I wrote this ages ago for the other community I ran - I figured it might be a useful article to post here and might provoke some discussion. 🙂

RP Combat: Ass Kicking 101

Okay, dirtbags, it’s time for boot camp. We're going to make men out of you. Or women. Or fighters. Or something. At the end of this you'll be something, though what I'm not sure. So one way or another, strap in! We're going to start with the 10 Commandments of RP Combat.

1) Thou shalt obey the laws of physics.

Now, I understand that we're in a fantasy world. Enjoy that fantasy world. But Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and every other fantasy out there that's worth a damn has physics. D&D employs physics (falling damage, anyone?) as does every RPG out there. Whether those physics are normal or augmented for that world, there are physics and logic to everything. With that in mind, momentum and gravity do count. You cannot change trajectory while midair unless you have wings or have something to push off of; if you are charging full bore at someone you cannot stop on a dime and pirouette around their well placed swing; and if you are swinging a crowbar at someone and truly committed to it you can't stop halfway through without becoming unbalanced since when you are fully committed you are preparing for the impact of the steel into flesh and bone and if you aren't committed you won't cause enough damage to fully incapacitate an enemy.

2) Thou shalt know how to use the weapon/technique you are employing.

I understand that not everyone has the ability and knowledge to use weaponry and likely doesn't have the training to go with it. Let's face it, most players don't know much about how to fight hand-to-hand or with the weapons they're using (generally the populace doesn't know how to wield a long knife or a katana). However, research and reading are not to be discounted. If you want to wield a weapon, watch videos of it in use if you can, read about it or if all else fails try and use logic. Think about the weapon, think about how it was used, and then consider what can be done with it. Don't refer to anime. Ever. Also, most movies are only stage fighting which is really, really not how combat works - Bruce Lee one of the most skilled martial artists alive uses stage fighting in his movies. Stage fighting is cinematic, capturing, interesting and totally and completely unrealistic. There are hundreds of short videos on youtube of real martial artist doing their thang and I'm sure you can find someone talking about your weapon, particularly if it's a more common weapon.

3) Thou shalt not assume any attack is completely effective and that there is no technique around it.

Now, granted, if someone does an attack that is absolutely inane and silly and you know a technique to get around it then... go ahead and try it and explain to the person OOC how it is. But do not claim that any attack is unblockable or undodgeable (some might not be parryable... try parrying an airplane diving at you and you aren't a Solar Exalted you've got some issues), but there is a way out of almost everything. However, that said, there are attacks, blocks, and dodges that do NOT have easy answers and will be VERY difficult to manage - so you flat out won't get out of everything. Which leads us to the next point.

4) Thou shalt not dodge everything.

While there are ways out of every attack, you cannot dodge or parry or block every single attack that comes your way ever. There will be times you will be left open, particularly if you aren't paying attention and don't know how to actually fight in real life terms. And even if you do know how to fight in real life terms you will make mistakes, like as not. As an aside note, if you dodge every single attack you will never get in on the enemy and hit them - a good warrior attacks and any blocks, parries, dodges or whatever needs be done is done in the context of attacking (if they're fighting to kick the shit out of you; if they don't want to kick the shit out of you and just want to disengage that's different). However, no warrior goes his entire life without making a mistake. It is impossible to never to be touched.

5) Thou shalt not assume that it's possible because it "looks cool".

In reality, while a good martial artist is awesome to watch in action, movements in combat are straight to the point. Flashy movements, flips, jumps, hops, and breakdancing get your ass handed to you (don't cite capoiera, they have a tactical reason for what they do, it's not random). Sure, everyone wants their character to do the badass Final Fantasy finishing move, but in reality combat is bloody, brutal, and efficient. Make your moves as direct as possible with as little "bling" as you can. Now, you can get all fancy in your description if you want, but make the movements basic. The less extraneous movement and the more efficient a technique is, the faster it is and the less likely it is to leave you open.

