Lillian How long have you been RPing, specifically in the arena?
Rilla Four or Five years. On Guild for almost 3.
Khan I've been participating in the arena since the start of October last year, it was through the group Warrior's Den Lyzan made
Rilla Surprising.
Lillian Rilla, so did you start in Arena style RPing?
Rilla Not exactly, I started in what would be considered Free here and watched some people fight and decided to join in after I got my character established somewhat.
Lillian So do either of you have a preference for Arena or regular RPing?
Rilla I prefer the Arena, only if it has a story behind it. While I like normal fights, I'm much more invested in a Arena fight with a story than I am a regular RP(Aside from Allaria). It's what I'm good at.
KhanWell in terms of Arena I usually only join anything more story based, but I prefer to some levels, Regular RPing, due to the fact Arena RPing get's far to competitive.
Rilla Yeah it does, some people are dicks, honestly. But I suppose they know that.
Khan And I grew up on Regular RPing
Rilla I grew up in a mix, most of the storylines I was in/started involved a shitton of fighting
Khan Funny fact: My first RP's in this site were action romance style (believe it or not)
Rilla I knew you liked cybering. ;D
Lillian Is there a big difference between GMing a regular thread and an Arena thread?
Rilla To me? Nah, the only difference is, you deal with a lot more cocky people than you might in a normal RP thread, but that's the nature of the Arena, people are cocky. That, and you aren't really GMin' a Arena thread unless it's a tournament, generally if it’s just between two people, you just talk things out no one is really in charge past the initial 'This is the fight I want' stage. If it's a tournament, there is still no big difference, get the sheets, accept/deny the sheets, and have a good time keeping everyone in line and not going over the normal Cocky-Arena Guy/Girl bounds.
Khan Well, I personally have never GMed a Arena RP, at least not on a scale of a tournament like the one Rilla has started twice now, closest thing would be starting a few short matches, In terms of Normal RP's it may depend on the type of RP but I don't think there is a large difference aside from the fact in the arena you have to be more careful with 'cheating' while in a normal RP you don't have to worry about such things as often, as it is, generally, not competitive (not counting Nation RPs and special game type RPs, etc)
Lillian So how do you deal with the OOC Drama and the cheating?
Rilla I do it simply, as much as we talk about people being dicks, they are generally receptive to having to change things. Drama is always a constant part of the arena, mostly in jest. However, when it goes past that, you can generally tell them to chill out, and have both sides explain their side of the story. Also, having a judge does help, one that is agreed upon by both parties. It also helps that both parties KNOW the rules being used. But, generally, they'll be down to change their posts if they have too. As for cheating, it's just a matter of proving it and stating your point. If you think you're being cheated, then you CAN be awarded the match, or you both can just drop the match and pretend it never happened. As a tournament runner, however, I personally have the contestants provide me with several bits of information, so I can make proper judgments. If someone is cheating, constantly, they can be booted or disqualified. Though, very few actually cheat in tournament play or in a big enough way to warrant it.
Khan In terms of the arena you can usually avoid allot of trouble with proper 'screening' of PC's Sheets, (Like Obvious Op powers like time bending and the like) as for cheating within a battle as Rilla said having a Judge would be a major help, lucky in my cause at least I have seen little drama in OOC
Rilla Ah yes, you do have to screen the character sheets; otherwise people will try to slip something in against the rules: teleporting, superforms, time/space/reality manipulating, etc., etc.
Lillian Can you explain the differences between the tiers?
Rilla Basically, it's just how strong the character is. Humans, for instance, generally fit in the first three of them
Khan Well more powerful, beings, dragons for instance or super human would be mid-tier
Rilla Someone like Bruce Lee, would fit in like Tier 2, maybe Tier 3, since he is a martial arts master Mid-tier is where a lot of people in Guild's Arena fit, with magic and what not. Past Tier 6, it generally gets into the time/space manipulating up until you are ping ponging galaxies around with your pinky
Khan Pretty much anything over 7 tier would generally be anything from Dragon Ball Z type characters to god-like beings that can wipe out a galaxy
Rilla We don't get a lot of fights at that level on Guild, because of how much douchebaggery that can come with it.
Lillian I was just going to ask.
Rilla mindreader
Lillian So is the lower level easier to RP/GM or is it more an issue of the players themselves?
Rilla Well, kinda both. The lower levels are easier to handle because you don't have to deal with MY MAGIC CAN DO DIS AND DAT. But as you increase in level, that starts to come up, hence screening the sheets. Once you get to level 7+, logic is pretty much thrown out of the window more and more as you go up in level. I prefer to GM level 4-6 since I like magic and I can handle that level of what they can and can't do.
Khan I believe so yes, at least in my case and from what I saw from the last high tier tournament, some people seemed to have a hard time making a truly 'high' tier PC
Rilla It's opposite for me, some people I've seen have a hard time scaling their character properly for what they want to do. Especially when they get into unique magic and such. I come from a place where it got to the point people were manipulating any and everything they could to get as close to god-modding /without/ god-modding. Cells, time, eat-all energy, etc., etc. At that level, while you can combat it, it just gets tedious. "OH I DID THIS AND THAT TO YOU HARHARHAR" Irish is from the same place.
