- Character Death in The World of Role Play -

-Conflict & Death-

In online Freeform RPG, when it comes to character death, battle, and the use and display of special abilities, more player conflict occurs than at any other time. If a player isn’t busy running down the list of reasons why a character can’t attack his character with certain weapons or powers, he’s complaining about the manner in which the attack was carried out—any reason he can come up with that could potentially void the attack on his character altogether. There is also the flip side of things where an attack wasn’t valid and the players have to stop the storyline to straighten out the problem and explain why it was illogical. And lastly, there comes a time when a character waltzes into a storyline and uses his powers, abilities (and even the five-thousand pounds of gold that everyone wonders how the hell he can carry that much in his pocket) as if it were as much a part of him and as easy to use, as his ability to walk and talk. Anyone with even the simplest common knowledge can imagine what sorts of problems this causes and what dilemmas players can face because of it. The Moderators watch all players closely to keep players from cheating and keep characters from doing more or less than what they should be capable of within a storyline. We make certain that character death is valid and legal, and we are adamant in keeping characters from having pockets that are a portal to the abyss.

QT Fighting Style

Although there are several different styles of fighting in role-play, only one of those styles were really what true role-play is about, but that style; Turnbase (TB), is also problematic when it comes to determining character death. Fast Descriptive (FD) provides an easy way to determine a legit kill, whereas in Turnbase, you basically have to depend on the player of your opponent character, to agree that the moves your character made against him/her were ‘good enough’ to kill him/her. Of course, many players never like to admit when they have been defeated, so depending on everyone to be honest is futile.

Fast Descriptive; whereas it is a quicker and more detailed way of fighting as opposed to the descriptive-lacking Speed Fighting (Speed, 2-3-2, etc.), is still however, based on how fast one can type. Therefore, you can see where the dilemma is here. True role-play should never be based on how fast one can type, but should always be based on the content and creativity of the lines given by a player.

Factual Problem: Most role-players think that Turnbased fighting is ‘boring’ because it takes too long for each turn, etc.

Factual Problem: Most avid role-players hate Speed Fighting because role-play should only be about what the character can do, and not what the person behind the character can do on a keyboard.

Solution: "QT - Quick Turn Fighting"

The way this fighting style works is a mix between TB & FD fighting. It does not take near as long as a TB fight and at the same time, it doesn't require the typist to know how to type fast. QT fighting is a role-play fighting style that allows one turn per fighter, and in your turn you are to only worry about what attack or defense lines you are using, how the lines are described, and how creative you can be with your lines. You do not have to worry about getting another line out quickly before your opponent does. Unlike TB, you are not allowed to ‘continue’ and proceed with paragraph after paragraph, making the fight a long-lasting, long-winded battle that becomes utterly boring.

1 - Each person ‘takes a turn’, and they can type as many words in their one turn as the chat screen will allow for one line. It can be a line no shorter than a full sentence, but it cannot be ‘continued’ over into another line.

2 - A death cannot occur until you have produced at least 9 lines of your turn and—this is the most important part—your ‘fatal blow’ must be in a line of it's own. You cannot use your line to both ‘defend’ from your opponent’s last line and ‘kill’ your opponent, all at the same time. But you can both defend and attack in the same line.

3 - Unlike TB, in QT you can also make 'literal hits'. A literal hit is a move such as: Seria draws her sword, and in one quick motion she slashes Darien's arm. Some may argue that with literal hits there is a conflict of event where the character being attacked did not have a chance to dodge the attack. The way to solve this conflict of event is for that character to improvise the severity of the wound. Darien was hit, nothing wrong with that (he's not dead!) so it is up to his player to continue the storyline by acknowledging the hit even if on the smallest level. Darien feels a tiny sting from Seria's blade, but his quick-thinking saved him from a hindering wound.

4 - All literal hits must be acknowledged in some fashion, but when it comes to 'severe literal hits' (the removing of body limbs without causing death) a character is limited to one per fight (unless otherwise agreed upon by all fighters involved, beforehand).

