"Khar Shian Campus: ACC Initiates Course"

1—Introduction

The purpose of this course is to relay a general idea of what the Antei Combat Centre is about and how to get started. Items covered will range from; an explanation of what the ACC is, to how to fill out a Character Sheet (CS), to the basics of the Centre's ‘mechanics'. In completing this course, we hope you will have gained the tools necessary to have an understanding of what the Centre does and what it is for. More information, beyond this course, can be found in the ACC Compendium, ACC Rules or in the next level courses when they become available.

2—The Antei Combat Centre (ACC)

Apart from the fictional history of the Centre and its inception as a training facility, is its existence as a writing platform. While the ‘gamers' of the Brotherhood have XWA, XvT, JO, JA, Battlefront and the like, writers have the ACC. The Centre's primary function is ‘Combat Writing' which exists in many forms such as duels (1v1), death-matches (2v1, 2v2 etc), ladders (elimination tournaments), and cooperative missions that are available to the characters. The characters exist, in ‘descriptive' form, through Character Sheets (CS).

3—Character Sheets (CS)

CS's provide combatants and their opponents with the necessary resources to write a believable story that involves the characters. The CS can be filled out by accessing the dossier through the Brotherhood login and selecting the link ‘Subscribe to the ACC' in the admin section. From there, go back to the admin section of the dossier and look for the link ‘Manage your Character Sheet'. Clicking this link will open to an editable CS that needs to be filled out and submitted. You may only fill out a CS once you have passed this very course. The amount of points a combatant begins with (to allocate as they see fit) is determined by DB and ACC rank. New comers are given the rank of Initiate (INI) regardless of their DB rank.

The CM or DCM will review the character sheet and approve it or decline it as necessary. Various items are listed for consideration, from height and weight to custom items. There are some limiting factors for properly filling out a CS, most of which can be found in the ACC Compendium.

• Physical Appearance: What does the character look like, what are they wearing? Weapons, traits, armor etc. written in this section will have no bearing on the character, with the exception of being for appearance onlyand if used in a battle, may be grounds for disqualification. To repeat: What you place here is for appearances only! Any impediments, allergies, and phobias may be considered and are encouraged to further make an exciting story.
• Species: There are only two options; a Star Wars species or a custom species. A Star Wars species is one that already exists in the Star Wars universe and is acknowledged by the ACC (usually based on availability of information). A custom species is one that has been created by the Initiate and provided to the Combat Master for approval, before filling out the CS. Anyone can use a custom species, provided it is approved by the Combat Master. There is an extensive list of SW species available in the ACC Species List.
• Stats: Strength (STR), Constitution (CON), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS) and Charisma (CHA) are the six major attributes that the ACC currently complies with. STR, DEX and CON deal with physical ability while INT, WIS and CHA deal with mental and Force Power ability. ACC explanations of these stats can be found in the ACC Compendium; Chapter III Character Sheet Guide.
• Weapons: There are six (not including hand to hand, lightsaber, and piloting) standard weapon categories to which an individual can allocate their points. In the ACC Compendium (Weapon Guide) there can be seen the most popular weapons, along with their ‘category', for example, a Fira is of the ‘sword' category, the same as a Krath War Blade. Allocating points to your ‘sword' skill will allow an Initiate to have knowledge of the sword type weapons. The same can be said for all other weapons that share the same categories that points are allocated to. More information can be found in the ACC Compendium.
• Lightsabers: The ultimate weapon of a Dark Jedi. Your DB rank determines not only what kind of saber you can have, but what forms you have access to. If you are a Guardian, you may take the Training Saber test, proudly display the training saber you are granted for passing the test, and then allocate points to the lightsaber and Form 0 on your CS. Those under the rank of DJK only have access to Form 0. After reaching the rank of Dark Jedi Knight you are free to explore the different forms that can be found in the Lightsaber Guide link on the main DB page and in the ACC Compendium (Art of the Saber). Your only restrictions will be your attributes and the direction you wish to go as you progress up the ranks.
• Custom Weapons: This section is for items and attributes not covered in the previous point sections and not for weapons found in the Weapon Guide section of the Compendium. You are given five addition slots to create any custom weapons (within reason) and your characters handedness (skill) with all weapons.
• Handedness: The purpose of this addition is to establish a way to "display" and allocate a character's weapon skill, to include ambidexterity, if they have/want it. Everyone must use the custom weapons slots at this time to address their character's ability with a weapon or weapons through the allocation of skill points applied to each "hand". The Strong Hand is the hand you've selected for your character at the top of the Character Sheet (beneath "Gender") when you create it. The Off-Hand is, by default, the other hand. Simply name one custom slot "Handedness; Strong Hand" and allocate your points; then name another slot "Handedness; Off Hand" and allocate your points - no further descriptions are necessary. Different weapons have different requirements for strong and off hand so be sure to look at the Weapons Guide for those numbers.
  *Weapon Type = Knowledge; Hands = Application
• Fighting Style: There are several different styles to choose from and the current styles can be found under the Ground Combat Manual in the ACC Compendium. Please choose at least one. It should be noted that Echani is restricted in the ACC and its approval must be sought through the Commander of the Guard via notification to the Combat Master. As there is no Commander of the Guard, all Echani approval has been suspended. It should also be noted that this section will change in the future to reflect the Hand to Hand Guide that is linked through the DB main page. There is great information on the different styles and you are encouraged to read about them. Remember, in order to use fighting styles you’ll need points in your Hand to Hand slot.

