Battlefield Rules and Guidelines
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:50 pm
Rules and Guidelines of the Battlefield
These were drawn up by Wyborn and will be reviewed by Joker, who are the who are the two mods of the battlefield at the time of this posting.
---
General Guidelines
All right, first off, I'm going to establish what these rules are for. All the important parts are in bold, so if you want to skim through you can. If you see something that catches your eye, though, feel free to read through the entire point.
These rules just act a guideline, and are basically statements of rules of thumb in most cases. In cases where everyone participating is in agreement, these can of course be deviated from. However, if you're ever confused about how to handle something, look here. If you can't find it here and don't know what the protocol is, either contact your opponent or one of the mods (Wyborn before Joker because Joker is a busy man).
Okay. Now, this forum mainly supports two types of topics. These classifications are very broad and encompass a lot of things.
Types of topics:
1. Battles - this kind of topic is by far the most common, and includes (but is not limited to) the following: direct challenges, open challenges, team battles, free-for-alls, and tournaments. The object of a battle is to defeat your opponent in combat (duh), by way of either beating them into submission, killing them, or, in rare cases, by verdict of a panel of judges. These topics are, of course, a lot more action-packed.
2. RP Topics - short for "role-playing", these topics have a different focus from battles in that they aren't oriented around killing the other participants...usually. RP topics are also called "story topics", but they can apply to a lot of different things: writer-controlled story topics, inns/lounges/hotels, and...actually, that's all I can think of. RP topics are usually focused around telling a story or interactions between characters, or both.
Those are the two types of topics. Pretty simple, right? Sure. Sometimes RP Topics can be really battle-heavy (this is often the case, in fact), but in general the difference between Battle topics and Story topics are exactly that.
These are some general rules that apply to both kinds of topics:
1. You can use any kind of character you want. I mean that, too - most people make up their own characters, but you can use a character from an anime, a cartoon, a videogame, a book...whatever you want. We're equal opportunity people here. The only stipulation is this: You can't use other people's original characters. Ever. Ever. I know, that should go without saying, but I have to say it.
2. Respect the other writers. I know that sounds very broad, and it is, but I have some particular points to make here. Respect is pretty simple in and of itself, and despite the nature of the place you should be courteous to other writers when you're not in-character. The only really important thing here is If you write someone else's character as doing something (and it's a perfectly acceptable practice), make sure that it's not something that doesn't make sense for that character. To make an example here, if you are fighting someone who's character is a giant, hideous ogre, you would not have them shy away when you pull a pocket knife on them. If they're fearless, don' make them into cowards. If they're smart, don't make them seem like idiots. In fact, Never make your opponent look like an incompetent moron.
3. Don't act uuber-powerful compared to everyone around you. I cannot stress this enough. In a battle this is very important, but it's even moreso for story topics because it can really upset the balance that the topic author is trying to set. I'll get into this in more detail in the topic-specific rules.
4. If your character can transform, he should carry over damage into his other forms. This means that if your leg is cut off and you turn into a werewolf, either that leg should still be missing or you should have some loss of energy that represents it.
5. Writing is not as important in battles as it is in RP topics. I'm going to repeat this again later, but I thought I should state it here: you don't have to write a freaking novel every time you post in a battle, and no one is going to make you feel like less of a battler if you don't use a lot of description. Hell, you can use script format if you want to. In RP topics writing is slightly more important, but if you don't feel like making huge posts when you want to kick the crap out of the other guy, then don't.
Let's move on to those, anyway...
---
Battle-Specific Rules
1. Only you can say when you lose. The same goes for your opponent: he can't say when you die or get knockd unconscious, and you can't say when he does. Try to be fair and go down when it's realistic.
2. Show damage like it's dealt to you. If you get hit in the face with a hammer, don't just shrug it off. Likewise, if your leg is broken, don't start running around as if nothing's happen. Your leg is broken. Either fix it or limp or run with a lot of pain or something. Just don't ignore it when damage is done.
3. Don't do something that would completely obliterate your enemy in one post. This is kind of hard to define - you can do pretty much anything you want to your enemy, but don't just freaking nuke them or something. Likewise, don't severe their heads, or slit their throats, or do something that there is no way possible they could survive in a thousand years. Try to control yourself. Believe me, you can still be brutal without being cheap.
4. This is going to sound weird, but Assume that you and your enemy are more or less even. He can be infinitely stronger than you, or you can be a lot faster than him, or whatever...but overall they should be an even match for each other, even if it's not in similar areas. For example, a character from Dragonball Z would be on equal footing with a character from Harry Potter. It's weird, but it's how we keep things fair.
