Silverstar's Guide to Fighting

[Silverstar]

~This beautiful post has been brought to you by Silverstar.~
~I can't thank you enough!~
~Sagestar

As I have been roleplaying, I have run across a large amount of people who, for some reason or another, don’t really like fighting in a Role Play situation. I can understand why: fighting is a very hard thing to write about it takes time to be good at it like many other things. However, with a few tips and tricks, you can easily become a much better Role Play fighter. Do I have you hooked? Good! Let’s get started!

Many Problems in a fight!

Powerplaying.

Most powerplay instances are by accident... they are often the result of a new roleplayer trying to join in or sometimes it’s somebody who has just never been taught the right way. It is important to realize this and not to treat it like you have been mortally wounded the first time they do it. There are ways to stop somebody powerplaying, which I will tell you about later. For now, I just don’t want you powerplaying.

In short, powerplaying is controlling another person's character, or not letting them the opportunity to act in a situation

Not Allowed: Branchpaw jumped on Rosepaw and sliced her belly open.

Unless Rosepaw is blind, deaf, and dumb she would defend herself. But you saw that Branch did not let her have a chance to do anything. Well, with a simple change of words, the previous example will become a much better fighting post.

Allowed: Branchpaw flung himself at Rosepaw. He tries to flip her on her side and slice open her belly.

Huzah! That's a great attack post! It's short and sweet and does not linger too much on details. If you understand the basics behind these examples, then you know how to avoid accidentally powerplaying. Give yourself a pat on the back and keep on reading.

Now you might wonder what ‘trying’ to hurt somebody could win you a fight but have patience my dear friend.


Godmodding.

Everyone wants their character to be great... powerful… ­unstoppable… God-like. But you have to remember that we try to keep things as close to real life as we can get here on Untamed-Warrior. And just like in real life, everybody have their flaws. It is important that you realize this, when you roleplay and play your character within their restrictions and not end up playing a second Firestar.

Sadly, you can not fix for godmodding like you can powerplaying. It is all based around your responsibility to play your character fairly. Keep in mind that a scrawny rogue is probably a worse fighter than a furious clan cat, an apprentice would probably get their butt handed to them by a senior warrior, and so on and you'll be just fine. Don't be afraid to let your characters lose fights. It earns you respect - and the person who roleplays your character's opponent might remember this and repay the favor later, as your character grows. Also it’s pretty cool to boast some scars from a fight with a senior warrior.

Here's a pretty neat tip! Set up a PM (Private message) and work out the some of fight OOC with your partner. Decide beforehand who is going to win/lose and what damage both sides will take. This makes sure that everything is fair, and that neither of you get carried away in the excitement of the fight! And the other ends getting annoyed by the other person.


If Someone Powerplays/Godmods Against You...

If your character is powerplayed, there's several ways to deal with it. First, decide whether the character you're fighting is stronger/faster/more experienced than yours. If they are, you can take the hit.

If you don't want to get hit by the move - or feel that you shouldn't - then continue the fight as if the other person used a proper post. You can politely ask them not to do it again OOC, or contact a staff member and they will handle the issue.

Person A: Carptail clawed Featherfur's ear.
Person B: As Carptail tried to swipe at her, Featherfur dodged the attack.

If you are godmodded, you can gently ask the other person to tone down their character's abilities a just a bit. But bear in mind that many roleplayers are extremely defensive over stuff about their characters.. It may be easier to simply message a staffer or roleplay your way out of the fight.

Now that we've gotten past the most common fighting problems, we can talk about improving your battle posts to get the most out of them! Are you Excited? So am I!


Battle Basics

Fighting posts can essentially be broken down into two big parts - defense and offense. It is extremely important that you pay attention to both parts... both in your opponent's posts and in your own.


Defense

This is typically the start of a fighting post. It is where you say how you handled the attacks, and where you shall post doing the same. We'll follow through with the example about Branchpaw and Rosepaw from before to show you what I am talking about… That is if you remember sad little Rosepaw who was about to have her belly ripped out.

Rosepaw’s reaction: Spotting Branchpaw’s legs spring forward she nimbly leaps back to avoid the claw but is still pinned.

That's an acceptable defense. It got the character out of harm's way right? On the other hand... it doesn't give Rosepaw much of a chance to fight back, does it? Rosepaw is on the ground and will probably not be able to strike back until Branchpaw has already recovered from the miss and is ready for more strikes. It's important to think defense posts through; sometimes the most obvious course of action isn't the best one. An improved response might have looked like this.

