battle tallies (bear edition)
 

Some asked, so ye shall receive. This is somewhat rough, it's possible I missed things and might adjust it later when it's not 7am and I've actually slept.

This is a basic guide on how I tally my battle outcomes, as I occasionally am the person who makes the call of who won a fight (recently, see: WindClan v. RiverClan.) I don't always - it depends on if I have free time and if the battle is unplanned, since some high ranks will have their Clan win or lose for plot purposes.

When doing tallies, I try to be as objective as possible. The key things I look for:

• Is your cat attacking?

Many times, people will post starters where their cat is looking for an opponent, "jumping into battle", or are just hanging out. These posts do not count as they are vague and can be hard to respond to - in order for your post to be tallied, it should include one of these things: a definitive attack action or a reaction to an attack.
Attacks can be as simple as "he leaped at them", "they aimed a swipe." Reactions can be anywhere from "they dodged" to "she yowled in pain from the wound." I'm not terribly picky, it just needs to be a little more specific.

• Is it a NPC or a played character?

NPCs are cats not on the allegiances and are usually unnamed/have no identifiers. They are created by members who want their cat to do something, but haven't found a roleplay partner yet.

You may get a point from having a fight post, but will not get any outcome points nor will NPC be listed as an opponent.

• Are you fighting multiple cats at once?

Your cat gets a point for each cat they're actively engaged with, though you may need to specify which one your cat is reacting to in your post - it can get confusing!

• What is the outcome of the fight?

Each encounter your cat faces can count toward your Clan's victory.. or defeat. While cloning is allowed on WCO, some high ranks discourage it to enforce a more realistic battle outcome. Sometimes, it's best to wrap up the ongoing fight you have and move on to a fresh opponent.

To be tallied as a win, your cat needs to explicitly come out on top. The opponent needs to concede in some way - whether it be through retreating, calling for a draw (in most cases, the cat calling for it first is considered the loser), being too injured to continue, or death.

Draws are more simple. If your cats are going at it until the battle is called to an end, there is no clear winner and therefore neither win. On the flipside, if your cats aren't really fighting at all and the confrontation isn't going anywhere, I may consider it a draw with a note detailing the behavior of your cats. (This can come back to bite you, as your leader may see the note.) Draws are typically neutral, and unless the scale is obviously tipped, will not heavily impact the outcome.

Losses occur when a cat explicitly loses a fight in some way. Death, serious injuries, and fleeing are some ways to get this tally.

• Is the character missing?

Missing characters who jump in can negatively or positively impact the battle just like active Clan-mates and are tallied the same way.
However, a note is made so high ranks can address the characters if they wish.

• Is the post too unnaturally occurring?

Infrequently, members will go a little wild with their posts. I do not count posts that may unfairly tip the battle scale, such as someone killing off several cats in a single post/limited reaction from the victims, as that gives no one a chance to react or intervene.

• Has anything been badly damaged / destroyed?

This is pretty broad, and can cover severe wounds with longer effects (wounded limbs, amputations, lacerations) to the destruction of dens, prey, and herbs. This is factored into the outcome, and can be a major factor in if a Clan comes out victorious.

Let's take the WindClan v. RiverClan fight for example.

Factoring in the post counts, amount of draws, wins, and kills, and overall notes - the battle was immensely close. The deciding factor stemmed from the win, draw, and kill ratio, as though RiverClan took a beating they had more roleplayed wins, draws and kills than WindClan. This secured them a very narrow win, though in-character it could be debated.

Some battles will not be so close, as it is heavily reliant on roleplayer engagement. The more you kick butt, the more you can secure a win using this method. :)