How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (Full Version)

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TJByrum -> How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/12/2013 21:41:25)

If you're wondering, I am Ghost of Chaos; got a name change.

One of the key things in most RP's is combat. Some RP's may deviate from combat and instead go for a more dramatized romance, or comedy, etc. But we can all agree that many RP's tend to feature combat in them.

I was just wondering how others assess and write a fighting scene. Anything special, or do whatever comes to mind? Do you like to summarize a fight with several people, or do you like to describe each and every encounter? Any other quirks like that.

Here is an example of how I might write a combat situation.

quote:

Torik and the other warriors charged forth, their eyes shining with determination and their hearts pounding for glory. Ahead of them was the enemy, who were also charging. Battlecries filled the air, some of them with excitement and others with fear. Swords, spears, axes, and maces all held high in the air, ready to slash, bash, and kill. Torik was running headlong at the battlefront, ahead of most soldiers, but inspiring them and filling them with morale. His sword held high in the air, his shield-arm ready to save the life of his comrade and himself.

And then the two armies clashed. The sound of metal banging against metal, of battlecries, and of victorious yells and agonizing screams filled the air. Torik charged right into a heavily armored swordsman, wielding a claymore. The swordsman slammed his sword downwards in a desperate attempt to hack Torik in two, but only met the strong and resilient surface of Torik's round shield. Moments later the man felt Torik's blade as it was lunged through his gut. He screamed and collapsed from the pain as many other soldiers began to trample his body, both friend and foe.

Torik did not falter. As the first enemy fell to the ground, he spiraled around, pulling his sword out of his gut. He then continued to swing his blade around and beheaded another man. Another man with a warhammer charged at Torik and readied his weapon. Torik simply raised his shield and blocked the blow, but the impact still made him stumble to the right. The foe acted on his opportunity and raised his hammer high above his head. But Torik had other plans. As the man brought down the hammer, Torik rolled to the side and thrust his blade into the side of the man's belly. He fell to his knees and dropped his weapon, clutching his wound.

Another opponent, armed with a spear and some chainmail armor, faced Torik and smiled. Torik grinned back at him, accepting his challenge. The opponent thrust his spear at Torik, who dodged to the right and advanced forward. Torik bashed the spearman with his shield, stunning him for a moment. Torik then quickly hacked downward at the man's spear, cutting it in two. The spearman threw his broken spear shaft on the ground and pulled out his own sword. The two opponents looked at each, analyzing their enemy.

The opponent shot forward and slashed upward, but Torik deflected it with his sword, his quick reflexes and perception giving him the advantage. The opponent himself was also quiet agile and pulled his sword back to him and hacked at Torik from the left. Torik blocked the attack and shoved his blade at the man's chest, unable to pierce the chainmail...




Sate -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 1:59:34)

I absolutely love when I have the luxury of working out combat real-time with the writer of my character's opponent. I make my move, they make theirs. This, ideally, is a back-and-forth in a chat room so we can work out the entire scene very quickly and then one of us posts it in the RP and the whole fight is one neat segment in the thread.

In the past, I have done the same thing with forum posts but it takes a lot longer and it takes a lot more space. For example:

quote:

...Clovis Crimson ducked as low as he could behind the boulder as he reloaded his crossbow. His heavy breathing maintained a constant cloud of steam in front of his face as he skillfully readied the bolt. He thought Wasquey's incredible reflexes and speed and wondered how he would land his shot. His instincts told him it was time to move and he decided he would try to close the distance and engage in close combat. The pain in his joints as he darted out from behind the boulder reminded him that he was not getting younger but he would nevertheless demand the best from his body if he expected to get any older. As soon as he left his hiding place he saw his target, Wasquey Q. Wabbit, who immediately notices Clovis' advance. Clovis had already picked his shot and he pressed the trigger on his crossbow releasing the bolt to fly at his Drakel opponent. Clovis did not stop moving, he dropped his crossbow and drew his short sword as he rad directly toward Wasquey.


