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THE HOOZY'S GUIDE TO ANGER MANAGEMENT!
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How to Roleplay Combat
The following is a guide to all of those nasty little situations that our characters seem to get themselves into. No I'm not talking about messy love triangles. I'm talking about the act of two characters beating each other into a bloody pulp, or at least attempting to do so. This friendly (or not) little guide will show you the ropes of roleplaying a combat situation. What rules and ettiquite apply in what situations, what to do in the case of an OOC argument about IC actions, and what to do when you lose, but dont want your character to die.
THE ANTI MUNCH PROJECT
The Anti Munch Project is a set of guidelines used for propper roleplaying. Though a lot of these guidelines apply to things other than combat, they are still good rules to keep close to our hearts. This basically makes my job a lot easier.
Here's the (unfinished) list of what we're against:
The people who never miss a single shot no matter how hard it is (Aimbotters).
The people who can't be hit or just shrug it off (god-moders).
The people who never are without a weapon and ammo (idkfa-ers).
The people who have absurdly strong powers (twinks).
The people who 'balance' thier characters by having a massive but irrelevant weakness and massive powers (min-maxers).
The people who use Out Of Character knowledge to get an edge (Miss Cleos).
The people who do things in hindsight (McFlys).
The people who RP other people's characters for them (Puppetmasters).
The people who RP completely irrelevant things (Daydreamers).
The people who RP actions and time against others while the others aren't presant (Shoe elves).
The people who ignore or alter RPs that they don't like (Revisionists).
The people who RP an absurdly time consuming sequence occuring between other people's actions (Speedhackers).
The people who play as characters that are completely impossible (Oxymorons).
The people who arbitrarily declare themselves the winner with instant death attacks (Baghdad Bobbits).
The people who've taken actions before they start RPing (Gaseous Snakes).
The people who pull-in elements that were approved in an unrelated RP (Augustines).
The people who use an existing persona and only RP them when it helps (Batmen).
The people who alter thier character as needed for the situation (Zoicite).
The people who gain abilities as they need them with no prior exposure (Trinities).
In these examples, A will be our Good RPer and B will be our Nasty Filthy Munchkin.
Aimbotters: Especially annoying when using NPCs, as NPCs don't get to argue about munch...
A: Three hundred seventy of my trained assassin gymnasts crest the hill, sight you, and rush toward you.
B: Luckily, I have three hundred sixty-nine bullets in my chain gun! I quickly mow them all down, each taking a single bullet to the head, and peg the last one with a rock in the sternum.
Godmoders: Obvious.
A: Now that you're strapped to the end of a naval cannon, I fire it.
B: Whoosh! I nimbly dodge, somehow forgetting the fact that I'm restrained by three-hundred-pound chain!
IDKFA-ers: Most likely people attempting to emulate Solid Snake or some other cheesy spy-novel hero.
A: You're all out of ammo for all five of your Ingram submachine guns, 501!|). Since you're buck-naked, I know I can now safely step into the open and begin returning fire.
B: Ha! Little did you know, I have twelve shuriken hidden within my pubic hair!
Min-maxers
A: I've successfully broken into the facility which gave you your incredibly 1337 power armor. Now I pull up the file on it. What does it say about weak points?
B: The metal of my armor is... um... allergic to praying mantis urine.
Miss Cleos: Obvious.
A: ((OOC: There's a secret switch hidden in the lamp.))
B: I suddenly think to myself-- why not check the lamp for hidden switches? Call me now for your free reading!
McFlys
A: Ha! Now that the force field is down, I run inside your evil lair!
B: Um... um... there's also a super-secret second force field which causes you to die instantly! I just didn't say anything about it because... um... I had to do my laundry! Not because I just thought of it now! Honestly!
Puppetmasters
A: I step carefully into the room, peering around for occupants.
B: Suddenly a dragon pokes you in the eye. You run screaming from the room, whereafter you go home, make a pickle sandwich, and call your mother to cry about how she ruined your life.
