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On Roleplaying: Conflict and Combat

Started by Whim, April 22, 2017, 12:27:50 PM

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Whim

So I've been thinking about combat in freeform roleplay this for a while.

It's a tricky thing because there are no mechanics to decide on victory. And while writing isn't competitive, people do have predetermined ideas about whether their character deserves to win or lose. This can lead to arguments or bad feelings: that a character's abilities are unfair, or that a bronze mace shouldn't penetrate steel plate, etc. And this really isn't where you want to go in a fun narrative game.

A good way to approach combat and crisis is not to think about victory and defeat or how your powers might trump someone else's. Look at how it can transform a character. Think about what whey will sacrifice to win. Health, wealth, friends, social standing, or even morality and ideals are all options here. Here's a crude example:

Quote1) Wendy the Warrior Princess is fighting Pete the Paladin. They trade blows to a stalemate. Wendy goes into a headlong charge to try and sunder his magic axe. She does. But she was injured and will have some NASTY SCARS and maybe a limp.

2) Pete is very vain. He doesn't want to risk injury and holds his ground with a dagger, hoping she will give up.

3) Wendy really wants Pete dead. But Pete has really heavy armor. Wendy decides to use her family sword to try and cut through. Pete is now injured, but the blade is ruined.

4) Pete is now scared. He remembers a questionable potion he bought from an Adelan alchemist. He drinks it and turns into a mutant-dragon-thing.

5) Wendy runs away, injured and without a magic sword. Pete lost his armor and weapon, and is now a mutant-dragon. He "won" because Wendy wasn't willing to risk anything else.

6) Pete's "victory" comes with, perhaps, heavier consequences than Wendy's retreat.

Anyway, this is just a different way to approach conflict. Hopefully it was a useful read!
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

Rhindeer

I love this because it's so true, and it's exactly how I approach combat in RP. 8D

I basically just try to think about which will make a more entertaining story. Which is the more interesting outcome? Sometimes, it just creates more interesting plot hooks to have my character lose! Sometimes, that victory can be the more interesting choice.

But I don't really care who wins or loses, because I have no personal stakes or pride in the matter, and if it's obvious my partner reallyreally wants their character to win, I'll just have my character lose. xD Even if my character is more competent. Because even skilled characters make mistakes. (Maybe they're sleep deprived? Maybe they slip on a patch of ice? Etc.) But yeah, I pretty much just roll with the flow of the story and try to think beyond winning and losing and more about whatever will better drive the story, be the most fun for everyone, and offer the most character development.
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