A Guide to Combat Roleplay.

[[IGL] Shanaro]

I figured I'd post this only because I see a lot of confusion on any form of Combat RP, be it with another citizen, or against a Civil Protection Unit, understand that I'm going to be adding parts to it, including melee weapons, chosing your battles, and the diffrence in combat level based on Ranks in the Combine, or even Ranks in other factions.

Part 1: Powergaming and Responding to someone's actions

               Powergaming is a very basic rule but also seems to be commonly misconstrued and twisted to work in other peoples favor, here is an example of powergaming.

Person 1 slams his fist into the other mans face, knocking him out instantly.

As you can no doubt see, there are several things wrong with this man's /me.   First off, he not only 'auto-hit' the man he was attacking, he also dictated how the man would respond to the situation, now, here is a proper /me with the same move, only, no powergaming.

Person 1 clenches his fist and throws it forward, it being aimed at the mans face, if it were to connect, there is a chance it would knock the man out.

Much better right? Now remember, when doing anything, you don't have to put 'attempts' in front of the move, for this reason, many people would beleive that the /me above is actually a powergame, but it isn't, the line 'throws it forward' signifies that the move is in motion, and has yet to actually connect to the person it is aimed at, giving the other man, time to respond with his own /me.

Before we look at the next part of combat Roleplay, let's take a look at the definition of powergaming, as shown to us by the server.

Powergaming - Do not powergame, this means you cannot force an action that other characters must abide by. Whether it's attacking a character, picking up an item, or tying a character up you must always attempt to do so.

Now, a common misconception is that someone who responds to anothers initial attack, and either blocks it or avoids the blow, is powergaming, because they did not attempt to do so, this is not true, understand that the man responding to anothers actions is doing just that, responding, and so long as the movement doesn't include a counter attack (In which case he would have to attempt, because at this point the man is actually aiming to interact with the other player) A man doesn't need to attempt to avoid a punch, or block it, understand, however, blocking or avoiding bullets currently in the air aimed at you is impossible, so do not attempt to avoid these.

ALSO, remember that when avoiding or blocking, your movements have to be within reason, the most common for a typical man without combat authorizations to avoid a punch or a kick would be to jump out of the way, this should be exaggerated, and not well executed, If your attacker, however, is charging at you and tries to tackle you, he is coming from a distance, YOUR character has more time to analyze the best possible way to get out of the way of the incoming attack,

HOWEVER, if your attackers character is within a very close proximity, you have less time to react, therefore, the closer your attacker, the less chance of being able to avoid his blow.

When blocking, be sure that your block represents the attack, it's extremely difficult to block a strait kick with only one arm, for the sheer force would end up sending you back a few feet, if you were to block with both arms, one being out for blocking, the other to solidify the block, you'd have much more chance of keeping the block, BUT MIND YOU: Blocking powerful attacks will hurt you, your arms, or whatever you blocked with, depending on the force, will either tingle, or sting from the initial blow, if being attacked by heavy or blunt weapons, if you were to block, you'd most likely have a fractured or even broken appendage based on what you blocked with, your best bet when fighting someone with a melee weapon is to avoid, and attempt to run away, looking for help if you yourself, seem to be unarmed, here are a few examples of correct responses, as well as incorrect responses.

Please keep this color code in mind.
Green = Correct way to attack or respond.
Red = Incorrect way to attack or respond.


Person1 throws his fist at the man in front of him, attempting to connect it with his jaw.

Person2 launches off into the air, doing a backflip before landing a safe distance away from his attacker.

(Understand, not even Erika Skye or ANY of MY characters have ever done flips, this is unrealistic, and wastes way more energy than needed to avoid attacks, also, a typical person is usually not the most acrobatic fella.)

Person1 throws his fist at the man in front of him, attempting to connect it with his jaw.

Person2 see's the punch coming, quickly jumping out of the way of the incoming attack.