5. Don't worry about dying. In battles, character deaths don't really count. That means that if you make your own char, and he dies in battle, you can still use him in other topics. You don't even have to make up a way for him to come back. That's just how it works. If it looks like you're doing to die, that's cool. Don't worry about it.
6. Don't worry about how you write in battles. See, told you it would be repeated - like I said before, all levels of description are welcome in battles. If you go up against someone who writes massive, eloquent posts that fill up pages upon pages in Word or something but you prefer to write minimalistic paragraphs that concentrate more on what you do to your enemy, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Just make sure you communicate what you're doing completely, and that other people can read it. Everybody has access to a spellchecker.
---
Story-Specific Rules
1. Always respect the wishes of the topic-maker. Usually this will be the person who's in control of the story or inn or whatever. If they say don't do something then DO NOT DO IT, and don't actively go against whatever they're trying to do. Just go along with the story.
2. If it's a story topic that is not yours, don't try to tell a story. If it's an in or a lounge or something, fine, you can start your own subplot, but if someone is trying to lead everyone in a structured story then you shouldn't do something like bring in a militay insurrection from your own planet.
3. If a story topic has a villain and everyone gets in a fight with him, assume he can whoop your ass. This should go without saying, but you'd be surprised how often it's not the case - and I've been guilty of screwing this up once or twice myself, so I know what I'm talking about. If somebody builds a story and puts a particular character as the antagonist for fifteen people, that character can probably kick the asses of those fifteen people. Seriously.
4.Writing is more important in RP topics than in Battles. Since RP topics basically amount to stories, try to make your writing match it appropriately: you're helping to tell a story, here, not just beating up somebody else, and a different kind of touch is required. Not saying you have to write a book, but if you're going to interact with other people it really helps for you to be more detailed and provide more insight into your character's thoughts.
---
I think that roughly covers it. Other things, like healing and draining life, should be left to the discretion of the battlers. Ask your opponent about that kind of thing, or set it down in the rules.
There - that's the ruleset. Not too restrictive, right? Soon as I get approval from Joker and a few more members I'll take down the old ruleset and put this one in its place - and this topic will never be locked, so people can keep posting in it if they want to, in case revisions need to be made according to the times.
Comments wanted.
[ June 04, 2005, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: Wyborn ]
These were drawn up by Wyborn and will be reviewed by Joker, who are the who are the two mods of the battlefield at the time of this posting.
---
General Guidelines
All right, first off, I'm going to establish what these rules are for. All the important parts are in bold, so if you want to skim through you can. If you see something that catches your eye, though, feel free to read through the entire point.
These rules just act a guideline, and are basically statements of rules of thumb in most cases. In cases where everyone participating is in agreement, these can of course be deviated from. However, if you're ever confused about how to handle something, look here. If you can't find it here and don't know what the protocol is, either contact your opponent or one of the mods (Wyborn before Joker because Joker is a busy man).
Okay. Now, this forum mainly supports two types of topics. These classifications are very broad and encompass a lot of things.
Types of topics:
1. Battles - this kind of topic is by far the most common, and includes (but is not limited to) the following: direct challenges, open challenges, team battles, free-for-alls, and tournaments. The object of a battle is to defeat your opponent in combat (duh), by way of either beating them into submission, killing them, or, in rare cases, by verdict of a panel of judges. These topics are, of course, a lot more action-packed.
2. RP Topics - short for "role-playing", these topics have a different focus from battles in that they aren't oriented around killing the other participants...usually. RP topics are also called "story topics", but they can apply to a lot of different things: writer-controlled story topics, inns/lounges/hotels, and...actually, that's all I can think of. RP topics are usually focused around telling a story or interactions between characters, or both.
Those are the two types of topics. Pretty simple, right? Sure. Sometimes RP Topics can be really battle-heavy (this is often the case, in fact), but in general the difference between Battle topics and Story topics are exactly that.
These are some general rules that apply to both kinds of topics:
1. You can use any kind of character you want. I mean that, too - most people make up their own characters, but you can use a character from an anime, a cartoon, a videogame, a book...whatever you want. We're equal opportunity people here. The only stipulation is this: You can't use other people's original characters. Ever. Ever. I know, that should go without saying, but I have to say it.