Daydreamers: Not exactly munch, per se, but it does get annoying.
A: In the middle of the intense shootout, I dash across the narrow alley, ducking and weaving in hopes to avoid getting hit. I'm unsuccessful; two bullets peg me in the shoulder, throwing me back into a Dumpster.
B: The bullets make me think back to my days as a youth, when I had to melt down tin soldiers to use as musket balls against the Redcoats... or was it redskins? I can't remember. Anyway, I had to walk uphill all three ways to school and back, running from glaciers all the while. It was torture, lemme tell ya. And then there's the story of how I met my first wife...
Shoe elves: Pretty obvious.
A: ((OOC: Well, gotta go to bed. Big neurosurgery test tomorrow.))
B: Ho, ho, ho! Now that the loser's gone to bed, I can strap his character to a cross and peg him with rotten fruit!
Revisionists
A: You chose the blue pill? Ooh, tough luck.
B: Red! I said red! Don't go pulling that "I can read your previous post" mind game crap, either!
Speedhackers
A: I walk to the door and step outside.
B: Suddenly, twelve men grab you, carry you off to my secret lair in Tibet, and torture you for weeks. When you finally die from the agony, we bury you in the frozen wastes. Hundreds of years later, arhcaeologists discover your frozen body and try to determine if you're another Lucy.
Oxymorons
A: I'm a farmer with a shotgun.
B: I'm a black hole which emits blinding pulses of visible light!
Gaseous Snakes: An advanced (or is that "dumb"?) form of McFlys.
A: I walk to the door and open it.
B: Being a fellow with a bit of foresight, I hooked that doorknob to a car battery an hour ago. You're thrown across the room.
Augustines
A: Given that this RP's technology base is midieval, I happily drive my cart to the market to buy some maggot-ridden meat.
B: Too late! I already got there in my Gundam and blew up everything with my insanely overpowered weapons! And don't start whining, because my Gundam's already pre-approved in the "This Is Not a Midieval Technology Base RP" thread.
Batmen
A: In this Fantastic Four RP, I'll be Ben, the gruff rock-man with a heart of gold.
B: I'll be Reed Richards, the living sex toy who hunts down innocent women to subdue with his incredible flexibility!
Most things that would fall under this catagory are just common sense and general good roleplaying techniques. Don't godmod, don't puppet, dont autohit, and for the love of god, try to be creative.
DON'Ts
arrow Don't assume that your character is stronger than the other person. In a roleplay battle both players should know each other's bio. Chances are if a person's bio says that they're a eight foot tall, five foot wide, brick eating colosus with a club, and you happen to be a five foot tall, 140lb kid with a sword, you're going to be outmatched in a contest of strength.
Player A: I run up and grab you by the head. I then proceed to pick you up by your face and slam you into the wall repeatedly.
Player B: Seeing as I weigh twice what you do, all you managed to do was give me ideas for your demise.
arrow Don't go back and edit your posts after you post them. That's just silly. If you find a reason that requires an edit, either edit your post IN BOLD or ask your opponent to hold off on posting until you finish. The only edits made should be for clarification purposes, such as adding (NOT CHANGING) directions. This also applies to posting changes to prior actions in your next post. If your action is a feint or a diversion, say so in the first post.
Player A: I build up a giant wall of fire between us as I power up my uber spell, DOOMFIRE 3!
Player B: Seeing as I am immune to fire I walk through the flames and bitchslap you.
Player A: Good thing for me the fire was actually ICE! Your weakness!
arrow Don't avoid every hit. Face it, in a roleplay battle there is no way to avoid almost every hit. A real fighter would not be able to do that. We have the advantage because we have unlimited time to think about our dodge. If your dodge is more complex than a bob or weave, be sure your character would have time to do it. Never forget that a good alternative to dodging an attack is blocking it.
Player A: I dodge backwards to barely avoid your sword swipe at my stomach.
