|
I may never come back, and I just want someone to know. This article contains text from a former Shadow Academy course. It is no longer in use, and is preserved here for historical purposes only and should not be used/referenced.
|
Course Notes
Introduction
The purpose of this course is to relay a general idea of what the Antei Combat Centre is about and how to get started. Items covered will range from; an explanation of what the ACC is, to how to fill out a Character Sheet (CS), to the basics of the Centre's 'mechanics'. In completing this course, we hope you will have gained the tools necessary to have an understanding of what the Centre does and what it is for. More information, beyond this course, can be found in the Handbook or in the next level courses.
The Antei Combat Centre (ACC)
Apart from the fictional history of the Centre and its inception as a training facility, the ACC exists as a writing platform. While the 'gamers' of the Brotherhood have JO, JA, Battlefront and the like, writers have the ACC. The Centre's primary function is 'Combat Writing' which exists in many forms such as duels (1v1), death-matches (2v1, 2v2 etc), ladders (elimination tournaments) and cooperative missions that are available to the characters. The actions of the characters are written out, in sequence, by the participants, using the Character Sheets (CS) as guides to determine what would and would not be realistic to write.
Character Sheets
CS's provide combatants and their opponents with the necessary resources to write a believable story that involves the characters. The CS can be filled out by accessing the dossier through the Brotherhood login and selecting the link 'Subscribe to the ACC' in the admin section. From there, go back to the admin section of the dossier and look for the link 'Manage your Character Sheet'. Clicking this link will open to an editable CS that needs to be filled out and submitted. The amount of points a combatant begins with (to allocate as they see fit) is determined by DB rank. Newcomers are given the rank of Initiate [INI].
The CM or DCM will review the character sheet and approve it or decline it as necessary. Various items are listed for consideration, including height, weight, and dominant hand. There are some limiting factors for properly filling out a CS, most of which can be found in the CS Anatomy and Usage section of the ACC Handbook.
- Physical Appearance: What does the character look like, what are they wearing? Weapons, traits, armor etc. written in this section will have no bearing on the character, with the exception of being for appearance only.
- Species: The selection of species available to you is found under the Species. There are a large variety of Star Wars species (species which are part of the canon Star Wars universe) available for you to choose from. While there are entries at the beginning of the list for "custom species", new custom species are currently not being approved by the ACC Staff. Each species contains an "information table" that will provide you with ideas on how a typical member of that species would function. Note, however, that unusual abilities (such as the Anzati ability "telepathy used to mesmerize prey”) do not function in the ACC.
- Stats: Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), Charisma (CHA), Force Defence (FD), Force Reflex (FR) and Force Pool (FP) are the nine major attributes that the ACC currently functions with. STR, DEX and CON deal with physical ability; INT, WIS and CHA deal with mental ability; and FD, FR and FP govern how well Force powers function. ACC explanations of these stats can be found in the ACC Handbook (CS Attributes section). Please note that all abilities are determined entirely by the stats specified on the character sheet and not by any typical advantages a species usually possesses. For example: a Wookie character is not guaranteed to be of greater than average strength. A Wookie character with a STR of 12 is, for the purposes of an ACC fight, no stronger than a human with a STR of 12.
- Fighting Skills: There are nine standard fighting skills to which an individual can allocate their points. In the ACC Handbook (Weapon Guide) there can be seen the most popular weapons, along with their 'category'. For example, a B'hedda is of the 'sword' category, the same as a Krath War Blade. Allocating points to your 'sword' skill will allow an Initiate to use either one of those blades. The same can be said for all other weapons that share the same categories that points are allocated to. More information can be found in the ACC Handbook.
