How does one go from Zero to Hero

[OttoVann]

I'm making this thread due to frankly having no idea on how to take Otto from knowing relatively nothing about combat to hopefully being able wield a sword and not have it knocked out of his hand before the fight starts (or a lance same point).

 

Now hand to hand boxing is one thing, everyone knows how to throw a punch and thats not my concern. I just wonder how I can or if I should or if its even plausible to put Otto on the path of knowing how to use a weapon.

 

I dont want to MarySue as I have come to learn the term. I am a master of working with gold (GSM) and weaving together nice clothes (weaver), and outside of those jobs thats all Im good at minus womanizing.

 

What should I do? Is there a way to slowly learn how to gitgud with a sword and not being totally useless with one? Im not looking to become the next Zoro mind you just basic and useful knowledge perhaps. A school of some sort? Someone willing to be my Sensei and teach me the ways?

[Faye]

You must put the GLD in gladiator.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

I've only RPed learning something s couple times, but I'm sure a long-running plot could probably help out on that end.

 

--

Maybe Otto wants to take up the sword, so he joins that Gladiators Guild. (Or Lancers Guild, for a lance)

 

Maybe he asks someone trained in swordsmanship to help him out in their free time.

 

Or possibly , maybe he tries the self-teaching method and leans to swing, but maybe has bad form or gets better with practice.

--

 

It could be done with an occasional bulletin post or maybe some RP in game with write ups on his progress. Allowing s natural growth that doesn't look like it was hand-waved. Otto knows plenty of people who wield swords as well.

[Sounsyy]

Become a gladiatorrrrrrrrrr! =D Join the Coliseum, fight on the bloodsands! Win fame and greater fortune!

[Antain]

[video=youtube]http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=Pa0lMzaljTk

 

*runs and hides*

[Verad]

No matter the method you choose to have Otto learn how to become a swordsman, somebody will take issue with it. Choose the method that fits you best (and since you like to play relatively "down to earth" characters in terms of physical prowess, that's probably a thing that will take a good deal of time) and stick to it.

 

I suggest finding another RPer willing to teach and willing to do so in a style you prefer, and asking them.

[Unnamed Mercenary]

No matter the method you choose to have Otto learn how to become a swordsman, somebody will take issue with it. Choose the method that fits you best (and since you like to play relatively "down to earth" characters in terms of physical prowess, that's probably a thing that will take a good deal of time) and stick to it.

 

I suggest finding another RPer willing to teach and willing to do so in a style you prefer, and asking them.

 

Verad puts it nicely here. 

 

As for RPers who've done something similar, I remember Franz helping Remimont Portier get a feel for sword and shield. Granted, I have 0 OOC knowledge on how to teach that, so we just kinda derped around with stuff that sounded legitimate.

[C'kayah Polaali]

Are you looking for an IC justification for Otto to be good with a sword, or are you looking for IC flavor you can use in your emotes? If it's the former, there are plenty of good suggestions. If it's the latter, I'll add to Merc's excellent suggestion an additional one: Look to fiction that has the feel you want. I've done classical fencing in the past, and tend to lean more towards unarmored swordplay on the rare occasions I RP it, so I take a lot of inspiration from Fritz Leiber's fiction - his description of swordplay in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories, for instance, is phenomenal. If you're looking for something more in line with heavily armored military swordsmanship, you might look to George RR Martin.

 

Find fiction that describes the style of swordplay you want to use (extra points if it's described in a way that you want to emulate!) and steal from it! We're all thieves in roleplay!

[OttoVann]

Im looking to not be totally useless with a weapon in my hand and Id rather not wave the magic wand to make it happen

[Unnamed Mercenary]

Im looking to not be totally useless with a weapon in my hand and Id rather not wave the magic wand to make it happen

 

I think what C's talking about is once you've found a way to learn you like, look to other media that has the kid of writing you like and then they can be paired up. That way, you have an IC reason to be learning, but OOC of how it works to write it and make it sound good.

[Dat Oni]

There's a very easy way to do this ICly: Otto wishes to learn self-defense.

 

Otto decides that he wants to be able to protect himself from the usual nasties that one can find in the cities, or that, being the pimp he is, he needs to know how to fend off challengers or people messing with his women. So he goes and learns basic sword training and refines it from there.

 

He doesn't even have to be a gladiator to do this. He just has to find a mentor willing to teach him how to wield a tuck and he's set. Then that opens up paths for him to get more serious about it.

[C'kayah Polaali]

Im looking to not be totally useless with a weapon in my hand and Id rather not wave the magic wand to make it happen

 

In appearance? Wear your PAL stuff.

 

ICly? There have been many suggestions as to how you can spice up your emotes with swordy words.

 

In real life? You probably want to stay away from the SCA, but the AHF might be able to help you out.

 

Or wait... You mean Otto has no reason to have sword skills ICly, and you need a reason for him to have them? He's filthy fucking rich. He should be able to defend himself. Say that he's paid someone over the years to teach him. Done and done!

[Aya]

[ProvaDiServo]

-pic-

 

This has me very tempted to break out the mulan.

[Aduu Avagnar]

Nako, although primarily a mage, spends an hour a day at the Gladiators guild, one building his strength through exercise and two fine tuning his skill with the blade.

[Jana]

Otto spends plenty of time around rough and tumble adventurers. You're free to have him ask them for advice IC, or even put up a flyer requesting lessons inside of the Quicksand or something.

[Faye]

[video=youtube]http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=Pa0lMzaljTk

 

*runs and hides*

 

This video won't load for me, but if it wasn't meant to be the Hercules theme, I will be very disappointed.

[Gaspard]

Zero to Hero Package

 

 

find a half hyur half goat hybrid named bill, tell him your name is tonk and you're rhalgrs bastard son and enjoy the training montage that'll automatically start playing with a theme of your choice.

[That_NPC]

This is actually the personal storyline I'm doing right now. If you have a group your RPing with, find out how they run their timeline.  How long is a month ICly.  Then decide how long it would take training wise for you to hit the proficiency you want, then figure out how many hours a week/day you'd spend training and there you go.  Personally for me its

 

Timeline (good question, but pretty slow)

Hours to wanted proficiency: 200

Dedication:  5 hours per week.

End result 40 weeks, almost a year, for the sake of ease, I'm rounding it up to a year.

 

Now that you have this you can start sprinkling in some things in your RP.  Rather than having your sword knocked from your hand with ease, you know how to keep your grip, doesn't mean you know how to fight, but its a start.  You now know a few basic strikes, nothing difficult for anyone who's job it is to fight to avoid/block, but you're getting there.  And so on and so forth. 

 

Remember though that everyone in your group is also getting better at fighting.  So unless they are actually saying they aren't training, assume they grow at the same rate.