Having contemplated this for a while and experienced the subject matter firsthand (courtesy of MelonHead), i'd like to ask all you folks (and i might as well pose the same question at the GCL while i'm at it) whether you agree or disagree with me that offense in a roleplay melee is harder to execute properly than a defense?

To expand on it, here's my main argument: in most cases, you aren't going to be hitting your opponent unless they make a mistake and set up a situation that allows you to capitalize on that; and who is at a greater risk of making that very mistake - the attacker or the defender? If you go in first and your opponent is an experienced fighter who knows how to defend properly, chances are, the scales are going to tip in their favor, not yours; you open yourself up to a counter and commit yourself to an action, while they have the choice, whether to counter or not.

In real life, there's such a factor as pressure: the attacker may lock their opponent down and force them to panic, eventually failing to defend and attack and getting hit. But what is the equivalent of that in a roleplay fight? How can you seize the initiative as the attacking side when going up against a fighter of equal skill?

I do have a few ideas myself, but they're still quite vague, and while i will give it a bit more thought, i'd also be glad to see someone else contribute to the topic.

EDIT: i am also going to sleep right now, so expect no replies from me personally until morning. :P