IDTHS and YOU!

[Gilsin]

Hello, I am Ein Gilsin and I'm here to talk to all of you about a very serious problem I am seeing across all the players of our board.

It is a disease that has spread far and wide and is threatening on bringing the fun of this place to a hault. It feeds on a need to win over having fun and bending the rules instead of applying realism.

This disease?

IDTHS.

For those of you that don't know, this disease has been around for a long time but has only recently been given a name that is currently being adopted and accepted.

Since most of you are likely new to this recently adopted name, I will tell you what this acronym stands for.

IDTHS translates to I Don't Take Hits Syndrome.

This is a common disease at the beginning of most peoples Role Playing careers. With the mind growing an immunity to it usually after a few months of play. There are usually even rules in effect to make sure that this immunization occurs even more rapidly. However, it seems the disease has been spreading at such an alarming rate that the Rules Vaccination is being over taxed and under used.

Another common old world cure for IDTHS was Realism. Realism doesn't just translate to what a person can or cannot do, but it translates to what YOUR CHARACTER can physically do and what they might KNOW how to do. Such examples are easily found.

Example.

Is it possible for a person to do a back handspring, fall to his knees and deliver a thunderous uppercut that will launch his opponent onto his back and knock him out?

Yes.

Is it possible that a 5'10, 150 pound speedy character will be able to pull of such a move to a 6'5, 230 pound opponent? Without the larger man being able to do anything in the mean time?

Highly unlikely.

Another example.

Is it possible for a person who knows a martial art to Deflect and parry multiple moves from an self taught man?

Yes.

Is it possible for a high school student with limited knowledge in a martial art to do the same to a self taught student? That weighs the same?

Highly Unlikely.

So you see, IDTHS doesn't just extend to just those that physically don't take hits, but also to those that don't take hits even within the realm of realism. Because it isn't realistic for their character to perform such an act.

There is also another sub sickness that falls under IDTHS. This one involves saying an opponents move succeeds, but not performing any of the actions that would be associated with the offensive success. This may be a tough concept to wrap your head around so there are some examples.

Person 1 of similar size and weight makes a kick at Person 2's ankle. It succeeds and Person 2 throws a punch at Person 1 immediately following.

Did you spot the problem? Why didn't Person 2 fall, or in the very least stumble to the side?


This is not to say IDTHS is completely bad, or that anyone is completely immune to it. If used correctly and agreed upon by both parties, it can lead to dramatic and fun to read fights and plot devices. However, IDTHS should never be applied to Tournament fights as a general rule of thumb and should probably be avoided even IF both parties agree to it.

On the second note, There is nobody around that has never had IDTHS and the Disease is known to have sudden re-occurrences to even those that have a long history and could be labeled as Veterans.(The writer not excluded.)

Indeed, it seems that once someone attains such a high and venerable status they appear to become more susceptible to a flash back of the Disease. It is also noted, however, that these people are sometimes more open to admitting their Disease and having it cured.

This concludes this informational text on IDTHS, we hope you have learned from this reading and this text will lead those of you with IDTHS to finding a cure for yourselves.

[Tiao Lei Shen]

I highly encourage EVERYONE to think about what was just said. Its not just the tournament, which has already been the cause for several a headache, but seen across the board. Again, I'm sure I'm no exception, but everyone needs to focus less on winning, and more on entertaining.

[Kayar]

Yes, I would encourage certain unnamed people to look into this. But as I do not wish to be completely killed by people and that issue has already been resolved, I will not complain excessively about it.

EDIT BY KYUKAKU: Removed Hyperlink. No flaming, guy.

[victor]

You make an... interesting point Gilsin. I definitely have had my share of IDTHS. I guess it's because all of my fights in the past-both here and on the old Varron board-have ended either in draws or losses. My goal is to have my character become strong enough to challenge some of the really strong fighters in the school (are you on the list? I won't tell.), so I guess I go a bit overboard. Rather than dodging the moves outright, I just reverse the moves on them however. So my character suffers from TRS (Technique Reversal Syndrome) another annoying thing that you may want to cover.

As for the thing about just having fun and not focusing on winning, I do that all the time in regular posts, but it's a bit harder for me in tournaments. It's not that I want to win. It's just that it seems like no matter who enters, the winner will inevitably be one of the VIPS (Taiku, Kyukaku, Shamino, or some other five star ranker). It's like they are the dominant force when it comes to fighting in the tournaments. Name me one single tournament-here or at Varron-where the winner was not a VIP. You must admit this is SORTA true. And that sort of makes me push it in my tournament posts because I feel no matter what I do, my eventual defeat is inevitable due to the fact that I would eventually meet one of the board legends and get pounded.

[Tiao Lei Shen]

Don't let it get you down mate, we didn't start out this good. It tends to seem that way only because those 5 stars have been here for a while. In theory, we're supposed to be the examples you all strive for...in theory. Back on the old board I got my face stomped in more times than I can count, but everytime I did I got a little better, leading me to where I am now.

Both Odin and Pain Killer had won tournaments before they had acquired five start rank, and I'm sure there are others that were just before my time as well. Take your beatings and learn from them. See what works, and what doesn't. Hell, look at what other people do.

Anyone have Sternbot's old fighting FAQ thing? That would be nice to put back up.

[Alkaiser]

And I'm slightly reminded that I miss Sternbot. Teh sads. It would be nice to see that go back up though, it was useful.

Hey Victor, you don't like it? Make a new tourney and come up with a good reason to exclude the VIPs! It'll be like the special Olympics of Hircine...but less special. (Just cause it might not work doesn't mean it wouldn't be interesting to see him try.)

P.S. Yes of course I've been riddled with IDTHS. It doesn't make you stronger, it just loses you respect on the board. Geez...I feel like I should be at some sort of anonymous meeting.

