You describe your attacks however you want. However, mechanically, there are really just three moves you can make in combat:

--ALL-OUT ATTACK

--CAREFUL ATTACK

--DEFEND


These are a bit like Rock-Paper-Scissors:

--All-Out Attack beats Careful Attack.
--Careful Attack beats Defend.
--Defend beats All-Out Attack.


When you and an opponent engage in combat, you will each (secretly) choose one of these three modes of combat for yourself, and tell the GM privately. Then, each of you roll 1d8-- secretly. Once both players have chosen and rolled, GM will then reveal the results, and the players will narrate what happens.


ALL-OUT vs. ALL-OUT:
--Whoever has the higher roll result does 2 damage, unless it's a match where you're trying to hit multiple opponents, in which case you may choose to hit two targets for 1 hit each.
--If the roll result is a tie, BOTH fighters do 2 damage.


ALL-OUT vs. DEFEND:
--No damage is done nor taken (because DEFEND beats ALL-OUT)-- but the Defending PC gets +1 to their roll next round.


ALL-OUT vs. CAREFUL:
--The ALL-OUT PC deals 2 damage (because ALL-OUT beats CAREFUL)


CAREFUL vs. CAREFUL:
--Whoever gets the higher roll result does 1 damage. A tie means both sides do 1 damage.


CAREFUL vs. DEFEND:
--The CAREFUL attacker does 1 hit to their opponent, and the Careful Attacker also gets +1 to their roll next round ((because CAREFUL beats DEFEND).


DEFEND vs. DEFEND: No one does damage-- you just talk smack to each other! Whoever has the higher roll gets +2 to their roll next round! (If it's a tie, no one gets a bonus to their roll next round.)



ENERGY POINTS (EP): special energy points for doing wild extra stuff like:

* Doubling the effects of your attack/defense for a round (maybe by adding an extra element-- fire damage, cold damage, energy damage, psychic damage? or a flurry of super-speed punches that does extra damage? A force-field? Whatever!)

* Lets you re-roll a bad roll

* Makes your opponent roll with a d6 instead of a d8

* Lets you roll with a d10 instead of a d8

* Lets you disarm your opponent (if possible), giving them a -2 penalty to their roll until they can pick up their weapon (by rolling better than you)

* Lets you get 1 HP back



Everyone starts with a base 3 EP at the start of each fight.

Everyone starts with a base 8 HP.

When making your character, you choose: either you get 3 additional HP (total 11), or you get 1 extra EP (total 4).



LEVELING UP: Every time the THE CAST page says that you have made 100 posts in the game, you can level up!

You can ONLY level up DURING a fight, when you have half or less of your HP!

When you level up, you:
--Add: 1 point to your maximum EP, or 3 points to your max HP!
--Heal up to full HP! (Yes, your NEW max HP, if you raised it!)
--Fill your EP back up to maximum! (Yes, your NEW max EP, if you raised it!)


ALTERNATIVE RULES:

LEVELING UP:
Every time you win a fight, you get 1 xp.
Every time you lose a fight, you get 3 xp.
(If you ever have a fight that ends in a tie, or you come in between first and last, you get 2 xp.)

Each time you amass 7 xp, you can LEVEL UP.

You can ONLY level up DURING a fight, when you have half or less of your HP!

When you level up, you:
--Add: 1 point to your maximum EP, or 3 points to your max HP!
--Heal up to full HP! (Yes, your NEW max HP, if you raised it!)
--Fill your EP back up to maximum! (Yes, your NEW max EP, if you raised it!)



If you win a Tournament, you get the Prize. The Prize will give you 1 extra EP for as long as you get to keep it.




SETTING:

--Fancy Fantasy with magic swords and stuff?
--The Mystic East, with martial arts and stuff?
--The future, with fancy wearable tech AND martial arts?
--A superheroic world, with super powers and abilities (ABD fancy wearable tech AND martial arts)?

The players will vote-- but if everyone can't come to agreement, each player will write at least 200 words about the setting as they envision it, and the GM will choose the best entry.


--Fancy Fantasy with magic swords and stuff: PCs will be paladins, assassins, arcane swordsmen, whatever, etc.

--The Mystic East, with martial arts and stuff: PCs will be samurai, ronin, ninja, monks, whatever, etc.

--The future, with fancy wearable tech AND martial arts: PCs will be martial artists and/or people with fancy tech gear, genetically-engineered freaks, mutants, whatever, etc.

--A superheroic world, with super powers and abilities (ABD fancy wearable tech AND martial arts): PCs will be martial artists and/or people with fancy tech gear, genetically-engineered heroes, mutants, people who were in laboratory/spaceship accidents, aliens, whatever, etc.




QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER:

--Do you fight just with your hands (and/or feet), or do you use one or two weapons, or are you capable of either?

--Do you have awesome powers? Or just an awesome fighting style? Or what?
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Thu 27 Apr 2023.