This does two very important things :

A - Taking turns in fighting, can easily allow you to already know who is going to be able to get their ‘kill line’ in first after their 9th line. So, to keep the outcome from being known every time at the beginning of the fight, chances are that because of not being able to both kill and defend in the same line, it all depends on what all took place in the fight from beginning to end.

B- Because it all will depend on what took place from beginning to end, no one will ever know just how many lines it is going to take in any fight to kill, until the fight occurs and is fought out. The only rule is that you cannot make a kill until after you have already produced 9 lines. After your 9th line, you can at any time make your kill line when you are able. Again, it depends on what takes place between both fighters.

So in conclusion, instead of basing the fight on any rate of the speed of the typist, or the long, boring lines that most don't want to sit through, QT allows a quicker, more tolerable way of sitting through lines, as well as the most important: using your creative ability.

Here is an example of a good "QT" fight :

Seria grips her sword in a battle-ready stance and then without warning, she front flips towards Darian, landing inches away. Her eyes are gleaming. She clenches her sword tighter, ready to strike if Darian so much as flinches.

Darian drops into a crouched position, just after she lands near him. He swings his leg out quickly before she is able to react, sweeping her feet out from under her, then swiftly jumps back up, his eyes impaling her every move.

Seria loses her footing, and just before she hits the ground, she catches herself with one palm to the dirt. Using the end of her sword, she pushes herself back up and charges Darian.

Darian kicks outward, his boot heel darting toward her stomach, then he swings around once full-circle and catches her in the chin with his fist.

Seria stumbles backward and her eyes begin to glow red. Suddenly the glow from her eyes begins to surround the rest of her body.

Darian watches with uncertainty. He doesn't think it's best to stand there too long and wait. He lunges at Seria foot-first again, and plants his foot into her chest.

Seria is unaffected by his strike, for some sort of power seems to shield her from his blow. He is sent flying backward.

Darian hits the ground and looks up trying to shake off what happened. Unhurt, he rolls left on the ground, away from her. He stands and draws two daggers from his vest and tosses them both at her fast.

Seria still is unharmed, and both daggers hit her, but bounce off her body and fall to the ground beside her feet. With a sly grin, she bends down and picks up one of the daggers, eyeing him as she tosses it up and down in her hand.

Darian has no idea what to do, and right now the only thing he can do is try to keep from getting killed. He stands ready, waiting to dodge the dagger if she throws it.

Seria tosses the dagger, aiming right for his neck, at the same time, Seria is leaping into the air towards him.

Darian dodges the dagger just in time…

The scenario was left hanging so that I can point out some very important things to you. First of all, we are going to say that Seria and Darian do not know each other, nor of each others abilities. Therefore, this ‘strange power’ that Seria has, is unknown to him, and he isn't sure how to counteract or defend from it. This is a prime reason why players should always investigate—with their character, not their OOC person—any character before they go to attack them. If you just out-of-the-blue attack someone, not knowing anything about his/her abilities and powers, your character might be setting himself up for a fatal defeat. At the same time, if you just ‘pull something out of your hat’ and suddenly are fighting with a power that your character never had before, just to defend from this characters power, then you are moding. So it is best to both know what you're up against, as well as having your own powers and/or abilities already fixed for your character so there can be no argument about the powers and/or abilities that your character uses.

So in the fight with Seria and Darian, the best outcome would be for Darian to flee. If later, after he has investigated more about this strange power she has, he wants to go back and try to kill her again, then not only would he have a better chance, but the whole scenario would be much more interesting, and a true role-play scenario. This sure beats being able to waltz in anywhere, attack anyone and think you are God's gift to role-play fighting.

Always take into consideration too, that not all fights have to end with one character being killed! There is nothing wrong with doing battle and it ending with one of those 'I'll kill you next time' scenarios.

TB Fighting Style

Obviously there is a need for some guidelines and illustrations pertaining to the proper techniques for a battling system and such. So, we have taken it upon ourselves to provide a basic outline and guideline for the proper techniques of what we call Turnbased Battling.  This is just our beliefs and systems that have seemed to go over well everywhere. Which is really the only style that can be used on a forum based role-playing game. So Here we go....


