the 8 of clubs for the explanations below.
Once the cards are drawn, a player should check their available maneuvers on their character sheet and then assign the cards. The image below shows the four base maneuvers available to every character.
A maneuver is represented by two sides, with a requirement in the middle dividing them. For example, the first maneuver on the list allows a player to attack for 2 more damage, but at the cost of three accuracy. If they meet the requirement of 7 diamonds, meaning they assign a diamonds card of value 7 or higher to be the maneuver card, they can instead choose to be more accurate with their strike while still dealing 2 additional damage.
Bringing it all together
For the example situation drawn above, the player has a choice of the four base maneuvers, and then the two raised maneuvers, depending on which card is assigned to the maneuver. The player thinks a 5 is accurate for their weapon to hit the enemy, so they assign the 5 to the weapon, and then use the 8 of clubs as their maneuver card. They also know that they could use the extra avoidance this turn, so they use the raised clubs maneuver, granting them two avoidance. This represents the character taking a defensive posture and a more reserved swing in response.
Extending the system
With the effects and status system, maneuvers can use the standardized vocabulary to write interesting options for more experienced characters, providing many tactical options available to the player. Looking at a few of the maneuvers below, a character could have the option of Dulling the Senses of an enemy, making it harder for them to hit in the future, or with a raised attack, go straight for the ears, preventing them from hearing anything for a short while. Another option, the player could instead choose to strike much harder this round at a cost of accuracy next attack. This could represent the character taking a risky swing that puts them in a difficult position.
As characters level up and spend skill points, they can choose to increase the strength of these maneuvers. Examples of Rank 4 (max rank) maneuvers are shown below.