2. Respect the other writers. I know that sounds very broad, and it is, but I have some particular points to make here. Respect is pretty simple in and of itself, and despite the nature of the place you should be courteous to other writers when you're not in-character. The only really important thing here is If you write someone else's character as doing something (and it's a perfectly acceptable practice), make sure that it's not something that doesn't make sense for that character. To make an example here, if you are fighting someone who's character is a giant, hideous ogre, you would not have them shy away when you pull a pocket knife on them. If they're fearless, don' make them into cowards. If they're smart, don't make them seem like idiots. In fact, Never make your opponent look like an incompetent moron.
3. Don't act uuber-powerful compared to everyone around you. I cannot stress this enough. In a battle this is very important, but it's even moreso for story topics because it can really upset the balance that the topic author is trying to set. I'll get into this in more detail in the topic-specific rules.
4. If your character can transform, he should carry over damage into his other forms. This means that if your leg is cut off and you turn into a werewolf, either that leg should still be missing or you should have some loss of energy that represents it.
5. Writing is not as important in battles as it is in RP topics. I'm going to repeat this again later, but I thought I should state it here: you don't have to write a freaking novel every time you post in a battle, and no one is going to make you feel like less of a battler if you don't use a lot of description. Hell, you can use script format if you want to. In RP topics writing is slightly more important, but if you don't feel like making huge posts when you want to kick the crap out of the other guy, then don't.
Let's move on to those, anyway...
---
Battle-Specific Rules
1. Only you can say when you lose. The same goes for your opponent: he can't say when you die or get knockd unconscious, and you can't say when he does. Try to be fair and go down when it's realistic.
2. Show damage like it's dealt to you. If you get hit in the face with a hammer, don't just shrug it off. Likewise, if your leg is broken, don't start running around as if nothing's happen. Your leg is broken. Either fix it or limp or run with a lot of pain or something. Just don't ignore it when damage is done.
3. Don't do something that would completely obliterate your enemy in one post. This is kind of hard to define - you can do pretty much anything you want to your enemy, but don't just freaking nuke them or something. Likewise, don't severe their heads, or slit their throats, or do something that there is no way possible they could survive in a thousand years. Try to control yourself. Believe me, you can still be brutal without being cheap.
4. This is going to sound weird, but Assume that you and your enemy are more or less even. He can be infinitely stronger than you, or you can be a lot faster than him, or whatever...but overall they should be an even match for each other, even if it's not in similar areas. For example, a character from Dragonball Z would be on equal footing with a character from Harry Potter. It's weird, but it's how we keep things fair.
5. Don't worry about dying. In battles, character deaths don't really count. That means that if you make your own char, and he dies in battle, you can still use him in other topics. You don't even have to make up a way for him to come back. That's just how it works. If it looks like you're doing to die, that's cool. Don't worry about it.
6. Don't worry about how you write in battles. See, told you it would be repeated - like I said before, all levels of description are welcome in battles. If you go up against someone who writes massive, eloquent posts that fill up pages upon pages in Word or something but you prefer to write minimalistic paragraphs that concentrate more on what you do to your enemy, that's fine. Don't worry about it. Just make sure you communicate what you're doing completely, and that other people can read it. Everybody has access to a spellchecker.
---
Story-Specific Rules
1. Always respect the wishes of the topic-maker. Usually this will be the person who's in control of the story or inn or whatever. If they say don't do something then DO NOT DO IT, and don't actively go against whatever they're trying to do. Just go along with the story.
2. If it's a story topic that is not yours, don't try to tell a story. If it's an in or a lounge or something, fine, you can start your own subplot, but if someone is trying to lead everyone in a structured story then you shouldn't do something like bring in a militay insurrection from your own planet.
3. If a story topic has a villain and everyone gets in a fight with him, assume he can whoop your ass. This should go without saying, but you'd be surprised how often it's not the case - and I've been guilty of screwing this up once or twice myself, so I know what I'm talking about. If somebody builds a story and puts a particular character as the antagonist for fifteen people, that character can probably kick the asses of those fifteen people. Seriously.
4.Writing is more important in RP topics than in Battles. Since RP topics basically amount to stories, try to make your writing match it appropriately: you're helping to tell a story, here, not just beating up somebody else, and a different kind of touch is required. Not saying you have to write a book, but if you're going to interact with other people it really helps for you to be more detailed and provide more insight into your character's thoughts.
---
I think that roughly covers it. Other things, like healing and draining life, should be left to the discretion of the battlers. Ask your opponent about that kind of thing, or set it down in the rules.
There - that's the ruleset. Not too restrictive, right? Soon as I get approval from Joker and a few more members I'll take down the old ruleset and put this one in its place - and this topic will never be locked, so people can keep posting in it if they want to, in case revisions need to be made according to the times.
Comments wanted.
[ June 04, 2005, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: Wyborn ]
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