Analysis #6: Powerful Attacks in Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game

 

This is a simple comparative analysis of powerful attacks, by which I mean all attacks with a Damage modifier of +4 or higher, in Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game.  This comparison limits itself only to the special maneuver listed in the core book, in their original forms.

 

Here they are in summary format:

 

 

It’s interesting to note that every maneuver with +7 damage costs 2 Willpower or Chi (or combination thereof).  This is in spite of the generally limited movement scores of these maneuvers, or other limitations such as being Grabs.

 

Thunderstrike is the standout of the bunch, again—at +5 damage, it is one of the highest damage maneuvers in the game that doesn’t cost Willpower.  The only other maneuvers with +5 damage and no willpower cost are Buffalo Punch, which is slow and limited in movement, and Hair Throw, which is a grab and thus avoidable if the opponent keeps control of the fighting range.   

 

As for moves that deal 4 damage and don’t cost Willpower, Roundhouse Kick is not to be ignored, as is Handstand Kick, a KDA variation of the Roundhouse.  Air Smash does well here—although it means entering the opponent’s hex, it has reasonable speed and movement for a move with good damage.  It might be useful to grapplers, who can use it to do some damage and get in the opponents’ hex, making a successful Grab next turn more likely.  The standout 4 damage Holds are Knee Basher and Stomach Pump—the first for causing Knock Down and the second for its high (+0) speed.

 

And the powerful attacks from Secrets of the Shadoloo and the Storyteller’s Screen:

 

Psycho Crusher looks to me like it’s designed to lead to a specific situation in RPG game play. 

 

Picture this—

 

The party finally faces the dreaded M. Bison in his Mrigankan lair.  He does the dreaded Psycho Crusher, weaving through the party and knocking them aside like bowling pins.  But then, one of the PCs blocks.  Suddenly, as that PC pushed back hex by hex, everyone realizes that he’s only taking 1 die of damage per hit!  And then, within the first or second time the Psycho Crusher is used, (1 in 10 chance), sometime during the set of rolls for damage, the GM rolls a 1!  The Psycho Crusher ends, and the party knows the dictator’s weakness. 

 

His scary special maneuver isn’t so scary after all.