Note on handedness: "Handedness" determines how well a character can use weapons in each hand, whether their strong hand or their off hand. Using a pair of weapons or some long weapons requires a certain number of points in the Strong Hand or Off Hand categories. The "Hand" field under Character Information decides which hand is the character's Strong Hand
- Hand-to-Hand Combat and Lightsaber Styles: These can be filled out by any Dark Jedi (for lightsabers, anything above Form 0 requires the rank of DJK or higher). The number of points you place in a given style determines how well you can use that style, in the same way that placing points in fighting skills shows how well you can use that type of weapon. Certain styles have prerequisites, requiring that points be placed in other styles before being able to use them. Lightsaber Guide and Hand-to-Hand Combat Guide give more information on individual styles.
ACC Mechanics
Halls
The ACC itself is composed of multiple Halls, each with their own specific logistical rules. For further information about a specific Hall, go to the ACC site and click on the Hall name. This will take you to the Hall itself, where all active and completed battles are listed, as well as any sub-Halls within it. At the top of the page, in bullet point format, the specific details for each hall are listed. The default time limit for a combatant to post is 14 days unless otherwise specified by the Hall.
The Genesis Combine is the ACC hall for conducting training and qualification matches. Open to all ACC ranks, it is the only hall in which Initiates may participate. All battles conducted in this hall consist of four normal posts (two by each combatant) and two Death Posts. No battles in the Genesis Combine will affect a participant’s Win/Loss record. Unless requested by the participants, all battles here are simply closed when finished.
The Combat Centre is the main Hall in the ACC for normal battles. Members must pass a qualification match in the Genesis Combine to participate in a battle here. All Combat Centre battles are judged by an ACC staff member upon completion and the participants’ Win/Loss record is updated. Unique to the Combat Centre Hall is the choice in battle length. In the initial challenge, battles can be specified to have 6, 8, 10, or 12 posts prior to the deathposts.
The [ http://www.darkjedibrotherhood.com/dbjedi/acc/hall.asp?id=2 Jester’s Keep] is, as the name implies, a Hall intended for humorous battles. While matches here are judged, realism is not a factor in the judging process, instead replaced by humor as a criterion. To that extent, combatants’ chosen ‘weapons’ are often not even actual weapons at all.
The Quick Skirmish Hall is for short battles. Battles here have one post by each combatant, followed by a Death Post by each combatant. In addition, the posting time limit for battles here is 72 hours.
The ACC Competitions Hall is composed of sub-Halls where each of the various ACC competitions are hosted. Battles here vary widely depending on the nature of the competition.
House Halls are Halls for when an individual House wishes to conduct an event within the ACC. Each House Hall has its own sub-Halls for their specific competitions. Battles here do not count toward participants’ Win/Loss record and are often judged by the House’s Quaestor or Aedile, rather than the actual ACC staff.
Brotherhood Halls are for the ACC components of Brotherhood-wide Vendetta events.
Other Halls can be found on the ACC site, including the Training Annex and Proving Ground (inactive Halls whose purpose was taken over by the Genesis Combine), and Time Resolved and Withdrawn Battles, where battles from other Halls are moved.
Challenging
Once you get your character sheet squared away, its time for a challenge. As an initiate, you only have one of two options: Qualification or Training. An Initiate needs to qualify before they are let out amongst the populace. This is to ensure that they are not going to have a miserable time and are able to meet the standards of the ACC. If you are simply not used to this kind of writing or wish to practice first, Training is available as well.
All training and qualification battles are conducted in the Genesis Combine. After a member has passed a qualification match, they may make challenges in any of the normal ACC Halls.
When Challenging, log into the ACC site, and under the “Navigation” tab on the left side of the page, click “Challenge.” You will then be taken to a page where you select who you wish to challenge, and which Hall in which you wish to fight them. Then, you are taken to a page where you must list which weapons you wish to bring to the battle, as well as which location you wish to fight (the fictional setting of the battle). Other optional fields are listed here as well. Visit the ACC site for more details. Finally, when you click “Finish” your challenge will be sent to your opponent, where they can either accept or decline. If they wish to accept, they will list their own weapons for the match, and then you both simply wait for an ACC staff member to open the battle.
