A Discussion of StylesEver since that first Sparring community on the Planet Namek forums dispersed, many different philosophies about how Sparring should be done have developed. Three distinct schools of thought have evolved around the question of consent, or how much leeway one player has to write the actions of another player's character.
Open Style
This is by far the most prevalent style of Sparring in use today, and for some good reasons. Though it may go by other names, the basic premise of Open Style is that you can only control your own character's actions; those of your opponent's character are completely off-limits to you. This is most clearly exemplified in how attacks are performed. In Open Style Sparring you must leave the effects of your attack "open" for your opponent to determine when they post. For example, you may write "Auron the battlemage summoned a swirling orb of flames and cast it through the air towards Balrun the warrior.", but you cannot write "The fiery spell smashed into Balrun's chest, exploding in a wave of inferno that charred his flesh, burnt off his hair, and sent him spiraling into a dramatic fall." What attacks and strategies your characters use are yours to decide... but the outcomes of those attacks are strictly in the hands of your opponent.
Many have argued that Open Style makes it far too easy for players to god-mod, or cheat, defensively. After all, if none of my opponent's attacks can hurt my character unless I say so, I can write my way out of anything! Not exactly... first off, most forums that utilize Open Style also have policies regarding realism, and usually one or more judges on hand with the authority to penalize players for blatant breaches of said policies. Excuses like "But my character's too fast to get hit by her attacks!" or "He's too weak to break through my character's armor" simply don't fly in most cases; Open Style expects players to roll with the punches. Does that mean you have to take damage from EVERY attack that's thrown at you? No, not hardly, but you ARE expected to use common sense and a modicum of fairness in regards to how an attack would effect your character. The bottom line is: don't dish it out if you can't take it.
Additionally, it should be noted that Open Style leaves ALL of a character's actions up to the player who owns that character. This includes dialogue, mannerisms, the occasional fidget - EVERYTHING. In most places it isn't acceptable to write another character's actions even if the actions have no negative effect on the character; "Auron swung his sword at Balrun, who blocked the swing and deadlocked their blades." In this respect Open Style can be seen as rather limiting, making the "minor actions" of battle such as two characters crossing swords a tedious and long-winded affair (in most cases). Melee combat and hand-to-hand fighting both typically fall out of common usage in Open Style in favor of "projectile warfare", which fits the stylistics of the system best. One of the chief complains about Open is that it so easily becomes nothing more than two characters taking turns throwing missiles, spells, energy beams, or gunshots at each other. It becomes rather like two tanks circling each other, firing off shots in hopes of hitting a weak spot in each other's armor.
Closed Style
When I first began Sparring on the Unrivaled forum, Closed Style is what I was taught. In terms of consent, everything's open game. Or, as Yue puts it:
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There is a significant honor code at work within those forums that employ Closed Style Sparring. There is an awareness that, just as you have placed
your character in your opponent's hands, so too have they placed
their character in yours. Some people see this as god-modding made inevitable: it may not happen right away, but
someone is going to pull out that super attack and frag the other person's character straight into defeat. While I'm not saying this never happens, veterans of Closed Style Sparring will tell you that it's far more the exception than the rule (and, in fact, is most commonly a move made by novices). Like Open Style there are usually some serious expectations regarding realism in the sense of cause-and-effect, but Closed takes the additional step of expecting realism in the handling of other people's characters. This means that if Balrun happens to have a shield on hand that can withstand Auron's fireball attack, it would be unrealistic for Balrun
not to use it to protect himself. What's more, if Auron's player were to write actions and responses that are downright out of character for Balrun (such as him surrendering, throwing his sword at Auron, or not attacking when the opportunity clearly presents itself) it would be considered a gross breach of realism - not to mention a total breach of trust. In this sense Closed Style takes Sparring back to its roots in RP, making it more about collectively writing a good story rather than beating each others' characters senseless. It could even be argued, and has been by some, that this is Sparring in its purest form: the competition becomes less about the characters and more about the writers, with the outcome generally being determined by a judge based on quality of writing.
Hybrid Style
Ah, Hybrid... that happy medium between Open and Closed. Like Closed, Hybrid allows you to cross blades with your foes, trade punches, and write engaging interactions between your character and theirs. Yet in the spirit of Open you, the player, retain executive rights to determine the outcome of any
serious attacks on your character. 'Tis a delicate rope to balance on, but those who've used Hybrid in the past will swear by it as being the best of both worlds.
Some obvious questions arise. Where does one draw the line between "incidental" damages and "serious" damages? How do I know if the actions I wrote for my opponent's character are okay or not? What if my opponent abuses my character, misses some critical detail, or just simply doesn't portray them very well? Questions such as these are what caused Open and Closed to diverge in the first place, and as such they deserve serious and well considered answers. However... the fact of the matter is, it all comes down to how each individual forum (sometimes each individual battle, or simply each individual) interprets the principles of Hybrid. Even so, I'll attempt to give some practical guidance here.
