If you already have a titled Rider or plan to have one eventually, you will probably be involved in duels at some point. The dueling system is complex, yet also simple. There are a lot of rules that outline what can happen and when, but the process of dueling is in itself not too difficult. This guide will walk you through everything related to duels - from who can duel to when they can duel to what happens in a duel. If you have more detailed questions, don't hesitate to ask!
You already know it's a challenge for a title, but you're probably wondering how it works. A duel is not a fight to kill or injure other characters. In fact, you will not be directly combating with other characters at all. During a duel, each competitor will be randomly assigned an opponent from our list of dangerous species. (And perhaps occasionally other wildlife or natural phenomena.) For the duration of the duel, you will be fighting against whatever opponent was drawn for you. The duel should focus primarily on your horse, using their strengths and mystical abilities to fend off the opponent. You are responsible for writing both sides of the 'story', so ultimately you can decide how the opponent strikes back. You can choose who gets injured (your horse and/or the opponent) and pretty much everything else. The only hard line is that you cannot kill off your opponent before the final round, if in a duel with rounds.
This system works very much like (to use an example) bull riding. Each rider in a bull riding competition draws a different bull (opponent). Some will be easier than others, and some riders will ride better than others. At the end, each rider is given a score based on how they performed. An easy duel against an easy opponent is not necessarily going to make you win, so don't always try to make your horse look far superior to their opponent!
Duels are not always 'winner takes all'. Higher titled Riders can observe the duels and decide they see something they like even if that competitor doesn't win. If a King is watching a duel and sees a promising Rider, they may decide to treat it as a deed of merit and promote them. Duels can also sometimes be a way in which mares decide who they want to mate with when they are next in season. And...even if you don't fare so well in the duel, just remember, there's always next time!
Don't forget, you can also submit duels for ability level improvements too!
- All titles can be challenged for, but each specific title has different 'cooldown' periods after a duel, during which they cannot be challenged again. The higher the rank, the longer the cooldown.
- In the case of Crown and Dignified positions, you forfeit duel cooldown if you have made less than 5 posts with the character in a RL month. At that time, we may choose to immediately open a duel to fill the inactive position.
- To start a duel, select an appropriate location (either the Dueling Arena or an open land area) and make an opening post. This should not contain duel scenes, but should state where the duel is taking place and who is being challenged. It should also clearly state the title in question so others know what rules apply. Be sure to include the Duel Sign-Up Form.
- Once you've posted, notify a moderator. They will link it in the Events sidebar so others are informed. Once a duel is linked in the sidebar, anyone eligible can join in. There can be multiple challengers in any duel, including the current title-holder. To join in, simply make a post stating that you are showing up. Be sure to include the Duel Sign-Up Form.
- If the duel will have rounds, a 3 day sign-up period is allowed. If it is one which will have standalone posts, a 2 day sign-up period is allowed. The current title-holder must show up within this time frame as well.
- Once the sign-up period is over (or during it), moderators will randomly roll to determine what opponent each competitor will be facing. This info will be PM'd to you, so keep an eye out!
- Once the sign-up period is over, a moderator will also reply to the thread stating that the duel is officially beginning.
- In duels with rounds, you will have 3 days to complete a post for each round (following the guidelines below). If you do not reply within 3 days, you miss that round, but may still continue in upcoming rounds. A moderator will post each time a round is officially closed so that the next can begin. If all opponents finish a round in less than 3 days, you may ask for the next round to begin early.
- In duels with standalone posts, you will have 5 days after the duel begins to post your standalone post of the duel. Once a duel is complete, the original starter needs to submit a battle judging form. Once submitted, a duel will be judged as quickly as possible.
Crown
- As long as they are actively posting, the Crown positions can only be dueled for once every 6 in-character seasons (6 RL months).
- Only characters titled Dignitary can challenge.
- Duels will consist of 4 rounds. During each round you may make one attack against your opponent and must have them make one counterattack.
- You may dodge/block up to 3 of your opponent's counterattacks.
- As long as they are actively posting, the Dignitary positions can only be dueled for once every 3 in-character seasons (3 RL months).
- Only characters titled Honorable/Admiral/Chief can challenge.
- Duels will consist of 4 rounds. During each round you may make one attack against your opponent and must have them make one counterattack.
- You may dodge/block up to 2 of your opponent's counterattacks.
- These positions are earned by merit. They can be given out during any duel, at the discretion of the Crown.
- Any character, including those with no titles yet, can duel for these positions.
- Duels will consist of 1 standalone post (per participant). In this post you may make 3 attacks against your opponent and must have them make 3 counterattacks.
- You may dodge/block 1 of your opponent's counterattacks.
- As long as they are actively posting, these positions can only be dueled for once every 2 in-character seasons (2 RL months).
- Only characters who are in the Guardian herd may duel for this position.
- Duels will consist of 1 standalone post (per participant). In this post you may make 3 attacks against your opponent and must have them make 3 counterattacks.
- You may dodge/block 2 of your opponent's counterattacks.
- As long as they are actively posting, these positions can only be dueled for once every 2 in-character season (2 RL months).
- Any character, including those with no titles yet, can duel for this position.
- Duels will consist of 1 standalone post (per participant). In this post you may make 3 attacks against your opponent and must have them make 3 counterattacks.
- You may dodge/block 1 of your opponent's counterattacks.
All duels will be judged by a panel of 2-3 judges. These will typically be moderators/admins, but in the case that a moderator or admin is in position to win the duel, another member may be selected as a fill-in judge. Three judges are used in battles with rounds, while in battles with standalone posts only 2 judges will be used unless a tiebreaker is needed. A duel will never have only one judge, simply to eliminate bias. Since we're dealing with multiple people who have different life schedules, it may take a few days for a duel to get judged. Please be patient!
Duels will be judged on many factors. Post length is not one of them. While one-liners are not going to fly, don't feel like every post has to be a novel. Being clear and concise is often more beneficial than adding a bunch of fluff that does nothing to enhance your duel and may even cloud over it. We're looking mostly for you to show a true display of character. If your horse has weaknesses (don't they all?), we want to see those. They should not be all-powerful! If they are a low-rank by birth or have lower level abilities, you should be playing them like that. The winner is not always the one who has the highest abilities and highest rank, it's about which one managed to approach the battle in the most realistic and creative way. Natural ranks are considered, but they are looked at more as a mild 'handicap' than a deciding factor. Seriously, don't feel like just because you have a 'lesser' horse that you won't ever win. We might just enjoy laughing at their misfortunes enough to declare you the winner!
Is this a perfect system? Probably not. The horse who should be the strongest or bravest may not always win. But it's meant to be fair and give every horse equal opportunities to succeed. Whether you have a high rank or a low, you have the chance to move up through ability levels and ranks.