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Okay, so this has...sorta been an ongoing thing in terms of OOC discussions, even in the old timeline, so I wanted to make a thread about using ranged weapons like blasters, slugthrowers and the like, sort of gather everyone's thoughts on the matter and create an open dialogue and discussion on it. I figured since this is a topic where the overlying idea seems to be 'guns < everything else', I'd start with something of a...less informal guide based around my own thoughts and perceptions and we can go from there.
Now, as many of you probably know, I don't really do gunslingers. It's not that I'm not interested in blasters or non-Force Users, but even before I joined this site I've had had a very....magic-heavy preference when it comes to writing and RPing. It's not that I don't like your Han Solo type characters, it's just that I'm not very good - or not very motivated at least - to write them myself since it's not exactly my preferred area.
That said, I've seen a lot of people use them, and I've read a lot of RPs involving them, and I've also seen a lot of instances where a blaster-using character can, in fact, get the upper hand. So I want to share my thoughts on what works and what doesn't.
1) Loadout: Now, I'm mentioning this first not because it's the most important part of playing a ranged character, but because I think that a majority of players believe that it's the most important thing. Having fancy write-ups and a bunch of crazy tech might seem like the way to win, but a lot of that perception was created last timeline under vastly different tech guidelines where, admittedly, we allowed tech to have unfair advantages. So, I mean, that's on the staff and we take full responsibility for creating that notion, but even under those circumstances I think tech could be extremely limiting.
One thing I've noticed especially is that with this trend of more = better in regards to tech, to justify being able to survive, is that it'll probably end up costing you in the long run when you go up against a truly capable or ruthless RPer. If you've got tech write-ups detailing your character down to the most efficient size of their codpiece for minimal chafing, then you're actually confined in your writing by the massive amount of detail in that tech, because a a nitpicky enough opponent will eventually be able to find a million reasons why you can't do all sorts of things because of the tech you're using. This is especially true for armor. Think about it - a Jedi gets into close quarters with you and you're wearing 30-odd kilos of Mandalorian Armor. Suddenly that combat roll you tried to do to get out of the way isn't going to be quite so fluid, quite so snappy and dextrous, as you initially thought. So suddenly you're performing an action that's considered unreasonable, and you have to reconsider your post.
So what just happened there is that the tech you spent hours writing up actually prevented you from performing an action in RP, and your opponent will capitalize on that flaw to push you, or they'll realize that maybe your other tech write-ups have similar flaws to exploit, and just like that, you're having to be super careful about your actions in every round of combat.
So what's the solution? Less is more. If you pitch a character with fifteen tech write-ups (or a highly complicated set of armor) against someone who has, say a couple of generic blasters, a single piece of exotic tech and maybe a couple of generic grenades? Assuming that these competitors have the same writing skill, my money's always going to be on the character with less stuff. Not only because they have fewer obvious and easily exploitable flaws, but also because they have more freedom per post, and more familiarity with the tech that they have. In other words, they'll use their stuff more cleverly. And clever writing is always going to win in freeform. So my advice is to go for less. Much less. And if you're equipping yourself with generic weapons, then all the better. You're actually giving your opponent less material to exploit if you keep your loadout simple.
2) Tactics: If there's one thing that bugs me about blaster users, it's that the underlying tactic seems to follow somewhat along the lines of 1) Take lightsaber to the groin, 2) Shake it off, 3) Shoot at person, 4) enjoy your childless future. And the biggest problem with such a tactical approach is that you've just completely taken the major advantage of using a blaster - range - out of the equation. For example, you know what's better than having your reproductive organs irreversibly damaged?
Getting. Out. Of. The. Way.
And sorry to be so abrupt about it, but really, it's a thing. Because in freeform, avoiding being hit is a much better solution, and a much easier defense, than trying to tank through an attack - especially for a ranged user. They have the disadvantage of having to close up into melee range in order to give you third degree burns, so use that weakness. Get out of the way, then get the hell away from the glowing sword of death and sexless futures.
Of course, if you're deadset on trying to muscle your way through plasma burning a hole through your nether regions, then go back to your loadout and equip yourself appropriately. A blaster with an effective range of 300m and a 12x zoom scope is going to be utterly useless in a situation like this - use a shotgun. Or maybe have a bracer made of phrik so you can try and brawl them off you or catch them off-guard. Generally in my experience it still doesn't end well, but if you're going to gear yourself up, and organize your tactics and strategies in a fight, around that kind of close-quarters combat, then make sure that you have the appropriate equipment and stick to it.
Also remember this: Sometimes, aiming to kill your opponent isn't the best way to defeat them. Jedi are a great example. Keep them running and trying to catch up to you, or trying to fling Force Powers to remove the range advantage, and they're both a) distracted, so you can flank them and break their defences, or b) tire them out and win by playing the long game. If in two weeks of a PvP battle thread, you don't have a single mark on you but you've exhausted your JEdi opponent, who do you think the admins will determine is the victor, after all? And that's assuming it even goes to a ruling - you could have tired them out well before then. So it's not about getting the finishing blow or the ultimate tactical advantage - sometimes, just plain wearing your enemy out is all the advantage you need.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Feel free to give your own input on the subject!