First there are a few terms that we wish to explain before I get started. Some of them most of you should be familiar with, but some perhaps not.

TB- Abbreviation for Turnbased

Attack Action- Abbreviation AA- An attack action consists of one character actions that intend to cause harm to another character.
Example: Sandar's shortsword was brought in an upward slash from its resting position near his waist. Its edge was turned up, this upward slash was aimed for the chest and head regions of his opponent.

Defensive Action-Abbreviation DA- A Defensive Action is the players reaction to any Attack Action that has been aimed at his/her character. A defensive action can be a dodging action, or a parrying action.
Example: Listener's reflexes were lightening quick as the blade was swung upwards toward his chest, his only reaction was a backflip that was well timed with the blades upward moment, the flip caused the blade to slice through nothing but air.

Reaction Action-Abbreviation RA- A Reaction action is the action in which the player states his reaction to an Attack Action or a Defensive Action.
Example: Sandar was utterly shocked at his opponents reflexive action, the backflip caught the young man off guard, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped as the man the flipping man landed. His blade cut through the air his moment staggered him slightly as the sword completely missed its target.

Defensive Attack Action-Abbreviation DAA- Defensive Attack Action are when the defensive and attack action are combined into one maneuver.

Turn-Abbreviation TN- A turn consists of no more than one Reaction Action, One Attack Action and One Defensive action. Or one Defensive Attack Action and one reaction action.

Round-Abbreviation RND- A round equals two turns.

Response Time- Abbreviation RT- Response Time is the time that must be allowed in order for the responsive player to react to any attack.

Moding- Moding is the term that describes and action that is considered cheating, whether it be ignoring a valid attack, forcing an attack by not allowing Response Time or any other actions that are considered unfair during combative situations.

Now that some of the terms have been clarified its time to move on to the more tedious aspects of Turnbased Battling.

In a forum based setting each player/character must comply and deal with the uses of postings, sometimes this is more difficult then a chat based system but still the use of Turnbased Battling can be applied effectively. Ok lets get started.


In the Turnbased system there is a basic format that each player/character must follow in order to provide a fair, and just system for everyone. This breaks down into what is known as the 2 turn-per round system. Many places allow more turns per round but through all the years that we have used this system the two turn policy is the simplest and best format to follow.

In the 2 Turn-Per Round system each player is given one turn, in which they can perform an attack action, a defensive action and or a responsive action. Also a turn can consist of one Defensive Attack Action and one reaction action.

Here is a simple formula to help you remember the make up of the system:

1 Turn= 1 AA + 1 DA + 1 RA
or
1 Turn= 1 DAA + RA

2 Turns = 1 Round


Although some people put a limit to how many rounds a battle goes on, we prefer not to limit the battle, but most battle tend to last between 10- 50 rounds. Meaning there can be anywhere from 20 posts/turns to 100 posts/turns.

Attack Actions

Attack Actions are considered to be the concrete of a battle, they are what produce wounds and fatalities in a battle. Although there are hundreds of thousands of different types of attacks that a character can do, as long as they do not force the contact upon the opponent they are valid.

*Remember and attack that does not allow Response Time is Moding*

Although one attack action can be quite complex, it can also be extremely simple below are examples of both:

Example 1- Sandar launched himself off of his left leg, his shortswords drawn. The one placed in his right hand was brought back to the right of his body. The shimmering sword in his left hand was brought across his body to the right. In mid air he twisted his body weight which sent him to a spiraling motion. As he began to spin he brought his left hand back across his body quickly this accelerated his spin even more. Now as he flew through the air towards Listener in a counter clockwise rotation, the two swords would attempt to slice at his upper body, but only if contact was made.

Example 2- Sandar brought his two shortsword close to his body and with all his might they were shot outwards in an attempt to pierce through the stomach of listener, like two arrows shot from a bowstring.

Which is better? Neither, both are just as effective in a battle, the more complex just shows that a player takes more time to think about his position in the battle then the other. Also it depends on the situation that each character/player is in.

