Player's Option: Combat & Tactics (Ad&d Rules Supplement)

Rating:
Summary: Extremely well-thought out book which makes fighters awesome
Review: I thought that this book is one of the better supplements for anybody looking into playing a fighter. The only book you should buy before this is the players handbook. Another recommended book is The Fighters Handbook because it shows you ways in which you can maximize what you learned in this book. I also recommend it for DMs because it depicts of a new way of portraying combat.

Rating:
Summary: Almost, but not quite entirely useless
Review: I've had this book since the week it came out and I've never used anything from it. I offered my players a chance to vote on using the critical hit system in here, and they were overwhelmingly against it. Their main complaint was that if they were using it against monsters, then monsters would be using it against them, and it was too easy to die on dumb luck.

Perhaps it does make combat more realistic, but when a single swing of a sword involves 6 dice rolls and takes about 10 minutes to consult all the right tables and figure out all the modifiers and effects, I think you're doing something wrong. But, hey, maybe some people like that.

The monster tactics section is more useful, and if a DM uses it properly, he allows his monsters to become more than a ball of hit points that the characters have to reduce.

Rating:
Summary: Campaigns are bloodier, More weapons available.
Review: This book and all the player's option books should be renamed to "Dungeon Master's option" While the book allows better unarmed combat rules, this book and the others allow the players creation of the "Super Character" and in the wrong hands and experienced player could walk all over an unexperienced Dungeon Master and make his job more difficult..However the fine points to this book are the Critical Hit tables make combat more effective to the players in thinking that their character is seriously injured as opposed to losing a few hit points, and for the descriptive DM monster Deaths can be quite gruesome and epic. Plus for the PC's that are tired of the standard sword and bow, there is a veritable plethora of odd weapons to choose from, that are arranged by "Age Periods"(i.e. Golden Age, Bronze Age, etc,etc..) This also includes firearms. All weapons listed come with speed and damage stats. This book can definately add some spice to the average joe adventure..

Rating:
Summary: Great Addition
Review: This book has everything that I already have implemented in my campaigns. The critical hit system is a bit extensive but the unarmed combat rules are fantastic. They could expand a little on the martial arts but they left that to DMs to do. I thought the book was one of the best new AD&D books I have read.

Rating:
Summary: ...And it fell over the edge.
Review: This book takes AD&D too far for it to handle the situation properly. Each of the rules is tweaked to such absurd degree that I at times lost all recognition of what exactly I was reading. Unlike Skills and Powers which expands on the previuosly available data, Combat and Tactics adds far too much of the new and the unexpected. The mix of the combat rules is almost intolerable if you know of a game that used these rules first. It is as if TSR is trying to capture the popularity of other games by mimicking them. On the other hand, Combat and Tactics contains many useful materials - the much-needed critical hits table which allows for detailed damage, updated weapons tables ( sadly, these are less extensive than those in the Arms and Equipment), and several interesting variants of the initiative rules are explained in greater completion than they are in PHB or the DMG. But by the time the book is finished you will feel that now the combat is too drawn out and it becomes so much more of a chore - nothing of the elegant simplicity of the original rules. My advice - give Combat and Tactics a try, borrow it from a friend, copy the tables into your little notes folder, and use your judgement during combat.

Rating:
Summary: AD&D Combat will never be the same!
Review: This is a very good book, I believe that everyone who wants more realistic Combat Rules and new Strategies, Proficiency's and Tatics will enjoy a lot this book. Many things is incluided like the new Critical Hit's System and table's of critical Hit's Severity. Ignore The guy that gave 1 star to this book, he probaly never read it or even have played AD&D because if he had, he will not say a stupid thing like a Goblin with a dagger taking off a arm from a Human. So if you want good and realistic Combat to your campaign you should already had this book! GET IT!

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Sick!
Review: This is the type of book that you can use to make your character 400,000 times better than your friends! It goes indepth and allows you to make your character awesome! I strongly recomend this book for your group of nerds! Have Fun!

Rating:
Summary: Let you game become reality!
Review: This supplement does not only enchance game play if if is read carefully and it's contents implimented, but it also allows the AD&D game to seep through into another dimension. The first and formost ultimate aspect of this book's contents are the "Critical Hits" tables. WOW! <smile> But it also contains every weapon and armour (combination) that you could possibly dream of. It's a must for any serious gamer! Be good!