BrokenPromise

1x1 Combat (D&D Style)

Part of the post before my previous one was emphasizing that lacking the competitive desire to win actually can cause a battle-orientated role-play to suffer just as much as possessing that desire. In fact, while good collaboration and groundwork (some of the foundations of a good role-player) can actually remove the issues created by possessing the desire to win they cannot remove the issues created by not having this desire.

Shoryu Magami

And I read that, and I felt it was irrelevant in a world where 99.999% of the participants "play to win."

In order to write a character's perspective in battle in a way that is convincing you actually need to want to win just like the character does (in the same way that a role-player who lacks a certain mental disorder will never be able to write it as well as a person who actually does suffer from it).

Shoryu Magami

Another way to word what you just said is "It's impossible to know what it feels like to drown unless you are drowning right now, so if you want to write a drowning character, you need to go submerge your head in a bath tub." And I disagree strongly with this. Once you've almost drowned once, you probably don't need to do it again because you'll carry that experience with you. I still remember what breaking my arm felt like, and that was a decade ago.

You can write for someone who plays to win without playing to win, provided you have that experience.

As for what was contributed involving chess; I'm a chess player myself so I can actually appreciate the sentiment brought to the table here greatly. This is precisely one of the reasons why I believe that integrating RPG mechanics into a battle-orientated role-play actually hinders its depth and complexity (read: quality of writing). It's very similar to comparing checkers to chess; if you're a solid chess player and you try to play checkers you immediately feel like you're being forced to dumb yourself down because checkers has far less tools and options available to it than chess, which is why a lot of people who are good at checkers are shit at chess but most people tend to be more or less equal at checkers.

Shoryu Magami

Why does everyone assume the writing has to reflect EXACTLY what's going on in the game? Just because i'm performing a basic attack doesn't mean I can't write "The barbarian king Jetorio wiped the sweat out of his eyes and charged his opponent. With each step his speed and bloodlust grew. His massive body was generating it's own wind current as he kicked the fall leaves into the air. With a trail of leaves and blood behind him, the barbarian king performed an ariel somersault and came down on his opponent with his bearded double ax."

You also completely ignored the bit about Chess being more fun as a game because of it's rigid rule structure.

The exact same comparison exists between role-playing a battle-orientated piece of writing in a free-form style when compared to RPG mechanics; free-form role-play is the chess in comparison to its checkers. This is why the more of these mechanics you implement the more dumbed down (read: unrealistic) a fight becomes; neither chess nor checkers actually offer a perfect representation of true combat or strategy and one of them is simply a bit deeper than the other one. Chess only goes so far as a simulation of warfare, and when you take unpredictability and supernatural powers into the equation it becomes even less able to keep up.

Shoryu Magami

I think the above invalidates most of this, but I'll continue by saying that I've yet to write an free-form RP piece that felt as engaging as a video game. I have admired the strategy presented in RPG games, but never that in these writen free-form battles. You likened free-form to chess, I liken it to make believe. You've spoken a lot about balancing and exiting combat, but you haven't said a word about how you actually go about making it fair or realistic. Not in depth anyway.

No respectable writer is going to write a fight scene in their latest novel while using dice, and I should make a point that when I write or role-play two characters who are fighting each other I always get into the mind state of both of them; I'm capable of writing a role-play fight against myself while actually still making it look convincing.

Shoryu Magami

Respectable writers aren't co-writing a battle with someone else either though. What does how you write battles in normal roleplaying have to do with any of this?

Look buddy, I get it. You have a strong opinion about Free-form roleplays and RPG mechanics. Most of your arguments are based on personal preference and wordplay, which doesn't really move a debate forward. What this topic needs is more actual observations instead of clever wordplay. HOW are these free-form battles actually done? WHY do you feel they are more solid "strategy wise". WHAT do you do when BS moves happen?

1x1 Combat (D&D Style)

I don't believe ELGainsborough thought a dice system would remove the competitive aspect of the fights. He did say that he felt if people were less competitive and focused on writing a good story that all of the problems we mentioned would go away. I think we all know the desire to win is too great for most people to pass up, which is why both rule based and free-form RP arena battles suffer.

