In light of my more recent fight, I have come to understand that there is no established consequence for breaking some of the more...overlooked guidelines of SL such as Retroposting and Metagaming. This is something I would like to have addressed for future reference when observing not only a Biju fight, but perhaps even in traditional IC RP. I realize that there is a footnote saying these things are forbidden in the biju rules, but we should probably solidify what it means to break them...
The judge usually would make a ruling declaring the move invalid, and a repost may be required. If there is a repost limit, then functionally, that serves to keep people from carelessly posting and having to repost over and over again without regard for how much time is eaten up with each correction.
In light of my more recent fight, I have come to understand that there is no established consequence for breaking some of the more...overlooked guidelines of SL such as Retroposting and Metagaming. This is something I would like to have addressed for future reference when observing not only a Biju fight, but perhaps even in traditional IC RP. I realize that there is a footnote saying these things are forbidden in the biju rules, but we should probably solidify what it means to break them.
... I suggest putting a set limit on how far back a person can react. Just for example lets say...3 full actions. If it is within the realm of possibility, you can react to upwards of three action prior to your current round. So the beginning of your opponent's most recent set of actions against you. You can obviously still interrupt your opponent within these parameters, but you also can't go back 2 rounds and reto-fix a mistake you made...
My suggestion is a “3 strikes and you’re out” kind of clause...
... In the case of retro-posting, I would propose that so long as your opponent isn't rushing (which is a whole different can of worms, and a debate for another time), you should be reacting to actions as they come, point blank. For example, if your opponent uses a technique, such as a cloning jutsu, and can reasonably follow it up with another action before your character could realistically react to the first, I submit that you only be allowed to react to the second action. However, if a judge rules that an action is not viable, at any point, I also submit that the following actions become null, and the fight continue from the last legal action. In the event that this would be a large setback (IE erasing a long string of rounds and possibly compromising the entire match), I submit that the ruling be brought before the Council for judgment. That being said, if you feel an action should be ruled legal or illegal by a judge, you should bring it up as soon as possible, and not wait until such a point that it requires a rollback...
As for consequences to breaking these rules, I second that there be a penalty system of some kind implemented, with a three-strike basis. I submit the first strike be a warning, the second strike being a forfeiture of the bout or match, and the final strike being a heavier penalty, such as stripping of a Beast, or banning from challenges for a set period of time, to be decided upon by the Council...
The issue, then, comes when you try and react to void something that already happened.
To me, finishing a post without responding to something means that that action is solid and cannot be changed by future posts.
So if A performs an action, no matter how minute, and B does nothing about it, that action cannot be reacted to later.
So if in two rounds that action causes something else to happen, B must react to THAT action, and not the initial one...
While I do like the suggestions for limitations on, well, the infinite response loop, I have to object to the 3 strikes initiative based on its premise. If during a zone fight with a judge present one of the players retros or metas and the judge rules it as such and mandates a repost, then what is the problem here? Yes, the number of reposts can get pretty long, which is why some people limit the number of reposts that can be had. But if in the repost the same mistake is made again, then again, in alot of preferences, that would be grounds for an automatic auto-hit or even removal from the biju match.
What the final judge rules, rules. I do not see the reason for a formal "3 strike" system in an OOC fight over general zoning rules. There is a judge for the match who can rule autohit as a result of not responding properly as long as there is no agreed upon term stating that that is not something a judge can do. At best the player can get a new judge and then that is it for an OOC fight; only in an IC Hunt can a judge's decision be appealed to the Biju Council.
As far as enforcement goes, if the Council starts enforcing and punishing players for breaking zoning rules in OOC biju matches (heck even IC Hunt biju matches) then we kind of start becoming judges. I mean, that is the whole point of having a judge for a match that does not involve the real storylines of either character. To enforce zoning rules or, as some have put it, guidelines, which is against the biju rules for the Council to do.
... And shouldnt there be a guidebook on how to RP...
http://forum.shinobilegends.com/index.php/topic,8356.msg219572.html#msg219572http://forum.shinobilegends.com/index.php/topic,8272.msg218625.html#msg218625http://wiki.shinobilegends.com/index.php/How_to_Zone_FightIn varying degrees it has been done/attempted/talked about. Neji's "How to Zone Fight" is the quintessential one since basically all zoning rules can derive down to these few sentences here from there:
...There are no rules on how you fight (except the rules that apply to the game)...
[Godmodding] is completely permitted, however you should know that most people won't want to fight you if you fight like that. Most prefer that you be fair and don't god-mode.
The best suggestion is: "Use what you think is fair for [your] level."
Find me one guideline for zoning that we have that does not in some shape or form follow these three basic principles:
Nothing is true till your partners also say its true, everything that does not violate the game rules is permitted, and that people are not obligated to play with someone they think is playing unfair.1) Community decisions, written down or not, run the day. I can claim that my character revived Rares Uchiha and have him ride a sage mode transformed Eric into Kirigakure to preach the One True Faith of Bijuuism, but if nobody else takes it as happening, my character might as well not exist in that capacity.
2) Over the entire course of this site, from vampires to zombies to dragons to furries to, well, alot of stuff, the only stuff that Neji and his crew overtly worked to shut down was stuff that violated the game rules. Other than that, people are limited in what they can do only by 1 and 3, which in turn are meaningless without 2 being a thing.
3) Void, bans on stuff like OP jutsu, special rules for jutsu, ignoring posts, etc. This in particular takes a hit with things like biju, but overall players have alot of say in what kind of RP their characters are involved in.
The IC rules were set up in such a fashion as to turn a Biju Hunt into a RPG-like setting, but it requires alot of preparation and so far has not been tested under the rigors of actual RP. It is open ended for the very reason that being too restrictive in everything would have neither gotten the votes to get in (I imagine) or would have had to be changed everytime a SL guideline changed.