Player B: Now that your backed into a corner, I can easily stab you. You have nowhere to run.
Player A: I dodge the stab by jumping into the air and landing on your sword, using it as a springboard to do a triple axle flip in the air before landing with perfect grace, where I proceed to dodge the dirty looks you are giving me.
arrow Don't assume that just because you avoid one part of an attack, you avoid the rest of it. If someone comes barreling at you with a one two punch to your ribs, just because you manage to block the right fist doesn't mean he's not going to still pound you with his left.
Player B: I lift a large boulder with telekenisis and hurl it at you. I run behind it to jump on you and pummel you mercilessly.
Player A: I duck under the boulder, completely avoiding your attack.
arrow Don't dodge and attack in the same move. Ok, this is a bit tricky. Really, you can do this, I guess this is more of a don't overdo it rule. If you're going to sidestep a rush, then swing at your opponent's back, that's ok. A simple dodge can be used in conjunction with a simple attack. Just dont do a frontflip over your opponent, turn around, then fire a DOOMFIRE 3 blast at his back. There is only so much you can do befure your opponent gets a chance.
Player A: I dive to the side in order to avoid the large boulder flying at me. I skid across the dirt for a few feet before jumping to my feet. I turn around and rush you with my sword drawn. My sword comes down to attack your left shoulder.
Player B: When is it my turn again?
arrow For the love of God, Don't use abilities that you don't have. It's simple as that. If your bio doesn't say you can do it, you can't.
Player A: I conjure a huge fireball, DOOMFIRE 3!
Player B: But... you're an ice mage?
arrow Don't use weapons that you don't know how to use. Basically, if your character is a master swordsman, stick to swords. If he picks up an axe, he can use it, but not very effectively. No person has time to train in all forms of weaponry, so stick to what you know best.
Player A: I have been trained as a swordsman all my life, but a new feeling emerges as I swing the battle axe. My training with a sword allows me to gracefully parry your blows and slash at you.
Player B: ...
arrow Don't tell other people what happens after your attack. One obvious reason for this is that it usually dosen't happen that way, and then you just look like an idiot. If you're expecting to land a death blow, don't describe how their limp body flops to the ground off the end of your sword, let them do it.
Player A: I jump through the air to land on your prone form, stabbing my sword deeply through your stomach and into the ground. The blade makes a squelching sound as it passes through your flesh. I stand up and wipe my blade on the nearby grass.
Player B: I roll to the side as you're jumping around like an idiot. You come down and plant your sword deeply... in the ground. Now that you're over there wiping the mud off your sword, I swing my huge battle axe around in an attempt to cleave you in half right down the middle of your back.
arrow Don't do too many things in one post. This is called Speedhacking. One post in a combat situation should be between five to fifteen seconds in reality. If you can parry a blow, attack with your sword, build up a magical blast, blast your enemy with it, run forewards ten feet to where your enemy fell, kick him, then jump into the air and come down with your sword through his chest, congratulations. If you can do that you're pretty damn fast, and the ammount of acceleration acting on your body from moving that fast would probably cause your limbs to go flying off through the air.
Quote:
Player A: I run through a horde of zombies, slashing each one in the neck before proceeding on to the enemy castle. I pull open the castle gates and rush in, where I fight a vicious duel with four elite gaurdsmen. I run up the stairs and take time to have tea and crumpets with the queen before running back down the stairs to the throne room, where I have an epic battle with the evil king.
Player B: Is it my turn yet?
DOs
arrow Do describe what you're doing in detail. If you aren't detailed, your opponent can make assumptions that may or may not be true. Try to be as thurough with your descriptions as possible.
Player A: I draw my slightly curved sword from the sheath on my left hip. I hold the blade over my right shoulder like a baseball bat as I charge at you. I stop about three feet from you and swing my blade with both hands at your left shoulder, aiming down a bit to hit you where your shoulder meets your neck.
arrow Do take hits. Face it, it's a fight, you're going to get hurt. People rarely manage to escape a fight without a single wound. You seldom have to take a hit to it's fullest extent, but take some of it.