Seeing Branchpaw’s legs spring forward Rosepaw hops to the side letting Branchpaw land next to her

Now Rosepaw is still up, has avoided getting hurt, and is now in a really good place to strike back. Let's talk about some attack posts!


Offense

This is typically the end of a fight post. A good offense attack incorporates your defenses smoothly to make things flow; you can't simply pop up from the ground from a pin and attack. You must describe how you got there if you where to attack from. This is a mistake often made by beginners. We'll finish up Rosepaw’s fighting post from before.

Seeing Branchpaw’s legs spring forward Rosepaw hops to the side letting Branchpaw land next to her she aims a strong swipe at his face.

Did you catch it? - Rosepaw didn't powerplay, but she messed up anyways. Bad Rosepaw. See, Rosepaw had stepped to the side, and Branchpaw probably landed next to her. How was Rosepaw able to get in front of Branchpaw and attack his face? Nobody knows! The theory is that there was a distortion in the very fabric of time and space. Here's a better response.

Seeing Branchpaw’s legs spring forward Rosepaw hops to the side letting Branchpaw land next to her, she aims a swipe at her side.

This is a much better reply! Rosepaw now just transitioned from a dodge to a strike! Furthermore, she took advantage of movements Branchpaw had already committed himself to. He also added detail about exactly where he planned on hitting. That's a good post. BUT. Here some tips to make your fighting posts a bit more grand - as well as some little tricks that may give your character an improved chance to do damage.


Tips & Hints

-- Detail. As long as you aren't describing every tree, cat, and stone in the area, there is no such thing as too much detail in a fighting post!


-- Stances. Try not to post these. Saying that Flamepaw took a Flying Crane Stance doesn't really tell us much; for all we know, he could be jumping up and down with his tongue lolling out. It's better to describe how and where your character is standing.

Rosepaw stood off to the left with her back legs carrying the weight so she could react quickly.

-- Environment. You can take advantage of it in your posts! If your character isn't fighting in an empty white room, there's usually something for them to use. It can be a huge help. In the forest? Kick dirt at their eyes, climb a tree, try to trip them on some vines. In the mountains? Run up an arete, then try to roll rocks down the slope when they give chase. Causing destruction in a duel is great fun. Find a way to add it into your offensive or defensive strategy!

-- Specify how hard you hit, how much damage you plan on doing, and exactly where you're aiming. This gives your opponent more information to work with, and plants a hint about taking damage in the back of their mind. They are more likely to take the hit, at least partially, if they know the damage you're trying to inflict!

Example: Flamepaw tried to claw Treepaw's flank.
Improved: Flamepaw tried to claw Treepaw's rib area, putting enough strength into his attack for it to seriously bruise.

-- Let your own character take damage! I cannot stress this enough. Having your character get hit is a token of your sincerity - your opponent is much more liable to take damage themselves if they know your character is getting hurt as well. Injuries and scars are great for character building.


-- Take advantage of your opponent's offense. Once in awhile, roleplayers will leave themselves wide open for a counter attack! A great example of that would be the flying leap. Try to avoid it yourself, unless you want your opponent to have a big opportunity for retaliation - that can be fun in its own way!

Treepaw launched herself at Flamepaw from on top of a boulder, slicing through the air with the intention of slamming him into the ground!

Unless Snowpaw has wings or can use some sort of magic to change direction in the air, chances are that she will be unable to avoid anything Flamepaw does in return. There are so many choices here. If you don't want to leave your character open to easy attacks, keep that in mind when posting offenses.

-- Don't be afraid to talk during fights. Argue, laugh, use sarcasm. It can add a whole new dimension to the duel! Also, post your character's feelings when the opportunity arises. Are they surprised by a certain attack? Do they do something reckless in a fit of rage? Whitty banter is always one of the best elements of the fight!

-- Talk to your opponent OOC while you duel! This can be done via private messaging or with OOC comments, but remember that all posts within the roleplaying boards should actually have roleplaying in them. If you don't understand your opponent's moves, it's perfectly fine to message them and ask for clarification.

-- Most importantly, have fun. Fights are always a fun way to show creativity when roleplaying.

AAAAANNNNDDDD that’s it follow these simple (Not really) tricks and you will be on your way to be an expert fighter very shortly.

-Lynx