The Redskull Trophy Ring

From HollowWiki

Introduction

Based out of Craughmoyle and run by money-hungry dwarves, the Redskull Trophy Ring regularly hosts fighting events. Blood sport at heart, these raucous thrill matches come with ample shouting, drinking, and betting on the side. New attractions are always in demand, and the dwarves remain ever on the lookout for fresh contenders to throw in the ring.

RPs can be tagged with Presented by [[:The Redskull Trophy Ring]] and [[Category:The Redskull Trophy Ring]]


What is it?

The Redskull Trophy Ring is an IC organization for hosting and judging fights. Though the fights are the organization's central feature, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes and at the ringside to keep everything running smoothly. The fights in the Redskull Trophy Ring are not duels. Instead, each fight held in the Redskull Trophy Ring is a public RP about an organized, spectator combat event.


What does that mean?

Unlike duels, which are officiated by ooc judges, the Trophy Ring's fights are officiated in-character. The ordinary rules of RP apply, naturally, but that's about where the similarities end. There's no post limit, and the "defence/attack" convention becomes more of a guideline than a rule. Staff and spectators are considered present, and they use public channels of communication.


Where is it?

The Redskull Trophy Ring is located in Craughmoyle.


Directions from Recall {Dragon's Head Inn}

1w, 5s, 1e, 1d, 6n, 3w, 2s, 1e

Roles and Rules

Combatants are the focus of all the excitement, but there are many satellite roles to be filled. Creativity is welcome, and some overlap may be necessary when staff is short; for example, there's no reason a judge couldn't double as a ring marshal or a master of ceremonies.

Except where it is directly noted otherwise, these are a set of IC guidlines by which characters are expected to abide.


Combatants
  • Without fighters, there is no event, plain and simple. Combatants are to settle on terms before the fight begins; arms and armor, admissible strikes, victory conditions, and so on. Most terms are acceptable, but officials will probably ask that combatants renegotiate if things look badly out of hand. Though combatants should take pride in their martial abilities, there is an unspoken, universally understood notion that the fighters are, on the bottom line, entertainers. The spectators and the backers will expect a good fight.


Ring Marshal
  • Wherever there are rules, there are enforcers. The ring marshal keeps the fight fair by remaining in the ring with the combatants, holding them to their terms, and generally making sure things go without incident. A good ring marshal should know how to keep the fight moving at a healthy pace and know when to call a fight early. It is customary for the ring marshal to remind the combatants of their agreed terms at the beginning of the fight. In a fight with few or no terms, a ring marshal is still a handy precaution in case contenders turn unruly.


Judges
  • At a fight's conclusion, it is the judge who picks a winner. The judge's seat is something of an honorary station; persons of merit nearly always have first grabs. If an authentic celebrity can't be found, the master of ceremonies can always just hype the judge up with praises. For higher profile fights, a panel of judges may be appropriate. Thumb Signaling: Should a fight end with one combatant at the other's mercy, the judge may offer a thumbs up or thumbs down, some sign regarding how harshly or graciously the victorious should treat the vanquished. Any harsh treatment should not exceed the established terms of the fight. If the judge is doubling as master of ceremonies and would like to thumb signal, they should do so by asking the crowd for their verdict. A judge who is doubling as ring marshal should never thumb signal.


Master of Ceremonies
  • Ready on hand with ample hype, the master of ceremonies works to keep energy high and serve as a liaison to the crowd. Though they always open the fight with flashy introductions, the individual M.C decides whether or not to provide commentary through the fight itself. Many retire to spectate the event and only step back in at the end to announce winners.


Handlers
  • Sometimes, combatants are pitted against savage beasts. To make these exotic events possible, handlers must be present to ensure that feral, senseless, or uncivilized creatures don't become a threat to anyone outside the ring. Such man-vs-beast fights are vicious and have few to no terms. OOCly, Handlers are usually expected to NPC their beasts, playing the creatures in place of a combatant.


Spectators
  • What would be a spectacle without spectators? If the fighters are the heart of an event, the crowd makes the soul. Their cheers, taunts, gasps, and general hubbub form a living backdrop to the ringside experience.