4—ACC Mechanics

4.A—Challenging

Once you get you character sheet squared away, its time for a challenge. As an initiate, you only have one of two options: Qualification or Training. An Initiate needs to qualify before they are let out amongst the populace, this is to ensure that you are not going to have a miserable time. If you are simply not used to this kind of writing, Training is available as well.

A Training battle, in the Training Annex, is used to instruct new members how to compete. A training battle can be just a straight forward battle or a task oriented type of battle. The difference between a training battle and any other battle in the Centre is that the Trainer will leave comments for the combatant after each post. These comments will address problems and things that need to be fixed.

A Qualification battle is a regular battle, fought in the Proving Ground, where the combatant is attempting to prove what they know and be elevated to the rank of Seeker. Qualification battles will afford no assistance from any of the staff and Initiates must be passed by the staff member to be elevated to Seeker.
*Battles in the Training Annex or Proving Ground will not grant the combatant win or loss points.

Notwithstanding the above, Initiate or higher, challenges are all basically handled the same way. Once you login and get to the ACC you will see a menu on your left. Select the 'challenge' link (not the 'challenges' link) which will bring you to the next screen. At that location you will select the individual you wish to challenge and the hall where you wish the battle to take place.
*As an Initiate, you may only fight in the Proving Ground (Qualification) or the Training Annex (Training) and your only opponents may be ACC staff members.

Once you have selected an opponent and a hall, you move to the next screen to select your weapon (s) and a terrain. You may only use weapons that you are qualified in (i.e. have points allocated on your CS for that weapon or 'category'). Terrain (or, Venues) may be seen in the ACC Venue Guide.

Submit the challenge and wait for the battle to be opened.

4.B—Posting

You must be logged into the ACC site to submit your post. On the left hand menu again, you will see a link for "My Battles", clicking this will take you to a current listing of your current battles. If a battle is highlighted in red, it means you have to post, click it and go into your battle. You will read everything that was posted before you start. After doing so, if you think you're ready to post, there is a "Place New Message" link at the bottom of the most recent post.

Clicking this will take you to the text section where you will write your submission. There is a 15 minute timeout where the login will boot you. So, if you are not a fast writer, or wish to compile your thoughts before posting, it is a good idea to write your post in a text editor (Note Pad, Word, OE etc.) beforehand and then paste it into the text box when you are ready. Remember that for any regular battle the time limit is 14 days.

4.C—Judging

Battles are rated on a number of criteria, the primary ones being ‘writing' ‘realism' and ‘continuity'. Be sure that you spell-check and proofread everything you write as you can be penalized quite a bit for poor grammar.