(This is the right way to avoid an attack, the man saw what the other way trying to do, and instead of backflipping or something along those lines, he jumped out of the way, he didn't need to attempt because he was responding to his attacker, his actions did not and were not forced on his attacker in anyway, therefore, he didn't need to attempt to avoid such an attack)

Now, here is an incorrect way to block, and a correct way to block

Person1 attempts to slam his foot into the mans chest, his leg snapping out in a kick.

Person2 Brings up his forearm, blocking it with ease.

(Wrong, the sheer force of such an attack would break through your block, and both your chest and arm would be in pain, AND you'd be knocked back.)

Person1 attempts to slam his foot into the mans chest, his leg snapping out in a kick.

Person2 brings both of his arms up in front of his chest, taking a step back as the kick initially connects, the power forcing him backwards a few feet, he skids a bit before shaking his arms in pain.

(By doing it this way, you properly calculated in force of the attack to your arms, as well as the added amount of momentum suddenly transferred to your person, which would send you back.)


In the next parts, I'll cover the diffrences between long ranged combat and close quarters combat, as well as the effects of dealing with an individual armed with a melee weapon, AND counter attacks.



Part 2: Counters, Grabs, Throws, and the diffrence between a average person, one auth'd in combat, and Civil Protection Units

It's come to my attention that some have trouble discerning the difference between an average person, and one auth'd in combat. As well as how far a Civil Protection Units training will get them. Now understand, to be good in combat requires you to apply in the applications section of the forums., this specific perk gives your character an advantage in a fight, your possibilities for attacks as well as defensive fighting, counter attacks, grabs, ect increases dramatically based on what you have applied for, this is saying IF you've even been accepted. In this next example, I'm going to show you an initial attack, and in the two examples, I'll show you the citizens          (red) Initial attack, compared the the Auth'd individuals(Green)typical attack.

Wastelander clenches his fist tightly, bringing it back before shooting it forward, attempting to slam his fist into the mans stomach.

(Now, this is a basic attack, anybody could do it, a 10 year old could do it, now let's see an individual who has combatRP auth's.)

Wastelander clentches his fist, and brings it back, rotating his body with his punch, which is shooting towards the mans face at an alarming rate, at the same time, his other fist is aimed at the mans stomach, a simultaneous blow.

(Notice how the Auth'd individuals Roleplay is a bit more detailed, as well as experienced, this is because a Super Administrator is more likely to auth you if your roleplay is detailed and realistic.)

Next is a DvL, or any augmentated unit, these are highly trained individuals whom have had enhancements to their body, meaning, they are much stronger, faster, and durable than the average person, or even one having combat authorizations, this said, they are not invincable, and for those who roleplay right, most of these characters tend to underestimate citizens, meaning the citizen has an advantage if he can catch the DvL by surprise, which in all reality should be often unless the DvL is extremely paranoid and thinks that he is really bad despite his augmentations and all citizens could beat him up. Following is two examples, the first being a DvL no roleplaying his strengths correctly, and in fact going over the top with them, understand that augmentations only go so far, and in fact, only cover certain portions of your body. As usual, the poor roleplay will be marked in red.

Citizen 1 runs forward, lunging in such a way that his right knee moves off the ground in an attempt to connect with the mans stomach, if the hit were to connect, and if the DvL were to bent over, he would try a side hit into the mans temple using his other fist.

(This man has obviously gotten authorizations to be skilled in CQC (Close Quarters Combat), and as such, his combat is very skilled, now let's watch the DvL respond in an incorrect fashion)

DvL is hit in the stomach, not lurching forward, catching the mans fist as it attempts to slam into the his head, tighting his grip on the mans fist with his robotic hand.

(Yea, no, this is not only a little Overpowered, but I've actually seen someone do this on the server before, now here's a proper response.)

DvL is hit in his stomach, lurching forward, however he catches the motion of the punch out of the corner of his eyes, and brings his arm up for a block, before attempting to lunge forward in an attempt to pin the man to the ground.

(Now THIS is good, not only did he take the first hit, he responding correctly with the second, and did a move in which it'd be impossible for the citizen even if he's auth'd in combat, to actually avoid or block.)