Important Notes Regarding Weapons Choices: You are only allowed to bring into battle weapons with which you have allotted skill points on your Character Sheet. Custom Weapons are not currently allowed in the ACC. Weapons must be chosen from the “Standard Weapons” list on the ACC site (With the exception of an Armory Lightsaber for those of rank Jedi Hunter or below, or personal lightsaber(s) for members DJK+). For an ACC match, you are only allowed to use weapons specified during the challenge, regardless of what you may have written in on your Character Sheet.
Posting
You must be logged into the ACC site to submit your post. On the left hand menu again, you will see a link for "My Battles". Clicking this will take you to a current listing of your current battles. If a battle is highlighted in red, it means you have to post. Click it and go directly into your battle. You will need to read everything that was posted before you start. After doing so, if you think you're ready to post, there is a "Place New Message" link at the bottom of the most recent post.
Clicking this will take you to the text section where you will write your submission. There is a 15 minute time limit before the login will boot you. So, if you are not a fast writer, or wish to compile your thoughts before posting, it is a good idea to write your post in a text editor (Notepad, Word, Open Office etc.) beforehand and then paste it into the text box when you are ready.
If your post includes HTML tags, multiple Force Annotations, or unusual formatting, it is recommended that you use the “Show Preview” feature before you post to avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Once a post has been made, under no circumstances may a member request the ACC staff to edit it for them. All posts are final, so make sure you are ready to post when you click to do so.
ACC Battles are characterized by the number of posts they include. They are often referred to as 6+2 (6 normal posts plus two Death Posts), or 4+2 (4 normal posts plus two Death Posts).
Death Posts
The two last posts of every normal battle are termed Death Posts. A Death Post has several unique characteristics.
A Death Post must definitively end a battle. While the name implies that one of the fighters will die, this is not necessarily true. All that is required is that the battle is ended conclusively.
While all other posts in a battle follow chronologically from the post directly before, this is not true for Death Posts. Both Death Posts pick up directly after the last normal post. Each Death Post is intended to provide a unique end to the battle.
Post limits, Extension Requests, and Timeouts
The time limit for posting is listed in each Hall. If you fail to post within the allotted time, you will suffer a Timeout. The penalty for a Timeout depends on the individual Hall. For halls where Win/Loss record is not affected, the battle will simply be deleted. In the Combat Centre Hall, a Timeout counts as a win for your opponent and a loss for you as long as 3 posts have already been made to the battle (not counting the intro post). If you time out on any of the first three posts, the battle will be simply be deleted and will not count as a win or loss for either opponent. In the past, time limits were considered ‘soft’ in that posts were accepted after the time limit if you were lucky enough to get it in before a member of the ACC staff closed the battle. Currently this policy has been changed in favor of ‘hard’ timeouts. Any post which is made after the post limit is considered invalid, and the battle will be closed.
Real Life sometimes makes it impossible for various reasons to complete a post on time. If you feel unable to post within the time limit, you must request an Extension. To do so, you must send an email to the Combat Master, Deputy Combat Master, and your opponent. In the email, specify your reason for being unable to post on time, as well as how much extra time you request. Your opponent will be given 24 Hours to accept or decline to the request, at which point a note will be made in the battle by the Combat Master that the extension has been granted. An Extension Request must be submitted before the time period for posting has ended.
Judging
Battles are rated on a number of criteria, the primary ones being 'writing' 'realism' and 'continuity'. Be sure that you spell-check and proofread everything you write as you can be penalized for poor grammar.
Ensure that you are writing within your character and that you are not surpassing the abilities of your character. The ACC Handbook gives a breakdown of stats in the Character Sheet Guide and you would do well to read it. As you selected the points of your characters abilities, it would be good for you to write within their bounds. You should also shy away from writing your opponent incorrectly as well.
Finally, stick with the story. Continuity can be a huge point deduction and is always caused by combatants failing to read what was written before.