Regarding damage: The key difference between "incidental" damage and "serious" damage is what effect it has on the character being damaged. For most characters having their pointer finger get smashed up isn't what anyone would describe as a fight-stopper... unless the character uses guns, in which case the injury takes on the quality of being a handicap and thus an impediment to that character's abilities. It's all about context.
Regarding others' characters: The best advice for not stepping on anyone's toes when writing their characters is best expressed in four simple words: "character bios, ask questions". As any Closed Style Sparrer will tell you, familiarizing yourself with your opponent's character is a
must. If your opponent doesn't have a written character bio or profile,
be wary. Insist on seeing full documentation for their character, including race, weapons, skills, powers, and back story, before getting started; this is a basic principle for all Sparring styles, but particularly crucial for Hybrid and Closed. Believe it or not, there
are a few rogue Sparrers who insist that character profiles are restrictive and unnecessary; don't assume that such people will see the rules of play any differently.
If a character bio isn't clear on certain points or you're not certain how the character would react in a certain situation, ask the player who made them. There's absolutely no shame in asking for help; in fact, it shows the other player that you respect them enough to treat their character with dignity and fairness.
Regarding others using your characters: If someone has done something you don't like with your character, the first thing you
must do is to step back and ask yourself "Is it important? Just how important is it?". One of the underlying assumptions inherent in all roleplaying is derived from the improv comedy rule of "Yes, And". If the other Sparrer only had your character deviate minorly from their normal behavior then it probably isn't worth making a fuss over. In fact, skilled Sparrers oftentimes look for these minor deviations as opportunities to do something new and interesting, either with the scene or with their character; on rare occasions, these "minor infractions" will even present a tactical opportunity. If at all possible play using what you're given, and avoid constantly trying to "correct" the scene to match your vision of your character. If, however, your opponent deviates
immensely from a realistic and accurate portrayal of your character, the best course of action is to contact them privately, explain the situation, and ask them to edit their post to more accurately reflect your character.
If they refuse
and the point in question is of tactical importance to the Spar, contact the judge of your Spar or, alternately, whoever oversees the Sparring / RPing section of the forums regarding your concern. Make sure to include the fact that you've already tried to work the issue out with your opponent and gotten nowhere, but be mindful that if the judge / mod / supervisor makes a decision not to support you that their ruling is usually not something you can fight or appeal.
Remember: this is a
game. If you don't like how one person plays it, don't play with them anymore. If you don't like how one forum manages it, leave and find a different forum. But whatever you do,
DON'T WHINE. There's few things that forum mods and clan leaders detest more than Sparrers who whine and complain when they don't get their way, then bemoan the forum leadership for not doing what they want.
Old School Style
Short, sweet, and to the point, Old School Style eschews long detail-heavy posts for quick, to-the-point combat that lets a Spar clip along at a brisk pace. Old School Style aims to embody the Quality > Quantity principle as nearly as possible: keep your posts short, but make sure they're still good quality reads.
New School Style
Less is not always more, a fact capitalized upon by New School Sparrers. New School posts are typically fairly long and dense, frequently employing deep exposition, high detail descriptions, and a significant look into characters' minds, personalities, and reactions. It's also not unusual for battlefields in New School Sparring to have their own back stories and clever dynamics as well; I've fought my way out of an intergalactic prison made for locking away all kinds of beings with dangerous powers, on a battlefield where two god-level beings appear every night and summon armies of creatures from throughout the whole of existence to fight each other, on a planet that served as the communications hub for a vast space faring empire... very interesting places. New School is
all about detail.
Power Levels
One of the things Sparring inherited from Dragonball Z is its affinity towards superpowers. You won't find all that many people whose character is just an ordinary human with a sword or a gun in hand (although it has been done occasionally). There's just something about having superhuman abilities, piloting a giant mecha, or commanding the power of magic, the elements, or whatever source of reality-bending energy you might think up... having powers just makes a character a bit more interesting, and adds that dynamic of adventure to RPs and Sparring.
However, as ol' Ben Parker is quick to remind us, "With great power comes great responsibility."
It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that over-the-top powers alone do not a good story, or even a good Spar, make; what's more, "overpowered" characters are near-universally seen in Sparring as a form of god-moding,
ESPECIALLY when the level of power is not matched by the level of writing. If a novice RPer with poor grammar and 4th grade writing skills challenges me to a battle using a character who might as well be Superman in a different costume, I'm going to be frank and tell the kid he needs more experience.
