I am running a game over in Welcome called 'A short Victorious War'. In it a tense situation has escalated to violence. Since the players are in a corner and they don't want to die they understandably want to avoid a fire fight. However, initiative has been rolled and the actions have started.

They would like to convince there opponents not to shoot, so here is the question.

How many words can you speak in a free action, a simple action, a complex action?

The rules are in SR3 but I am at work and I don't have it with me. Any help would be appreciated.

Strict ruling is that a Free Action is literally Speak A Word. Keep in mind that this means that a 1v1 duel results in very little possibility for conversation, while a battlefield with thousands of people on each side would result in the ability to recite War and Peace in the space of a few combat turns (due to getting a Free on everyone's turn).

My suggestion is to just go with what you feel is a reasonable short phrase.

~J

Thanks Kage! What about simple and complex actions?

No rules are given for using Simple or Complex actions for speaking.

For clarity, here's the Speak A Word section:

"Each word spoken is a Free Action, but, for all practical purposes, characters can speak in a coherent phrase or two when necessary. The gamemaster may wish to enforce the single action-single word rule in order to control excessive, unrealistic conversations within the span of a Combat Turn (about three seconds.) Some gamemasters and players may, however, prefer elaborate communication."

~J

Thanks again Kage, your the best.