One of the things that I loved about The Fantasy Trip was dueling. The game was just geared towards it from the start–the whole idea of the arena was just obvious.
But I always wanted to take it further. Not just the fight in the arena, but outside in the "real world." Is dueling common? Is it mundane or magical? What kind of rules are there to control duels?
Where this idea really comes from, for me at least, is from the movie The Duelists. It was an old movie from the 70s, and was Ridley Scott’s first big production. It was based on a Joseph Conrad novella, and followed the story of two French cavalry officers during the Napoleonic wars. They get entangled in this long-running feud, fighting duels over the years as these vast wars raged around them.
What appealed to me was the sheer obsession of the feud–how they could not even remember how it even got started. The only thing that mattered to one was the next duel, and the other was how to avoid it.
That story just begged for roleplaying! Think about it–what starts as a minor diversion during a major story arc or campaign that ends up becoming more and more of the major point of the story.
What if the duels were between player characters? Obviously the GM would have to be very careful about letting that get out of hand and players themselves getting butt hurt. But imagine the tension!
In game terms, duels could be formal affairs with seconds and set times or places… Or they could be back alley fights when two people meet in a tavern bar. The mechanics for TFT would be dirt simple, too. Two characters start in a set area, with defined weapons. The style of duel would determine what weapons and armor are used (or spells).
Of course, one way to keep the story going but still have significant risk is to have the custom that the duel is to first blood. If the GM wanted to be bloody, the duel could be to the first injury of 6 hits or more (or knockdown).
Some further game ideas for duels:
- Formal duels. The classic duel where both combatants have seconds who speak for them and arrange the location and conditions of the duel. These can be bloody or harmless fights. One thing that is very common to these types of fights is that the repercussions of the fight can be very significant beyond the fight itself.
- Underground duels. Basically the duel is illegal and there are serious consequences if the duelists are caught. These can be low-life fights among thieves–or among military officers who will lose position or face if they are caught.
- Duels for result. Another kind of duel is more like gambling with more than one’s life. Maybe the duel is being fought so armies do not have to clash. Maybe the duel is to keep a city from being sacked. The higher the stakes, the more tension.
- Duels for a job. Maybe the duel is for a job or position. This happened a lot in the Conan stories. He was always killing some gang leader or pirate captain to take his place. The same thing can be done here. These usually tend to be more, uh, final than first blood, but what happened if the loser survived? They would be a serious enemy at least.
- Invisible duels. One form of magical duel could be between two wizards–all in their minds. No physical attacks would be allowed. The first wizard to show a reaction is the loser.
No matter what is done, the goal for the GM is to make it serious and dramatic. No matter what happens, the players must understand that it is A Big Deal with consequences that will extend beyond a simple arena fight.
In the end, the limit is really up to the GM and the players themselves–have fun with it!
Marko ∞
(Originally published on inthelabyrinth.org, on 4/29/2016.)