The response to this post will answer whether the Drakel was hit and will also say what the Drakel does in response. That often doesn't have a lot of substance to it and a lot of people end up adding what I would consider to be unnecessary fluff, that is, introspective monologue. Make no mistake, introspection is a very good tool for making a character interesting. Introspection should not be unused, but I think the character generally shouldn't be pondering philosophical topics or imagining the giant frogzards motives for attacking while he's in the middle of a fight. The best way to flesh out a combat RP post, in my opinion, is to be descriptive. That was usually my weakness so this may come across as hypocritical, but I believe that it takes a lot of description for it to be too much (You'd have to be as bad as Tom Clancy and nobody is as bad as Tom Clancy). Don't be afraid to describe the action using all five senses.

quote:

Wasquey immediately spotted his old rival emerge from his hiding place and prepared for the inevitable crossbow bolt. He dodged the bolt without a problem as he had done many times before by stepping to the side, trying to position the sun behind him to make Clovis' second shot more difficult. He felt the air rush across his skin as the bolt whistled by his head and he thought what a fool Clovis must be to even try to hit him. Then, he was caught by surprise: the old man was charging at him with a sword. This was a very unusual tactic for the old assassin, but Wasquey's surprise was gone before Clovis could close the distance and he drew three shurikens one by one from his belt and threw them with a flick of his wrist at the charging marksman. He stepped back swiftly, his boots pressing into the soft ground, as he reached for his sword.

Keeping in mind that a lot happens a small amount of time in the context of a fight, I try to fit as much description as possible without "bunnying". Both posts include descriptions of what the attacker does after the attack is made. One might make the case for bunnying because when you have a lot of your character's actions in a post it makes it impossible for your opponent to interrupt any of the actions therein, thus manipulating the opponent by limiting their options. I think I've found a good amount of action to include without turning my opponent into a spectator. one example of what I'm trying to avoid while packing my post with description:
quote:

Clovis jumped out from behind his hiding place as soon as he sensed Wasquey get close. He then fired his crossbow into Wasquey's face at point blank range and threw four thrusts at his midsection with his short sword before vaulting over him and darting into the bushes on the other side of the clearing

This post still leaves it up to Wasquey's player whether the shots landed so it may not be godmodding but I still think it's a poor idea because it's a boring fight. It feels more like taking turns fighting rather than two people fighting each other. I guess that's the point I have been trying to make this whole time, is that I prefer the most collaboration for combat because it just reads so much better when both sides are blended together. I hope none of that was rambling. :o



Legendium -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 3:18:41)

I can't say much about my own, except to me it seems a bit blockish and unflowy, and I usually don't pay much attention to fights anyways, but I can say Sir Nicholas is probably the best RPer I've known when it comes to fights. His fights seem to flow, and that he often adds martial arts into them adds plenty of variety. So yeah, I can't say much about my own battles, but Sir Nick does pretty well.



Starstruck -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 11:02:23)

I find more and more frequently that the essentials of a combat post lie in attention to detail, whether explicitly stated or subtly introduced. Writing, especially descriptive writing in fiction, is focused on the narrative; in order to accomplish this, one cannot merely state "He swung his sword directly at his enemy's head" without some other clarification on his precise actions or their aftermath.

Having been through several extremely fast-paced battles before, I can immediately tell you that there is a vast difference between description and pace, as Arthur's examples appear to imply. While it is true that an excess of description can slow the battle down, a whirlwind of simple sentences and power hitter adjectives can seriously undermine the strength of your combat post.

For examples of excellent combat posts, please check out last year's Elemental Chamionships (final round preferred). Especially in the final duel between Winbin and the Dreadknight, the two respective RPers managed to write a fast-paced action sequence in more words than it took Arthur to write a "slow-paced" sequence of events. Those last combat posts are the best I have ever read, without exception.

To reiterate, details matter. Details will not clutter up and slow down your action sequence; extra events will. This is not necessarily a bad thing, either. In real combat situations, there are lulls and bouts of intensity both. Occasionally, you will have to speed up or slow down your combat post. Perhaps it will be to highlight a detail or event that you find important. Perhaps it is to distinguish between two different parts of a right. It's really completely dependent on the setting and on the characters.

These are my thoughts. I could be wrong, but I think it all makes sense.



TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 12:01:47)

I will read those combat scenes of the Elemental Championships, thanks Starstruck.



superjars -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 13:09:41)

In regards to the EC, you'll want to look at the posts in the finals first, as they represent the best examples of good combat RPing.

In terms of this thread, limit it to discussion only. Any attempt at teaching others how to do combat scenes in RP either with your own thoughts or with those of others will be deleted immediately. Those types of threads belong in the RPA, and not in RP GD. RPA will be getting a post on combat RPing, as that seems to be something people want, but this thread is not for teaching others.

In order to add to the thread, my own take on combat RPing is that it is the same as any other type of RPing, with a few small caveats: I always try to be as clear as possible in combat RPing, so that the other person knows exactly what I'm doing. I also always try to be as detailed about my characters internal feelings as he enters combat, and how that affects his external movements, as they are intimately connected. And finally, for me, combat is all about working together with your opponent to make an amazing display of ingenuity and brutality that furthers the story and personal characteristics of both characters.



