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Fighting and uruks are like bread and water, they just go together nicely. And while combat is sometimes considered the meat of Mordor we try to make sure that we exel in combat rp, to make sure that we don1t develop a reputation as a Mud like culture.
There are several rules of thumb to always keep in mind when you are in a violent confrontation. They all come down to one basic idea: roleplay your character imaginatively but fairly, and everyone will enjoy the event.
The first rule of thumb is simple, and everyone should know it: pose only what you attempt to do, and allow your opponent to pose the results based on the circumstances and RP or the results of the Combat System.
In your poses, use details to convey what is happening. Remember, combat is a facet of roleplay, and the Combat System is merely a tool to neutrally and quickly resolve the contest between two characters' skills.
Always try to imply your skill level, strength, dexterity, wits, and health in the descriptions of your actions. Do this with sufficient skill and imaginativeness and subtlety, and the use of the Combat System to compare your abilities to your opponent's may merely be a formality.
Use enough details in describing your movements and actions to provide a rich "visual" experience for your opponent and observers. Which is more interesting: "Dulgrist chops at the elf," or "Dulgrist shuffles nimbly backward, his scarred mouth contorted into a hateful snarl as he shoves his shield forward to stagger or baffle his agile enemy. His scimitar swings overhand toward the elf's head, then snaps around to slash at the elf's arm from the side." Longer poses are spammy, but are more entertaining and memorable. This is one situation where it's best to err on the side of verbosity.
Remember to respond to your opponent's poses and those of the other characters roleplaying in the same room. If your opponent shoved forward or tried to trip you, then pose darting aside, or stumbling or staggering or falling, depending on how well (if at all) she hit you. If others in the room are running around in confusion, then pose reacting to them, dodging around them or using the confusion to elude your enemy or surprise him. Also, it is very valuable and entertaining to use @emits in the combat to pose the activities of any NPC's around or natural events such as the weather. Just remember to be fair: such things should affect you as badly as they affect anyone else! Combat should be a detailed and entertaining interaction between all characters involved.
The Combat System is a useful tool for neutrally resolving contests between the skills and abilities of combatants, but it is certainly not the only valid means of doing so. RP-only combats can be as detailed and imaginative (or more so) as conflicts using the Combat System, but they require skill and fairness and cooperation from all involved. You should pose your actions in the same way, but it is up to the defender each time to decide and pose the results.
When the Combat System is not used, it is up to you to objectively and fairly RP the strengths and (more importantly) the weaknesses of your character. If your opponent outmatches you, then it is up to you to accept eventual defeat (unless something extraordinary happens or you figure out an IC way to trick your enemy into making a serious mistake) and RP accordingly. If you are closely-matched it might take a while, but you should pose the weaknesses in your defense and the minor wounds you might take as your opponent presses the attack against those weaknesses.
The longer the fight lasts, the more likely you will be to take more serious injuries, depending on your CON and DEX, your opponent's STR, and (most importantly) the difference between your skill and your opponent's. Exhaustion and the shock of minor wounds will make you more vulnerable. If you are clearly outmatched (i.e., a snaga facing Aragorn), the fight should under most circumstances be over swiftly, and you should be dead or severely injured afterward if you stood up to the vastly-superior enemy for any length of time. Remember after the battle to RP any injuries you may have sustained! This is VERY important: even if you have lost no HP from the Combat System, you should RP your injuries the same as you always would, including taking time to RP your convalescence if necessary.
In conclusion, without the Combat System to determine the outcome of a conflict, it is your responsibility to RP the conflict fairly and objectively, whether that means your character wins or loses or even dies. It is always better to RP well your character's death than to survive through un-IC tricks or escapes. If you die in RP combat, then roleplay it out, and after the scene is over, change your name, get an admin to change your title if necessary, and begin with a fresh character and background. In-character death is NOT a sign of bad play. On the contrary, if you are a good sport and RP your character's death well, it is a sign of superior roleplaying ability. Remember, fairness in your RP will enhance your reputation as a player and the reputation of the fellow players of your culture.
Orcs were bred as warrior-slaves. They manifest the corruption of Morgoth and Sauron and the destruction that that corruption wreaks as it spreads to places and people who would resist it. Violence is an unavoidable, perhaps integral, part of the orcish personality and role-play. However, it is only one facet of role-playing in Mordor. Mordor has worked hard as a culture to maintain the highest standards of role-play, and, as indicated in Darkhelp, is not here simply to provide an arena for combat. Therefore it is the policy of Mordor not to Combat-Approve new players at once, but to require them to wait a short period, to role-play within Mordor and learn the techniques and etiquette of combat both within Mordor and generally.
Not being Combat-Approved does NOT mean that your character is incapable of participating in or being a victim of violence. It means simply that your character is not trained in a weapon and that you cannot yet use the Combat System to resolve conflicts. If you are In-Character and someone attacks you, or you feel it is ICly appropriate to attack someone, you should role-play the situation appropriately and according to the guidelines offered in +HELP and NEWS, conducting the combat strictly by role-playing, not using the Combat System.
After you have had a chance to RP with the Mordain weapons trainers and learn from them, they will recommend you to the Local Admins for Combat Approval and send you the Combat System Questions for you to answer and submit to an LA. This accomplished, the LA will either Combat-Approve you or talk to you and the trainers about why you have not yet been approved. It usually takes a week or two to become Combat-Approved. Generally, players have been further delayed in Combat Approval due to inexperience, violations of combat etiquette, un-IC actions and behavior, and failure to acknowledge and role-play IC limitations.
