I disagree with the bashing on freeform as a disorganized craft, lacking in strategic input, as i disagree with the notion of competitiveness spoiling the game. A true competitor knows and appreciates the unspoken rules of roleplay combat and abides then, knowing that limiting oneself in [b]exactly[/b] what makes it challenging and entertaining for them. Said rules aren't set in stone only because they're supposed to be intuitive, based off of real-life analogy and logic, physics and spatial relationships. While seldom seen (compared to superpowered), so called 'realistic melee and hand-to-hand' are considered the founding stones of roleplay combat - environments, where both players are equally lacking in any sort of supernatural power, winning only by pure virtue of knowledge and cunning, exploiting the exact same tools they have i possession to outplay the opposition. Anyone starting off is usually nudged in this direction, as it most clear of all shows the underlying mechanics and prevents a reliance on lowkey overpowered abilities or rule breaking from developing.

Shoryu may compare it to chess, but there's another analogy i've heard that's better to my liking: roleplay fighting is a debate, where by analyzing and carefully setting up the various inherent factors of a fight - body positioning, momentum, commitment, timing, spacing - you must convince your opponent that they're stacked in favor of your action. This, and the fact that there is no rulebook of sorts, is why i (and i assume Shoryu) believe that the ability to collaborate and maintain good sportsmanship is the glue of freefrom fighting that makes it work as a competitive craft.

Initially i intended to simply observe this thread, but i see the bashing freeform has received here as largely undeserved, so i couldn't help but chime in.