I wanted to second what Domri wrote up. (I don't have as much martial training as him, but I did do over five years of Kuk Sool Won and about a year of MMA.) One point in particular I wanted to point out is you will get hit. You acknowledge going into a fight that you might take a beating. The goal is to take less of a beating than your opponent. Like Domri said, if you see a clear shot to the ribs, take it, but know that you're gonna take a hit in return. A strike will almost always leave you open to a counterstrike.
Following through with this train of thought is set-ups. Which I think is extremely important in RP fighting. A few people have mentioned this. Have your fight or RP leading somewhere.
In the example of the rib shot, your opponent will counter with a right hook, maybe a grapple. Because the rib shot hurt, he's off balance and his left foot isn't firmly planted, so you put your leg behind him and pull him across the chest to take him down to the ground and into an armlock. Progression. The same can be done with RP battles. For folks who've watched Sounsyy fight at the Grindstone, they're more than familiar with Sounsyy's opener - the shield charge. Whether it connects or not is not important, the primary post is a setup for the rest of the fight.
(I don't claim to be an expert on RP fighting, but I end up doing it a bit with Sounsyy's beat-everything personality. And folks seem to like her?) I think just about every fighter at Grindstone has seen this exact post or something similar to it. So lemme try to break it down.
Well hope that helps some! ^^ Best way is practice though! Come to Grindstone or Runestone, watch some of the fights. Maybe see what kind of fighting style fits yours. Then jump in and start fighting. You'll really start getting a feel for how your character moves and fights the more you practice. Sounsyy's pretty much got her bash-stab-jawbreaker combo on lock now. So... if you wanna fight her? LOL.
Following through with this train of thought is set-ups. Which I think is extremely important in RP fighting. A few people have mentioned this. Have your fight or RP leading somewhere.
In the example of the rib shot, your opponent will counter with a right hook, maybe a grapple. Because the rib shot hurt, he's off balance and his left foot isn't firmly planted, so you put your leg behind him and pull him across the chest to take him down to the ground and into an armlock. Progression. The same can be done with RP battles. For folks who've watched Sounsyy fight at the Grindstone, they're more than familiar with Sounsyy's opener - the shield charge. Whether it connects or not is not important, the primary post is a setup for the rest of the fight.
Quote:Sounsyy Mirke raised her shield up to deflect the blade swinging from the right. It glanced off the shield with a clang and Sounsyy pressed forward into her opponent's open guard. She stepped forward with her right leg, shield still held high on her left, and stabbed low with her shortsword, aiming at her opponent's thigh - hoping to disable the fighter and slow his movements.
(I don't claim to be an expert on RP fighting, but I end up doing it a bit with Sounsyy's beat-everything personality. And folks seem to like her?) I think just about every fighter at Grindstone has seen this exact post or something similar to it. So lemme try to break it down.
- Hits and Counterhits. Recognize that most martial fighters must get in extremely close to score a hit. If an opponent tries to get around Sounsyy's shield, that means Sounsyy's shield is inside their guard. AKA they've set themselves up for a shield bash to the face.
- Not being afraid to take hits. Sounsyy is easy cuz she has a shield about as large as she is. However, if an attack comes from her right or my opponent purposefully writes into their attack that they've ninja'd around behind her shield, I can't realistically block the attack with the shield. So I'll have Sounsyy take the hit to her armor if its unavoidable but I still win the roll. Just cuz you win the roll doesn't mean you have to dodge the attack if it's out of character.
- Describe the attack and hint at the lead up. Sounsyy is stabbing at the thigh at close range. I've described that Sounsyy plans to cripple the opponent. This is information your opponent can use to write a descriptive response, regardless of if they win or lose.
- Furthermore, flower and flashy is nice, but introspection and poetry can't be used by your opponent. They may misread what your attack actually is. You can be flashy, just don't forget you have to give your opponent something tangible to dodge/eat.
- Fight Progression. Note how I wrote "shield still held high on her left" - this is a lead up. One, it lets my opponent know her guard is still raised and they can't attack from that direction and two, it sets Sounsyy up very nicely for a pivot and shield bash to the face for her next attack.
- Even though posting back and forth may take half an hour for the fight or longer, remember that in real time, the fight is realistically only lasting a couple minutes at most. Maybe seconds if you win every attack roll. But also remember that even a few minutes of extreme physical exertion is taxing to any character, even an experienced one. Sounsyy's swinging a twenty-pound shield as big as she is. She cannot keep going for hours at a time without rest/water (thank you Jancis! <3 ). After a few turns of successful blocks and back and forths, Sounsyy starts really trying to end that fight... brutally, before she gives out.
- Communication is super important! I always try to get into a party with whoever I'm fighting. Mostly just turns into idle chit chat, but if I don't understand an attack, it's best to ask. No harm done in clarifying if that was a roundhouse kick to the head or a dropkick. Sometimes you'll write something that makes perfect sense to you but makes absolutely no sense to your opponent.
Well hope that helps some! ^^ Best way is practice though! Come to Grindstone or Runestone, watch some of the fights. Maybe see what kind of fighting style fits yours. Then jump in and start fighting. You'll really start getting a feel for how your character moves and fights the more you practice. Sounsyy's pretty much got her bash-stab-jawbreaker combo on lock now. So... if you wanna fight her? LOL.
