Communication: The Key to Good Play

Communication is one of the keys to a clean victory.

Dagorhir has a relatively simple combat system compared with many other games, but simple rules do not eliminate the need for clear communication. In fact, the faster and larger the battle becomes, the more important communication is.

In a one-on-one backyard fight with a friend, both fighters may be able to see everything that happens and sort out questionable situations without saying much. A tournament or battlefield is different. There may be dozens of people fighting around you, attacks coming from several directions, and only a fraction of a second to understand what just happened.

That is why important combat information should be communicated clearly and loudly enough for both your opponent and nearby fighters to hear it.

Your Opponent Should Not Have to Guess

It is not your opponent's responsibility to watch your hands throughout an entire swing and determine whether you maintained a two-handed grip.

It is also not their responsibility to determine what kind of attack you intended to deliver.

If your attack depends on a particular weapon classification, grip, or damage type, communicate it.

If you are attacking with a weapon capable of defeating armor or damaging a shield and intend to use that capability, call it clearly. A loud "Red!" or "Double!" tells the defender what kind of attack is coming and gives them the information necessary to respond correctly.

The same principle applies on defense.

An attacker should not be expected to determine whether the location they struck was protected by armor, particularly in the middle of a crowded battle. If you are struck on a location protected by armor, call "Armor!" loudly enough that the attacker and the fighters immediately around you can hear it.

Do not mumble it.

Do not assume they saw the armor.

Do not wait until ten seconds later to explain what happened.

Make the call when it matters.

Calls Are Part of the Game

Combat calls are not an inconvenience layered on top of the rules. They are part of what allows those rules to function.

A clear call immediately answers questions that otherwise create confusion:

Was that an armor hit?

Was that attack intended as Red damage?

Was that a two-handed strike?

Did the shield just take a valid breaking hit?

Without communication, both players may walk away from the same exchange believing completely different things happened.

That is how arguments begin.

Clear calls prevent most of those disagreements before they ever exist.

Communicate for Everyone Around You

Your communication is not only for the person directly in front of you.

On a battlefield, nearby fighters may also be reacting to the outcome of your exchange. Someone may see what appears to be a killing blow and change targets because they believe your opponent is dead. Someone else may believe a shield has been broken and move aggressively into the opening.

A clear combat call helps everyone nearby understand the state of the fight.

As a general habit, make important calls loudly enough that people within roughly ten feet can understand what happened.

You do not need to scream across the entire battlefield, but the people directly involved in the exchange should never have to ask what you said.

Communication Is Shared Responsibility

Good combat works because both players contribute information.

The attacker communicates what needs to be communicated about the attack.

The defender communicates what needs to be communicated about the result.

Neither side should intentionally force the other person to guess.

Just like any good relationship, when people decide communication is somebody else's responsibility, things begin to break down.

A fighter who constantly says, "They should have known," is usually describing a situation that could have been solved with two words.

"Red."

"Double."

"Armor."

Those calls take almost no effort, yet they eliminate enormous amounts of confusion.

Good Sportsmanship Is Clear

Putting the entire burden on your opponent is not advanced play. It is poor sportsmanship and laziness.

Dagorhir combat moves quickly. Nobody has perfect vision, nobody catches every detail, and nobody should be expected to reconstruct your intent after an exchange has already ended.

Experienced fighters should make the game easier to understand, not harder.

Communicate your attacks.

Communicate your defenses.

Make your calls clearly.

Then there is far less room for disagreement about what happened and far more room for everyone to simply keep fighting.

A clean victory is not just one where you landed the better shot.

It is one where everyone involved understood why it counted.