Once your Character's actions reach a point that they would directly affect or harm another Character, it becomes more important to play strictly Turn Based (also known as T1 Story). Only each Player can decide what happens to their own Character and you must wait to see how others react to know what effect the action had on their Character, if any. If you do not wait, and instead attempt to describe your Character harming or effecting others (this is called an "Auto", or "Autoing"), you will most certainly receive complaints from other Players. This does not however give the defending Player the grounds to refuse taking any hits at all. Taking hits is a standard which is just as important as that of not Autoing, so please make sure to keep it in mind at all times: If you do not wish your Character to be effected or harmed, do not let your Character get into combat situations.   Mechanics of Turn Based Attacking and Defending The following scenario is just one possible example to help show the very basics of Turn Based combat.   Attack Mistress_DeMona: lunges towards her opponent, who stands on the other side of the table. Knocking full cups of liquor aside without care, she slashes toward Demons right arm with her blade. Defense The_Demon_Spawn: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, the tip of De'Monas blade just barely slicing into the thick leather of the sleeve of his overshirt but not the leathery skin beneath. He falls to the wooden floor without his usual grace, and thinking quickly grabs the already messed up table and pulls it on it’s side to hide behind from the next attack. Defense With Counter The_Demon_Spawn: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, the tip of De'Monas blade just barely slicing into the thick leather of the sleeve of his overshirt, but not the leathery skin beneath. With his usual agility he rolls once he hits the floor, thankful that he was not wearing his armor this day. He quickly gets to his feet, immediately reaching to pull his throwing daggers from their sheaths and tossing one wildly in De'Monas general direction   Attack Mistress_DeMona: lunges towards her opponent, who stands on the other side of the table. Knocking full cups of liquor aside without care she slashes towards Demons Spawns right arm with her blade. Hit The_Demon_Spawn: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, but not in time. The tip of De'Monas rapier blade slices deeply through the sleeve of his leather overshirt, and he falls to the wooden floor without his usual grace, as blood begins to flow from the gash. In desperation he grabs the table and pulls it on it’s side to hide behind. Hit With Counter The_Demon_Spawn: is caught slightly unprepared for this and with no other choice, he dives quickly towards his left, but not in time. The tip of De'Monas rapier blade slices deeply through the sleeve of his leather overshirt, and blood begins to flow from the gash. As he falls to the floor he manages to roll somewhat, and with his one good arm pulls a throwing dagger from it’s sheath. Seriously compromised by the wound, but desperate, he tosses it wildly in De'Monas general direction.   And now, depending on what kind of counter Demon_Spawns Player has chosen, De'Monas Player will take a turn again. If Demon_Spawn is now behind the table, then De'Monas Player has the choice to either press the attack further or something else entirely. If Demon_Spawn has managed to throw a dagger at De'Mona then De'Monas' Player takes a turn as the defender and can take the hit or not, and include a counter or not. The scene would continue like this until the Players end the combat in some way or another - one or both Characters could die, or give up, or there might be OOC reasons (disconnection, offline concerns, technical problems etc.).     Taking Hits As a reminder – each Player is responsible for their own Character only and cannot decide which attacks actually hit their opponent – that would be an "Auto". If the other players attack or defense is too far-fetched, and on the borderlines of impossible, call in a moderator to judge. A moderator is merely a fight onlooker, perhaps not friends of either combatant, who will judge the moves. A moderator must be agreed upon by both members of the fight, and, therfore, the final say on a move will go to him/her. Taking hits when it is fair to do so is not only good gaming, but can sometimes even help your Character in combat. For example, you could take some small damage to get your Character in a position where he could do even more damage to the opposing Character. Remember though, the fact that the Character takes a hit is by no means a low measure of the Players OOC ability. Indeed, a skilled Player always knows when and how to take a hit.     Keeping Time Keep in mind that while one Character might take 4 seconds to draw a 3-foot bastard sword, another could take 2 seconds to draw and thrust a dagger at his ribs. Also, make sure that if your Character is one that needs to take IC time to prepare for any attack, that you allow for the proper amount of turns to go by while this would happen. For example, Shang Tsung entering the previous scene: DarkMage_Tsung: watches the commotion on the other side of the bar with apprehension. From his point of view, it seems as though the big, green creature is unfairly taking on a member of the fairer sex. With a worried frown he begins to mumble a low chant as he stands and slowly edges his way over towards the two. Mistress_DeMona: barely has time to twist out of the way of Demons dagger flying through the air at her. As the blade soars by only inches away from her she tries to keep her balance, but bumps her right hip quite forcefully against the side of the next closest table. The_Demon_Spawn: curses, but isn’t surprised that he missed with no chance to aim. Still disregarding the bloody gash caused by De'Monas blade he pushes backwards, not really wanting to be the aggressor this day. "Did you really thinksss you could hurt me, girliee......?". Mistress_DeMona: keeps her back turned to the Demon as he speaks, as though trying to prove she doesn’t fear him. She speaks to him clearly with a snide tone "Wait and see...". DarkMage_Tsung: continues to observe with a little jealousy over The_Demon_Spawns ability to ignore pain like that. As he reaches a spot several arms' lengths behind De'Monas, he finishes the chant – the result of which is a low red aura beginning to appear around his two outstreched hands.   Obviously, Shang Tsung is about to perform some sort of magic. What he is about to do is not so important for the example - but note that it took the Character more IC time to chant to prepare the spell, than it did for De'Monas and The_Demon_Spawn to make their quick movements and speak to each other. So, Tsungs' Player obviously let that IC time and therefore OOC turns go by before describing his Character ending the chant. The same would apply for any Character that needs to chant, build up power, find or grab a weapon, aim that weapon, etc. The Player should make sure the appropriate IC time is kept in mind when describing what their Character has done (and of course remember always to only use what abilities and items your Character was given or earned).     Amount of Description does not equal Success of Attack As previously described, it is not important how much or little description you use when interacting or even when combating. What is necessary is that the other Players have a clear understanding of what your Character just did or said. For example in the last scenario Tsung last line could have read instead: DarkMage_Tsung: watches the Demon, jealous that he can ignore pain like that. He finally gets near the two fighters and ends his chanting. A red glow forms around both his clenched fists.   The result is the same, and just as valid as the first example, and in some cases describing things quicker is appreciated by some Players. The amount of description never, at any time, decides the level of power of the Character, or how successful the Attack was. What can and should be factors are: 1. Does your Character already have that skill or item you are using to attack or defend (no changing character stats to suit your combat needs!) 2. the individual situation and Characters involved (each one is different – treat it as such – no Character is always the "best", or the "most" anything) 3. the ----IC----- time (make sure your Character takes the proper amount of IC time to do whatever it is you want them to)     Conclusion This was only one very basic example of a simple form of combat, to help new Players understand the concept. Combat is not always this simple as it might involve more than two Characters, or use more complicated abilities and weapons. However, in the end, if all Players keep to the simple standards described here most situations can be handled in fairness. [Continue on to Part II]