Ensure that you are writing within your character and that you are not surpassing the abilities of your character. The ACC Compendium gives a breakdown of stats in the Character Sheet Guide; you'd do well to read it. You selected the points of your characters abilities, so it would be good for you to write within their bounds. You should also shy away from writing your opponent incorrectly as well.

Finally, stick with the story. Continuity can be a huge point deduction and is always caused by combatants failing to read what was written before.

5-Force Usage

As we are Dark Jedi, it is only natural that we use the Dark Side of the Force to further aid us in our battles. Powers range from Create Force Storms to the Mind Trick. What powers you may attempt are specifically dependent on your DB rank. Those at Dark Jedi Knight and below can only use the Journeyman powers. Those above DJK and below Dark Side Adept can only use the Equite powers. Between Dark Side Adept and Dark Prophet are the Elders. Grand Masters have their own power section. To see where your rank is please view the DB's Codex; Ranks chapter. When using Force powers it is best to not only describe the power being used but also make note of that power. The ACC uses a system of markers to help identify powers right where they are written and, in most cases, they are not optional. If you use any other kind of method to mark your power usage, or none at all, you may incur comments in the battle's judgment that could affect the outcome. A look at these markers along with the powers available to each class is available in the ACC Compendium; Dark Jedi Force Powers section. Remember that these are just markers and should not be used as words. Here is an example:
Wrong way: “The Acolyte looked down at the cut on his arm and with the use of [AH] the bleeding slowed.”
Right way: “The Acolyte looked down at the cut on his arm and with some concentration, channeled the Force into the wound to slow its bleeding [AH].”
*In ACC battles, when the mouse is placed over the markers, a message will appear telling you the name of the power and its description.

While you write your posts (and use the powers available to you) please be aware that each and every battle is under the scrutiny of the Force Pool System. Because of the complexity of the DB's role-playing game and its guidance concerning game-play, it was necessary to create this conversion system to fit the ACC. To put it simply, each rank has been given a certain amount of points to spend in using Force powers. These Force powers have been divided up into types based on what they do and given a cost amount. When you use a power you take away the points you have available for the power's type. Say you are an Apprentice and you use Attack Anticipation [AA] in your battle. Attack Anticipation [AA] has a Sensing power type and a cost of 4. As an Apprentice you only have 4 points to spend in the Sensing power type. So by using Attack Anticipation [AA] you have used up all your available points for that battle and cannot use any other powers in the Sensing type. A more comprehensive look can be found in the Force Pool System section of the ACC Compendium.

6-Automatic Disqualification

While the ACC respects one's right to being creative, there are rules to follow that allow you and your opponent to have a pleasurable experience. The following are items that can cause instant disqualification. If your opponent commits any of these during the course of the battle you have the right to submit an Official Complaint to the CM and request your opponent's DQ. Do not draw the battle or post! See the Rules section for more information. These 'critical items' are as follows:

• A combatant who uses a weapon that was not addressed in the battle's introduction.
• A combatant who 'self promotes' during a battle (You must remain the rank you began the battle with in the intro).
• A combatant fails to fulfill the role of a deathpost as it applies to the battle specifics.
• A combatant times out without notifying the parties concerned and having an extension granted.
• A combatant 'kills' their opponent before the deathpost.
• A combatant disregards damage, stats, force use limits (not to be confused with the FP system) and/or character attributes/traits to the point of severely hindering the battle's realism.
• A combatant posts in such a way as to prevent their opponent from 'realistically' continuing.

7-Extensions

If a combatant needs to request an extension, to avoid timing out, they must mail their opponent, the CM and the DCM. Their opponent will be given 24 hrs to accept or deny the request, which they have every right to do. The CM will grant the extension based on the response (or lack of) from the opponent who has 24 hrs to reply to the request. Requests must come BEFORE the battle times out to be valid. Normally, when combatants are faced with unavoidable circumstances that keep them from posting, the extension will be granted. However, "Acts of God" and unavoidable instances will be considered - but they will not replace poor planning on your part.

8—Conclusion

As stated repeatedly through this course, more information can be found in the ACC Compendium. You are strongly urged to read it and get to know all that it has to offer. Who knows, you may also need it for the test.

Take the Test: HERE