A tournament style that could work.

[Kittywhite]

Tournaments are something a number of us have wanted to try over the years. Various complications, from life, to a good way to format it, have kept us from it. I purpose a way that allows people to do it on their own time, without entirely relying on their RP partner.

It is simple, really, but is done differently than we have up until this point. After choosing your competitors for a particular fight and notifying them, they need only make a story in which they win. The stories are then voted on by the community, and the winner is whoever is voted the winner.

Controlling both characters allows for more creativity, as well as leeway in posting schedules, as you have no one waiting on you to continue the scene. You are given the opportunity to make long, wonderful fights all in a single post, instead of branched out in paragraphs over the course of weeks.

After both people have posted on their thread, a poll can be created and voted upon. Questions about the stories can be placed in that thread, or a separate discussion thread. If you want to win, you make a compelling fight, not a stomp. This encourages the ideals we have worked for, such as a lack of god-modding. Keeping characters personalities, flare, techniques, ect well intact for characters you did not create develops ones writing ability, which doesn't hurt for future RPs.

Winners continue, losers well..lose. Like any elimination-style tournament. A thread can be dedicated to marking who will fight who next, as well as providing links to old fights.

To summarize, you'll make a story of your character, and your opponents character in a fight. Your story will end with your character coming out on top. After you and your opponent have posted, everyone will vote on which fight they thought was better ( cooler, more fair, more creative, ect ) and after some time the winner will be chosen. As with anything, this will require attention and some dedication to work, but I believe in you.

Finally, I want to list some additions that could become part of this style, if everyone wants them.

- Selecting a setting ( where each post in a thread will take place ).

There are many ways to do this. Each poster in the fight might have complete control over the area they wish to fight in, allowing them to better create the battle they want. Before they start their stories, they might be told where they will fight to provide a fair fighting ground, which will require improvisation on both sides. Maybe multiple fighting grounds can be voted on by the fighters, or the community. This will have to be decided.


- Carrying over specific injuries after winning a fight via votes.

This is an interesting one. Injuries limit the options of the fighter in question. Breaking an arm can virtually render it useless. Losing a finger, ear, ect can be beyond a bother, but less limiting. We could force each competitor to carry an injury they occurred in their previous fight on to the next one, although in a stable condition. In other words, we would force you to make your character take some big injury in every story you write, regardless of whether or not you win, since it would be a part of the story before voting took place. If you did win, that injury would carry over into the next fight. Your opponent would exploit it in their story, if they so chose, and you would have to keep it in mind in your story. Of course, your opponent would have to deal with the same thing, since they won their fight. Would everyone agree on this concept? Probably not, which is why it isn't a requirement. It could be, however. Another way to do it is simply leave it up to the individual. This may mean it never happens, because it makes it harder to win the fight after that injury.
Also, we have to decide, if we make this a requirement, what degree of injury is required. A break is something that will heal after the next fight, meaning it will only carry over for one fight. Losing a limb would carry on for good. Would someone who chose a permanent injury have to still add on a new, temporary one each fight, or would the permanent injury be enough?


I've thought of more in the past, but this is what is at the top of my thoughts on these matters. I now would like to post an example set-up, prior to a fight. Something you might find as the first post on the individual fight-thread.


Example:

Thread name: War Tournament 1, round 2 ( Rei vs Shin )

Fighters: Rei vs Shin
Setting: Dense forest in late spring. Heavy shrubbery makes footwork troublesome. Thick low branches provide opportunities for climbing and ambushes.
Injuries to keep in mind: Rei lost her right arm. ( derp )
Shin has a papercut on his elbow. ( doublederp )

To end this I want to ask for your feedback on this style of tournament style, as well as any questions or concerns.

[Cat]

This sounds like a great idea Ian! Could their even be restrictions in battles, besides wounds, like for example: No super powers or no weapons?
I feel like we'd have to list down the full abilities of our characters, wouldn't we?

[Kittywhite]

I personally feel like those would be restrictions for specific tournaments, or even individual fights as determined by the lot of us. I could see it, though, for sure.
As for the abilities..I believe the major skills, abilities, and powers would have to be listed somewhere ( many already are on the profile threads, if such characters were to be used ) More minor things could be revealed throughout fights, for creative flare. Just giving a general concept on the abilities of your opponent's character allows you to be flexible with how they use those abilities. If you feel you are deviating to far from the original purpose or use of the skill in question, you can always question the creator of that character for more examples of the ability in question, such as it's uses or relative strength to something else.

We could put up individual profiles that include one or more example posts of your character in action against one or more unspecified opponents. This would allow others to see the abilities listed in action to various degrees, so they can adapt it to their own stories.

I'd like to see things done with these powers that the original creators did not think up, and would never have expected. To that end, I personally would like to see few abilities that are broad in there purpose.

[Cat]

Sweet. Thanks for clarification. :>