Ryu Viranesh -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 13:25:43)

Combat RPing, to me, is very much a product of two people working in concert to provide a situation that flows incredibly well, something only really possible when you and your "opponent", or rather your partner work together. It combines both perspectives and creates a feast for ones eyes and imagination. I also believe that the emotions of the characters in question do matter a lot, since it frames their motivation and how they really feel about what they're doing, who they're fighting, and that's just as much a part of a fight as the actual combat. It makes them invested in what's going on, and makes the readers invested in them and immersed in the fight. As sups said, being very clear about what's happening only helps with this.

There was a piece of advice that I got from an RPer that I truly respect; advice that I still follow to this very day. An audience doesn't want to see a one-sided fight, that's boring to them. An audience wants to see a struggle, where both sides get hurt, both sides give it all that they've got, both sides are at least to some minor capacity emotionally involved in what's going on. There is no "winning" or "losing" in Role Playing combat, it's all about what happens over the course of the fight and how it affects the characters.

Two good examples of this type of fight actually come from the Elemental Championship Dropoffs from 2010 and 2011 respectively:

Ed vs. Ember (TheDragonKnight vs. Krey)

Goshen vs. Leira (superjars vs. Ryu Viranesh)


These fights each involved the Elemental Champion of their years and have a lot of depth and thought put into them, so I heartily recommend giving them a read.




TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 13:41:30)

Thanks for the replies guys. I was really just asking about PvM, or Player VS Monster, not PvP. But since I rarely ever do any PvP, I reckon now's a good time to start learning.

So thanks again, I'll be sure to read some posts from the EC when I have time.



superjars -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 13:46:14)

What your asking for then, is much more of a writing technique, and not an RPing technique, and likely belongs in the L&L and not here. All RP combat is likely to be PvP (player versus player) or PvH (player versus host). If you are writing an entire combat scene on your own, you aren't really RPing, you're writing a story.



TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 15:34:33)

quote:

What your asking for then, is much more of a writing technique, and not an RPing technique, and likely belongs in the L&L and not here. All RP combat is likely to be PvP (player versus player) or PvH (player versus host). If you are writing an entire combat scene on your own, you aren't really RPing, you're writing a story.


Makes sense I guess, so I might ask in L&L one day.

I was just referring to the group of players fighting another group of non-playable characters. Like a roleplay about paladins fighting hordes of undead. Reckon that's pretty much PvH though. But as I understand, most people like PvP much more, it's a lot more interesting to them.

Thing is, I don't PvP often because... well... because I'm a sore loser. I just don't like my characters to lose and I always feel as if I will be overpowered or underpowered. Perhaps I should practice sometime with someone, if they were willing to do so (like, through PM's or something). Probably not that big of a deal, but I just want to make sure I'm good at something before jumping into it. I know it'd be irritating to jump into a PvP-based roleplay and be unbeatable, or severely underpowered, etc.



TormentedDragon -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 16:22:13)

I can't stress enough what Ryu said: collaboration between players is the key to good combat RP, no matter whether it's two player characters fighting each other or players fighting together against a host-created threat.

When you have a rules-based game like Dungeons and Dragons or Shadowrun or etc., everyone is already acting within the same framework. Who acts when and can do what, and what the effect of an action will be, that's all already determined by the impartial judgement of the system, and then you have the gamemaster or etc. to arbitrate stuff not covered by it.

Here in the forums, we don't have anything so cut and dried. This is freeform; the rules we have just cover and enforce the basic decency you're supposed to afford your fellow players. Don't bunny the other guy, that's common decency. Don't godmode, that's common decency. Within those, there's so much wiggle room that you might as well be standing in the middle of the Great Plains.

So, when you have two characters fighting each other, the players need to talk to each other, to determine the feasibility of their actions, the effects of their actions, and the overall plan. The outcome of the fight will, in the ideal case, be something agreed upon by the two players.

In the case of two or more characters acting together against a common foe, like, for example, a group of paladins fighting against a bunch of undead, there's less necessity to communicate with each other, but it is still there, or else you'll get conflicting actions - like two people killing the single giant skeleton in two diametrically different ways.

There's also the outside narrative to consider - as Ryu said, people aren't as interested in a one-sided fight as you might think. Curbstomps can be interesting, they can be useful, but they quickly pall. So a battle in which two characters fight each other and beat each other to a pulp is a lot more interesting than Character A swatting B out of the way.