Anyways, regardless of system choice, I’ve been considering the practical implications of applying dice mechanics to an arena game, and the main problem that comes to mind is: When a player tries a special maneuver to gain an advantage on their attack, e.g. leaping to attack from above, how do you rule this? You can’t let the player grant themselves a bonus arbitrarily, and you can’t make a list of roll modifiers for every possible situation. Have you considered this?

Lalliman

Just to play Devil's advocate, the point of using a dice system or anything gamey is to set up a set of rules. In chess, a knight cannot charge across the battlefield and take out swaths of foes. Instead, they move in a very awkward L shape and crush whatever's beneath them at the end of their turn. It's not realalistic, but it makes for a fun game between two players. By simply having a small list of special maneuvers that actually do work in game, we can simply deny bonuses to leaping attacks or other attempts at power playing. That, or we set up rules so that the players involved can prepare for moves like this and execute/deny them with the right setups.

How patient is patient?

If I have a good idea, I try to write it down. Doesn't have to go into the post right away, doesn't have to be flushed out. Sometimes a good idea, when written down, doesn't look that good anymore too.

I try to post at least once a week. I think that's best for an RP's suitability. Yea, in the beginning you can get hundreds of ideas and post daily if you'd like, but not everyone can make the RP thing life. If you find yourself willing to write more, but are put off by slow responses, maybe join another RP and keep up with both of them?

I'd like some character suggestions?? (CLOSED)

Ahh, that makes a lot more sense now. I didn't think sims 4 was so advanced that you could create such "complex" characters.

Credit me however you like, if at all. It really isn't nessisary. They're just ideas. You're the one that has to finish flushing them out and make them real.

I'm glad you like the characters presented thus far. I'll present more, but at a later date. I'd rather someone else get the opportunity to join the fun. But I do have some questions...

-You seem to have the idea based around a school. Is it special? You did ask for a reason as to why they'd be at THE school.

-How many characters are you looking for total? (teens specifically)

-Do you have any personal characters, or are they all going to be user submitted?

I'd like some character suggestions?? (CLOSED)

Why not, I feel like trying my hand at a girl.

Name: Necro girl (again, name them whatever you like)

Age: has to be a teen

Gender: Necro GIRL

Sexual orientation: Likes people who are afraid or yell a lot. As long as they show a lot of raw emotion, downstairs plumbing doesn't matter.

Personality: A bratty, pretty kid that earned the title "necro girl" because she's constantly "killing" other students by pointing at them before "adding them to her undead army." Despite her annoying brattyness, she's actually amassed a following of zombies that will do her bidding, from helping her cheat on tests to bringing her new prey to "kill and convert." (in case it wasn't obvious, she's not killing them, just playing a stupid game) She has a pretty good nice girl act going on. She likes bible studies and church fundraisers. Few people outside the school suspect her of being the tyrantical NECRO GIRL!!!!!!

(honestly, most people find her reign cute and hard to take seriously)

Backstory: She came to the school to get away from the goody two-shoes at the church, despite the fact that she kinda likes those people. As the story progresses, it's revealed that Necro girl actually had a tragic death in the family that lead her to to practice her necromancy, which is just a coping mechanism to deal with the shock of their death. Didn't expect something that dark, did you?

I'd like some character suggestions?? (CLOSED)

Uhhhh...

I'm a little unclear about exactly what you're doing but i'll try one.

Name: Happy goth dude (Placeholder name, you make up the real one)

Age: Doesn't really matter if he's a teen or the father of a teen

Gender: Happy goth DUDE!

Sexual orientation: Pretends to be Bi, but will probably freaks out if a guy tries to kiss him.

Personality: He's a goth... with a smile! He enjoys punk music, piercings, and is into everything a goth would be into. Unlike the perceived notion of goths however, he's surprisingly open and cheery. Even people who are normally put off by goths are disarmed by his bubbly personality. He's pretty good with a guitar and can do acrobatics. For some reason things tend to break when he touches them. It's not that he's clumsy, just unlucky. as an example, the head on the watering fountain will likely rust and fall off the moment he's done drinking from it. Because of this, he has a bad rep with a lot of people who refuse to associate with him.

