Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions not covered in this FAQ, please contact drayncombat@hotmail.com.

General Questions

Q: What the @!*# is going on here?
A: Sorry, that's a multipart question.

Q: Is this a sci-fi or Fantasy?
A: Both.

Q: I'm not playing with you here, buddy. Now is this a sci-fi or Fantasy?!
A: I swear that it is both and that that is allowed! It takes place in the future, with spaceships, if that's what you mean. But there is also magic, swordplay and plenty of other fantasy elements, too.

Q: Fine then, what's a Drazon?
A: A bipedal race of Dragons that, on the whole, enjoys fighting a touch too much. They destroyed their creators a few centuries back and they're starting to feel bad about it.

Q: 'K. What's a Holographic?
A: An often bipedal mammalian race that can change its shape at will, as well as being able to create several inanimate objects, both at a cost of energy.

Q: Elementals, next.
A: A race made up of natural forces, Elementals can control any natural force they are currently in the shape of. They do have a physical side, though, so they can be hurt.

Q: What's a Drayn?
A: The race that created the Deious and the Drazon. They're all gone.

Q: Huh? Dei-what?
A: Deious (sometimes spelled Dieous) is the inter-universal counsel of races (sort of like a big UN). The Drazon, Holographics, and Elementals are the only full members.

Q: What's a <insert name of Minor Race here>?
A: Minor Races are races that aren't full Deious members. The main ones (those you can play as) are as follows: the speed-loving Nicros; the intelligent yet peace-loving Tolindans; the large, reclusive but devoted Arnon; the Scuride and their uncanny yet selective gift of future-vision; the wide and varied animalistic Taladorians (for this season only the magical Taladorian Sealtions and the disciplined Taladorian Tallin can be selected) and finally, the xenophobic but resourceful humans.

Q: HEY!
A: Don't deny it, on the whole the human race would not react well to a bunch of aliens landing in their front yards. And besides, didn't I say you were resourceful?

Q: I'm a Moral Conservative--
A: OUT!!

Q: No, you misunderstand. Where do I go to kick some perverts around?
A: Oh, the non-Holographic/Sealtion Section.

Gameplay Questions

Q: What's the best Prime Race?
A: All the Prime Races are balanced. While Drazon players seem to hate fighting Holographics, Holographics hate Elementals and so on, this doesn't mean they aren't balanced and that one race always beats another, because they don't.

Q: I'm afraid to ask, but what's the best Minor Race?
A: Depends on what you're shooting for. The Minor Races are now balanced (not sure about the Marsians yet, but we fix things fast so if anything comes up...), contrary to Pre-Season 1.

Q: What's a 'Pre-Season'?
A: The period of time when the Season's set of rules are Gamma-Tested. The Beta Season is when the GMs test them, the Off Season is when they're written and argued over in the authors' heads.

Q: What's a 'Season'?
A: Its the period of time during which we try to avoid changing the site layout and most of the rules. The plot arc doesn't change too dramatically during a season, either. No, we don't know how long a season lasts, this is our first one and its not dead set.

Q: So...what's the point of the game?
A: Fight simulator and roleplay. The Deious use ceremonial battle as a sport as well as a way to determine military rank (even though there is little ceremony to it). There's also going to battles fought in the current war with the Firestorms, as well as online-roleplayed missions!

Q: Cool. Who are the Firestorms?
A: The Firestorms are a large Drazon clan that don't agree with the new Human-hybrid government of the Deious, nor does it agree with the peace talks between old enemies and the special treatment they think anarchistic Talador is getting so to form a government there. So they launched an attack on a Sealtion colony on Talador and sparked the rage of the Drazon Baina (Queen) who declared a war immediately!

Q: What's this about Hybrids?
A: The Deious very recently began a hybridization program to encourage immigration. It transforms immigrant races into a Prime Race. While it is completely optional, many immigrants take it as the strange physical mix brought on by the hybridization of two races can give them an advantage over other contestants in combat. We've actually stopped using the term 'Hybrids', but have yet to root it out of old documents.

Q: So they aren't the children of parents from two different races?
A: Nope, in fact most of the races can't breed with other races (they can try, though). And to add to that, only minor races can become immigrated into Prime Races. The Drayn-written Deious laws have some subparagraph that is interfering magically with such attempts.

Q: Must I join the military?
A: Not if you don't mind being poor and destitute! Domestic parts of the game will not exist until Season 2, so Military Service is the only occupation. Oh, Pure Arnons can make money off of Artisan. But its not great money, more like a night job.

Q: I've seen other fight simulators where it is impossible to win against someone who joined earlier than you. Has DC done anything to fix this?
A: Drayn Combat was born a year or two after its discouraged creators left a fight game that fit this description, thus we have taken several measures to keep this from happening (the Scheduling System, the Basic Rule, the Rule of Logic, etc).

Q: Sorry there, but I can't find the Rule of Logic in any of the files!
A: Sorry. That rule is taught to Referees during training. The Rule of Logic states that a person falling a great height or being stabbed in the neck will still die regardless of how strong or tough they are, the height of the fall or the strength of the stabber. This rule is intended to support the Basic Rules that nothing is impossible, even the best player in this game can be bested by the worst - the odds simply aren't in favour of it.

Q: I can't find Scheduling, either!
A: Member's Section. It's our system of training, to say the very least.

Q: How does the Scuride's Scry work?
A: If a Scuride passes a Will test when using scry, they will either learn the location of whatever they were looking for, see something they didn't see (like that arrow coming at them) or so on. When push comes to shove, a GM can simple force an action from the opponent to coincide with the Scry. It makes Pure Scuride really annoying!

Q: What's a Spar?
A: Quick battle. 2 person training, essentially.

Q: What do I need to play?
A: At the moment, MSN Messenger and the account to use it (ie: a free Hotmail account). Later on we will be adding our own IM program designed to handle the complexity of Mass Combat scenarios (large-scale battles). This will later be programed as a Java Application (note: not an Applet) so any OS that can handle Java 1.4 (for the first version anyways) will be able to run it.

You'll also need a good chunk of time to fight battles in. We hope that our typing and reaction speeds will improve over time, but for now the time blocks can be rough outside of Spars.

Oh, and you need to apply. I hope that stands to reason.

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