Alright, there's nothing here but some damn good shit. I'm tired of people claiming to FF and so I'm like, "Okay, good. Someone to spar." Only to discover they suck ass and think they know what they are talking about!! I want to scream until I cry sometimes, you people are so sad at it. So look, it's like this. I am putting up rules on the shit. I know Mary already has something up on it, but there needs to be more out there dammit. So here it is. On my page. If any of you feel that I have no place to talk, STFU I fuckin helped create FF on AIM and was in on it since the beginning. Anyone who says otherwise is so full of shit. Anyawy, I don't need to prove it. The truth will speak for itself. Without further ramblings, here it is. FF at it's finest.
What is Free Form Lance?
First up, I'll explain what FF is about. Free form was created so that those of us who actually ::gasps:: roleplayed could have a method of fighting that didn't depend on who could type the fastest, but instead on realism, and ability. It's like this. Roleplaying should be a world. You should see everything your character is doing, everything about your character, everything about another character, you should be able to visualize it all. If you can't, well, someone is doing a bad job RPing. FFing is based off of this knowledge. When you FF, your posts should be good and detailed. I mean..DETAILED. If not only you, but your opponent can't see your action, you're not doing it good enough. Avoid the mundane and go for originality here.
How does it work?
Simple really. Two people are squaring off, looking to scrap. Let's call them Derex Xantelis and Desta Xantelis. ::nods:: Now, OOC, the two people should determine who is attacking first. Desta and Derex talk it over. Desta lets Derex go first. Uh oh...what's going to happen? Let's read on and see...
Derex: ::Facing off with the bitch he once thought he loved, he smirked lightly. His mirrored sunglasses hiding his eyes from sight, little of his hatred for her could be seen, but it was there. Getting down to it, he charged in. Stopping only a foot or so from her, he jumped up into the air, spinning as he did so. His leg lashed out in mid-air as he snapped of a spinkick aimed straight for her head.:: I missed you, love ::The last word dripping with such sarcasm it wasn't even funny.::
Lance: Now, let's look at his post. Needless to say, he put in a bit of dilly dally there at the beginning, but hey, he really hates the girl so he was RPing his character quite nicely if you ask me. Could you picture his move? His actions? If you have an imagination, you should. That's what it's about. However, take note at the attack. It did not connect! That's right. This isn't ::hit:: ladies and gents. You don't get to control whether or not your opponent is hit. That's up to them. After an attack, your opponent then gets his/her chance to post their reaction to it. Here is a gist of what your reactions will be, but if you are creative and get something else, if it seems REAL, do it. Most likely though, you will either A.)Dodge, B.)Block, or C.)Get hit. There are a few things that you should take into consideration when deciding whether or not to get hit. We'll cover those later. Let's see how Desta reacts though, hmm??
Desta: ::She stood facing him, Derex Xantelis, the man she had claimed on such countless occassions was dead. Yet there he stood, most fully alive. Hmm....She opened her mouth as though about to speak, but before she could, the man sprang into action. Not expecting this initiating move, hoping to talk it out some first, she stood wide-eyed as he came on. She was not with some battle training however. Overcoming her initial shock, she quickly took one step back. The kick that would have hit her square in the temple, instead slammed into her jaw. With a squeal of pain, her body spun 180 degrees and she staggered away a bit, in pain.::
Lance: Wow! She took the hit! See how it was done? The first attack of the spar surprised her character, so she took that into consideration, only barely avoiding a more harmful hit. A kick to the jaw, though painful, can still be ignored for a fight for the most part, depending on your character's pain threshold. Keep in mind the realism though. If you get hurt somewhere that would make a difference, i.e. an arm, you character may not be too eager to swing that arm about in combat, or it may even be broken. Play it so! Stick true to the realism! If you get wounded, keep the wound until it's healed. It doesn't just magically go away two posts later. Remember it and keep it alive. Okay? Okay. Now, after the reaction is done, it then becomes Destas turn to attack. Let's see it..