Backstory: Probably on a quest for acceptance, as non-goths are put off by his gothness and other goths think he gives goths a bad name. After he assimilates into the group, the day will come where he'll have to beat the lord of goths by outplaying him in a punk rock concert.

1x1 Combat (D&D Style)

(As a petty side note, granting gold for equipment does not alleviate imbalance if both parties get it. And besides, in your example, whoever said the wizard was the underdog? :P At early level, sure, but they’re god-tier by mid-level.)

Lalliman

If you're just going to spend the gold on a +5 weapon and armor, you are correct. But consumable items can make a big difference in how battles play out.

1x1 Combat (D&D Style)

I thought the point of complex RPG style combat was to make things feel more realistic. If you don't care about winning and just want to look good, why not just flip a coin to decide who wins so that both parties involved can just focus on writing an entertaining fight?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You said in your example that you wanted to test at level 1 in arena style combat. My response would have been much different if you suggested level 5. Both characters have much more options, and gold could diversify those options even more. That troll ally the wizard summoned wouldn't fair very well against a paladin's burning mace. It could go either way for everyone.

But it sounds like what you really want to do is use dice to solve disputes. I don't think you're looking for a combat system, but a series of charts that can determine the probability of a character doing something. An example:

A young mage tries to push a Minotaur off a cliff. In order for this move to be successful, the mage has to be strong enough to push the Minotaur off balance.

Basic formula: Wizard's Strength MOD + D20 VS Minotaur's Strength MOD + Minotaur's stability (a utility stat)

For argument's sake, we'll just simplify it to 0 + D20 Vs 4 + 10 (14)

So the wizard has to roll over 14 in order to push the Minotaur.

BUT WAIT!

The wizard used his move action to charge this round! (+4)

The wizard has the grapple feat! (+2)

And his boots of swiftness give him extra speed! (+2)

AND he weighs over 200 LBS (+6)

So now he doesn't even have to roll! ( 4 + 2 + 2 + 6 = +14 bonus)

However...

He's scared of dark places, which saps his strength... (-2)

The ground is made of sand... (-4)

And he was hit with a water spell, making him slippery! (-2)

So the bonus is only +6. so they only have to roll over an 8!

But also...

The Minotaur has a stability feet... (-2)

He's taller than the mage... (-4)

And he weighs over 600 LBS! (-10)

It's going to take a critical success to roll over that 24.

But the Minotaur has some things working against him!

He's in mid swing! (+4)

He's being distracted by flies! (+2)

... and he has his back turned! (+10)

The wizard only needs to roll over an 8 to push the Minotaur off the edge of the cliff... and into the soapy waters below! Hopefully he gets a bath from the wizard this time.

That was a very, very exaggerated version of it. But if you had some base stats and some charts that told you what to do in a particular situation, it might be fun for both parties involved to find all the modifiers that applied to the situation. Or it could seem like work. I dunno...

The Mysteries of Awilix (A Planetary, Magic RP)

@BrokenPromise Just read over your response to Lenna/Holla and the adjustments you made to Keefer.
Character is Accepted.
(Can you do us a favour when you post it and post each character in a different post? Thanks)

@NuttsnBolts

I hope I was correct in assuming both were accepted despite the fact that you said character instead of "characters."

I did make one change to Lenna/Holla, and that was just to add the impostor's title next to their names. In OOC it might be easier to refer to the character as such.

The Mysteries of Awilix (A Planetary, Magic RP)

I M P O S T O R ( L E N N A / H O L L A )

Female ● Twenty-Three ● Miner-Overseer / Fame Seeker

_{P E R S O N A L I T Y}

Lenna is serious, and can be very intense during a disagreement. Jokes and small talk tend to annoy her, as she prefers to only talk about the task at hand. In relaxed settings she can be more approachable, but most are put off by her abrasive nature. Those that can deal with her rough edges often find her a dependable, passionate person.

Holla on the other hand tends to be bubbly and takes little of anything very seriously. Her flirty, friendly nature makes her easy to get along with. She can seem like a bit of a spaz, and has a reputation for being an air head. But those that know her are aware neither of those are true.