Khan I see
Rilla To be fair, I've had my share of higher tier characters too.
Lillian So is the OOC wrangling part of the appeal? Some people seem to enjoy it.
Rilla If by wrangling you mean the jib-jab that goes on in there, yeah, especially for bigger things like tournaments.
Lillian That is what I meant.
Rilla But I think that's the case for any RP; if you are having a good time in the OOC, you're more inclined to stay in it, then leave it. WOTW has over 102 pages of OOC stuff, and the tournament(IC matches) only started an hour ago
Khan I would say so for sure, Sometimes an OOC can actually help keep an RP alive, from what I have found
Lillian Well that is certainly true in most RPing, interesting to hear it translates to Arena
Rilla Go in talk a little shit, back and forth, and you know you're interested. Brag a bit, tell your opponent they are going to lose, it hypes you up.
Khan A chatroom can even be a bigger drive to keep an RP alive, (specially for NRP's or D&D type of RPS)
Rilla I should probably make one for WOTW. Eventually.
Khan Their generally made for when the OOC gets flooded (which ours kind of gets)
Rilla What almost kills mine is the IRC sometimes, especially if people argue in it.
Lillian So do either of you have a preference for a tier?
Rilla I prefer 5 or 6. Not limited to just hand to hand (though you can have a level 6 hand to hand character) and not unlimited in what you can do. Some structure, not too much. A lot of my characters are based around that level, if not above or below for scaling purposes.
Khan I find I much prefer anything from 3-6, I have had little interest in anything higher than that
Lillian is that preference for GMing as well?
Rilla I have some characters that exceed it, but I don't use them. And yes, whenever I run Way of the Warrior, the highest a character can go is 6, and the lowest is, of course 1, There is actually a level 1-3 character in WOTW right now.
Khan Jude
Rilla Khan.. yep
Lillian So what is the benefit or detriment to playing a lower level character in such a rp
Rilla Lillian: The benefits is not having to worry about the bullshit magic can spit out and having an actual fight, where you have to be close to do damage But the detriment is you HAVE to be close, and you are limited in what you can do. You have to plot out your moves; if you're swinging with your right hand, you have to actually know what you're doing and not bullshit it, otherwise, you'll get messed up and potentially lose.
Khan ^ Generally one would pick a lower tier PC due to it being their "comfort" zone, or might want to give themselves a challenge
Rilla If you aren't comfortable playing it, it's better to not do it, unless you WANT to get comfortable with it.
Khan As well, in my opinion, I find it is more interesting to see that kind of combat and since it requires more skill, it is also more rewarding to read
Lillian So which would you both say matters more? Higher tier or a skilled RPer?
Rilla Skills, definitely. Anyone can make a level 10 character and start running roughshod over everyone and everything
Khan skills, Absolutely
Rilla There is a guy, who won the biggest Arena RPing Tournament, with what amounts to maybe a level 3 character, A swordsmen, if I remember correctly.
Khan In some cases you might find when someone makes a much higher tier they are using it as a kind of "crutch" due to lack of said skill
Rilla That's why I choose level 6 and below, it helps to get your skill up in a broader range
Lillian Do you find that real life skills aid in success in the arena? I see that many people trot out martial credentials when they are in the Arena.
Rilla Actually, they can be a big help. When I'm in a hand to hand fight, I try to act out the moves(When I'm alone), so I can see how they'd work as opposed to throwing shit at the wall and seeing if it sticks. But, you have to remember, just because YOU have that training doesn't mean your character does and that's what some people forget. They'll have a novice fighting on par with a master if the opponent doesn't say anything
Khan Oh yes, for example, Lyzan has allot of real life experience in fighting due to his background, a player called Tasuke has some real martial experience
Rilla I, on the other hand, have none. Aside from a few fights in the neighborhood
Khan Another example, I have learned some basic sword fighting, and it is quite easy to spot someone trying something they say in a movie or game, 'X' like chops for example with duel sword wielding PC's, I personally think that is one of the reasons I do fairly ok even with my lack of expreince in arena fighting.
Lillian Do people hold that against you or has your reputation kept you above that?
Rilla Some people will hold it against you, but I've generally been able to bullshit my way through it(Either in a fight, or talking. ;D) I've had people want me to teach them H2H due to how well I do.
Lillian So do you think people who are martially inclined in RL are drawn to the arena?
Rilla I don't think they are more inclined, but they are definitely better suited for it. Since they know what to do, and how to do it. I think more people who aren't martial experts are more drawn to it, due to how much they don't HAVE to know.
Khan I believe it does to a degree, as allot of fighters in the arena I know have some RL experience. But I also find people who just like action movies and/or games are just as inclined
Rilla I WANNA X-CHOP DAT ASS
KhanYou know I facepalmed so hard when you did that in the lobby post?