It's the unsettling trend of amateur Sparrers loaded down with every superpower that they can think of that has prompted some forums to set up a system of graduated power levels based on writing skill. A Sparrer new to one of these forums typically has to provide links to samples of their RPing & Sparring, then be evaluated by a set of judges who rank the Sparrer based on the forum's own set of standards for quality. Based on this, the Sparrer is then assigned a "power level", "rank", "level", "tier", or some other hierarchical term that describes what kinds of powers and abilities they can give their characters. Oftentimes, as a fail-safe, characters must also be approved by judges as well. Here's a sample of one such ranking system currently in use at the
AnimeLeague forums:
As previously mentioned, there are Ten Power Levels. While the overall range of a character’s ability and potential ability are summed up by its Tier, the individual abilities themselves (as well as any equipment you may own) are ranked using the following list. Please note that these Power Levels do not define the strength of your character—that is what a Tier is for. Power Levels are merely a measure of the relative potency of a given feature, ability, or item possessed by a character. The descriptions given under each power level are only designed to give you a general idea of what type of ability falls under each Level. You may, of course, have any type of characteristic you care for, regardless of its mention or lack thereof on in this section (as long as it fits with your Tier’s restrictions).
Level 1 || This is the general human level, encompassing the power attainable by the average Joe and is limited to the most basic of technological weapons, like guns, crossbow and knives—maybe even a scooter if in the wrong hands.
Level 2 || Human abilities at their peak, but still nothing overtly supernatural. Examples would be a genius IQ, very minor spell-casting ability (I’m talking sparking dried brush into flame). Technological objects such as laser guns fall under this level.
Level 3 || Genetic, cybernetic, divine or magical enhancements that allow you to run as fast as a sports car, jump anime style, or bench three-hundred pounds without breaking a sweat—as well as other physical modifications of that level. Dexterity level equal to an expert marksman, low level psionics and spellcasting ability, super-genius intelligence quotient and martial arts master are other examples of Level 3 abilities. Equipment falls under the same range of power.
Level 4 || Examples of Level 4 powers and abilities include Mad Scientist level genius and scientific ability, long ranged telepathy, magical powers that to not involve a divine patron, and the ability to shoot flaming bats with magic arrows of light without the aide of that damnable fairy partner. In general, the range of ability to be expected from a Jedi Padawan of Star Wars or a Gennin Ninja of Naruto—as well as the use of cybernetics, alchemy, and so on to simulate any of that.
Level 5 || The basics of nano technology capable of regenerating minor wounds, or alternatively wizardry or clerical ability capable of the same. You can pilot your own short range star fighter and have access to technology so advanced as to be almost magical in nature. The ability to fly for any reason you can think of that makes any rudimentary amount of plot logic. Your character may have the reflexes and skills of an elite Jedi Knight, the speed of Saito Hajime, and the power to take down Trinity of The Matrix with ease.
Level 6 || The ability to heal major damage taken both personally, or by others, through the method of your choice. The charisma and influence necessary to muster an army of elite soldiers, and access to the technology needed to build and operate a small space craft capable of interstellar travel (or a magic dragon from the future, whatever floats your boat). Your powers and skills rival those of Gandalf the White, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Himura Kenshin at their best.
Level 7 || Personal shielding and an Imperial Star Destroyer for a flagship; computer expertise that can take down Borg Cubes, and you may have weapons so slick and high tech that they make the ladies hot and bothered. You can distort space-time at will with your magic, enough so to influence events worlds or even years away, and your physical strikes can no longer even be seen. Armies of grizzled veterans—wearing too much steel to stand up on their own—will carry your banner to war and ride really expensive looking horses across the battlefield. You could out gun an Agent in the Matrix or beat him down with your martial arts, and powers and abilities compare to Mace Windu of Star Wars, Ultimecia of Final Fantasy, and Hyuuga Ricdeau of Xenogears.
Level 8 || The firewalls of the Death Star and Magi Supercomputers fall with ease before your unbeatable hacking skills. You can repair lost limbs and destroyed vital functions expediently. Your powers can cut down small armies, and shield you from the effects of nuclear weapons. You are no longer merely limited to visiting other worlds and epochs from afar, but may now visit them personally. Powers are of comparable scale to Marvel’s Magneto and Doctor Strange.
Level 9 || That your powers rank less than omnipotent and have finite energy requirements are essentially your only restrictions at this point.
Level 10|| Anything becomes possible within the restraints of the rules of the forum and common sense.
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Alternately, instead of broad and generalized power levels some forums opt to have powers, skills, weapons, and other advantages be something that Sparrers earn based on post count or purchased using the forum's own virtual currency. This still retains the same basic premise of "power through proof", but shifts the source of advancement from an RPer's writing skills and experience towards a more centralized, "home-based" system. There are benefits and drawbacks to this approach, but ultimately the same truth emerges: the leadership of every RP forum must decide for themselves how they want to manage the paradoxical question of power.
So... to put all the Sparring Styles into a rough graphical format...
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