In the case of characters working together against a common foe, it's a LOT more interesting to see them actually working together - combining powers, tactics, strategy, thus defeating the enemies with combined strength, rather than simply each one doing his or her own thing and going stompity stomp anyways. Good teamwork is fun to see - and, believe me, fun to DO.

Ultimately, what decides good combat RPing isn't going to be what powers you have or even how you use them: it's how you write the character. Superjars and Ryu also mentioned the importance of what the character is thinking and feeling during the combat; this stuff is what gets people involved. When I went up against Mirai in the Finals of the EC last year, I was involved in Winbin's combat, to be sure, but I ALSO wound up heavily invested in his character. I wanted to see what was going to happen next with the two of them, and thus we got an epic, awesome fight.

So in summary - while your combat powers and how you use them are important and can be interesting, good collaboration with your partner or opponent and a focus on making a character interesting are trump. Get those down, and you're golden.



TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/13/2013 23:44:18)

Thanks for the additional info TD. I actually might try a PvP RP soon if one comes up. The EC would be cool to join, as it seems to be really fun and enjoyable, and I might try it. I'll just need to first find out how all of it works!

quote:

and a focus on making a character interesting are trump.


By this I assume you guys are referring to the character's feelings and thoughts? Like "doing this for my family/life/greed/wife/children" or whatever (of course, that example is fairly terrible)?

I know I ask a lot of questions, but I'm not exactly a 'seasoned RPer' and I'd like to improve my skills. Been RPing for about 3 years now and never once finished a RP I joined or hosted. To be honest, I've never got past the 'introductory' sessions other than the Assassin's Guild. :(



TormentedDragon -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/14/2013 15:50:17)

A character's feeling and thoughts are a large part of what makes him interesting, yes - if you don't share them at all, your character will wind up looking like an NPC more than anything else. Just sharing them, though, won't of itself make the character interesting.

The interesting character is a somewhat elusive beast, and requires a lot of work and doing things right to achieve. Everything about a character can affect how interesting someone will find it; abilities, skills, appearance, personality, history, mannerisms, worldview, choices, environment, friends, enemies, etc. all affect how interesting a character is, and how you write the character affects it most of all. You can have the most interesting man in the world, but if you screw it up on delivery, nobody will care. On the flipside, Joe Average can be turned into a guy that everyone wants to know if he's written properly.

I can't actually tell you how to make an interesting character; for one, I'm not a trained writer nor am I qualified as a teacher, and for two, that's outside the purview of these boards. All I have are my experiences and observations, and from those, I can say this: the more you practice, the better you'll get, and the more you read, the better you'll get.

If you want to learn how to make interesting characters, look to your favorite authors. Look at the characters who grabbed you, who got you invested in them, who got you sympathizing, cheering, laughing, crying, or hating. Examine them, look at what the author did, and try to apply it.

Also, know this: you will fail. You will come up with complete dross. You will create mediocrity. The majority of what you make will not be amazing, and that is perfectly fine, because if you keep doing it enough, you will create something you can be proud of, and if you're doing it right, you'll be having fun all the way.



TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/14/2013 18:58:29)

I'll keep that in mind TD, thanks.

EDIT: Also, I just want to say that my character's actions, outlooks, and decision-making skills are pretty much based on my own. When faced with a question, witnessing an action, or given a moral choice, my characters always going with what I myself would go with. With that said, I find it hard to play an 'evil' kind of person. I could not write about a character who kills innocents for fun, simply because I'm against that kind of thing in the real world.



Mirai -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/15/2013 19:06:10)

quote:

The EC would be cool to join, as it seems to be really fun and enjoyable, and I might try it. I'll just need to first find out how all of it works!


Just wanted to say in relation to that comment... go for it! Reading past ECs will give you a flavour of how they work (both the IC thread and the OOC- though bear in mind that there is also sometimes IRC chat or PMs going around in the background), but personally I felt like I only really started to to get to grips with the concept when I entered the EC for the first time. And every time I've entered, I've picked up tips & ideas from other people in it, so asking questions is only a good thing.



Starstruck -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/18/2013 10:17:26)

quote:

I felt like I only really started to to get to grips with the concept when I entered the EC for the first time.
While I am not as amazing a writer or an RPer as Mirai here, I also felt like I had a better understanding of how precisely EC works when I entered it the first second time (Tantatto doesn't count, my computer was dying at that point and the pressure was unbelievable). Tiure did very well, making it to the finals, and I learned many invaluable lessons about the virtues of careful reading and proper planning.



