Judging Guide

This Guide is the generally accepted judging criteria utilized by the League of Duelists.

For RP Duel examples, please see the Duel Logs

If you are going to judge an RP duel for established characters, you should have at least some knowledge of the characters' RP histories. If a character has skills or abilities outside their race/class combination, you should know about it, and a general overview of how they reasonably arrived at those skills, abilities, items, etc…
(Often abilities such as this require explicit admin approval.)

Duels are NOT "Writing Contests"; they are battles conveyed through writing.

They are judged based on who was the better Duelist, not who was the better writer. There IS a difference.

After each post, you should ask yourself the following questions:

Did the post flow well? Were the character’s actions easy to understand?

Each post should flow from beginning to end. Proper spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure will help greatly in this task though they are not the final word on "Flow".

Notes on "Flow"

Your flow will suffer IF: the complicated nature of your attack requires the judges to reread it multiple times in order to ascertain your intentions.

Your flow will suffer IF: your character's intentions become convoluted by excessively flowery language.

Your flow will suffer IF: your post contains multiple contingencies of what may, or may not, happen depending on numerous circumstances within one attack.

(Sometimes called "Assumptive posts" or "If, than, otherwise - posts")

Your flow will suffer IF: your post mixes past, present, and future tenses into one attack/defense. Ideally, your post will consistently express the present tense actions of your character.

Did the post paint a picture in your mind? Could you easily visualize the scene and actions of the character?

You should be able to actually see the actions of the character in your mind, the environment, and the scene in its entirety. A good post will allow the effortless immersion of your senses into the scene. Such is the nature of a truly well framed post.

Was the attack/defense of the character creative?

The attacks and defenses should be original, not just a simple slash or fireball. The defense should equally be creative; given the attack itself was well crafted. It shouldn’t surprise the judges or opponents if an overly simple attack against an experienced duelist is blocked completely, if done within the character’s abilities. The judge shouldn’t expect a seasoned duelist to prostrate themselves to a poor attack by taking damage where none is warranted. On the other side, if an attack is very well crafted and original, it should be expected for the opponent to either take a fair bit of damage or create an equally impressive defense.

Was the attack hard to defend? Did the defense sufficiently address all parts of the attack?

Good attacks often involve distraction, traps, utilizing special skills, or playing to their opponent’s weaknesses. While a good attack doesn’t require these things, it should at least be difficult to defend using common techniques of their opponent’s race/class. A good attack can not involve an Auto-hit or Godmodding, the post should describe the attack but not the actual contact of the blow or spell; also, the actual damage dealt should not be described by the attacker. A good defensive post should likewise address everything in their opponent’s attack, no aspects of their opponent's post should be ignored. If an attack isn’t defended, their opponent may convey reasonable damage from that blow on their next post.

Did the actions reflect the reasonably short amount of time in each round

Each round reflects a very short time period, expecting their opponent is looking for every opportunity to attack. While attacks should be detailed and unique, they shouldn't be so complex that they involve 4 different attacks or actions which would assume their opponent is just waiting idly by for an attack to come their way.

Did the character’s actions reasonably reflect the abilities and weaknesses of their race/class combination?

If any actions were outside of the Race/Class combination, is there a valid and reasonable RP reason why the character possesses those specific abilities? Did the characters skills represent a reasonable number of abilities, or do they seem to be "Masters" in every possible facet of combat?

Did the character’s actions reasonably reflect their RP experience in the game?

Player's should give due respect to their opponent's RP history when dueling. For instance, the attacks from someone of vast magical ability, with a lengthy RP history and list of Duel victories, should not be swatted away as if cast by an apprentice. Some judges may put no importance on this facet, while others consider RP history a large factor. It's up to the duelists to know their opponent's history and the attitudes of the judges they pick.

Did the character take damage commensurate with the quality of attacks upon them?

Good, creative, well planned attacks, should yield at least a fair bit of damage, unless the opponent can come up with an equally reasonable, creative, and well planned defense to counter it. Using abilities that a character would not reasonably possess to defend an attack, and taking no damage at all, is considered Godmodding, a serious RP faux pas.

Did the character express any damage previously taken during the duel?

If a character takes damage from an attack, they should reflect that damage in future posts. Someone who takes a dagger to the shoulder probably isn’t going to be doing cartwheels on the same arm just minutes later.

Did the player stay within any previously stated rules for the duel?

If a player goes against agreed upon rules, such as a time limit, limits on use of magic, auto-hits, auto-holds, etc. it generally demonstrates a lack of respect for their opponent, as well as affording them an unfair advantage in the duel. Points against them should represent the level of severity of their "infraction".

Was the post generally entertaining?

This speaks for itself, was the post enjoyable, was it worth your time to even read it; or do you feel cheated out of the 10-15 minutes you spent waiting for it to pop up on the screen.

These guidelines reflect the opinions of creator of this page, and are not to be portrayed as the "official rules" of judging. The amount of emphasis put on each of these questions is up to the individual judge and their preferences, but if a judge addresses each of these points with due diligence, their judging will generally be fair and competent.

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