Untitled - Index of - Free

COMBAT
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So here we are. Bet you couldn't wait. Now you'll
really get to show off your stuff. Here's the part of the story
where you get to swing from the chandelier, one punch the
bad guy, grab the girl, jump out the window, and dive into
the water below. Here's where you'll prevail against
insurmountable odds by the skin of your teeth, and look
great doing it. Right?
Wrong! Combat is messy, somebody always gets
hurt, and it's never as easy as it looks. In every fight you're
going to take the risk of being damaged. Fist fights tear
muscles and break bones. Every bullet, no matter how
small, is going to spoil your day if it hits you. Combat is a
gritty and terrible thing that every sane man avoids at all
costs.
But then again, who wants to create stories like that?
You're here to create a fantasy as large as your imagina­
tion. If you had your druthers, wouldn't there be a chande­
lier in every fight scene? Some of your most satisfying
conflicts will be during stories in which the characters get
to do absolutely superhuman things. That's what the
cinema is all about.
Well, sometimes. The best part of an Episode will
often come during those combat scenes that get frighten­
ingly close to reality. Nothing makes you feel more
suddenly alive, which is, after all, the real reason for
creating these fantasies.
What we're trying to say through these slightly
schizophrenic examples is that every combat can be
broken down into a few key elements. These elements
must be blended appropriately for the unique require­
ments of each Scene, Episode. Chronicle, and Setting.
All these factors come together to give every combat its
own flavor. This chapter will present a theatrical method
for allowing you to encompass all the various flavors of
combat, and to choose the one that's right each time. As
- William Shakespeare
long as you're sensitive to the needs of your story, and
those of your Actors. you'll create drama they won't forget.
IMPORTANCE
Every Scene in a story should have a point Some­
times that point will be combat, and sometimes it won't.
If combat does occur, then the Director has to decide if it's
important enough to be portrayed in detail. If the fight in
question is not central to the Scene, then that combat may
be portrayed in a simpler manner. Allow fewer of the
Actor's decisions to carry more of the action. Rather than
asking the Actors to account for each detail of their
movements, fill in the action by storytelling. In Theatnx,
the Actors need never wish they were doing something
else, because each Scene may take as much or as little
time as you want it to. So if a combat should be taking less
time, then get it over with and move on to something more
interesting. Sometimes this may minimize challenges,
but why attempt to hurt the Actors with every little fight?
Some combats are there simply to act as a foil for the
Skills of the Main Cast. Some combats are traps, and
simply require the Actors to submit to either superior
numbers, or superior Skills. Sometimes this gives the
participants in the combat less of an opportunity to beat
the odds by thinking ingeniously, but that's also appropri­
ate for some Scenes.
If, however, a Scene is to be centered around a
particular combat or conflict, then take the time to do it
right. Use the flowcharts as a loose guide. Draw things out
a bit and let your Actors enjoy the action to the fullest
Paint your Results in exquisite detail Use your favorite
cinematic combats as a guide. Use all the tricks, and allow
the villains to improvise with the Stage. Dumb luck can
also play a part in combat, allowing the Director to exploit
unfair possibilities to prolong the tens1on. Have fun. When
Theatrix - The Core Rules 87