Post by Tenshi on Oct 28, 2019 23:00:40 GMT -5
Combat Writing
***General Disclaimer: Much of what is suggested here is subjective in nature, as there isn't an explicit "right" way to create interesting battles. However, when possible, this information should be used to give consistent structure to your battles - whether they are PVP or PVE.***Setting the Stage
***Note: Generally, there should be no actual fighting in the first round of posts between players. The initial poster should have the first attack after the battle is set up unless there's a logical reason preventing that from occurring.***
Characters NPC's and PC's, need to be introduced properly, and their motivations for participating in a fight presented. These should be as clear and concise as possible. Please, no extensive flashbacks or internal stewing! Not only is this an ineffective technique amid rising tension between characters (drawing undue attention to the past), but unless it is well done, it isn't enticing to read. The initial setup for a battle is essential.
Now sometimes both of these are self-explanatory, especially if a battle is taking place during a mission or event story. That's fine - in that case, the introductions and motivations can simply be glossed over. In situations where it is not apparent, though, the writer should make sure everyone involved knows their character(s) have a real reason to fight. This is to ensure the audience of the battle can connect on an emotional level.
While there's no set in stone rule for initial posts, a general first response should describe the scene(s) leading up to a battle. Anime characters love their speeches, right? Up the ante, trash talk one another, but keep characterization consistent. Preparation for certain Jutsu could be beneficial as well at this point (such as hiding a log for the replacement technique). Additionally, NPC(s) friend and foe alike should at least be mentioned, if not wholly role-played out depending on the needs of the story.
Lastly, it is vital to paint of picture of the battlefield. All players involved can help with this. Effectively describe the environment. What type of weather is there? What's in the immediate vicinity? Are there any objects that could be useful in the midst of an encounter? There's much more that could be asked, but the general idea is to put everyone (including people reading the battle) on the same page. Noting these things should be consistent between all writers involved, and the locale should be understood well enough that everyone can understand where a battle is taking place.
Writing Structure
***Note: Battle posts do not need to be extensive; they merely need to respond to previous actions and then provide something for the next person to work with.***
The structure of a battle post is relatively straightforward, with only two inherent phases: response (defensive or otherwise) to combat presented in the previous round and character actions which represent the attack or counter you place to move the combat forward. Both portions are equally important, but neither can be ignored outright, as they are building blocks for the next writer to reply to.
With that said, each part should focus on the present moment. Don't backtrack in time to reply to every detail of the previous round! Instead, focus on the immediate aftermath of character action(s). For example, Natsuki sends a Dragon Flame Jutsu Kaito's way as her character action. Kaito shouldn't suddenly start chatting about what happened before that! He should be responding in an IC manner to that technique, and then busting out an aggressive maneuver of his own.
Here it is important to remember that all writers involved are still telling a story. A battle needs to flow forward and not stop to backtrack and stop again to present hypothetical scenarios. Write to move characters together into the next round's posts, not to set up preemptive counters to another player or NPC.
Offensive Character Actions
These are techniques that are aimed to destroy a target or targets as the case may be. How they are written varies between writers, but there are a few guidelines to help those that may get lost in the flow of combat.
Offensive Character actions usually take place at the END of a writer's thought process (last paragraph or two of a post). These are what the opponent(s) of a player will respond to in their reply. Be confident in how they are worded. Avoid the passive voice whenever possible. This is a combat thread, after all!
Offensive Action Example:
Briefly, Natsuki shut her eyes. Seals flashed before those present while she gathered the necessary chakra, shaping it to her liking; her hands held on the last one. With a deep inhale, the energy welled up inside her (desperate for an escape), and as she parted her lips, embers slipped out. The exhaled flames took the shape of a great dragon and traveled forward. Its fires flickered and charred the grasses beneath as it crept towards her foe!
Defensive Character Actions
These are actions that usually occur as a response to an attacker. While they can be "offensive" in their own way - such as using a fireball to cancel out another Jutsu, their purpose is a direct reaction to the previous round.
Defensive Character Actions happen at the beginning of a writer's post. They are how a character reacts to being attacked by various Jutsu. Given the right circumstances, they could be used at the end (perhaps a character in a story wasn't assaulted in the previous round). However, they should always be used in a manner to prevent harm from befalling one person or another.
As with Offensive Actions, be confident with Defensive ones as well. As a writer, determine how events will play out. Do not deal with hypotheticals. If a Jutsu hits, make that clear, but explain how the previous post plays out with this action(s). Any defense can be justified in a footnote (see the footnote section for details).
Sometimes a Defensive Action though can ALSO bleed over into the Offensive one; see below.
Defensive Action Example:
Natsuki's eyes widened. No time to divert its course, she thought, staring down a shark formed from an exceptional amount of water. Knowing that her flames couldn't evaporate the shark away, she let her hands shape the seals: Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, and Snake. In that last moment, the watery predator appeared to engulf her, but as the mist cleared (pools of water diverting into the grass with sloshes), a log rested in place of the Genin. Explosive tags melted away on bark, primed to explode in the next few moments.
***Note: Don't overload a turn with actions. There should be no more than maybe three total spread out across a post. With one of these ALWAYS being an Offensive Action to give another writer something to respond to.***
Footnotes
At the end of a post, a writer should explain his or her character's actions concisely and why they should work. References to Jutsu, attributes, and skills should be here so an opponent can understand what a character is doing and why they responded to their actions the way they did. In the first footnote, full attributes/stats should be listed - so that no one accuses another of "cheating" by adding things after the start of a battle.
Disagreements
Disagreements may happen in any type of situation. If players cannot decide whether or not a character's response (defensive actions) work, they should contact the staff. However, only use us as a last resort. Players should be able to come to a consensus-based on what each character used and what they had at their disposal. Please act civilly, and only involve staff if there's a rule that those participating can't come to terms with.
Victor?
***Note: When at all possible, story decisions are left up to the players involved. However, if a conclusion cannot be reached organically, a battle may end vaguely, and a mediator can be used to determine what happens next in a given story.***The climax of a battle is essentially how it ends. Together as writers, it should resolve naturally. Either by an opponent running out of Health or Stamina or from a mutual agreement of who "wins." This ending should make sense both from a character's perspective and go along with the general flow of the thread/story it takes place in.
In none death enabled stories, this isn't much of an issue, as the focus should lay in making a fight enjoyable in the first place. However, in death enabled threads, the result of a final clash, so to speak, should either be decided collaboratively or if a decision between players can't be reached, a staff member can be the mediator.
The results of EVENT based battles will be determined by the staff member running the story.
