Post by majorra on Oct 4, 2012 16:04:18 GMT -5
This seems to have become kindof a hotbutton issue with recent events, but we can all agree that atleast once or twice in our roleplay histories we've had to come up against a big, all powerful ... thing.
But there is a way to deal with it other than smashing your head into its endless abs! And I decided to post a forum thread to discuss how.
Lets face it, not all RP can be bar banter (thank god). Sooner or later, something other than an endlessly beautiful ladyclone or willowy bard will stomp through the doors, and ruin everyone's smalltalk. But what to do about this?
Its big, its smelly, and its about to shake you until it can get to your delicious candy center. What to do about this?
Find weakpoints!
Every creature has them, as we all learned with Smog in The Hobbit (Augh, nerdy references), you just have to look for them! Try the eyes, face, or if the thing comes roaring at you - stick your sword into its mouth! Not too much armor there. Hands tend to be a weakpoint too, especially palms. And if you're willing to risk a room-wide cringe, try and neuter the thing. Unless its a giant lizard, not many organic things have a lot of protection for all that, other than maybe some cloth and fur. Let's face it, we wouldn't want it having babies anyways.
Lets take a look at my own character, in her boar form. Wild hogs are vicious, as any documentary will tell you, but Ive had the pleasure of seeing these suckers in the wild. They're a problem in Texas, because they breed like its a constant party, are supremely aggressive, and give no fucks about you human. A boar is a ramming husk of thick muscle, fat, fur and tusks. So what do you do about it?
Go for her legs! They're small and probably not all that sturdy. Her beady eyes seem like another good target, though if you really want to do some damage, get behind her in close quarters. There's no tusks back there, and for atleast a post there will be fuckall she could do about you slicing her hindquarters into bacon.
Which brings us to our next point: Teamwork!
Remember the wonderfully choreographed cave troll scene in LotR? (haha, crippling nerdy now). It was huge, it was ugly, and that thing seemed to have NO obvious weakpoints. It took a swarm of friends with weapons to take it down, and after a good well placed cuts, arrows, and one Elijah Wood's acting career, it was killed.
If you see a lone someone fighting a big threat, don't just let them go toe to toe with it alone. Even if you're just the barmaid -- fling a glass bottle at its head! Even the biggest creature cant protect ALL of itself every post, and clinking away at it even if you don't think there's any point will expose weakpoints. If it staggers when you slash at its knee, or has a weak stomach, SWARM that weakpoint until the beast is done.
However, sometimes, there just wont be a weakpoint. Which brings us to...
There always should be a weakpoint.
This isn't so much for YOU, but for the guy playing the baddie. Yeah, hi! Its fun trying to beat you, and even though you may play Conan the Barbarian's pet dragon, there still has to be /something/. That's the joy in playing in a guild with character sheets, balancing weaknesses and strengths. Usually, people want to have as much fun as the next guy, and not be frustrating, and there IS a way to bring them down.
Usually.
If the guy you all are fighting just is being frustratingly epic, maybe then its time to bring it up. But this can be sticky, since most people are very defensive. But politely calling them out can sometimes be all that's needed, maybe they didn't realize they were being difficult! Or maybe YOU didn't see the obvious weakpoint! Eitherway that you go about it...
always Always ALWAYS be respectful. I'm serious.
Even if the other guy isn't. Infact, especially if the other guy isn't. This goes for irl too, if one person is being a wailing dumbass, it wont help the situation at all for you to be one too. Be polite, non aggressive (they aren't attacking you irl! Its a game!) oocly.
And if all of this doesn't work, its time for the ace in the hole - contact the mods.
Mods cant be all seeing and all knowing! Sometimes they need a heads up when shenanigans are going on. If you and your battle buddies have tried your best but for some reason cant lay a single hit, brought this point up to the person and they still persist that they are the unbeatable demon from hell, then its time to contact someone about it. They're being unfair, frustrating, and left unchecked will /continue/ to be so. But be sure that you bring up a legitimate problem, not just that you're mad that your character got a beatdown. Because that brings up the last point....
Know when you're beat.
No one likes to get their ass handed to them, other than maybe that one creepy guy in the corner of the tavern. But sometimes its just flat out not realistic.
Lets say you wander into the forest to pick some flowers, and come across a pulsating zombie dragon that slithers out and insults your mother. Its big, its aggressive, and it smells like death. What do you do? Take it on with your flower basket?
No! You look for a way out, chuck your basket at its head, then turn around and run. Confronting that thing, unless you take a dufflebag filled with weapons when you go flower picking, will probably only end up in a dire need for a priest. Look at the bright side, running away gives you the perk of being able to burst into the tavern, ranting and waving your arms around!
Gather a party! Dig a giant hole and trap that thing in it, then pour boiling acid on it! It's better to confront a big monster or opponent with friends by your side.
But if the odds are against you fairly and squarely, sometimes you will just lose. Its alright. No one is going to scoff because you couldn't defeat a giant snow beast. It'll make your character tougher and have scars that have an actual rp'd story behind them. Learn from your mistakes, pick a better weapon next time, and try again later.
I suppose the point to this long winded post is that RP is just a game. It really is. Fighting is a big part of the fun, and that even if the odds are against you, try your best and don't take anything personally. Anything is possible.
