Shayanna`s guide to Castle Combat, 2nd Edition

Well, It appears me first edition of Castle Combat guide became the standard.
Nae just for the Castle, but many rooms and for freestylers as well.
However, The old system is going on 2 years old and needs a revision.
One post kills are still pretty much illegal unless the other party agrees to it.
Here are some MAJOR changes.

Invincible characters can be killed by anyone, with anything in one post.
Notice I did nae say God characters?
I have seen many play "Gods" well and can be killed. So basically just invincible types now.

All combat should be turn based.
Ye should wait for ye opponent to react to ye attack.

My advice?
If ye are just starting, go freestyle.
The rules are pretty simple.

No one post kills.

No ''Im invincible'' stuff.

If ye start out freestyle, ye can have fun RPing while learning advanced structured game play from other systems from watching and asking a question here and there.

''How do I start playing freestyle?''

Many take Nintendo RPGs and the like they are familiar with to start off from.

(A good FF7 freestyler is downright DEADLY!)

There are somethings ye must take into consideration however.
Many are RP purists with their system and will flatly refuse to compromise.
Try to avoid them.

Another thing to remember is good sportsmanship.
If by some chance a fight is unavoidable and you know beyond the benifit of a doubt ye will win due to just RPing experiance alone.
Do nae decimate the newbie!
This is highly discouraging and upsetting and they may verywell nae try again.

Drag it out.
Purposely take a hit or two and let them get out of one or two of ye most devastating attacks.

This way when ye kill them they think more on the line of.
''DAMN!! I almost had him!''
This will encourage him to try again if they througly enjoyed it.
And if they PM ye and ask ye OOC for some advice, give them a few tips.

DO NAE TRY TO TEACH YE ENTIRE SYSTEM!!
This will confuse the hell out of a newcomer.
Instead, just give them more of the universal rules for combat.

(Try asking Ash a simple question and watch what happens. *VBF*)

Learn enough of other systems to avoid a fight.
There will come a time when ye are going to up against someone who plays by their systems rules only and will expect ye to follow them.
This WILL lead to OOC arguments and being called lamer.

For example, If a VTM purist attacks me with a post of nothing but stats, numbers, and disiplines SOO long that I have to scroll threw them, I know an AD&D equivelent to avoid most basic disiplines.
Also know ye characters stats translated into that system.
In response to such an attack like that I would post something like..

(Dex 5, Dodge 3, Athletics 3)
I will then go etheral or Teleport.

This way combat is disengaged and no one is a lamer.

There are also different skill levels of both AD&D and VTM.
There are some players that are experts in their system and will take advantage of this even if the weaker player has a FAR stronger character.

(I am nae a saint in this respect either. But I have changed for the better.)

In a situation like this, flexability is the key.
Ye must be able to compromise.

If ye smell an OOC argument coming about, immedatly ignore the other party.
They will of course call ye Lamer, God character or whatever by ye opponent, but the rest of the room will secretly thank ye and ye will gain a little respect as one man can only argue with no one for so long. *G*

Here are some more ideas I have picked up from various rooms that make for outstanding role play.

Combat is fun. At least, for a lot of role-players among us. The chance to demonstrate your superior skill is something most of us will never get in real life. That’s why it’s done so much in role playing games. But, combat can be very frustrating and unsatisfactory when the players involved have little or no idea what they’re doing. That’s why this list of things to keep in mind when going into a fight.

• Before beginning combat, either talk the fight through with your opponent or appoint a neutral observer to decide the victor. It's often a good idea to establish the winner OOC before the fight begins. This will make the fight smooth and enjoyable for all role-players present. I know this kind of preparation is rare, and spoils some of the fun of a fight, consider doing it anyway. It can save you and your opponent alot of arguments.
• Be prepared to have your character die. If not, make very sure you’ll never get into a fight. I know, it can be quite frustrating to find a character that you’ve spent months, maybe years on creating and perfecting, suddenly under attack by another character that you know will kick your ass. Not fun, but sometimes unavoidable.
  Players that aren’t prepared to have their characters die will often spoil the fight by simply ignoring attack-posts against him/her, or inventing super-defenses or one-post-kill attacks. This will frustrate a lot of other players, and most likely cause a "You’re dead" – "No, I’m not" discussion.
• When someone posts an attack against you you know you can't dodge, avoid or survive, don't invent some super-action in order to keep your character alive. Accepting defeat comes with the game. Yes, you'll probably lose a character, and that will most likely ruin your day. But, you will also earn respect from alot of other players.
• Take turns posting actions. Do not post three or four attacks in a row when your opponent yet has to reply to your first attack. Give them the chance to reply and counter your actions.
• Don’t throw yourself into a fight without knowing who or what. Be prepared. Don't interfere with the fights of other people when not specifically asked. That is often not appreciated.
• Be a little realistic in the use of weapons.
• Don’t invent weapons during the fight. If you weren’t carrying a Howitzer when you came in, you’re not supposed to use one in the fight.
• Accept damage. In a fight, people get hurt. Remember, most of the time you’re fighting super-powered semi-immortal beings, who know how to fight. And, taking hits earns you a lot more respect than simply dodging everything thrown at you. Taking a hit doesn't mean you're losing. It means you have a sense of realism.
• Also, let the defender determine the damage done by an attack. Do not assume that your attack struck home, but allow your opponent to decide how effective the attack was.
• Accept a valid counter to your actions. If you shoot someone in the chest, and your opponent counters by saying he’s wearing a bullet-proof vest, don’t just say "Well, my bullets were armour-piercing, so you’re dead!". No, you just have to find another way to take him down (for instance, reload your gun with a clip carrying armour-piercing rounds).
• Play by the rules of the game-system your character is created in. Most Castle players play by AD&D core rules. Try to follow the rules of the system as good as you can.
• Try to avoid a fight between players of different game-systems. Often spells, items and actions perfectly valid in one game-system have no acceptable counterpart in another system.
• I know it can be fun to ‘gang-up’ on someone, but this is not quite fair. The target has to respond to a lot of posts in a short amount of time, and sometimes simply cannot respond to all posts. This will provoke the well-known and all-hated "I hit you" - "No, you didn’t" discussion. And, a one-on-one battle is often much more appreciated than random carnage.
• When using magic, describe the spell / magic item used. I doubt there is a person on this planet that knows all RPG spells and magical items. So let your opponent know what effect it will have on him/her.
• Don’t fight God Characters. These characters should be ignored, not fought. They are no fun to fight, because they are often indestructible, or able to come back from death indefinately, or have some superpowermegavaporize spell that kills in one post. Ignore them, they’re not worthy of your attention.

And remember, it's (only) role-playing. It's a game people are supposed to enjoy playing. Fun for all is what the Castle is essentially all about.

SHAYANNA@mail.com

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