Next is Grabs, counters, and throws. ALL of these REQUIRE Auth's to perform, they are only for experienced fighters, and one must understand physics very well to properly and realistically pull them off. These are difficult to Roleplay, as many individuals on the receiving end of a counter attack cry, and call powergaming, or they somehow manage to shift their momentum in a completely different, and rather impossible manner to avoid the grab, counter, or throw.

Now, a counter, grab, or throw, when performed, can usually only be performed when your target has attacked first, from here, you are able to dodge the attack, and ATTEMPT to grab his wrist or shoulder, and from there, momentum will aid you in delivering a powerful throw, or perhaps a counter attack.

UNDERSTAND, when being the victim of a counter or a throw, /me your response realistically, while it is possible to escape the grasp of a wrist grab, an arm or shoulder is impossible to escape, calculate in the fact that your character most likely did NOT see this coming, and as such, should suffer the pain or the blow your about to receive.

The following is an example of a proper grab, which is the entrance to a counter or a throw, or maybe even a joint lock (More on those in the next part). Please remember, Red means the person had responded incorrectly, while green means he did.

Person1 closes his hand into a fist, bringing it back before shooting it forward, trying to connect it to the mans face.

Person2 see's the punch coming, managing to step to the side, his left hand shoots forward in an attempt to grab hold of the mans forearm, if sucsessful, the man would try to push the in-motion arm to the side while delivering a punch of his own to the mans face.
(This man was able to first dodge the blow, now he is ATTEMPTING to grab hold of the mans forearm to deliver a blow to the face, understand, the way he had pushed your arm to the side makes it near impossible to sucsesfully block or avoid the punch coming to your head.)

Person1 stops his punch before the man could grab his arm
(WRONG, Your in motion, and based on the /me, bringing your fist back before shooting it forward with such force would be very hard to stop, please calculate in momentum, your in motion, and you shifting that motion will prove rather difficult.)

Now, let's see that again, with person1 responding correctly to the situation.

Person1 closes his hand into a fist, bringing it back before shooting it forward, trying to connect it to the mans face.

Person2 see's the punch coming, managing to step to the side, his left hand shoots forward in an attempt to grab hold of the mans forearm, if sucsessful, the man would try to push the in-motion arm to the side while delivering a punch of his own to the mans face.

Person1's eyes widen as his punch is diverted, he sees the punch headed towards his face, but is unable to do anything, his head whips back from the force of the connected punch, a small groan of pain escaping the mans lips.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

[BltElite]

I endorse this.

Stickied, a very useful guide.

[Heavy]

Such irony that this is made by Shanaro, although it is quite a nice guide.

[[IGL] Shanaro]

Part 2 has been added, this covers basic grabs and counters, as well as the diffrence between Normal Citizens, Citizens auth'd in combat (By application only of course) and DvLs as well as any other augmented CCA units.

[|T??G| Saimon-avatar]

Thank you, this really helped me whit better Rp'ing skills

[Deceptor]

Very nice I loved it. 

[GeneralTrivium]

(This man has obviously gotten authorizations to be skilled in CQC (Close Quarters Combat), and as such, his combat is very skilled, now let's watch the DvL respond in an incorrect fashion)

DvL is hit in the stomach, not lurching forward, catching the mans fist as it attempts to slam into the his head, tighting his grip on the mans fist with his robotic hand.

(Yea, no, this is not only a little Overpowered, but I've actually seen someone do this on the server before, now here's a proper response.)

DvL is hit in his stomach, lurching forward, however he catches the motion of the punch out of the corner of his eyes, and brings his arm up for a block, before attempting to lunge forward in an attempt to pin the man to the ground.

(Now THIS is good, not only did he take the first hit, he responding correctly with the second, and did a move in which it'd be impossible for the citizen even if he's auth'd in combat, to actually avoid or block.)