Madam Mutant -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/18/2013 10:35:15)

I do not like fighting scenes, fullstop period or whatever. besides that, heres a quote of my most recently written fight scene

quote:

Three silver blades with trailing wires of the same stuff circled round the neck of a vampiress who seemed amused by what she believed a lack of accuracy.

“Where are you aiming little girl?” She taunted with a cackle. Her eyes widened and she tried to scream as the wires were pulled taut, cutting through her skin, but no sound escaped her lips as her vocal cords were already severed.

“Don’t laugh at me vampiress, the hunter should be laughing at the prey not the other way ‘round.” Said the attacker as she pulled her blades back. Suddenly the blades arched like a snake before striking in a similar fashion, reducing the head to mush upon falling.

“Jessica!” screamed another vampire, this time a male and likely the deceased love, as he lunged at the girl. Swifter than he, her blades wrapped around his arms, legs and neck using his own speed to slice off his limbs and neck. Another blade sliced through his side, severing the aorta in its passage to the other end and causing further damage in its return trip.

“Come on big girl.” The attacker taunted the last vampire “Or is a dhampir now too much for your sorry bunch.” She pointed to the four corpses behind her. The last vampire attempted to escape, running for the door, but the dhampir was quick. Using her vampiric power of enhanced speed she drew a gun from beneath her dress and fired. The projectile, a silver bullet found it’s mark in the vampire’s skull just before a second found it’s mark in her heart.

“How boring.” The dhampir muttered as she left the abandoned building “Oh well, time for Angie to come back.” As she spoke, her face lost it’s more aggressive appearance, replaced by a friendly smile. The girl removed her hair from behind her ears so as to cover a birthmark.



vulkan -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/18/2013 14:17:12)

im told im good at fights, but i personally think i do them badly.



Starstruck -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/20/2013 23:22:55)

quote:

im told im good at fights, but i personally think i do them badly.
Well, there is always room for improvement here in the RP boards. Heaven (and by "heaven" I mean "jars") knows I'm still improving. Probably. Writing isn't exactly a precise science, and a lot of it depends on the strengths of the writer. I'm pretty good at mechanics and description, but my perspective is a little off at times, which to be fair is an accurate description of my (growing less and less frequent as I age, gain experience, and mature) moments of ditziness in real life. Can't shake an inability to notice things I don't include.

But my paralyzingly writing weakness is my power to ignore serious things in the name of having fun. Which is perfectly natural in my opinion, but in more competitive situations, it can be ridiculous and actually unintelligent. I need to focus on having SERIOUS FUN.

Oh. Oh god. I did it again. In attempting to be more serious, I made a joke. And calling attention to it is another joke. Oh no. HELP ME. THE FUNNIES, THEY SURROUND ME AT NIGHT



superjars -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/21/2013 1:01:45)

A couple things I'd add (and this applies to RPing in general and combat specifically) is first, the importance of focusing on your character and his actions when you write combat. One of the worst things you can do in any RPing situation is to get bogged down with what your opponent might do and how they might react, but neglect to delve into how your character would act in the combat. Many times, I've found myself having my character doing something extremely stupid, because that's what he'd do (like a certain vampire hunter who ran into a door with a grenade strapped to it, only to almost kill himself...

And second, the point of combat in an RP (and this is as much true of the EC as it is any other combat in RPs) is to give the readers a fun and interesting read. Whether you win or lose the combat is highly irrelevant, compared to how you engage the reader and pull on their emotions. When you're character takes that tremendous knock-out hit after a beautiful combat scene, you're reader will feel sad about your fate, but satisfied with the combat as a whole and how it adds to the story.

If you want to become better RPers, this should be your first rule: everything I write is for the betterment of the story, and not necessarily for the betterment of my character. Find how your character fits in the story and play your role to perfection. Your readers will love seeing what you do next, win or lose.



Arthur -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/21/2013 1:11:56)

Somehow, I find writing reckless, all-out battles to be better. I am not much for heavy, slow-paced battles the likes of which are fought by Knights. Swift, brutal battles are what I like best.

Here's an example, just because it got deleted.


quote:


The Werewolf standing near the edge of the forest roared its challenge across the vast, open field at the Revenant Sage standing there in his simple grey robes.

As the bestial roar carried out into the moonlit night, the Sage understood what was to be his plight if he didn't react fast.

