This is a silly little exercise from discussions elsewhere. In RPGs and wargames, I am a fan of longer turn lengths. The early versions of D&D for example, and Chainmail earlier, all use a 1-minute turn. The longer turn lengths allow more things to happen in a single turn and allow for less fiddly micromanagement of specific actions. There are, however, times when things do come down to the wire. Especially when it comes to drawing weapons before the other guy or other things like reloading a weapon.

So, here’s an attempt to come up with a “reasonable” system to determine the order of action for these moments.

• Each space, except the black spaces, in the diagram is a place where items can be stowed. The black spaces are forbidden because elbows and knees need to bend.
• The yellow and red areas can only stow a single item.
• Green areas can stow two reasonably sized (referee adjudication) items.
• Things like pouches may carry more than one item but for the purposes of the diagram are considered a single item (again, referee interpretation.
• The orange space may only be used to stow helmets, hats, or other headgear. Helmets, hats, etc., may or may not have space for stowing items (referee adjudication). For example, a helmet might have a band where oil or a cleaning kit is stowed.
• Reaching for yellow areas, a fumble roll is needed. See fumble table.
• Reaching for red areas, a fumble roll is needed, and any additional time (if any) is doubled.
• Only the hands (marked R & L) may use items. Hands may not draw from the arm/shoulder spaces on their own side. Hands may be used to hold one item each. Some items may require both hands. Items may be dropped to allow the use of a hand, without penalty. A two-handed item may be held (given reasonable weight assumptions) in a single hand but may not be used unless that item is explicitly designed for one two-handed use. For example, a katana can be used in one or two hands, while a lever-action rifle may be held in a single hand, but only used with both hands.
• To transfer an item to one’s hands, from the desired hand, count the spaces to the item and back to the hand. Each space counts as one-tenth of a second (0.1 seconds). One may count diagonally. For two-handed items, count from the nearest hand and add one-tenth of a second for the other hand.
• Additional time may be assessed, by player agreement and/or referee judgment, for interfering items like cloaks, concealing jackets, flapped holsters, buttoned pouches, etc.
• Additional time may be assessed for actions while holding the items. For example, it might take 0.2 seconds to draw a magazine from a pouch, but additional time to change out the magazine. This is referee or system-dependent. Not creating a whole combat system here.
• For characters with special training and/or excessive attributes, time may be reduced based on these abilities. It’s by player agreement or referee assessment. Time will never be reduced below one-tenth of a second. For example, in D&D, one might reduce times by one-tenth of a second for every +1 reaction bonus they have (or similarly increase for reaction penalties).

• Example 1: The cowboy has a holstered pistol on his right hip. To draw it, one counts two spaces, one space to the right hip and one space back again. This counts as 0.2 seconds of draw time.

• Example 2: The samurai has his katana stowed on his left hip. He counts two spaces over and two back for four spaces, and this, four tenths of a second (0.4s).

• Example 3: The detective carries a pistol in a shoulder holster under his left armpit. It is two diagonal spaces and one vertical space to the armpit. Thus, six spaces and six-tenths of a second (0.6). The referee may adjudicate extra time if there are impediments like a sport jacket.

• Fumble effects. Roll 2d6. Dropped items fall at one’s feet. Thrown items land 1d20 feet away in a random direction. Added time is added time.

• Example 4: The samurai draws the sword from over his back shoulder to hold it in his two hands. It is four spaces each way, so 0.8 seconds plus 0.1 seconds to add the second hand. Total is 0.9 seconds.
• Example 5: The detective draws from his shoulder holster while wearing a sports jacket. This takes 0.6 seconds + 0.1 seconds for the jacket. The space drawn from is yellow, so it requires a fumble roll. 2d6 are thrown and produce a 5 which would be an addition of another 0.1 seconds; however, the character gets a +1 reaction bonus for Dexterity, so they can shift the roll up to a six and get no penalty. In addition, the +1 reaction bonus subtracts one from the time, so what could have been a time of 0.8 seconds remains at 0.6 seconds. If he’d dispensed with the jacket, it would have been 0.5 seconds due to the reaction bonus.

There you are. A mostly unnecessary, probably over-fiddly system for quickdraw. Kind of stupid, but I sort of like it too. Got the comment on an earlier version, “You just woke up today and thought, “Why yes, I will HOMOMAX!””. Maaaaybe.

Also got the comment, “While I appreciate the possibility of carrying a gun under your hat, you seem to have omitted the dreaded face/mouth gun.” I had considered the face/mouth gun, but prudence dictated otherwise.

Be grateful I didn’t map the body to this diagram. Think about it.