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redrosewiththorns) wrote2021-11-06 10:35 am
redrosewiththorns) wrote2021-11-06 10:35 am
Entry tags:
DotR: Dueling/Mechanics
In the Duelists of the Roses, a lot is different about dueling. A lot of this can be confusing, so please feel free to post any questions you have.
> Monsters & Cards
Because of the way the game is set up, while the cards are still paper cards and used as such, the monsters are very much real; though you work with a card deck and draw them as normal, effects and monsters are brought out onto the field through magic that draws them out, triggers the effect, or expands and reinforces the card (if face-down). There's also a new effect called "Spellbinding" can freeze the monster where it stands, rendering it immobile for a few turns (or permanently, in the case of some effects).
In addition, rather than simply being summoned normally, a duelist's main deck is made up by communing with a monster's spirit through a ritual, then imparting that monster's soul into the cards held by the duelists. This means that the monsters and the duelist are always in contact and can always converse with one another, though most monsters tend towards silence, especially the more bestial ones. A duelist must find some way to persuade a monster into their physical copy of the card, meaning that a duelist and their deck will always be in-sync; the deck and its monsters are an "army" personal to the duelist, after all, and they must have some connection to be able to work together well.
While a duelist can summon a monster from an uninhabited card, it's more difficult and taxing to do so on top of the duelist having no connection to said monster, which can cause complications even if they exert their will to force the monster to obey.
> Fusion
Fusion is incredibly easy as it requires no catalyst - you can do it from your hand, or just tell two monsters to inhabit the same space and they'll fuse if compatible, which is a very necessary component of the game. If you aren't fusing, you probably aren't winning.
> Fields & Duels
Duels are held on a grid field, much like one might see in Fire Emblem, with the terrain of the field affecting monsters in various ways; while it can be changed through card effects, the field's initial set-up is determined either by the duelist who resided there (in the case of someone camping in an area) or the natural terrain around them (in the case of no pre-set fields or a duel triggered on the run/unexpectedly).
Cards are summoned by a Deck Leader (which starts on one end and can move freely), which we interpret as the duelist themselves taking on characteristics of their chosen card and standing in battle. In this way, a Duelist is effectively the commander of a magical army that is used to battle in the War of the Roses. The monsters themselves are even given decorations and ranks, such as Lieutenant and Major. The ranks give them extra abilities as deck leaders, such as more movement or reduced summoning cost.
As a side effect of a duelist being their Deck Leader, direct attacks become very dangerous things. Most damage, thanks to the armor and magic of the duelists, can be brushed off or dampened, and while losing life points in general can cause pain in varying severities, it will never cause any lasting harm.
However, because the duelist is their deck leader, taking direct attacks from monsters of significant strength becomes problematic, as the armor and magic cannot fully dampen it (though weaker monsters/attacks can be). This means that they are harmed by at least a portion of the attack.
Unfortunately, this also means that a particularly ruthless duelist can severely hurt -- or even kill -- their dueling opponents if they fall back on constant direct attacks. As such, direct attacks -- while still a very viable way to win -- are generally shied away from by most duelists of at least some morals because of the high risk to their opponents. At the very least, they only attack with monsters of low enough strength to not cause any severe permanent damage.
> Monsters & Cards
Because of the way the game is set up, while the cards are still paper cards and used as such, the monsters are very much real; though you work with a card deck and draw them as normal, effects and monsters are brought out onto the field through magic that draws them out, triggers the effect, or expands and reinforces the card (if face-down). There's also a new effect called "Spellbinding" can freeze the monster where it stands, rendering it immobile for a few turns (or permanently, in the case of some effects).
In addition, rather than simply being summoned normally, a duelist's main deck is made up by communing with a monster's spirit through a ritual, then imparting that monster's soul into the cards held by the duelists. This means that the monsters and the duelist are always in contact and can always converse with one another, though most monsters tend towards silence, especially the more bestial ones. A duelist must find some way to persuade a monster into their physical copy of the card, meaning that a duelist and their deck will always be in-sync; the deck and its monsters are an "army" personal to the duelist, after all, and they must have some connection to be able to work together well.
While a duelist can summon a monster from an uninhabited card, it's more difficult and taxing to do so on top of the duelist having no connection to said monster, which can cause complications even if they exert their will to force the monster to obey.
> Fusion
Fusion is incredibly easy as it requires no catalyst - you can do it from your hand, or just tell two monsters to inhabit the same space and they'll fuse if compatible, which is a very necessary component of the game. If you aren't fusing, you probably aren't winning.
> Fields & Duels
Duels are held on a grid field, much like one might see in Fire Emblem, with the terrain of the field affecting monsters in various ways; while it can be changed through card effects, the field's initial set-up is determined either by the duelist who resided there (in the case of someone camping in an area) or the natural terrain around them (in the case of no pre-set fields or a duel triggered on the run/unexpectedly).
Cards are summoned by a Deck Leader (which starts on one end and can move freely), which we interpret as the duelist themselves taking on characteristics of their chosen card and standing in battle. In this way, a Duelist is effectively the commander of a magical army that is used to battle in the War of the Roses. The monsters themselves are even given decorations and ranks, such as Lieutenant and Major. The ranks give them extra abilities as deck leaders, such as more movement or reduced summoning cost.
As a side effect of a duelist being their Deck Leader, direct attacks become very dangerous things. Most damage, thanks to the armor and magic of the duelists, can be brushed off or dampened, and while losing life points in general can cause pain in varying severities, it will never cause any lasting harm.
However, because the duelist is their deck leader, taking direct attacks from monsters of significant strength becomes problematic, as the armor and magic cannot fully dampen it (though weaker monsters/attacks can be). This means that they are harmed by at least a portion of the attack.
Unfortunately, this also means that a particularly ruthless duelist can severely hurt -- or even kill -- their dueling opponents if they fall back on constant direct attacks. As such, direct attacks -- while still a very viable way to win -- are generally shied away from by most duelists of at least some morals because of the high risk to their opponents. At the very least, they only attack with monsters of low enough strength to not cause any severe permanent damage.