Now there are a few things that one must think about when producing a proper and valid Attack Action. The first is being the physical position and condition of your character. Meaning if your character is ten feet away from his/her opponent then a melee attack would not work. Which means you would have to take your first turn to move into arms reach of your opponent. Also if your character has received a serious wound to an appendage then that appendage could not be used as effectively.

Secondly one must consider what sort of attack to partake in, meaning whether it be an aerial attack, a ground attack, a tackle, etc.

Thirdly one must consider the reactions of his opponent, meaning in what ways could your opponent react to your attack action. You must consider how your character can react to his opponents reaction. If you are using an aerial attack then the laws of physics will come into play. What goes up must come down and surely you do not want your character to come down upon the tip of a spear. So just think about how you are going to follow through with your attack action.

One must also consider the detail in the attack is described. Whenever you attack be sure to clearly state the movements, positions and fashion in which an attack is being performed.

Lastly but surely one of the most important is to take the Response Time into consideration. Meaning that you have to allow your opponent a chance to provide a defensive action to your attack action.

Defensive Actions

Defensive actions are the actions in which a character takes in order to remove the threat of harm to ones self. If a sword is brought about in a violent slash towards your head and you bring your sword up to meet it, that's a defensive action. Or if you leap backwards and land on your butt, that too is a defensive action.

Almost every defensive action can be broken down into one of two action a dodge or a parry/block. Seeing how these are really the only to realistic defensive maneuvers they are the only ones that can be used in role-playing fights.

Here are examples of a proper and valid defensive actions.

Example of a Dodge: Listener was in shock for a moment as his opponent flew through the air at him. With a bit of quick thinking and lightening quick reflexes Listener threw his body weight left, which caused him to roll sideways, completely dodging the airborne attack.

Example of a Parry/Block: Listener knew that the two swords would surely break through the flesh and his only reaction was to bring his kite shield upward. The mighty shield would reflect the damage but the force behind the attack would cause the shield to be thrown from his hands. Now he stood there prepared for his attack.

Sometimes more often than not a Defensive Action can be combined with an Attack Action which produces what is called a Defensive Attack Action. When a character provides a maneuver that is both defensive and an attack its a DAA. Although both the defensive section and the attack section are combined they must follow the guidelines of both types of actions.

Example of a DAA : Listener spotted a weakness in Sandars aerial attack, seeing that he was spinning in a counter clockwise rotation based upon how his left hand was brought back across his upper body. He knew that Sandar would not be able to shift his momentum quick enough to counter a low attack. With a smirk he dropped to his knees ((This party of the post is the defensive section. As you can see it follows the guidelines of a valid Defensive action.))

((This section is the attacking section of the DAA))and simply slashed out at the lower legs of Sandar as he flew over his head. The sword was brought about quickly in a cross body slice from left to right.

Reaction Actions

Reaction Actions are the place in the battling system that are provided by each player/character that describes how his/her character reacts to the battle, a wound, or a comment that was provided by his/her opponent. Anytime a wound is inflicted the character that is wound must provide a reaction. Whether it be a scream of agony, a rehabilitation of the wounded area or a wicked laugh. We mean come, on if someone cut you in the gut you are going to respond to it some how.

So whenever you describe how your character reacts to anything that is not covered in the defensive action it is considered a Reaction Action.

FAQ's

Question 1: So how is a battle won?

Answer: When a character is defeated either in death or a forfeit.

Question 2: How are wounds inflicted?

Answer: When one character places the other in a situation that he can not provide a valid defensive action.

Question 3: When is a character incapable of a valid DA?

Answer: When it is unrealistic for a character to either block, dodge or parry an attack.

Question 4: What kinds of attacks are valid?

Answer: Any attack that is consider to be realistic is valid as long as it does not force the attack upon the opponent.

Question 5: Should detailed description be used in Turnbased Battling?

Answer: Yes indeed, never should description be sacrificed in any role-playing experience. In all actual reality good description is a necessity in the turnbased style.
 

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