The time doesn’t say you are unable to throw more than one attack in that time but also that you are able to block and parry enemy attacks. You throw one GOOD attack. And as you progress you are given feats that allow more than one GOOD attack per round if you choose to take them.

If the rounds were shorter then there would be characters that couldn’t do attacks every round (such as the fully plated warrior with great sword.) Then, not only would you have players taking 3-4 rounds to load and fire a crossbow, but standard fighter types having a “backswing” or “readying” round for their blades.

Six seconds is a good slice of time to ensure that nearly everyone can do something in a round without unnecessary downtime or even more unnecessary record keeping.

Like you say Vanir, it’s a compromise to have a flowing game.

I played Gurps for 10 years where 1 second rounds made for 20 minute turns where my players would say ‘I ready my Axe for next turn’s swing’…

ughhh

While I can see where you’re coming from, I still think six seconds is about four seconds too long. We have a name for people that throw five fakes in a row before they attack: “makiwara” (striking post).

Thinking of it as an oversimplification is probably the best way, though. I just always get the impression that there’s an attack and then five seconds of them standing there looking at each other. If you think of it as the end result of a bunch of stuff happening it’s a little easier to buy.

I need to find a way to introduce an instant-death factor in my game. Assassins are fun if the PCs are given the opportunity to think of a way to avoid assassination. And I’m more than willing to throw away the rulebook for a assassin strike.

That said, it’s rarely a lethal system.

When I do play a game with a more realistic combat system, I like to split the difference. I like combat to be dangerous, but not to result in character death that often. This is accomplished by having some sort of shock mechanic where a person is dropped when seriously damaged but not killed outright in most cases. This is because I also put a lot into characters, and I encourage my players to do so as well when I run a game. I hate to see all that work wasted. So a combat will probably scar you, and its dangerous, but especially in a scifi or fantasy setting with augmented healing options, you need not even be out of the action for that long.