Qualification
An Initiate may request that a battle they have completed in the Genesis Combine be considered for Qualification. In the past, all Qualification matches had to be conducted between an Initiate and a member of the ACC staff. Now, however, any match against any opponent in the Genesis Combine can be considered for qualification by an Initiate. Because all battles in the Genesis Combine are by default simply closed by the ACC staff, the Initiate must send an email to the Combat Master and Deputy Combat Master saying they request the battle to be considered for qualification (and include a link to the battle in the email).
When the ACC Staff judges a member for Qualification, they are not judging their writing against the writing of the opponent in the match. To qualify, an Initiate does not have to ‘beat’ their opponent, but instead only show that they have a good foundation of the rules of the ACC. There is a certain baseline requirement that the ACC Staff looks for in qualification. This includes: acceptable spelling and grammar; ability to use Force Annotations correctly; and a basic understanding of continuity and realism within a battle. Everyone makes mistakes, so you need not feel like your writing must be perfect to qualify, but certain factors weigh more heavily than others. For instance, writing that a Protector with Strength of 10 overpowered a Dark Adept with Strength 20 is a serious breach of realism and shows a fundamental lapse in knowledge of the ACC mechanics. As such, that scenario would be a far more serious error than a few misspelled words or some awkward sentence structure.
Force Usage
As we are Dark Jedi, it is only natural that we use the Dark Side of the Force to further aid us in our battles. Powers range from Create Force Storms to the Mind Trick. What powers you may attempt are specifically dependent on your DB rank and the points you spend on your Character Sheet. If you don't put points into a power on your CS, you can't use it in the ACC. Members with the Brotherhood ranks of Initiate up to Acolyte may use First Rite powers; Protectors through Dark Jedi Knights may use Second Rite powers; Equites may use Third Rite powers and Elders may use Mastery powers. Grand Mastery powers are a separate tier of powers reserved for Grand Masters. A member may also use powers from any tier below their own (assuming they've put points into it). For example, an Equite may use Second Rite powers, because they're above the rank that you would normally need to access them.
When using Force powers it is best to not only describe the power being used but also make note of that power. The ACC uses a system of markers called "annotations" to help identify powers right where they are written and, in most cases, they are not optional. If you use any other kind of method to mark your power usage, or none at all, you may incur comments in the battle's judgment that could affect the outcome. A look at these markers along with the powers available to each class is available in the ACC Handbook; Dark Jedi Force Powers section.
- When the mouse is placed over the markers a message will appear telling you the name of the power and its description.*
While you write your posts (and use the powers available to you) please be aware that each and every battle applies the Force Attributes listed in the Attributes section: Force Defence, Force Reflex and Force Pool. Force Pool is especially important because it determines how often you can use particular powers, while Force Reflex determines how much effort it takes. Please see the CS Attributes section of the ACC Handbook for more information.
Automatic Disqualification
While the ACC respects one's right to being creative, there are rules to follow that allow you and your opponent to have a pleasurable experience. The following are items that can cause instant disqualification. If your opponent commits any of these during the course of the battle you have the right to submit an Official Complaint and request your opponent's DQ. Do not draw the battle or post! See the Rules section for more information. These 'critical items' are as follows:
- A combatant who uses a weapon that was not addressed in the battle's introduction.
- A combatant who 'self promotes' during a battle (i.e. You remain the rank you began the battle with in the intro).
- A combatant fails to fulfill the role of a death post as it applies to the battle specifics.
- A combatant times out without notifying the parties concerned and having an extension granted.
- A combatant 'kills' their opponent before the death post.
- A combatant disregards damage, stats, and/or character attributes/traits to the point of severely hindering the battle's realism.
- A combatant posts in such a way as to prevent their opponent from 'realistically' continuing.
Conclusion
As stated repeatedly through this course, more information can be found in the ACC Handbook. You are strongly urged to read it and get to know all that it has to offer. Who knows, you may also need it for the test!