Can you let me know if I'm interpreting combat correctly?

Anyone can Attack, that's an automatic skill. If you're a fighter-type, you have access to Fighting Styles, which are like skills…but separate. Can you buy a Fighting Style just like any other skill?

So, anyone can attack just using their Attack score (Dex+Int)/2. From some guy picking up a sword for the first time to the best fighter in the land. Unless I'm misunderstanding, the only difference is that the best fighter will be an expert in one (or more?)Fighting Styles. But he can only make use of these if he has a Bolstered Consequence to spend in most cases.

I seem to be missing something. Don't you have to do something special to get a Bolstered Consequence? If you don't have it, are you really no better than just some random guy?

Thanks!

Yeah, you can buy a Fighting Style by training in it, just like any other skill. Essentially they're replacements for the Melee & Guns skills in SOS / Dime Adventures.

Anyone can pick up a weapon and stab with it or whatever using their Attack score. However, Fighting Styles grant you two benefits above and beyond this:

1) You gain access to their special maneuvers. Usually one maneuver is a way to gain Bolstered and the others are special things you an do by spending a Bolstered.

2) If you have the Expert or Master rank of a fighting style, you gain Boon(s) when making an Attack flip with a compatible weapon - similar to how you gain Boons with any other skill.

So Joe Schmoe can pick up a sword and use his Attack score to hit something with it. But Joe Masterfighter, the world-class swordsman, can pick up a sword, has some special maneuver options with it, and attacks with his Attack score and two boons (Master rank). He's also likely to be able to hit with a lower number on the cards, meaning he's likely to do more damage on average.

(P.S. Sorry for the slow reply.)

Okay, that sounds better than my impression. I'll have to see how it feels in play. Thanks!

beholdsa
However, Fighting Styles grant you two benefits above and beyond this:1) You gain access to their special maneuvers. Usually one maneuver is a way to gain Bolstered and the others are special things you an do by spending a Bolstered.

Okay, I see this is true for all Fighting Styles…except Dual Wield. I see no special maneuver for that style that grants a Bolstered consequence. Am I overlooking something?

You are correct, Dual Wield is the one fighting style in the core without a maneuver to gain Bolstered. The line of thought with its design was: Generally, you should learn to fight with one weapon before fighting with two.

So, for example, you could take Fencer-style and Dual Wield-style. In the first round of combat, you could use Fencer-style's Probing Attack to gain Bolstered, then use Dual Wield's Offhand Attack the next round.

Interesting. Okay, noted. Thanks!