Present:
Gwindolyn Spiritor
Shawn Daysleeper
AelKennyr Rhiano (playing as Din Er, the dragon)
Lihan Taifun (playing as Aztryd, the dwarf)
Leo (leonardo.rainfall) (playing as The Balrog)
Summary:
“The idea is responsive emotes. Recognizing what the other has done and then responding to it.”
Your response should acknowledge the other player's action, (if appropriate, explaining why your character was able to notice what they noticed), and tell your response, (if appropriate, explaining why your character has the skill/ability to respond in that way).
“Plausible reactions to a plausible action with reasonable damage accepted.”
Do one action at a time, and give the other player(s) a chance to react.
You can say what “usually” results from your action (“her aim generally is excellent”), or what you intended (“the spell is meant to deafen”), but only the person on the receiving end is allowed to say what actually did happen to them.
Your reaction should take into account your character's racial characteristics and skill level, compared to what you think the other character's skill level is. Also what your character was (or was not) paying attention to. (Even the most visually-acute character can't be watching everything at once.)
“Without an understanding of your race, and a good grounding in rp etiquette and a sense of fairness, a lot of rpers who are lazy or just poorly trained could metagame.” While you could, on the surface, write your character as all-seeing and avoiding all injury, this would not be good roleplaying.
It is acceptable and common to discuss the situation in IM with the other player, working out the most appropriate reactions. Also to clarify the situation if you aren't clear on what the other player just did.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Ok, so is this everyone for the RP combat? So to start with, the idea is responsive emotes. Recognizing what the other has done and then responding to it.
Gwindolyn Spiritor bends down to her boots. Seemingly, she bends to flick some dust off the polished leather. As she stands up, her deft hands subtly slip into her boots and slide out three throwing knives. She thinks she is subtle enough that none see her.
AelKennyr Rhiano listens
Gwindolyn Spiritor: now, as participants, you would emote what you are doing and if you see her. You want to take into account your skill level compared to what you think hers is.
Lihan Taifun: That seems like a very delicate question
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Yes. With practice you get an idea of what you can do and what you can't. Likely with drow, knowing they are slick, you have a high chance of missing it. Then you balance in your suspicions of the race and how closely watch her.
AelKennyr Rhiano: I would imagine this is the most challenging part for rpers, especially those who have not mastered emoting.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: It can be. It takes really thinking about what is happening and who you are.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Without an understanding of your race, and a good grounding in rp etiquette and a sense of fairness, a lot of rpers who are lazy or just poorly trained could metagame.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: yes and you will find that a common complaint among those who don't meter often.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Din Er sees a flicker of movement and rolls his eyes, his left one picking up the drow bending over. Ahhh, he thinks to himself. Such a clever little drow. To the sharp eyes of a dragon, even a juvenile one such as he, the movement, and the feint she carries out with such practice does not deceive. With eyes designed to see even small game from great distances while airborne, he catches the tiny glint of steel and can taste the metal of the blade int he air.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Very good. Ael gave back what I did - recognizing my movement. Then he gave grounds for why he saw the move. And why he did so with ease. Now he has set his character as a higher level character than mine, which is only right as he has a dragon.
AelKennyr Rhiano: If I understand the basic combat concepts right, you should not try to rp several actions at once...for example, it would be bad form if I then announced I walked over and belched fire at you, and then ate the charcoaled remains.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Yes, that would be godmoding as it would leave me no chance to reply to your actions. Did I dodge? Did I enact a shield spell?
AelKennyr Rhiano: And it would be extremely annoying if you notice everything everyone did all the time...not to mention impossible unless you had eyes all over your body.
Gwindolyn Spiritor stands upright and flicks her wrist quickly, releasing all three daggers in quick succession. One at Lihan's right shoulder, one at Lihan's mid breast bone and Lihan's left hip. With years of practice with spells and daggers, her aim is normally on target.
AelKennyr Rhiano: DUCK! :P
Lihan Taifun: It is very difficult, in real life, to referee for yourself -- and I have been in situations where that was expected
AelKennyr Rhiano nods in agreement
Lihan Taifun: but in real life, there is some physical event, not just people's collective imagination
AelKennyr Rhiano: But to be fair, even with huds, I have seen people godmod such actions.
Lihan Taifun: those are the only two options? godmodding and successfully finding the right balance?