The Lycan, weighing almost a ton came down on its fours and locked its sights on the Sage's solitary lean figure standing in the distance. Then, all at once, it dug its paws in the soft, muddy ground and with a shake of the ground, burst out in an all out charge heading for the Revenant Sage.

The Sage, who was well-versed in the Art of Chi Regulation closed his eyes and moved both his arms upto his chest simultaneously spacing his legs far apart as he lowered himself into a poised position, eyes still closed. He angled his body to towards his right side and clenched his right palm into a fist while with the left palm, he formed a sort of shield on his right fist. The Sage was channeling his Chi into his right fist.

Meanwhile, the Lycanthrope, charging at a breakneck speed had covered the better part of the distance and was still gaining speed with a mere few feet left.

The Sage's eyes flew open as the Werewolf who had finally closer the distance raised its right paw to cleave down the Sage but the maddened beast had not anticipated the calm Sage's reply.

The Revenant Sage moved his sheathing left palm and brought around his right fist ramming it into the still incoming Lycan's solar plexus. At that very instant, the Werewolf's body halted completely with the fist still at it's chest as the devastating force of the released Chi travelled its body's length and breadth. A multitude of cracking, crunching and grinding sounds signalled the strong bones in the Lycans body breaking and shattering under the decimating force of the Sage's punch. With a final moan, the beast disengaged from the fist flying back at a velocity greater than that of its initial charge. The battle had ended even before it could begin.



TJByrum -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/21/2013 19:46:34)

quote:

If you want to become better RPers, this should be your first rule: everything I write is for the betterment of the story, and not necessarily for the betterment of my character. Find how your character fits in the story and play your role to perfection. Your readers will love seeing what you do next, win or lose.


Good post Jars.

I like Captain America, but I don't want to see him out of character. That's to say I don't want to see him being invincible and all-out victorious against anybody and everybody. He should win, and he should lose fights, but it all fits into the story. A Cap who loses, but overcomes the struggles next time and wins is a better character, and overall a better story than straight winning.

And like you said, same thing with our characters. Win or lose, "betterment of the story" should be the focus. Some people, myself included, want our characters to always win, never lose, but that's makes it dull because our characters are no longer interesting to read about. When the reader knows we can lose, they'd be more interested because they won't know the outcome.



Legendium -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/22/2013 14:49:30)

quote:

If you want to become better RPers, this should be your first rule: everything I write is for the betterment of the story, and not necessarily for the betterment of my character. Find how your character fits in the story and play your role to perfection. Your readers will love seeing what you do next, win or lose.


This makes me want to make an RP qoutes thread.
And it's certainly rule one of the RPer's handbook:

Think not of what your country can do for you; rather, what you can do for your country.



Eukara Vox -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/22/2013 14:59:43)

Hmmm, I am really only familiar writing combat in prose, not RP. Well, not like here. Since I was "raised" on D&D type forum RPing, combat was a back and forth posting foray between people with the GM moderating to make sure we didn't do anything stupid like bunnying or godmodding (both of which I punished harshly when I ran RPs). But, I always made sure that I used the 5 senses, thought, personality and perception when I wrote. My IC post has a short fight scene in it, but again that wasn't collaborative combat like this forum excels in. It was merely my character dealing with a demon before her scheduled stay at The Tempest.

Combat isn't just about the fighting. It's also about how that scene is affecting the character, both on the surface and deeply. When I teach combat writing to my students in RL, I actually make them LARP. To feel, see, hear, smell, and perceive everything around them. To recall emotions, thoughts, misgivings, triumphs, pain, surprises, the unknown becoming known, etc. One of the BIGGEST issues I have seen in L&L and elsewhere in combat writing is the blatant disregard for reality of that realm and world, the creation of the character who can take on 50 people..., the fight scene that is either too quick, or too long, because you want it "epic". Sorry to tell you, but few combats are truly epic. Most of the time, they are emotional and psychological drains, not to mention the physical ramifications.



Legendium -> RE: How Do YOU Write a Combat Scene? (1/22/2013 15:07:56)

quote:

When I teach combat writing to my students in RL, I actually make them LARP. To feel, see, hear, smell, and perceive everything around them.


I'm getting a very big "Sensei" vibe from that.
You must be an incredible teacher.

No wonder my combat scenes seem to be bland and blockish. The only problem is, I don't have anyone to throw a sword at who'll fight back as if it were a sword fight. All my friends would probably just say "Da heck?" and walk away. Well, aside from one, who actually did LARPing in Denmark, but I never see him enough to actually meet.

Do you have any suggestions for immersing one's self into such a situation without the help of others?



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