MELEE TACTICS

 

                           MELEE TACTICS

     

[A] FIGHTING STRATEGIES

        A Warrior's strategies can be loosely grouped into three basic

modes: Defensive, Cautious, or Aggressive. Each of these modes can

further be defined by other combat determinations, but the overall

strategy will often set the tone for any given melee.

        A Warrior in the defense is often characterized by a very

deliberate or nonexistent advance, and will often attempt to use an

opponent's aggressiveness against him. Defensive strategies are often

employed by those who lack great physical speed or who are using a slow,

powerful weapon. One who is a master of the smooth, quick counter is

fantastic to watch and usually admired by the crowds. There is something

that seems appealing in the cool customer who systematically takes apart an

opponent strictly by using the other guy's attacks against him....

        But not all Warriors have the physical attributes or mental

discipline to start--and stay!--with a defensive strategy. Many lose

their cool after taking a wound, or when their active defense is used

against them. A Warrior practicing caution will still probe his

opponent, seeking the weak spots while attempting to leave as little an

opening as possible for his opponent to capitalize on. This is perhaps

the "safest" strategy for someone who has given little thought to his

weapon selection with regard to body type, mental attribute, and/or

combat environment.

        Lastly there is the aggressive Warrior. The strategy is simple:

rely on strength, speed, stamina, ability to sustain wounds, armor and

guts or luck to rain enough blows on the enemy to overwhelm him before he

can hurt you too badly. It takes a special mind set and physical build to

make this strategy pay off consistently, since the aggressive attacker

must expect to incur wounds and be able to continue the attack. But boy!

Do the crowds ever love to watch two of these types go against each

other!

[B] PRIMARY TARGET OF OPPORTUNITY

        Simply put, this is the area where, for whatever reason, your

Warrior will direct most of his attacks. While this can be an emotional

decision, the wise, old Warriors set this tactic in their minds only

after doing thorough research on an opponent, and use this mind set to

take advantage of a real weakness in the opponent. 

[C] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO ATTACK THE PRIMARY TARGET

        There is a real subtlety to using this tactical mind set. One who

spends all his energy attacking a perceived weakness in his opponent

becomes predictable, allowing other potential challengers to prepare for

such attacks by beefing up their armor and defensive strategies. On the

other hand, the Warrior who doesn't go at the enemy's weakness often

enough is likely to be less effective in combat than is wise.

[D] PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE

        Obviously, the area which the Warrior has identified as either

A) his weak point or Achilles Tendon, or B) that area where his

opponent is expected to target most of his attacks. Warriors who try to

out-think their enemies can get into as much trouble here as those who

don't think about their enemy at all! This is where you will cover with

your shield a percent of the time determined below. If you are

covering this portion with your shield when the enemy tries to hit it,

you will automatically block the blow and take no damage.

[E] PERCENT OF THE TIME TO DEFEND THEIR PRIMARY FOCUS OF DEFENSE

        Naturally, a Warrior who always protects his head is soon going

draw hosts of opponents who are determined to chop his legs out from

under him. Varying your defensive focus will throw some uncertainty into

the equation, making your defense less predictable. How often do you want

to cover the area you identified in [D] above?

[F] PRIMARY DEFENSIVE OPTION

        Which particular defense are you going to use most often, the

block, the parry, or the counter? A block is usually the best,

percentage-wise, but is also the most damaging to one's equipment, since

it is without finesse, and is tossed up there simply to catch the

opponent's blow before it clobbers you. Blocks tend to be hard on weapons,

and have even been known to shatter weapons which have not been properly

taken care of.

        The parry is more difficult to master, but is much easier on your

equipment, since the idea is to deflect an attack rather than simply stop

it. Ideally the deflection will leave the attacker open for a riposte. It

is possible for a clumsy, hard parry to shatter a weapon, but it is MUCH

less common than the block.

        Lastly, the counter is the hallmark of a master. The idea is simply

to avoid the blow and strike your own, taking advantage of the opening that

is offered by every fully-committed attack. The counter requires exquisite

timing, coordination, and awareness all backed by lots of experience. Few

Warriors without ten or twenty battles under their belt, and a fair

amount of time spent training under a master, can execute a successful

counter with any reliability.... Note that you cannot kill someone, or beat

them into submission with a counter. You can, however, stun them, leaving

them with no ability to fight; then you can deliver the coup de grace at

leisure...