Backers
  • Working hard behind the scenes, the backers are the real gears and guts of the Redskull Trophy Ring. They fund the organization and work hard to keep everything running smoothly, hence profitably. Should a missing role ever need filling, a backer will generally step in to play the part. OOCly, backers are the ones who set up the events, recruit players, manage wiki and hmail activity, and do whatever else it takes to keep the Redskull Trophy Ring functional.


And many more

  • These so far are just the crucial roles, and players should not feel restricted to the above list. What about coaches? Vendors and hawkers? Ringside medicine? Players who wish to participate should have no trouble finding a niche somewhere.

Posting Order

With so many people posting at once, things could get messy. A few simple conventions can keep RP clipping neatly along. This section covers posting orders and how to efficiently move officials in and out of combat. Obviously, sensible adjustments can be made to opening and closing protocols, especially as roles are added or consolidated.


Getting Started

The Master of Ceremony opens the event with an introductory post, followed by the Judge's entrance post, the Combatants' and Handler's entrance posts, and the Ring Marshal's entrance post. Spectators have no established order.


Combat and Flagging Reactions

In combat, the Combatants alternate posting in their own A, B, A, B. While they are fighting, other players have no established order but may flag a reaction to a Combatant's post. Here is a turn-by-turn example of a Ring Marshal reacting to a foul blow.

  1. Hildegarde tries to elbow Orikahn in the nose.
  2. Orikahn blocks the elbow. Orikahn throws a punch at Hildegarde's gut.
  3. Hildegarde dodges the punch. Hildegarde throws a kick at Orikahn's knee.
  4. Ring Marshal oocly will react to Hildegarde's post.
  5. Orikahn gets hit in the knee. Orikahn growls and tries to headbutt Hildegarde.
  6. The Ring Marshal steps between the fighters just in time to catch Orikahn's headbutt. He warns Hildegarde to keep it above the belt and steps back out again, rubbing his head.
  7. Hildegarde backs away from the marshal, takes the warning in stride, and circles a lap around the ring to cool off.
  8. Orikahn waits for the marshal to finish then joins Hildegarde in circling the ring. When the moment is right, he tries to pounce her.


As it happens, Orikahn and Hildegarde agreed there would be no hits below the belt. When Hildegarde breaks the fight's terms, the Ring Marshal decidedes to flag a reaction--he oocly signals that he will be posting a reaction to Hildegarde's post. Orikahn has already started his post by now, but after he finishes, Hildegarde waits for the Ring Marshal's post before continuing. Once the Ring Marshal's had his post, things go back to normal starting with Hildegarde; the fight's right back on.

In case you missed it, flagging a reaction means asking a player to wait for your reaction before they post. Just make sure that you wait for the current post to finish before you jump in.

A note on when to flag: Flagging is disruptive to the flow of combat, so it should be reserved for actions that would actually disrupt the fighters in the ring. For example, if the M.C. chooses to provide blow-by-blow commentary, these posts should not be flagged reactions. Even though the M.C. is reacting to the combatants in a literal sense, the announcements take place over the top of the fight and shouldn't interrupt what's happening in the ring.


Finishing Up

The Ring Marshal ultimately has the authority to call a fight. This might be in response to a vanquishing blow, or it might just be a way to keep a long fight from dragging on indefinitely. After the Ring Marshal's post, the Combatants have a post each before the Judge announces a winner. Combatants then post a final time, and the Master of Ceremonies gives closing announcements. Spectators, as always, have no established order.


Matinee Events

Sometimes, for a novel change of pace, a fight's terms might place it outside the conventional notions of combat. For these matinee events, roles are to be adapted directly (for example, combatants might be referred to as "contestants") and all the other ordinary RTR conventions would still apply.


Since the RTR markets itself as a combat venue first and foremost, the backers know that too many matinees will weaken the brand. For this reason, the organization maintains judicious spacing between novelty matches.


OOC Conduct

Beyond merely meeting Hollow's community standards, players in the RTR should keep these fundamental goals in mind: have fun and be fun. From Spectator to Backer, players must be conscious of their social role in the RTR's OOC community and always strive to raise the entertainment value of RTR events. This responsibility deepens right along with one's depth of participation.