Player A: I rear back on my left foot and throw the shortspear in my right hand at you. From a distance of ten feet away, the spear should get to you pretty quickly.
Player B: I dive to the left to avoid the spear. Instead of striking my chest with full force, the spearhead grazes along my back, leaving a long horizontal cut.
arrow Do block instead of dodging. It's much easier to block an attack than to dodge it. You'll probably take more damage from a blocked attack than a dodged one, but yet again, it's a fight. Get used to taking damage. Block with the closest available means of blocking. You wont have time to block an attack at your left shoulder with your right foot. You probably wont have the flexibility either, but meh.
Player A: I swing my katana at the right side of your face.
Player B: I raise my right arm to catch your katana on my bracer. My arm hurts like hell now, but my face is still in one piece.
arrow Do be creative. Nobody likes a boring post. The best posts are a mix between creativity and simplicity. Your attack should not be complex enough to be confusing, but it should be interesting enough to paint a good picture in the mind of the reader. Describe your attack, and do something fun with it. Flourishes, while not very practical, add a nice flavor to your combat post and establish your ability. Magical effects should be used to enhance the imagery.
Player A: I come at you with my axe still held out in front parallel with the floor from blocking your last attack. I swing my axe to the side and then let the axe head drop. The axe picks up speed as it is being aided by gravity on the way down. My arms come up in front of my face and my muscles bulge as I swing the huge axe up to complete the circle. The head of the axe begins to glow like a bright purple fireball as it reaches the top of the arc. A berserk shout escapes my lips as I bring the flaming axe down hard in an attempt to split your skull.
arrow Do tell players what WILL happen IF your attack works. Use phrases such as "If the attack worked," "After connecting the blow," or "If the opponent failed to block." It helps people to visualize what you are doing if you state the purpose behind it. It also keeps people from misunderstanding your attacks and their reprocussions. Leave places for interrupts so that your opponent can dodge parts of your attack, and deal with others some other way.
Player A: I catch the sword strike by holding my axe parallel with the ground and above my head. I let the axe lower a bit, then shove it back up. If the sword was not withdrawn in time it would be pushed up into the air with the opponent's arm, leaving him open for my boot to come up and bash him in the chest. This would send him flying backwards into the table behind him.
Player B: As soon as my sword hits the axe, I withdraw it for a stab to your chest. The kick to my chest instead hits the arm that is now between the foot and my chest. My thrust is knocked off course over your right shoulder by the boot, but this does not stop me from stepping in to attempt a strike at your face with the elbow of my sword arm.
NPC COMBAT
I know, I know. You don't need to be told how to fight against a bunch of NPCs right? Kill, kill, kill, thats how you deal with NPCs... right?
Well, that's actually only half right. There are different types of NPCs. Some NPCs can be killed in droves, while others may be even more difficult to kill than another player. Keep in mind that there are really no true NPCs in gaia. Every character in a roleplay is being controlled by somebody.
Weak NPC Hordes
These are the kind of NPCs that it is ok to kill two or three at a time. These NPCs usually come in medium sized to large groups. It's ok to throw a group of fifty of these guys into battle against five or so PCs and expect the PCs to win without heavy casualties. The limit for one PC to handle alone should be between five to eight. PCs! You should not just tear through these guys in large groups. At maximum you should kill three in a long post when you have a good position to kill them. PCs should also TAKE DAMAGE from them. While it's true you probably wont take much damage from one or two, if eight guys are attacking you, it dosent matter how much they suck, you're going to get hit somewhere.
