Discussion Pvp/Wvw tips

[Haloshooter]

Hey guys.
I was wondering, how do you all run writer vs writer combat in your threads?
What rules do you follow, spoken or unspoken?

I've yet to be involved in any threaded Wvw combat, but it's been running through my mind as to how that would work.

What are the lines you don't cross? How do you keep the combat fair while not dumbing down or beefing up your character or avoiding those situations?
What can a single combatant do while allowing the other person a chance to respond?

 

[Smiling One]

Sometimes I discuss how the fight will go with the other writer to ensure things are fair.

 

[Ceit]

Number 1 thing I'd avoid is godmoding (see there for how we view it). Write down the action you intend to do rather than saying how it plays out, that way they can respond to what you're trying to do.

Saying "My sword hits the elf and hacks off their arm" would be an extreme example. Try to be more like "I swung at the elf with my sword". It's up to the other player then to decide if you hit them or not.

Now if the other writer and you have already decided that the arm is going to be hacked off, then that's fine! Which brings me to point 2, chat with the other writer. It's collaborative writing so see how they think it'll play out, tell them if you've any cool ideas etc.

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Really interesting discussion. I really lean to the discussing with the writer whose character you're interacting with. Characters can be crazily unbalanced to one another, like putting Sauron in a 1v1 with Pippin, which is a perfect case for the writers to sit down and say, "okay, how does Pippin get outta this, and Sauron not look like a tool?" xD

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

At the end of the day, it comes down to 3 things imo;

1. intent to act, but not direct action,
2. Reality of taking damage, and
3. Communication.

As long as all of your posts show that your character intends to do something, or is in the act of doing something, but is not imposing that directly over the opponent, everything's fine.

Moreover, you have to be willing to get hurt, if you're going for a more aggressive fight. So many fights end up being a constant back and forth of dodging and eventual frustration. This is fine, but realise your OC hasn't got 'Spidey-sense'.

And also, the most important thing of all imo, is just tell em' what you feel like doing.

That's my 2 pence.

 

[Velaeri]

I’ve never personally enjoyed writing combat and it effects my writing if I have to go in blind. The people I write with the most are pretty familiar with my writing style and prefs, so if we get to a combat scene between chars they know I’d rather script it out ahead of time.

I would rather talk with my writing partner and figure out how we want it to go down, injuries and consequences, and end result. Best advice I can give is to always be willing to take hits and always be willing to lose. When you are willing to do both (doesn’t necessarily mean you WILL always lose) then the writing becomes more enjoyable and your char gets some awesome scars, development, and story.