Welcome, players, to the Darkness Echo's battling guide. In the following sections you will find specific information on certain battles and events, and how they will be conducted.
II. Sparring/Training
Usually a member or group of members sparring with each other or with a staff member. That staff member acts as moderator and notes who is present at the event for further record.
III. Handicap
Basically when a team of two or more suits wish to jump a single person. This type of event generally takes place in IRC, but can also be held in AIM chat.
IV. Tag-Team
Virtually the same thing as a conventional duel, instead with four suits-two on a team.
V. Elimination Event
Usually used in events like Free For Alls and etc., an elimination event is where a number of suits face each other, and when a suit loses all ability points, it is eliminated from competition.
VI. Plot Event
This is an event that consists of one small or many large-scale actions posted on the message boards in accordance with the progression of the RPG's plot. **This is the primary way that actions are completed in this roleplay.** It does not have to be a conventional battle, so the group/person may be just going through actions and not actually fighting a visible foe.
VII. All Out War
This type of battle is on a very large scale, with nations battling each other over territory or with a similar material goal in mind. Because of the intense size of battles such as these, a completely different program is used to determine which side is the winner, as well as troop loss statistics and winnings.
B. Conduct
Any event will be conducted in either the online battle forum, in mIRC chat, or in AIM chat. A moderator shall be present with the appropriate battling program that will decide who is victor and who gets the spoils. Before a sanctioned battle like a duel or war begins, the parties involved may exchange words of praise or hatred if they wish, as long as what is said is allowed under RPG rules. Once all options are set, and all participating members are ready to fight, the moderator in charge will state LO3 (Live on 3), and count down from 3. After the countdown is completed, the moderator will then call "LIVE," signaling that the battle has begun and members are to launch attacks as soon as possible.
C. Symbols and Abbreviations
There are a few symbols and abbreviations that may be used during RPG battling.
| Stat | Statistics |
| BatRec | Battle Record |
| ArmsList | List of Armaments |
| LOI | List of Instructions |
| AdminAuth | Administrative Authority |
| WLRatio | Win/Loss Ratio |
| LO3 | Live On 3 |
| DQ | Disqualification |
| EL | Eliminated |
| < > or * * | Action brackets |
| " " | Character statement quotations |
| OOC: | Out of Character statement tag |
| IC: | In Character statement tag |
| NPC | Non-playable character |
| // | Dividers |
D. Statistics
Statistics are the basis for any conventional RPG battle. They determine how much defensive capability your suit has overall as well as how much it will have during battle. The statistics themselves are calculated from the information on your mobile weapon that was provided during the application process. Since new members must pick from a default mass-production suit when they join, they do not have to worry too much about missing information fields. But when the time comes that they are able to purchase their own custom mobile weapon, if there are missing fields, the suit is compared to another Gundam series suit that nearly fits the same specifications. It is easy to see, however, that if all statistics on the application aren't completed, the true potential of the mobile suit may be undermined.
The calculation of remaining stats as well as whether attacks hit or miss is done by a program. Moderators report results of attacks to the players directly in the main chat window.
E. Battle Records
Battle Records are small written data logs that briefly summarize the course and outcome of events. Recent results are normally posted in the main forum following their compilation.
F. Interaction
There are several forums and areas where members/staff can interact with one another.
I. Main Message Forum
The primary battle forum where IC actions are posted. It is also the means by which Moderators/Staff can leave OOC messages to members, members can leave OOC messages to other members, and etc. Plot events are always conducted here.
II. Bounty Update!
A bulletin board of sorts for current and up-to-the-minute bounties, special events that pay healthy bonuses, and the like. The bounties themselves are not always held in this forum and can be held in the Main Message Forum or in IRC/Chat.
IV. Staff Lounge
A place where the administrative folk can talk with each other about RPG stuff. ONLY STAFF are allowed to post here.
V. Organization Forums
Forums dedicated to certain organizations. Only members of the organization that the forum was built for are allowed to post and view posts in these forums.
VI. RPG Business Forums
These forums are meant for things like news reporting, commerce info, etc. and can be accessed by just about everyone.
VII. Online Chat
The place where most live action head-to-head battles and actions will take place. When you log on, register an account, then type the command "/help" without the quotation marks to get help on common chat commands that can be used. Most of the commands available are somewhat like those in IRC; at the same time the number of commands isn't exactly as big as IRC.
G. Further Help
Further help can be provided by staff members. Feel free to contact them at any time with any questions you may have.