Generic NPCs
These NPCs usually come in he form of a group of bandits or mercenaries hired to kill the main protagonist PCs. These guys usually have a very little bit of plot development behind them. Perhaps only the leader has development, but the others should be more than just bodies to be hacked and slashed. These guys usually come with a description of some sort and are a bit tougher to beat than the Horde type NPCs. The ratio of these guys to PCs in an even fight should be about 1:1. The PCs will be expected to win with this ratio of course, so if you want to capture the PCs, try upping it to 2:1 or even 3:1. These guys will each probably do a little damage to the PCs.
Random NPCs
These aren't normally the kind of guys that you'll want to be fighting. These include inkeepers, shopkeepers, random travelers on the road, villagers, and the like. If you really want to fight with these, something is wrong with you, or just your character. That's ok though, we welcome characters with odd... tendencies. Basically, these guys either run or suprise you and kick your a**. It's pretty much a random kind of thing. Just think, that random traveler on the road could be a refugee with nothing more than the potato in his pocket, or he could be the legendary hero of some country. You never know for sure. If you insist on fighting these guys, basic rules apply. The creator of the random NPC will decide how powerful the NPC is, and will play it as such.
Mini Bosses
These guys are tough cookies. They are basically PCs, with less history and plot development behind them. These guys usually take the form of henchmen to bosses, gaurdians of dungeons or treasure rooms, plot twist creators, or even the head honcho of a horde or group of generic NPCs. A ratio of 1:1 does not gaurantee survival of the PCs. Even a ratio of 1:2 may be potentially dangerous to PCs. Mini Bosses are to be treated for all aspects of combat as if they are other PCs. (See PVP COMBAT section.) The creator of the Mini Boss should control it at all times, as it is they who know it best. Fighting one of these should take a while. Oh, and PCs... You're going to take damage.
Bosses (AKA: BIG BADDIES caps lock is nescessary)
These guys are the biggest and baddest of the big and bad. One of these should pretty much stomp a PC with no trouble in a 1:1 fight. It should take three PCs at the very least to take on a boss, and all of them will come away from the encounter with moderate to severe injury. The boss should be controled by the creator of the NPC. Bosses usually have significant plot development behind them and may be such characters as the head of an evil organization, a corrupt king, or an evil lord or lady. To defeat a boss it usually should take a number of HOURS of posting. Bosses only appear at extremely significant points in the plot, so make it good.
PVP COMBAT
Allright, this is the good stuff. It can also turn pretty nasty, so pay attention to what you're doing when fighting against another PC. People can get really picky about what happens to their PCs, so if you're going to do a PVP fight, be ready to do a lot of compromising.
A blunt rule for PVP combat is to keep in mind that ALL PCs ARE CREATED EQUAL. PCs may have different skills and talents, but they should all be roughly equal in power level. This means that in a PVP fight, both players are going to come out with a similar ammount of injury.
Sparring
This is a nice polite kind of PVP. Sparring is when two PCs get togeather and agree to fight, but not to severely harm each other. Sparring is generally used to gain ability or judge the skill level of another PC against your own skill level, though it can also be used to get a free grab or two at that good looking female member in your party challenge the status quo of a group of individuals. During a spar you should tone down your attacks. Remember, you aren't trying to kill the other person. You can and should use attacks that would normally be considered death blows, however you should NEVER insist that an opponent cannot block them. Sparring generally does not contain the use of magical powers, as they are too dangerous.
Tournament Style
Tournament style PVP is anything that basically pits one PC against another with no possibility of outside interfearance. A Tournament Style battle is usually followed by the victor fighting another different PC. It is ok to heal between rounds, as they usually take place weeks from each other and there are usually medics (white mages) around to help with healing. Tournament style fighting usually gets pretty violent, and both compeditors usually come out more than half dead. Tournament style fights are usually for the entertainment of the masses, so make them as flashy as possible. Big magical attacks are a plus. Dont be afraid to use spectators in your post. Go ahead and bash your enemy with a hot dog vendor or two post about the spectators' reactions.