If anyone else has anything to add, from tips to arguments against my points, or just cool stories where you or you and some friends took down a big RP battle, post it! The more the merrier.
But there is a way to deal with it other than smashing your head into its endless abs! And I decided to post a forum thread to discuss how.
Lets face it, not all RP can be bar banter (thank god). Sooner or later, something other than an endlessly beautiful ladyclone or willowy bard will stomp through the doors, and ruin everyone's smalltalk. But what to do about this?
Its big, its smelly, and its about to shake you until it can get to your delicious candy center. What to do about this?
Find weakpoints!
Every creature has them, as we all learned with Smog in The Hobbit (Augh, nerdy references), you just have to look for them! Try the eyes, face, or if the thing comes roaring at you - stick your sword into its mouth! Not too much armor there. Hands tend to be a weakpoint too, especially palms. And if you're willing to risk a room-wide cringe, try and neuter the thing. Unless its a giant lizard, not many organic things have a lot of protection for all that, other than maybe some cloth and fur. Let's face it, we wouldn't want it having babies anyways.
Lets take a look at my own character, in her boar form. Wild hogs are vicious, as any documentary will tell you, but Ive had the pleasure of seeing these suckers in the wild. They're a problem in Texas, because they breed like its a constant party, are supremely aggressive, and give no fucks about you human. A boar is a ramming husk of thick muscle, fat, fur and tusks. So what do you do about it?
Go for her legs! They're small and probably not all that sturdy. Her beady eyes seem like another good target, though if you really want to do some damage, get behind her in close quarters. There's no tusks back there, and for atleast a post there will be fuckall she could do about you slicing her hindquarters into bacon.
Which brings us to our next point: Teamwork!
Remember the wonderfully choreographed cave troll scene in LotR? (haha, crippling nerdy now). It was huge, it was ugly, and that thing seemed to have NO obvious weakpoints. It took a swarm of friends with weapons to take it down, and after a good well placed cuts, arrows, and one Elijah Wood's acting career, it was killed.
If you see a lone someone fighting a big threat, don't just let them go toe to toe with it alone. Even if you're just the barmaid -- fling a glass bottle at its head! Even the biggest creature cant protect ALL of itself every post, and clinking away at it even if you don't think there's any point will expose weakpoints. If it staggers when you slash at its knee, or has a weak stomach, SWARM that weakpoint until the beast is done.
However, sometimes, there just wont be a weakpoint. Which brings us to...
There always should be a weakpoint.
This isn't so much for YOU, but for the guy playing the baddie. Yeah, hi! Its fun trying to beat you, and even though you may play Conan the Barbarian's pet dragon, there still has to be /something/. That's the joy in playing in a guild with character sheets, balancing weaknesses and strengths. Usually, people want to have as much fun as the next guy, and not be frustrating, and there IS a way to bring them down.
Usually.
If the guy you all are fighting just is being frustratingly epic, maybe then its time to bring it up. But this can be sticky, since most people are very defensive. But politely calling them out can sometimes be all that's needed, maybe they didn't realize they were being difficult! Or maybe YOU didn't see the obvious weakpoint! Eitherway that you go about it...
always Always ALWAYS be respectful. I'm serious.
Even if the other guy isn't. Infact, especially if the other guy isn't. This goes for irl too, if one person is being a wailing dumbass, it wont help the situation at all for you to be one too. Be polite, non aggressive (they aren't attacking you irl! Its a game!) oocly.
And if all of this doesn't work, its time for the ace in the hole - contact the mods.
Mods cant be all seeing and all knowing! Sometimes they need a heads up when shenanigans are going on. If you and your battle buddies have tried your best but for some reason cant lay a single hit, brought this point up to the person and they still persist that they are the unbeatable demon from hell, then its time to contact someone about it. They're being unfair, frustrating, and left unchecked will /continue/ to be so. But be sure that you bring up a legitimate problem, not just that you're mad that your character got a beatdown. Because that brings up the last point....
Know when you're beat.
No one likes to get their ass handed to them, other than maybe that one creepy guy in the corner of the tavern. But sometimes its just flat out not realistic.
Lets say you wander into the forest to pick some flowers, and come across a pulsating zombie dragon that slithers out and insults your mother. Its big, its aggressive, and it smells like death. What do you do? Take it on with your flower basket?
No! You look for a way out, chuck your basket at its head, then turn around and run. Confronting that thing, unless you take a dufflebag filled with weapons when you go flower picking, will probably only end up in a dire need for a priest. Look at the bright side, running away gives you the perk of being able to burst into the tavern, ranting and waving your arms around!
Gather a party! Dig a giant hole and trap that thing in it, then pour boiling acid on it! It's better to confront a big monster or opponent with friends by your side.
But if the odds are against you fairly and squarely, sometimes you will just lose. Its alright. No one is going to scoff because you couldn't defeat a giant snow beast. It'll make your character tougher and have scars that have an actual rp'd story behind them. Learn from your mistakes, pick a better weapon next time, and try again later.
I suppose the point to this long winded post is that RP is just a game. It really is. Fighting is a big part of the fun, and that even if the odds are against you, try your best and don't take anything personally. Anything is possible.
If anyone else has anything to add, from tips to arguments against my points, or just cool stories where you or you and some friends took down a big RP battle, post it! The more the merrier.