Desta: ::Spinning to face the furious man that now stood before her, she cowered. Her jaw in too much pain to reply, she merely whimpered at his excellence. She would not give up that easily though. She would die trying to win this fight. Darting back in with the quickness of the pregnant whore that she was, she threw a right hook for Derex's gut.::
Lance: Hmm...well, looks like she's got some fight left in her eh? She did a not so bad with adding in a bit of RPing there at the beginning, always good. Yet the move itself was mundane and boring to read. Nothing to it. Notice how she also RPed her character into it. "Darting back in with the quickness of the pregnant whore that she was," Though none too flattering, it sure as hell helps you get the idea how quick she was coming in at him. Okay, so, based on the two factors that it was an unoriginal, boring attack, and she moved SLOW chances are Derex won't take the hit. He'll dodge or block it or something. It makes sense, ne? Okay then. It carries on like that. Person A attack, Person B reacts. Person B attacks, Person A reacts. Etc, etc. You get an idea of how FF goes, turn by turn.
Lance, good God, this dude keeps dodging EVERYTHING I throw at him, no matter how good. He won't take ANY hits! Is that a mode?
YES. No one in AIM is sssooooo good that they can dodge it all. No one is perfect. Sooner or later, they have to slip up and take a wound. Not taking hits IS a mode. If it is good quality and realistic, TAKE it! Besides, most of the most elite, and best FFers will take most, if not all of the hits thrown their way. It's viewed as a challenge to the situation. If you fight your character as never being hurt and if you keep an "I'm out to never die" mentality about you, you will not get far in the ways of respect or skill. So, TAKE HITS.
Lance, you keep saying all this bullshit about realism and all. How do I know what's realistic?!
Okay, well, here's how it is. Anyone who FFs should put such following things into their info: height, weight, weapons, at least some sort of reference to their skill level, ANYTHING AT ALL THAT WOULD BE PERTINANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW WHEN FIGHTING THEM. Now, let's think about it a second. Imagine, if you will, a 6'3, 250 lb guy who's been a mercanary for 5 years and a general off an army. Do you suppose that if he hit you it would hurt? Yes. Do you suppose he would be fast enough TO hit you? Likely, yes. Look, you guys, come on. I know you all love you charries and don't want them to die. But they don't have to! That's just it! Unlike ::hit:: not many fights in FF will end in death! Actually, the truly good people will even ask before hand if it's a deathmatch or if you want to lose your char or not. Storylines are understood to have been developed. By no means, is it anyone's intent to ruin the hard work you've put into your's just because they feel like an ass. So, since the fear of losing your character is gone, be humble, be modest, be fair, be realistic. Take the hits. If someone comes at you with somethign so stunning and vivid you can SEE it and it leaves you thinking, "Wow. That was a cool move, I'm gonna remember it for myself." Then have the modesty to see that he beat you there in that action and take it accordingly. I keep repeating myself because I know how difficult it is for some to want their chars to get hit. It's apart of the fun, let it go..
So we've been sparring for like..::looks at his watch:: GOOD GOD! An hour now. I wanna kill his ass, it's a deathmatch, I'm winning..I wanna just end it and sleep already!? How do I do so??
Easy one. Do you know what kind of attack would hurt someone so badly IRL that it would likely kill them instantly? Yes, you probably do. Heart wounds, neck wounds, etc. Post one of these of such exquisite detail, it CAN'T miss. If he's already taken a lot of hits, he should be RPing it right and be quite weakened as it is. This killing blow should just finish it off. Understand? Told you it was simple.
I died! ::cries:: Bastard, I blame you for telling people how in the post above this one. Asshole. Anyway, how do I rezzie now? Thanks. ^_^
Well, I suggest something like this so that there can be no debat eon it later. Get someone who has a character that is known to be a rezzie. Have them come to your dead body, wherever you died, and do a RP of them rezzing you. Save the log for if ever the times comes people wonder wtf you are doing alive again. And btw, TIMESTAMP ALL IMPORTANT LOGS, SPARS, ETC!
How long should a FF fight go for?
Predetermine this. If it's a spar, probably not as long as a fight would, unless it's one hella spar. It all depends. Just work it out before hand. Time limit. Number of hits. Number of moves. Something like that.
We can't agree if one of us is moding or not!
Okay, well, come to the sites out there about FF. Refer to the rules. If that doesn't help, get a ref. Don't get someone to ref that doesn't know the style! Have some damn sense! And another thing...RESPECT THE REF. If a ref is called in for a fight, what the ref says goes! I repeat: WHAT THE REF SAYS GOES. Do not argue with a ref, do not challenge a red, EVER. Even if you feel he is wrong and you are someone who made the damn style, what the ref says goes. If you called in someone dumber than you to ref the fight, you deserve it. So, let me say it again. WHAT THE REF SAYS, GOES!