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?

Depends on the context, but I'd say that's wholly true. The main weakness of a defensive play style is that a mistake gets you killed, but people don't really factor in the things that can cause mistakes, every block is perfectly timed and every counter flawlessly performed. It's a particular issue in lower tier combat, I can't remember the last time I saw someone debilitated by pain or actually afraid of something. Basically people write combat robots, always have, probably always will.

My answer (ripped from the GCL thread):

There's no real wrong or right answer as to whether or not defending or attacking is easier/harder. There's too many variables. What kind of character are you playing? What are they playing against? What are the weapons? The powers? The environment?

Are you fighting a counter-boxer, an out-boxer, a swarmer? A swordsman, someone with a spear and shield? Do they have armor? How much? What kind? What kind of powers?

There's enough variables that you can't definitively say one or the other is easier, especially when "attacking" and "defending" are very broad topics. It's going to vary from situation to situation, and part of being a good fighter is knowing when to attack and when to defend.

Any of you watching Wrestlemania Sunday?

Here's a photorealistic picture of Evvie I made.

@Vordak

Did you ever play pretend as a child?

Well that's exactly what roleplaying is. The forum is our sandbox, our characters are our favorite heroes, and combat is a debate about who would win. Granted that we're older, presumably smarter, and proper play should be a cooperative effort rather than a heated argument, but at the end of the day it all boils down to a game of pretend.

Within that context playing defensively is easier because tearing down an argument is a lot easier than building one. The act itself doesn't have to be toxic, though it certainly can be (see: politics), but it's just a fact of life that destroying is a lot easier than creating.

Yes play styles, character builds, and the like can add variables to the game while strict rules can put a stop to arguments before they start. But at the end of the day it's still in our heads and the only means of conveyance we have is our words, it's still a debate and to that end defense will always be easier than offense. That said roleplay is a shared experience and playing to win might just make you a loser in the end.

@Rilla

I will be but I'd also be a liar if I said I wasn't more hype for NXT Takeover this Saturday.

@ImportantNobody

Terrifying.

@Darth

I expect you to approve my OC (do not steal) and praise it for the treasure that it is. Anything less than a standing ovation will be met with page upon page of textual fury.

The input is much appreciated. I feel like i'm now a step closer to becoming a master in playing pretend. :^)

The input is much appreciated. I feel like i'm now a step closer to becoming a master in playing pretend. :^)

Speaking of your mastery of play pretend, you're living up to your title of the Grand Procrastinator at the moment.

Well aware of that. But sunday is a good day to get things done.

@Vordak

Yes, yes you are.

@Vordak You should stick to your strengths if you want to wreck face, you definitely know more about swords and swordfighting than I do, make a swordsman and kill some peepz.

Not quite sure where you got that impression from; the few times i did use a sword, it was either too short of a fight to judge, or i just got my face done in by Schradinger. :P

But yeah, it probably is right to say that i have a general understanding of how i should approach a melee; that being said, i'm sticking to my guns and bringing in the martial artist battle mage robot ninja i've planned on using and pummeling erryone with my magic enchanted fists. And sticking them with a bladed tail.

Not quite sure where you got that impression from; the few times i did use a sword, it was either too short of a fight to judge, or i just got my face done in by Schradinger. :P

But yeah, it probably is right to say that i have a general understanding of how i should approach a melee; that being said, i'm sticking to my guns and bringing in the martial artist battle mage robot ninja i've planned on using and pummeling erryone with my magic enchanted fists. And sticking them with a bladed tail.

Just some of the comments you made in the mock fight I did with Sathanas a little while back with wooden longswords.

How do you mount an attack in a high level swordfight without just being dodged and countered? (not complaining about my current battle btw) I'm just curious.

How do you mount an attack in a high level swordfight without just being dodged and countered? (not complaining about my current battle btw) I'm just curious.

Well, I recently went via the method of using my initial cut to force my opponent into dodging in such a way that I could follow up with a super flying knee that threw them half way across the room. The trick is to hide something behind the initial attack, in my experience, a move that serves a single purpose is a waste in chess, when you move a piece into position while simultaneously opening up a line for another piece to attack you have proper economy of movement. Think in terms of forks, attacks in two places at once, maneuver your enemy into that corner and then kill them, no fight is a series of unrelated moves, almost every move should be a building block towards something lethal.

But yeah, dunno, that's just the way I do it. Works most of the time.

How do you mount an attack in a high level swordfight without just being dodged and countered? (not complaining about my current battle btw) I'm just curious.

Having done some myself... the best way is to launch an attack, anticipate how they will counter it, then come up with a counter for their counter that they can't re-counter because their counter put them in a position that makes it impossible for them to counter your counter to their counter.

Which is about as easy as it sounds.

What it probably comes down to, however, is paying attention to detail. I was in one really long and technical swordfight a while back, with crazy counters flying back and forth, and I ended up winning because my opponent apparently forgot what had been written about footing in the previous few posts, and ended up making an attack that put him right in front of my blade's point. I was using a rapier, so that was that!

Another thing to remember is to use your surroundings, and maybe have some other tricks up your sleeve. My rapier fencer character doesn't just try to stab people: over the course of his fights, he's snuck around and ambushed a challenger, thrown his hat at an enemy as a distraction, tried to push an opponent down a staircase, and flung a cloak at someone to blind them. There's no guarantee this sort of thing will work, but it adds some nice variety and fun to a tricky swordfight.

@MelonHead@Drifting Pollen
Thanks for the tips guys

Yeah, really, thanks.

Yeah, really, thanks.

lol dude I didnt mean you! I said that, our battle is going great.

I dont think ive even swung my sword at you yet :P