How to Zone Fight

Zone fighting is a big part of the role playing part of LoB and is very important to many players. There are no rules on how you fight (except the rules that apply to the game) and newer players take advantage of this. So many Academy Students will hop right into the zones and do something like:  Academy Student ExampleOne runs in and uses Bankai and pwns everyone, making him the king of the zones!!!!!!  This is completely permitted, however you should know that most people won't want to fight you if you fight like that. Most players prefer that you be fair and don't god-mode. God-moding (or God-modding) is also referred to as auto-hitting, which is when you attack your enemy and state the outcome before it happens, not allowing your opponent to react. Also, it can refer to using Kidou or other similar battle aids (i.e., shunpo, flashsteps) beyond your ability (which is based on your rank and the amount of Reiatsu someone would have at that particular level), dodging the things you know that you cannot dodge, and outlandish abilities, such as ‘Bankai’, when you're an Academy Student.  Example: Academy Student ExampleTwo swings down with his zanpakutou, slicing the enemy in the shoulder, cutting through his veins, and disabling his arm.  That's auto-hitting. You're saying that you automatically hit you enemy and already state the outcomes. You need to give your enemy a chance to react. Using a set amount of health and Reiatsu and using Kidou fit for your rank also help make zone fighting fair.

 Here's an example of a better/more fair zone fight: '''Academy Student Renji runs toward Byakuya with his zanpakutou drawn, preparing for an attack.  '''Senior Student Byakuya side steps the attack just barely, the attack grazing his shoulder. Blood runs down his shoulder and he grips it tightly, pointing his free hand’s index finger at Renji. "Haidou Number Four: Byakurai!" he shouts as a small bolt of white lightning leaps off his finger, heading straight for Renji. '''Academy Student Renji crouches down, barely avoiding the kidou attack. He then quickly aims a sweeping kick at....'''  And so on and so on. Above is a basic example of a fair and realistic zone fight. It is highly suggested that you try to fight like this. A good formula to follow in the zones is to Defend/Dodge/Take the hit, then counter-attack; react, attack. 

Helpful Hints and Tips
Using kidou (primarily without the necessary chant, especially if it’s a high-powered one), Shikai/Bankai before an accepted level [a general consensus amongst the players is twenty (20) final tests (which happens to be the number of tests required before one can obtain Shikai in-game)], etc., or anything that you do not have in-game, will displease many people in the zones. The best suggestion: use what you actually have.  Be descriptive! A good post will enable both you and your opponent to enjoy more of what Legend of Bleach has to offer. Description allows you or your opponent to fully know what the other is doing and helps avoid confusion. However, writing too much description in a post can test the patience of some players, causing them to get frustrated because it takes longer to type out. But don’t worry; you’ll find your own style and level of description eventually. Also, long descriptions often go over the character limit for single posts, often leaving half a sentence unwritten. To fix this problem, many players use a short series of symbols ([c], (c), and ) for continuation of their ‘turn’.  In your writing, the clearer, the better. The more clear your grammar, sentence structure, word order, and punctuation are, the better your overall experience. We’re not saying that you need to be grammatically correct in everything you post here, but it does help. Many players here are from all over the world and don’t read, write, or speak English very well; the more correct yours is, the easier it is for them.  A quick read-over before pressing “add” can help in this process, even if it’s a slight pain at first. Revisions also help prevent what could be slightly embarrassing typos, such as ‘he’ when you mean ‘her’ or a grossly misspelled word, or even a small, minute typos, like “if” instead of “of” or “in” instead of “on“. You don’t need to abide by these rules, but they are good to know and follow to an extent. Good luck and have fun! 