<marquee bgcolor=white><font color=red>Hello! Welcome to the Arena OOC! Please read <b>ALL</b> of the rules before participating. This thread is open to everyone!</font></marquee>
The new battling system I have created is based around what I would like to call the “3 C’s†of basic RPG combat. Each of these sections will be worth 5 points resulting in a 15 point grading scale.
<center><b>Cooperation:</b></center>
Even though your characters will be battling, you must be able to cooperate with your opponent. Cooperation means playing fair with your opponent's character as well as your own. Here are the two big cooperation don’ts:
<i>Opponent Controlling:</i> Exactly what it looks like: you shouldn’t be writing for someone else’s character. If you make your character launch an attack, let the other player respond as to how his/her character reacts, don’t do it for him and don’t launch another attack until the other person has done so. Your writing should leave an opening at the end of your post that can be responded to easily.
<i>God-modding:</i> No ones character is super strong, invincible, or untouchable. An ideal character is strong in a specific area or two and weak in the others. Take the hits when the attack focuses on your weaknesses and don’t whine if the other character avoided hits that were for his strong areas. Please make your characters and attacks as realistic as possible. (Ex: Ice will melt when hit by fire that’s stronger, you should have no “super duper iceâ€)
There are a few exceptions to this rule. These are as follows:
<i>Training:</i> Trainers have a bit more leniency with the rules in order to best prove their points and to help new battlers improve.
<i>Pre-planned Events:</i> If both characters have agreed on an event (such as the destruction or killing of a character in the battle). Both characters must have a written agreement in the OOC forum.
<i>Unbalanced Writing Skills:</i> If, during the battle, one character proves to have the superior writing ability (as defined in the next two sections) then they may take appropriate liberties. This does NOT stretch to the destruction of a character, however, and may be compromised if the other player’s skills improve. You should use your best judgment for this and if you are not sure, ask a judge to make the call for you in the OOC before posting.
<center><b>Content:</b></center>
Your post should be appropriate for the situation and hold the appropriate content. Content applies to the following things:
<i>Post Length:</i> You’re post should be at least one paragraph long. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are making a lot of attacks. It means that if you are describing everything you are doing to the best of your ability, it is going to take up some space.
<i>Matching Response Content:</i> The content of your responses should match the attack you are responding to. If your opponent throws a complicated attack your way, your response should be equally as complex if you expect to be able to dodge it. Unequal response content will result in your opponent gaining the liberty to write some of your responses for you.
<i>Dialogue:</i> Dialogue in the appropriate places can enhance battle and help break up the action to make for better reading.
<i>Layout:</i> This makes the posts look better as well as easier to read and convey emotion. Nice layout includes appropriate spacing of content, as well as italics, bold, color etc… It is best to remember that layout should be used merely to enhance reading quality and is not to be overdone as a means to impress us with your coding skills.
<center><b>Conventions:</b></center>
Where content is the artistic part of writing skills, Conventions is the technical. Conventions include:
<i>Spelling:</i> Misspelled words are easily corrected with a spell-checker or even just by rereading your posts. There are no excuses for “typosâ€.
<i>Grammar: </i>This includes tense. Even the best writers have trouble with this. It’s okay to break the rules once in a while but phrases like “I ride a bike yesterday†are the best way to kill a written piece. Try not to switch tenses in the middle of your story either.
<i>Vocabulary/Word Usage:</i> You should use a variety of words in your posts. Make it a habit to try not to use the same word more than once in a sentence or paragraph. It’s also important to use words correctly. Don’t use a word if you don’t know what it means, because it makes you look foolish.
<i>Punctuation:</i> This includes capitalization, comma usage, and run on sentences among other things.
<i>Paragraphing:</i> Don’t put your entire post into one long paragraph. It’s not very attractive and makes it difficult to read.
The best way to clear up any problems with this is to write your posts in a word processor and then paste them into the posting box. It’s always best to reread your posts however to catch anything the computer might have missed.
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So, now that you know the rules, where do you start? Here are some easy instructions:
<b>Make a Character:</b> Use
this template to create a character. It’s easy! Just fill in the blanks and post it! Once you have made your character, post it after the template. <b>Please use this template and not one of your own, as to keep characters compatible.</b> There is an example posted with the sketch to show you what it should look like. If you are having trouble, please ask for help. If anyone wants the html-coded version, please contact me.
<b>Find an Opponent: </b>Post up a notice in the OOC thread that you are looking for an opponent, or respond to someone else's notice. Make it clear whom you are fighting and that you both agree to battle each other.
<b>Pick a Length:</b> A battle can have a limited number of posts before it ends, or a predestined “loser†can be chosen. Just because a character may lose the battle however, doesn’t mean they lost the competition. How well you wrote will decide that.
<b>Inform a Judge:</b> Let a judge know about the battle, how long it’s going to last, and who is going to be participating in it. Make sure that at least one judge stays informed throughout your battle.
<b>Wait for Your Turn:</b> Make sure a judge gives you clearance to use the field. If the field is very busy, you might have to wait until some of the battles there are done.
<b>Arena Introductions:</b> Bring your character onto the battlefield and meet your opponent’s character. This is a good time to get in some description of your character and to size up your opponents writing skills.
<b>Battle:</b> When a judge indicates for the battle to begin, go at it! Just follow the rules above.
<b>Finish:</b> When you have reached the number of posts you have wanted or a battle has been played to its end, state that you have ended the battle and leave the arena. If a battle is taking to long, or a participant ceases to post for more than a week, judges may decide to end the battle and make the verdict using what has been written.
<b>Judging:</b> Every battle will be judged and a winner will be chosen, unless you are training. You can choose to have a complete critique done on your posts or just a simple yes-or-no judging of the winner. All judging will be done using the standards above. Verdicts will be announced publicly, though critiques can be done in private if desired.
<b>Problems:</b> If there are any problems during the battle or you think you or your opponent may have broken the rules, please let a judge know in the OOC and they will help you resolve the problem to the best of their ability.
<center><b>Training</b></center>
Those of you who are new at battling may elect to train with one of the judges in order to improve your skills. If you would like a training session, please contact the desired judge by posting in the OOC forum.
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I will have the thread in the RPG forum up shortly! Thanks for waiting!
~Sarina
