Maybe it's because the boss has Fast Healing. Maybe it's because you don't have the right spell. Maybe it's because your dice just plain hate you. But sometimes a fight turns into a marathon.
Of course six rounds really isn't much of anything in the grand scheme of things, but it's not like Natalie could guess from what's transpired so far.
GURPS is a bit complex like that. How many seconds do I need to pull back my hand with a sword to ready for next strike position? How many seconds I need to reload that freaking crossbow? How many seconds I need to transform my robot?
Oh no, you gave me some attention, now I'm going to keep the discussion going! ;) Seriously though, feel free to drop this like a hammer if you don't feel like some conversation. :)
So, let's answer those questions:
Q1) How many seconds do I need to pull back my hand with a sword to ready for next strike position?
A1) Probably none or just one. Most swords are "balanced" Weapons (it'll list if it isn't in the Weapon's stats). If you haven't already drawn it, then it'll take a turn to ready, though there's a Skill you can learn to try and instantly ready it. Balanced weapons don't become unready through attacking or defending normally. Now, some swords are "Unbalanced", but this is mentioned in the weapon's stat, the specific Skill entry, or both. If you Critically Fail an attack or parry, or your opponent Critically Succeeds in their own... that can also render your sword unready.
Q2) How many seconds I need to reload that freaking crossbow?
A2) This one does take some figuring! First, the detailed explanation for this is in GURPS Basic Set Campaigns and not GURPS Basic Set Characters. Second, crossbows have their own ST score, which determines how far they shoot, how much damage they do, and how long it takes to cock them. That last one is relative to your own ST score. Assuming you aren't using a bow with a higher ST score than your own, you need one turn to draw your crossbow bolt (arrow) from your quiver, one turn to load it, one turn to cock it, and one more turn to fire it. Longer if you want to take the "Aim" maneuver to improve your odds of hitting your target.
Sounds bad but it helps to remember the context. If combat rounds were five seconds long, you'd probably get one shot per turn. You probably aren't using a crossbow if you're in a setting with modern firearms, or if you have access to powers (magic, psi, super, etc.) that are good for combat. If crossbow's are a regular part of your arsenal, you should have looked up, calculated, and recorded all this stuff on your character sheet before play began. Even crossbow's you cannot quickly cock can still be useful as a "fire and forget" weapon, or in drawn out, ranged combat. Yes, there is also the bow, but in GURPS terms, it requires more Skill and you can't really walk around with it cocked and ready to fire.
Q3) How many seconds I need to transform my robot?
The important thing is that you have (or are) a transformable robot! XD Seriously, though, this can be a pain if the GM has made it overly complicated. Most of the time, this will just be a "stat" of the robot. Still, when designing your character, it can be a pain to find those stats!
Wait, there's more! Remember that first question? The one about readying your sword? Yeah, pretend it is not a sword, but an axe. Okay, now it requires a turn to ready it after swinging or parrying with it, unless your character has a ST score of 5+ over the axe's minimum ST requirement. How about a halberd? Even worse, plus if you may need a turn to switch grips if you want to alternate between say a cutting edge on the end of the halberd and a thrusting point. So Thor was giving perhaps the least complicated example as a show of good faith. XD
Then there are also people who struggle to grasp with grappling and one-second combat turns. Your character probably needs to Move to get into Close Combat range, win a contest of DX and/or ST with the target, and then you've grabbed them. Just grabbed them; if you want to then slam them, throw them, put them into a choke hold, etc. that requires more rolls and (IIRC) more turns. Yeah, even I don't want to have to look up those rules. XD Even when one-second combat turns are the norm to you... well, there's an entire supplement titled GURPS Martial Arts and a 51-page supplement to that sold separated titled GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling. @_@
Author Notes:
Of course six rounds really isn't much of anything in the grand scheme of things, but it's not like Natalie could guess from what's transpired so far.