UPDATE:Combat Guidelines
]Real fighting is messy, brutal, and without coordination; people (including you)
will get hurt. (Here’s a video to put things into perspective:
Expectations vs Reality with Ryan Higa). While some of our characters are more or less human, with abilities straight out of a comic-book/movie, there must be a foundation of reality to keep the story-line interesting. Below, are things to remember:
1. If your character(s) can dish it out, they’d better damn well take a few hits.
2. In this RPG: If you are human, you bleed; if you are machine, you can be hacked or broken. Plain and simple.
Update: 05/26/2014 3. Don't assume that your character is stronger than the other. It doesn't matter if your character spent years training on a mountain top, with a master who decided that they were worthy of all his kung‐fu secrets; or if they were a genetically engineered super soldier, who knows a thousand and one ways to gut you and macrame your entrails into a pair of shorts. If their opponent is twice their size and weight, they're outmatched when it comes to strength. (In this RPG, the exception may be made with androids and cyborgs, but even they have their limits.) Remember: everyone has their limits, and there is
always someone better than them.
4. In this RPG, I had you omit your characters weapons from their profiles; that doesn’t mean they become some Jack of All Trades. The first weapon that they use should be the weapon they use for the rest of the RPG, until they come across the means for an upgrade (e.g. Their original weapon broke, so they're in the market for a new/better one.). Also, don’t shift abilities on them (i.e. The Walking Dead—I don’t think Daryl Dixon can handle Michonne’s katana half as well as he can handle a crossbow). Additionally, their first weapon shouldn’t be some item of devastating capacity (e.g. “Ultimate Sword That Slays Everything Under The Sun, Moon, & Stars”).
5. This isn’t dodge-ball. Constantly dodging gets real annoying, real fast (as a result no one would really want to engage with you or your character). Avoid this by throwing in a few blocks and counter-attacks.
Update: 05/26/2014 This also counts for dodging and attacking in the same move: DON'T OVERDO IT.
6. Don’t treat melee fights like an anime (You know, the scenes with twenty baddies against the good guy, and he takes ‘em all down with just a slash of his sword?). If a small group of, say, eight [NPC]s attack your character, they’d probably be able dominate over three – five, and even then they won’t leave unscathed. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself and take on eight guys (20 if you’re feeling especially rowdy), and see how well you’re doing by the end of it.
7. Don’t always assume your attacks are on target. Like dodging, if your characters’ attacks always make their mark, no one will want to role-play with you. Give your fellow players a chance to react to the attack (dodge, block, counter, or run).
8. Elaborate your attacks. I’m not talking about flashy moves like the ones you see on Tekken or Bleach (please, no); I mean, be specific. Posting “I fire at you with my .45” isn’t enough; your fellow player will wonder “Well, what are you aiming at? My head? My arm? That random guy in the Barney suit?”. To avoid conflict between players be specific.
9. There is
no shame in running. Again, this isn’t an anime—if you are gravely outnumbered, don’t think that your character, on berserk mode, will take care of the problem; after that burst of energy, they’ll feel even more drained—and, well, you just screwed them, didn’t you? If your character has taken all that they could possibly take, let them run; this will allow them to get to a safe place to lick their wounds, come up with a plan, etc.
10. There are to be no outright deathblows. Examples like this “My arm snakes through an opening at your side, dealing a killing blow as my dagger plunges into your ribs blah-blah-blah” had better not show up in fight scenes. If a character is to die, it must be discussed between the players and agreed on.
11. Accept defeat. If players have agreed that one of their characters must die, accept it. Bullet to the head, knife to the heart, a slash to a major artery: your character is dead. While fantasy does offer some means of revival, don’t count on it to happen all the time; even then, being rescued from death comes at a heavy price (ex. Khal Drogo, Game of Thrones).
Update: 05/26/2014 This also counts for being outnumbered with your character at their physical limit and with no means of escape; accept defeat and surrender.
12. Do not—and I repeat, do
not—edit your attacks/posts after your fellow player has responded to that post. The results of doing so are obvious. If there is something that must be edited, some conditions must be met: 1) Make sure your fellow player hasn’t posted yet, 2) Strike out the original post and include a notation that the post is undergoing some revision, 3) Contact your fellow player, informing them of the revision (pm, comments, status, or quoting them in the post that’s to be edited, etc.).
Additional Sources:
Barton OOC on Battling||
So You Wanna Take It Outside?||
The AntiMunch Project[/
(This will be added to the last post of the RRG Sticky.)
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