[G] PERCENTAGE OF THE TIME TO USE THE PRIMARY DEFENSE AGAINST A SURE HIT

        It takes little training for a Warrior to know when an

opponent's attack is going to strike home. This tactic is merely a

programming of the subconscious to use a specific defense a certain

amount of the time when it becomes apparent that a blow is going to hit.

Plain and simple, it allows a slightly better chance of catching that

uncatchable attack. The wise Warrior will not lose sight of the fact

that to be predictable is to be beaten, and that only the foolish will

use the same last-resort defense all the time. When you pull your attack

to execute this last-ditch defense, it throws off your timing a little, and

will more than likely force you to pass your next attack opportunity, so it

is not wise to set this too high, or you will spend all your time defending

and not throwing attacks of your own!

[H] GRANTING QUARTER TO A BEATEN ENEMY

        Ah.... here is where things really get tense in the Arena. All

else being equal, how often will you spare an opponent who has either

surrendered or been knocked unconscious by your attacks? In a Blood

Match it's expected that you take the other Warrior's life, but what

about a normal match? Reputations are made here, and a Warrior's infamy

is directly tied to his decisions at such times. On the other hand, if a

Warrior gains a name for killing all his opponents, no matter what, then

he's certain to end up fighting every match to the death, since it is

suicidal to surrender to him... and every round fought increases the

chances of that unlucky critical hit....

[I] SURRENDER CRITERION

        At what point will the Warrior surrender the fight? A Warrior

can decide he will surrender at first blood (and be guaranteed small

purses for his battles, if he ever wins), or he can decide that he will

fight to the death. The Warrior falling into the latter category often

wins a large prize, but rarely lasts for long; after all, there is only

so much that modern medicine can accomplish, and only a fool tests the

fates with EVERY fight... It also takes a remarkable amount of will to

fight even unto death. Warriors who consistently fight until they lose

consciousness suffer a pretty fair chance of being maimed to the point

where their loss of strength, agility, or other characteristics becomes

permanent.

[J] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR GO BERSERK?

        Occasionally one happens across a Warrior who, when sorely

wounded, loses all capability for rational thought -- he "berserks." A

Warrior gone berserk will never bother to defend against anything, but

will instead concentrate upon nothing other than inflicting as much

damage, as rapidly as possible, upon the enemy. Some Warriors will never

berserk, while others will go into the death-rage at the very first

wound. Berserking Warriors often attack more often than they might

be capable of while in full control of themselves, and their rage might

give them extra strength, but it will also tend to make their attacks

less calculated, and therefore less accurate. They are also easier to hit.

It takes a great deal of endurance to remain berserk for very long. And,

once berserk, the character is out of control and fights without guidance

until he manages to control his berserk rage... or is hacked to doll rags.

[K] HOW OFTEN WILL THE WARRIOR ATTEMPT A COMBINATION ATTACK?

        Most experienced fighters will say that combination attacks are

the key to getting through an opponent's defenses. Combination attacks

are the rational Warrior's substitute for berserking. However, like

berserking, combination attacks take a lot of energy, and very few can

keep them up for long without tiring to the point where they can't even

fight anymore. Being well-rehearsed, oft-practiced attacks, combination

attacks don't usually inflict anymore damage per blow, like a

berserker's attack might, but neither do they suffer the loss of

accuracy, due to loss of control.

[L] WHEN WILL THE WARRIOR CEASE BERSERKING, OR COMBINATION ATTACKING?

        While some Warriors consider it glorious to swing, keep

swinging, and swing away, even unto death, most Warriors find it wiser

to save some strength and fatigue for the end-game (Chess parlance). If

a Warrior can do enough damage during a berserk or with combination

attacks, then he may be able to slow back down and outlast the other

guy. However, while someone practicing combination attacks can slow back

down at will, a Warrior who's gone berserk will have to have a strong

will to regain control of himself. This value sets the point at which he

will plan on beginning the attempts to regain control.

[M] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PRIMARY WEAPON BREAKS

        Very few Warriors will ever be so lame as to be overcome by

someone who is fighting with his bare hands. Therefore, if a Warrior's

primary weapon breaks, or if he is disarmed, or if he just flat doesn't

have a secondary weapon, then he might consider it wisest to surrender,

take the loss on his record, and avoid the serious wounding or death that

might result from attempting to continue the fight.

[N] WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SECONDARY WEAPON BREAKS

        While there is little chance of winning a melee if both your

weapons are broken (unless your opponent is much, MUCH worse off then

you!), there is nothing that forces a Warrior to surrender. This

mind set is for those Warriors who would rather risk losing their life

than their pride.