_{A P P E A R A N C E}

Lenna likes to look business like, always in uniform, always with black curtain hair. This doesn't ever change, even when off the job site. You can feel her presence as a professional when she enters the room. This isn't to say she doesn't switch up her colors. Her favorite uniforms are white, grey, navy blue, and crimson. With an exception to white, Lenna tries to avoid wearing bright colors, and never wears black.

Holla on the other hand likes to look feminine and cute. That's what she'd tell you, but there are plenty of guys (and some girls) that find her outfits provocative as well. It isn't far from the truth to call her outfits costumes, as her clothes are typically inspired by maids, nurses, club wear, and the like. She also loves to accessorize. Holla also has long, golden hair that she styles differently each day.

_{B A C K G R O U N D / H I S T O R Y}

Lenna was always the family favorite, which is why she was too damn proud. As the oldest daughter, she took over her parents family owned mining operation and became owner, manager, and overseer of the entire mobile operation. This happened after years of studying and putting time into her job. She ruled with an iron fist, suspending pay or firing people who couldn't keep up with her. But those that could enjoyed pay and safety that only Lenna's expertise could provide.

Not much is known about Holla's life on earth, but she was a huge internet sensation. She never worked with any official companies, but the world of mass media was flooded with her pictures and videos. She stared in some home made movies, and did singing as well. She never became famous in real life, but she was an internet sensation that spent a fair bit of time in the lime light.

Lenna's fame and Holla's charm were both things the people felt could be useful in a new world. while both received invitations, only one of them boarded the Noah. It's unclear who entered and what became of the other woman. What is known is that miraculously, both woman are now on Awilix.

Lenna has resumed her mining, but Holla has gone from becoming an internet sensation to a real celebrity. She's started appearing in holo magazines and rumored to appear in the first movie ever filmed on Awilix. The survival efforts aren't really focusing on the return of modern entertainment at this time, but Holla is still pushing strong for this. In her words: "The only way to return to the modern times is through entertainment! We will stop being survivors when we can sit down and enjoy stories about tantalizing woman, and the men who abduct or save them!"

_{L U N O S A B I L I T I E S}

Impostor
_{» C A P A B I L I T I E S}

When active, She can alter her physical body to look like someone else. Specifically, she can grow out or shorten her hair, change her hair's color, skin tone, body shape, and apparent age. She cannot change the shape of her skeleton structure, sex, or change her mass.

_{» D R A W B A C K S}

Her eyes will always be lit up when she's using imposer. This can make people suspicious of her, and makes it almost impossible to take the form of certain people.

_{W E A P O N S}

As a miner, Lenna has access to lots of deconstructing tools, from mining tools to explosives. She seldom carries such tools on her person. However, the two tools she's most likely to carry are...

Vein Buster: This device isn't much bigger than a pistol, and acts like a caulk gun in it's operation. The Vein Buster rapidly pushes out an explosive gel. The gel formulation is fairly stable, and will only detonate when electricity is sent through it. Miners detonate the gel by inserting a microchip into the gel, and then commanding the chip to spark with a remote. The Vein Buster is also used by law enforcement to breech locked doors, and by assassins to set traps.

Pocket Pickax: As the name implies, it's a one-handed tool for chipping apart rocks. It works by shooting photon bullets designed to break up smaller rocks. while surprisingly accurate, the tool's bullets aren't very strong. This lower energy level is to ensure the tool lasts long enough to do it's job and not throw debris into the miner's face. while effective on harder substances, the bullets aren't as effective at breaking apart softer objects like human tissue. Getting shot with this feels a bit like getting punched by a bare knuckle boxer. Head shots have the potential to knock out people at close range, but often just daze tougher people.

Holla on the other hand is always in possession of a home made "pepper bomb" to ward off overzealous fans and lustful stalkers. The pepper bomb is actually made from a native plant called "Venus thorn." The red plant is ground up, mixed with distilled water, and then stored under pressure in a fogging canister. Venus thorn is poisonous, but non-lethal. Touching the poison on it's ground up flesh causes a severe yet momentary burning sensation by tricking the nerves into thinking they are on fire. As soon as the poison is absorbed into the body, the effect wears off. The effects seldom last longer than four or five seconds, but the pain makes it almost impossible to stand or handle tools properly.