Quick Combat: a preliminary stab (har har) at a system

(In the course of finding her injury system to link to, I find that Emmy Allen did this exact thing, but without the weird morale bidding mechanic. Go with your preferred version or mix your own, but if you do mix your own, let me know!)

This is a (proto-?) system for those who like "combat" in the sense of a constant possibility of mortal danger that haunts exploration or social scenes, but not "combat" in the sense of taking a long break from exploration/social scenes to play a tactical minigame. This more or less entirely removes "combat as sport" in favor of "combat as war."

0) This system is to represent combat situations that are plausibly in doubt. If five children ambush four dragons, the dragons still win even though the children have numbers and surprise on their side.
1) When combat begins, everybody chooses Morale - a number from 1-12 - secretly passing them to the GM if desired.
2) Roll 1d6. This represents the decisive factor in battle.

1. Numbers: whichever side has fewer combatants loses.
2. Might: whiever side has lower average HD loses.
3. Cohesion: whichever side has lower average higher morale loses.
4. Leadership: whichever side has the best single combatant - as defined by Morale + HD - does not lose, but rather the other side loses.
5. Positioning: whichever side has worse circumstantial advantage wins. If in doubt, the defender loses, unless they are defending a fortified position, in which case attacker loses.
6. Mutual Ruin: both sides lose.

If no side has a clear advantage on the rolled decisive factor, add up each side's raw Morale + HD total. The side with the lower total score loses, unless the scores are equal, in which case both lose.

3) Each combatant on the losing side rolls 2d6. If they roll over their Morale, they ran away (or are captured if escape is impossible and the enemy takes prisoners - or they successfully played dead, or whatever). If they roll under or equal to their Morale, they're dead (or also possibly captured, &c, depending on the circumstances).

(Note that losing combat is a mechanical condition while winning is not. You "win" if making your opponent lose accomplishes whatever extra-combat goal you happened to have.)

4) Regardless of whether your side won or lost, if you didn't die, roll 2d6 (one red die, one blue) and compare it to Morale again, or Morale + 3 if you lost. If it's under (not equal) to your Morale, you sustain injuries. Different opponents may have different charts to determine how they wounded you, but by default consult the red die rolled and the following chart:

1. Just a scratch.
2. If you had a shield, light armor, or heavy armor, you're fine. If not, roll 1d6 again.
3. If you had heavy armor or a shield, it's shattered. If not, roll 1d6 again.
4. You lost a hand, an eye, or something else useful.
5. You have a deep wound and are greviously injured. You cannot exert yourself for the next day and will need to be under care.
6. You are mortally wounded, and though you can move around, you will need to seek treatment in a center of civilization within 1d12 days (referee rolls secretly) or you will die.

Alternatively, steal from Cave Girl's injury system in some way.