If it's good then why is it in red? c:

Also you have to remember, even if you're skilled in CQC, you're still a citizen. You're not fed properly and are weak. The DvL (Heck an EpU) would have sharp reactions, coupled with their augmented speed, would probably grab your leg, push you back and then fling you into a lamp post. No, this is not overexaggerating a single citizen facing off against a DvL is suicide, surprise or not. Even the advantage of two citizens wouldn't cut it, it would just take them a little longer to subdue you both.

However I believe the actual power of augments through the ranks currently is nebulous, I believe SatN or Raiden or someone needs to make an actual thread outlining the details of how strong the augments are for each rank, and where they are located. Because right now, the mentality is that as soon as you hit OfC you cannot be defeated in CQC against a citizen, and literally just overkill your opponent.

[[HZ]-R Might of Sithis]

Great guide!

[Chirps Pieman]

Extremely well written guide. I had always wanted to get into a fist-fight, but now it seems extremely complicated. I think i'll be staying away from agressive RP and stick to passive for a while now.

[Cmdo. C. Delcora [No. 7]]

Thanks, this helped me a lot and thumbs up to your guide, it's really helpful.

[{-=ECRP=-} ShvartZ]

Very helpful guide, it could really help the people who are still learning the ropes of serious role play.

[Solid Snake]

Wow this really helped me out, I got on here about a week or two ago and I'm loving it, this definitively helped clear up some of my confusion.

[[IGL] Shanaro]

(This man has obviously gotten authorizations to be skilled in CQC (Close Quarters Combat), and as such, his combat is very skilled, now let's watch the DvL respond in an incorrect fashion)

DvL is hit in the stomach, not lurching forward, catching the mans fist as it attempts to slam into the his head, tighting his grip on the mans fist with his robotic hand.

(Yea, no, this is not only a little Overpowered, but I've actually seen someone do this on the server before, now here's a proper response.)

DvL is hit in his stomach, lurching forward, however he catches the motion of the punch out of the corner of his eyes, and brings his arm up for a block, before attempting to lunge forward in an attempt to pin the man to the ground.

(Now THIS is good, not only did he take the first hit, he responding correctly with the second, and did a move in which it'd be impossible for the citizen even if he's auth'd in combat, to actually avoid or block.)

If it's good then why is it in red? c:

Also you have to remember, even if you're skilled in CQC, you're still a citizen. You're not fed properly and are weak. The DvL (Heck an EpU) would have sharp reactions, coupled with their augmented speed, would probably grab your leg, push you back and then fling you into a lamp post. No, this is not overexaggerating a single citizen facing off against a DvL is suicide, surprise or not. Even the advantage of two citizens wouldn't cut it, it would just take them a little longer to subdue you both.

However I believe the actual power of augments through the ranks currently is nebulous, I believe SatN or Raiden or someone needs to make an actual thread outlining the details of how strong the augments are for each rank, and where they are located. Because right now, the mentality is that as soon as you hit OfC you cannot be defeated in CQC against a citizen, and literally just overkill your opponent.

If Augments are really that powerful, then that is complete and total bullshit, I'm sorry, increased reaction time or not, they shouldn't be able to just toss you into a fucking lamp post. Seriously, how is that fair at all, I don't care if its not supposed to be fair, citizens should at least have a chance to I dunno, stun a lone Civil Protection Unit. I mean, there is a reason why all CP Units travel in at minimum, pairs, its so that they don't get caught alone with a hostile, if they have this rule in place I'd say the augments are nearly as super powerful as you claim. Yes however, your right, they need to create a thread about what ranks have what augments generally.

[Toxilium]

Good guide, +1 support.

My main tiff is when people constantly insist on putting "attempts" in everything. If you're a good writer or able to read, you should notice that there are other ways to say this.

[The Doctor, RIP Juggernaut]

Good guide, +1 support.

My main tiff is when people constantly insist on putting "attempts" in everything. If you're a good writer or able to read, you should notice that there are other ways to say this.

Cause normally if we don't put "Attempts" people go 'OMGPOUWERGUMERZZ!!!!23!!!".
Its just easier to avoid drama like that by putting that down then wording it too complex for some minds to handle.