Lillian so not being a video gamer, you'll have to tell me what an x chop is?
Rilla LOLOLOLOL. I did it because it looked funny, he was never going to hit Liaison. It's basically crossing your weapons across your chest and attacking like that
Lillian ahh, ok.
Khan Which I would never recommend, but you see it allot in holly wood
Lillian I imagine it would be hard not to hit your weapons together
Khan And ppl like to copy it allot (despite the fact it goes against the very purpose of having two swords.) Which is to defend with one and attack with the other, but am probably getting off topic
Lillian it happens
Rilla I will X chop the shit out of you. xD
Khan *facepalm*
Rilla COME HERE KHAN LEMME X-CHOP YOU. ;d
Lillian So what was the greatest RP fight you ever witnesses or engaged in?
Rilla I, honestly, forgot the name of it. I've been trying to find it on and off for years. It was a truly amazing fight, and was one of the reasons, the main one, I decided to get better than I was at Arena fighting.
Khan Ohh, that is a tough one....But...I would have to say, the fight I witnessed between
Lyzan and Catto Bates
Rilla As for been in? I'm quite partial to all my fights with Draigh(David), and my friend Anth; I grew up fighting with them online, and we all just got better together. There was also this 'Epik' Four-way I was involved in. Also, yes, that fight Khan mentioned, despite it being in the first round I believe, it was purely amazing. It's probably the best fight on Guild, at the moment and definitely could have been the final rounder.
Khan The one between
whiteglint77 and Sikako was also very good
Rilla Glint and Sikako are very good fighters.
Khan Wish I had the link to the fight though it was one of my favs
Lillian So what was it you liked about these fights? What made them so good?
Rilla The depths and how well they played them. They didn't try and do outrageous stuff (Catto Bates/Lyzan), they just played their characters the proper way
Khan I think those are two good examples
Rilla It read good, so you weren't confused throughout it, they put enough detail in it so you knew what was happening and didn't need guess work
Khan And having some character development is also a good element
Rilla In the fights I've been in, that I liked, it was the story behind them. Fighting for something, and not just fighting to be fighting.
Khan For example going into proper depth of how your PC realistically would feel at the moment, etc
Rilla And how they would react to what's going on, without seeming like it was just perfect for them to do that.
Lyzan and Aspserer did fall into that trap in their match. Everything the other did they had 'seen' before and knew how to counter; so it became more of one up, then it did a fight.
Lillian That was the last tournament wasn't it? I was following that one.
Khan Ya, but such things happen in fights even to the best of us, especially when 'winning' is the main goal.
Rilla Yes it does
Lillian So what do you love about the Arena?
Rilla The competitiveness. In a normal RP, generally everyone is on the same page, trying to help get to the same goal. In the arena, you're competing to get that goal, if it's a normal fight or you're trying to make the best story you can. It's a lot harder, imo, to be in the arena, than it is to do a normal RP.
Khan Well I have come to like it simply due to the fact it is much more, well, competitive
Rilla everything is constantly changing. The same strategy won't always work time and time again
Khan You generally don't get to focus so strongly on combat in a normal RP, and they are generally less time demanding too (Tournaments aside)
Rilla A lot of my fights, I don't try and have a time limit(Tournaments excluded) I like to be able to take my time doing a posts, get my thoughts right, before just posting.
Lillian So how would you suggest an interested person, new to the arena get started?
Rilla Read up on some fights, talk to a couple of people and request a practice fight. People treat jumping in like a do or die situation, when it's really simple. Just gotta be careful who you get to train you.
Lillian So a mentor?
Rilla More or less, it doesn't even have to be that; just someone who'll run through a fight with you
Khan I think one of the best ways would be getting some one more experienced to teach you some of the basics, or joining a group like
Warrior Den
Rilla Yeah, WD is a good place to go for help
Khan Also easier to find someone your level to fight with,
Lillian So any other good advice you would offer that new person?
Rilla Don't try and overdo it. If you don't know how to play at level 6, don't get into something you can't handle. Also, don't listen to what people say about the arena. A lot of the time, it's people who aren't in the Arena who say it's bad, or whatever. If you want to try it, try it, if not, don't.
Khan And, above all, don't feel discouraged if they lose their first match, like any skill you only get better at it with time,
Rilla Who knows, you'll probably be a lot better at it than you think. Oi! Take everything in stride, we talk a lot of shit, but really don't mean any harm by it.
Khan And of course have fun, arena fighting can be some of the most exciting and rewarding RPing one can do. An experience all the more enriched due to the many writing styles of the many players that frequent the arena threads.
Lillian Lovely. I think that's all I've got. Have you two anything else you want to add or touch upon?
Khan Nah, am solid
Rilla Uh, Check out
Way of the Warrior II - Blood Shed. It promises to be the best tournament on Guild, and you can see prominent fighters like Rilla, Sikako, Wind, Yoshua, Guru, as well as horrible ones like Khan. ;D fighting it out to be named the best. Plus the stories going in and coming out of it, should be amazing. ;D
Originally Posted by Sophistikit
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