Now, as many of you probably know, I don't really do gunslingers. It's not that I'm not interested in blasters or non-Force Users, but even before I joined this site I've had had a very....magic-heavy preference when it comes to writing and RPing. It's not that I don't like your Han Solo type characters, it's just that I'm not very good - or not very motivated at least - to write them myself since it's not exactly my preferred area.
That said, I've seen a lot of people use them, and I've read a lot of RPs involving them, and I've also seen a lot of instances where a blaster-using character can, in fact, get the upper hand. So I want to share my thoughts on what works and what doesn't.
1) Loadout: Now, I'm mentioning this first not because it's the most important part of playing a ranged character, but because I think that a majority of players believe that it's the most important thing. Having fancy write-ups and a bunch of crazy tech might seem like the way to win, but a lot of that perception was created last timeline under vastly different tech guidelines where, admittedly, we allowed tech to have unfair advantages. So, I mean, that's on the staff and we take full responsibility for creating that notion, but even under those circumstances I think tech could be extremely limiting.
One thing I've noticed especially is that with this trend of more = better in regards to tech, to justify being able to survive, is that it'll probably end up costing you in the long run when you go up against a truly capable or ruthless RPer. If you've got tech write-ups detailing your character down to the most efficient size of their codpiece for minimal chafing, then you're actually confined in your writing by the massive amount of detail in that tech, because a a nitpicky enough opponent will eventually be able to find a million reasons why you can't do all sorts of things because of the tech you're using. This is especially true for armor. Think about it - a Jedi gets into close quarters with you and you're wearing 30-odd kilos of Mandalorian Armor. Suddenly that combat roll you tried to do to get out of the way isn't going to be quite so fluid, quite so snappy and dextrous, as you initially thought. So suddenly you're performing an action that's considered unreasonable, and you have to reconsider your post.
So what just happened there is that the tech you spent hours writing up actually prevented you from performing an action in RP, and your opponent will capitalize on that flaw to push you, or they'll realize that maybe your other tech write-ups have similar flaws to exploit, and just like that, you're having to be super careful about your actions in every round of combat.
So what's the solution? Less is more. If you pitch a character with fifteen tech write-ups (or a highly complicated set of armor) against someone who has, say a couple of generic blasters, a single piece of exotic tech and maybe a couple of generic grenades? Assuming that these competitors have the same writing skill, my money's always going to be on the character with less stuff. Not only because they have fewer obvious and easily exploitable flaws, but also because they have more freedom per post, and more familiarity with the tech that they have. In other words, they'll use their stuff more cleverly. And clever writing is always going to win in freeform. So my advice is to go for less. Much less. And if you're equipping yourself with generic weapons, then all the better. You're actually giving your opponent less material to exploit if you keep your loadout simple.
2) Tactics: If there's one thing that bugs me about blaster users, it's that the underlying tactic seems to follow somewhat along the lines of 1) Take lightsaber to the groin, 2) Shake it off, 3) Shoot at person, 4) enjoy your childless future. And the biggest problem with such a tactical approach is that you've just completely taken the major advantage of using a blaster - range - out of the equation. For example, you know what's better than having your reproductive organs irreversibly damaged?
Getting. Out. Of. The. Way.
And sorry to be so abrupt about it, but really, it's a thing. Because in freeform, avoiding being hit is a much better solution, and a much easier defense, than trying to tank through an attack - especially for a ranged user. They have the disadvantage of having to close up into melee range in order to give you third degree burns, so use that weakness. Get out of the way, then get the hell away from the glowing sword of death and sexless futures.
Of course, if you're deadset on trying to muscle your way through plasma burning a hole through your nether regions, then go back to your loadout and equip yourself appropriately. A blaster with an effective range of 300m and a 12x zoom scope is going to be utterly useless in a situation like this - use a shotgun. Or maybe have a bracer made of phrik so you can try and brawl them off you or catch them off-guard. Generally in my experience it still doesn't end well, but if you're going to gear yourself up, and organize your tactics and strategies in a fight, around that kind of close-quarters combat, then make sure that you have the appropriate equipment and stick to it.
Also remember this: Sometimes, aiming to kill your opponent isn't the best way to defeat them. Jedi are a great example. Keep them running and trying to catch up to you, or trying to fling Force Powers to remove the range advantage, and they're both a) distracted, so you can flank them and break their defences, or b) tire them out and win by playing the long game. If in two weeks of a PvP battle thread, you don't have a single mark on you but you've exhausted your JEdi opponent, who do you think the admins will determine is the victor, after all? And that's assuming it even goes to a ruling - you could have tired them out well before then. So it's not about getting the finishing blow or the ultimate tactical advantage - sometimes, just plain wearing your enemy out is all the advantage you need.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for now. Feel free to give your own input on the subject!
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