Barfighting
Barfighting can be some of the most fun combat roleplaying ever, but it must be done correctly. Usually, a barfight breaks out between two people who dont like each other, and just escalates from there to include everyone (and everything) in the room. The main rule here is "HURT STUFF." That's right, it dosen't really matter who or what you hurt, just hurt it. Break a chair, break a table, break a face. As long as it isn't directly your ally, (Girlfriend/best buddy/your own leg) break it. Do not hesitate to use your surroundings as weapons. Go ahead and use that good lookin' barmaid 40 of Jack Daniels as a head busting implement.
Just Plain Killin'
This is a fight between two groups of PCs, or a group of PCs against one PC. This type of combat is meant to kill people, so pull out all the stops to make sure your opponent dosen't get up again. In character, there is no such thing as a suckerpunch. Go ahead and team up on one guy. Go ahead and attack someone when their back is turned. Your objective is to kill them, so do it. That being said, if your character is the kind of person who is honorable and wouldent do any of that stuff, dont do it. Be warned though, people are going to do it to you.
War Style
This is a type of PC combat that also involves NPCs (Horde type). This situation arises when two armies or large groups move against each other. A good rule of thumb here is to let PCs fight PCs, and NPCs fight NPCs. PCs can help out their NPC buddies, but they also have to worry about other PCs coming after them. It makes the combat flow much easier if you just let the NPCs kill each other. They aren't important anyway.
OOC: USE IT!
That's right. Out of character is so important that it gets it's very own post. Like I said before, USE IT! I cannot stress this enough. If you don't understand something in someone's post. ASK THEM ABOUT IT OOC. Really people, it's just common sense.
OOC banter also keeps the fighting cheerful. As mentioned before, people tend to get touchy about others injuring their characters. A good chat OOC can keep you on somebody's good side, even if you're on their character's bad side. You would be supprised at the number of people who can't seperate IC and OOC feelings.
If the fight has any real storyline significance, decide who should win beforehand. If both players know that one PC is going to win, then the battle can get a lot cooler. If this is the case, talk out your actions OOC and put yourselves in positions to pull off flashy tricks and stuff. Everyone reading the fight will s**t themselves enjoy it when you manage to block a flying motorcycle with your pole arm, then cut open it's gas tank and light it on fire as it passes over your head.
The only problem with OOC is that it clutters up a thread pretty quickly, and you can't send and recieve OOC through Gaia while writing your post. For combat roleplaying, try using an instant messenger like AIM or MSN. You'll be able to clarify things in less than half the time it takes by posting OOC in brackets with your IC posts.
OMG HAX!
or
Calling a Judge
Occasionally there is just nothing else you can do other than call a judge. If you think your opponent is godmodding or breaking some sort of rule, then calling a judge on their cheating a** them is the right thing to do. As stated before though, talking to your opponent OOC can often resolve an issue where you would normally call a judge. It may be just as easy for you to simply go with the flow as well.
If you MUST call a judge, be polite. State your case in one post and allow your opponent to state their case as well. Do not bicker and argue with your opponent in front of the judge, one post each should suffice. If the judge rules against you, don't whine about it, it's probably for the best anyway.
Oftentimes a judge will not side with either combattant, but propose a compromise somewhere in the middle. If this happens, take it. Not only does it save people from undue headaches, but it also saves time, and if you choose not to accept the compromise, the judge may very well rule against you for being a selfish a**.
Of course, some roleplays don't have a designated judge, so you will have to find one yourself. In this situation it is best to call on someone who will be nuteral, but someone who knows the characters. If your RP has multiple sides, try and pick someone who isn't from either side. That failing, choose whoever you think will be the most impartial. Obviously, don't choose a judge who has already given their opinion on the matter.
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
or
LOLZ! OPEN FOR BEEZNESS!
Here you can find questions about combat roleplaying that were posted in this thread. Coincidentally, you can also find my answers to them. I will also put questions PMed to me here unless the PMer asks otherwise.
Question:
Dear Hoozy, Are you single?
Answer:
No, there are two of me. Beware the evil twin clone.
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