AelKennyr Rhiano: nope...there is a third...LEARNING to find the balance.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Ael, I find those who rely on meters to be among the worst for godmoding as they are not very familiar with the concepts or the etiquette. Often, two people in combat will talk and weigh things in IM as they go. As Ael has found with me, I will talk out options with him and choose the most fitting to our characters and the situation.
AelKennyr Rhiano: and we constantly ask each other in IM.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: And we are almost always willing to clarify if you aren't sure what we just did.
AelKennyr Rhiano: not exactly challenge each other to justify, but to understand.
Lihan Taifun: now I'm not imagining that even a skillful knife thrower could throw three knives at three targets in one motion, not that I have ever seen anyone try, in rl
AelKennyr Rhiano: But she didn't
AelKennyr Rhiano: She threw at one target.
Lihan Taifun: at three different parts of my body
Gwindolyn Spiritor: In one line.
AelKennyr Rhiano: right
Gwindolyn Spiritor: not complicated changes in aim.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Soo...using logic.. would all three necessarily hit? They COULD hit.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: No, it all depends on her reactions. There is the possibility they hit. There is a possibility she dodges and all three miss.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Right...thus the "could" and not "does." Gwin is making my point.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: I only threw them and stated my skill level.
Lihan Taifun: that isn't the part that is confusing me
Gwindolyn Spiritor: It is now up to Lihan to decide if she saw it and if she moved.
AelKennyr Rhiano: What is confusing, Lihan?
Lihan Taifun: yes, and I decide that based on ...?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: How skilled in dance is your character? How quick are your character's reactions?
Lihan Taifun: dance? *cough* not very
Gwindolyn Spiritor: So then you would think that you would either drop ungracefully and most likely take at least one hit. Or you would stand there stunned and be hit by two or all three of them.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Wait, please...I think we jumped way ahead, Gwindolyn. I think people need to be explained the basics of combat and combat in a text based situation.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Ok. Let's back up then.
AelKennyr Rhiano: There is a whole lot of information Lihan is missing.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Ok.
AelKennyr Rhiano smiles...and I can understand. thanks :))
Gwindolyn Spiritor smiles "No worries, I get a little excited."
AelKennyr Rhiano: we...ahem...noticed :P
Shawn Daysleeper: hehe
Gwindolyn Spiritor: lol
Leo: excited? why?
AelKennyr Rhiano: I know I have to understand the reasons and the mechanics before I can apply the principles to situations.
Leo missed something, including dinner
AelKennyr Rhiano: :PPPP Din Er is right here
Leo: xD
Gwindolyn Spiritor nods "ok, so let's back up. I did an action. It is now up to the players around to mirror that action and respond based on their character's abilities and experiences. But how to judge that?"
AelKennyr Rhiano nods
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Lihan, I threw three daggers in a diagonal line towards you. I have a lot of combat experience, mostly aim based style with a skill in dance. I'm not good with blades such as swords or such. But now you need to think about, how much did you see? That is the first question. Did you see it coming?
AelKennyr Rhiano: Wouldn't the first question be...what is her race?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: How perceptive is your character? How wary would your character be of me?
AelKennyr Rhiano: because that has a lot to do with physical and physiological limitations and abilities?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Well, race factors into the answers to these questions. Such as elves can see better than humans most often, but dragons would see more than elves.
Lihan Taifun: Today I am being a dwarf. I don't trust the elf in the slightest, but my visual perception is nothing extraordinary
Gwindolyn Spiritor: dwarves aren't terribly perceptive or fast, but they can take hits from my daggers like they were mosquitos.
Lihan Taifun: so, I might be suspicious in general, but no, didn't see that exact move coming
Gwindolyn Spiritor nods "So yeah, my daggers would likely hit - at least two of three of them. I would be willing to have one go a bit high.
Lihan Taifun: not that fast, either, true; but I'm not wearing any armor -- being stabbed in the midriff would definitely not be good
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Dwarves are hardy with thicker skins than most beings - not including dragons. So yeah, you would be hurt. it would be possible the one in the breast bone hit and stuck in the bone. It would not bleed you dry or slow you terribly as long as you didn't pull it out. It would piss you off, and enrage you.
Lihan Taifun: I've got a lot of vital organs in there, thank you
AelKennyr Rhiano: lol
Lihan Taifun: the arm or the hip, yes, I can see that would be more annoying than damaging
Gwindolyn Spiritor: lol.