6) Thou shalt not worship anime.

Kind of tying in with the last one, while Anime is great and all it's not realistic or useable as a reference when fighting, particularly when fighting people that know how to fight. A serious martial artist won't flip over your head while turning you into sashimi, land, do his hair, then flex his muscles to a screaming fangirl crowd. Most of the time, anyway. If your only sources for your technique are that super sweet anime you watched then chances are you're boned. I'd suggest looking up real techniques (youtube is your bestest friend) and thinking about the tactical reasons of each movement your character makes. Also, keep in mind that most weapons seen in anime, video games, cartoons, or other such things tend to be HORRIBLY wrong. Like Kenshin's backwards sword. That just wouldn't be possible to make as a real blade, let alone wield properly, without cutting yourself badly. You'd never be able to sheathe the thing, that's for sure.

7) Thou shalt not whine.

If you get your ass kicked accept it gracefully and you'll get a whole lot more points with everyone than if you kick your feet and whine. Everyone loses occasionally and that's fine. If your OOC attitude is one of good sportsmanship then people will want to play with you again. That is not to say that you should not question bullshit when you see it, but the manner in which you do so will make all the difference. If you politely ask them what exactly they are doing and ask about the legitimacy politely you will likely get a better reception. If you approach someone with "That's fucking bullshit!" then you will probably get a more hostile response than if you say, "Can you explain that technique to me? I'm not certain I understand what you are getting at," or, "I don't think that technique would work against this attack, perhaps I didn't explain properly..." or some such. Now, granted, if you are polite through the entire battle and the other person is just pulling bullshit maneuver after bullshit maneuver then one can say, "BULLSHIT!" eventually - but do try to be polite the first time around.

8) Thou shalt prep your attacks appropriately. (8/10)

When using attacks that require preps, make sure that you prep them appropriately. However, keep in mind that in a one-on-one battle, the chances of getting off an ability with more than perhaps a 2 prep time is almost impossible. Be aware that mages tend to be behind the lines and letting the fighters distract everyone while they prepare the uber doom spells from behind. However, some mages are able to be in physical combat and cast at the same time, Narsuun is a very good example of that. But be aware that prepping in single combat is probably one of the most dangerous things you could do. It leaves you exceptionally vulnerable and a skilled fighter isn't the type to just let you stand there chanting without cleaving off something important.

9) Thou shalt know and obey the rules of the dream in which you are playing.

This kind of works alongside the last one, but it is absolutely required that you know and respect the rules of where you are. It should go without saying, but so many times I have seen people come into groups and not read the rules and start RPing, and when they are told that to play nice they refuse. This isn't exclusively a combat thing, but it comes out in combat a lot of the time. You need to respect the environment you are in and the people that run it.

10) Thou shalt not neglect to note the effects of injury on a character's performance.

A lot of people like to pretend that wounds aren't serious. No matter how serious they are. When in doubt, look up the wound your character has and play it appropriately. I don't care if your character is 8'9, with a slit hamstring and torn up arm tendons he's not going to be able to come after me. Physically, he would not be capable of using his leg or his arm. In order to effectively rule in combat, one must know anatomy as well as knowing where joints in armor are and using these things to your advantage. That said, the focus is more on playing out an injury realistically. I have a book called "Body Trauma" (http://www.amazon.com/Body-Trauma-Writers-Injuries-Howdunit/dp/0898797411) it's a wonderful resource for RPers and writers alike. In addition, you can google a wound and the effects thereof to find out what would happen to your character.

So here you have it - the ten commandments of combat in freeform RP - they're good groundrules to follow though they might change depending on circumstances (for example, there are times in private RP that the prep system is discarded in favor of epic). However, the basic tenants should never be discarded.

Also, be aware that these were written for a roleplay group that was set in the medieval period and was fantasy. So the magic stuff doesn't work here. We also used a roleplay system called the "prep" system which doesn't apply here in DE.