[victor]

*blink blink*

Damn, I wish I had thought of that sooner...

Thanks for the idea Alkaiser. Maybe I'll go to the suggestion board with it. Heck I'll throw in a good word for you too since you came up with it. We could have different tournaments depending on our ranking/skill level and such. The moderators could look at our posts and judge our skill levels and determine what division we could fight in and such and... well, I'll save it for the suggestion board. Gracias for the idea.

Tiao, thanks for the advice. I know that nobody starts out automatically good. I sure didn't when Varron was still up. Heh, I guess like everybody, I'll get better with time. Who knows what I'll be like if I keep posting for a long time? But enough about that.

I just remembered one guy from Varron who particularly stood out: our esteemed Tiger/Crane Kung Fu trained teacher Edward. As I recall, he was utterly lethal, easily trouncing even the most skilled fighters on the board with relative ease. I think I only saw him lose once (I think it may have been to Stern or one of the over muscled fighters, I'm not sure). He was the only fighter I didn't want to fight. Now I only have one complaint. We aren't allowed to God mod, right? Well I read his posts and if I'm not mistaken, a lot of his attacks said they directly connected, which is God modding, right? How come nobody reported that?

[Director Troutman]

I will agree in part with Victor, new members do face difficult odds in winning tournaments on this board. However, I will note that when I won my first tournament, I was exceptionally new to this site, maybe two months present. As Tyler said, both Odin and PK won before growing to their current level of position on the site.

That aside, however, the reason a lot of these members win isn't because of their status or the like, it's their writing ability. Bear mind that I'm not insulting ANYONE here, it's just a stark fact that some of the people here have more latent talent than others. (Again, before I get flamed, everyone has potential, it's just a question of practice and improvement. If you want to beat the veterans, work on it and you'll get there in time. Tyler is a very, VERY good example of this.)

As for IDTHS, I'm willing to admit that I've had occasional lapses into it in the past, but I make every conscious effort in my tournament fights to go for the entertainment option, as PK (to name but one person) can attest to. That guy, despite having lost to me three times, has never had a fight with me that he hasn't injured me in some respect. Taiku is designed as a slippery fighter and all that, but he's quite easy to injure. If you can get the hit past my defence, I'll take it with realistic effect.

As for making it fairer on members who have the arduous task of taking on the veterans in tournaments, the prospect of a newbie tournament has been discussed before, y'know? Fact is, there's a lot to try and cover there considering the potential for dropouts.

[kenshin]

My high absence from this site was due to high levels of IDTHS (or lack of practice)

So thank you Gilsin for Posting this. I never knew i had it til now.

[Pain Killer]

admin said:

As for IDTHS, I'm willing to admit that I've had occasional lapses into it in the past, but I make every conscious effort in my tournament fights to go for the entertainment option, as PK (to name but one person) can attest to. That guy, despite having lost to me three times, has never had a fight with me that he hasn't injured me in some respect.

That horrible losing streak will end, sooner rather than later, if you catch my drift.

Oddly enough, I think myself and Ein are the most likely to fall into IDTHS, given how our characters are designed, though if you ask me, I think we both do pretty well in making sure it's believable.

[Felix]

Ah, my favorite chronic illness.

Though what about self inflicted injuries while fighting? How would that be included in IDTHS?

[Li]

Probably in the sense that, the opponent hits this injury successfully and the injured takes the response of one that was in fit condition, rather than the drastically higher level of pain that would ensue...

I don't think I fully understand Felix's question. Is it that you're asking about it's effects in a fight or the response to a self inflicted injury?

[Felix]

My character uses a lot of throws, and it puts pressure on his upper body and arms, especially if he has to fall down as well with the target.

I guess I just wanted a general opinion of how self inflicted injuries kind of convert into the IDTHS? It's not a really good question, meh.

[Director Troutman]

ciaphas said:

My character uses a lot of throws, and it puts pressure on his upper body and arms, especially if he has to fall down as well with the target.

I guess I just wanted a general opinion of how self inflicted injuries kind of convert into the IDTHS? It's not a really good question, meh.

Decent RPers will use their style effectively.

GOOD RPers will know the strain that style could put on a characters body.

The BEST RPers will ensure that their character experiences justified fatigue and strain during long fights.

[John Smith]

I usually try not to take hits that predetermined the amount of damage I take... I don't like that.

I know I often say how much damage my strikes inflict, that's just a bad habit that I try to lose.

[Felix]

That pretty much sums up the expectant answer I had in mind.

[Cale Rosiér]

My favorite strain of the virus that I've encountered thus far is the "One person types something and the other person undoes it using time magic in their next post" strain. It's like, if you think someone is overstepping their bounds with what they've tried to do in a post, maybe you can PM then or ooc something or who knows. But I'm not a fan of saying, "Yeah, you think you did that but you SO didn't because I did something that made it all not work before you even thought to do it."

Two kids holding their hands like guns saying BANG. One kid always wins. HE'S JUST THE BIGGER JERK.

jk I'm not mad, I'll rp any situation that's thrown at me, but I really like that analogy.

[Ari Karamzov]

Interrupting a combination is a perfectly legal tactic, as far as I know.

[Alkaiser]

If you have an opening, you can interrupt a combination at any time. As a matter of fact, it's good RP technique to do so. After all, even though it's the first attack in a combination, no hit is guaranteed. That's why it's usually better to stipulate that you'll only carry out the combo until an X factor comes into play, like missing a grapple or failing with an early hit. Otherwise you'll get cut off often, and get pretty boned overall.

[Cale Rosiér]

Keep cool. I'm not pointing fingers or saying that they're the fights that I'm in. You were cool, Ari. I'm just saying.