Leo: o.o
Lihan Taifun: although, if you did hit something vital ... I might be good for another half hour or so of pounding the tar out of you, before I collapsed
AelKennyr Rhiano: hahahahaha
Gwindolyn Spiritor: And you might get healing for it and you would be running on adrenaline. But you would want to acknowledge that in the emote.
AelKennyr Rhiano: Your height would be a help, to...perhaps, in explaining why more blades didn't not hit you... and the tough constitution of a dwarf
Lihan Taifun: {stands next to Gwindolyn} wow, just about half her height
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Right. And that I didn't aim anywhere vital would help. I mean, the breast bone is pretty dense on even a human. But dwarves have stronger bones.
AelKennyr Rhiano: But if you are a dwarven warrior, you would have different reactions than if you are the dwarf chef ... yes?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Correct. A Chef might also be carrying a different sort of knife too. And would handle the knife differently. Oh the cuts she could make.
AelKennyr Rhiano: so a slight twist of your body, already a small target, and the fact of where the blades were aimed...that can all explain why all three blade did not hit their target.
{Ael reports an e-mail message from lawrence that he has a minor family crisis in rl and won't be available for the roleplay sessions scheduled for tonight.}
Lihan Taifun: aw, just when I had an idea for a response from Aztryd
AelKennyr Rhiano: no...please continue :)
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Oh do give the response.
AelKennyr Rhiano: nod nod nod
Leo: o.o Leo noms his nomables
Lihan Taifun: Aztryd, already edgy around this strange elf, jumps backwards reflexively at the sudden movement. She turns, and sees --something -- metalic flash past her shoulder. Something else scrapes past her midriff, tearing into her vest and scraping the skin of her stomach, before clattering to the floor. A third something collides with her hip. She looks down to see the handle of a small knife stuck there.
Shawn Daysleeper: listens
AelKennyr Rhiano: YAY! Wooohooo!
Gwindolyn Spiritor: YAY!!! Good job Lihan!
AelKennyr Rhiano: That was great!
Lihan Taifun: With an angry glare, she pulls out that blade, and flips it over in her hand, staring murderously at the elf.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Plausible reactions to a plausible action with reasonable damage accepted.
AelKennyr Rhiano: yes! And boy, is she mad!
Lihan Taifun: do we need more about dwarves and tough skin?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: No. You did good.
Shawn Daysleeper: ya very nice Lihan
Gwindolyn Spiritor: If you had not turned and it didn't sink in deep, then that would need to be factored in.
AelKennyr Rhiano: you can add more in each response you give, if you wanted.
Leo: o.o The Balrog: barks
AelKennyr Rhiano: Leo if you will do /99/me, you can indicate action using your titler.
Gwindolyn Spiritor: You did great. Excellent even. As you practice with it, it will be come easier and you can expand more as you desire. And you don't have to give all reasons in one action. As Ael gave reasons for him seeing my slight of hand with dagger, he didn't give any talk about his scaley hide to deflect the daggers as that would not have been relevant at that moment.
Lihan Taifun: ok
AelKennyr Rhiano: While Lihan the dwarf is getting skewered, what does Shawn the elf do?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Now, that is a lot to start with. You did great. We can talk more next week, refine some ideas and touch on other questions.
AelKennyr Rhiano: nod nod nod Ummm...I never got an answer to my question...
Shawn Daysleeper: sorry I was listening. I am not sure how I wold respond. Do I know this dwarf, or the drow? my reaction would be different based on background maybe
Gwindolyn Spiritor grins and a hand slips up to her hair. She ruffles it a bit, casually as she often does as she speaks. Fingers deftly find a needle and slip it from its hiding place. She looks at him and grins wickedly. "how about you think about the things I could do with this baby." The needle is long and thick enough to go through most joints easily.
AelKennyr Rhiano: which him?
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Sorry, that was to Shawn
AelKennyr Rhiano: ouch, wicked
Gwindolyn Spiritor winks "You don't want to know the stuff I've done with these babies."
Shawn Daysleeper: it's late for me, I am going to go sleep
AelKennyr Rhiano: Ok :) thank you everyone for coming tonight.
Shawn Daysleeper: thank you Gwin this was very informative, I am not good with this type of rp yet
Gwindolyn Spiritor: Thank you all for taking this time with me.