Exchange of Realities

Many games and stories feature characters who can turn just about any physical object into a weapon, regardless of any of the many sources of impracticality it demonstrates. And many people realize that this is Awesome and attempt to emulate it, resulting in someone who can explain how to foil an assassination at a high banquet just by using whatever’s on the table and then delivering one-liners about how nobody can say they lack subtleties. Particularly when they’re doing it just as much for Awesome’s sake as for tactics’ sake.

But that’s only a part of what I’m talking about here. Sure, “everything is a weapon” includes being able to smack people with anything in the solid state that shows a decent density, parrying with furniture, garroting people with their own neckties, you name it. But there’s more to everything than objects one can hit things with.

Terrain is a weapon, particularly if it’s terrain that you chose. Things like getting the high ground, giving your opponent unstable footing, and making sure the sun is in someone else’s eyes are logical. And of course, rigging traps is a popular and reliable means of further changing the battlefield. One can kick up dust, bring down scree, use one element of the backdrop to affect another element, put an element of the backdrop to uses for which it wasn’t intended… there are a lot of possibilities.

Allies are a weapon. And I don’t just mean fastball specials or the like, where an ally is literally serving as a projectile or a reach enhancer or a source of extra momentum. They can force an opponent to split his attention. One’s rapid-fire attacks can serve as a way to herd the target into another’s more focused strike. Synergy with their skills can lead to things one person alone wouldn’t be able to do, whether it’s taking advantage of one’s ability to provide lots of entangling vines or trusting another to be able to pop out of nowhere in just the right spot. Coordination is a powerful thing.

The enemy is a weapon. Granted, that’s usually obvious when he’s trying to defeat you. But how many swords have only one edge? A socially inclined character can bait the opponent into making a mistake, get him to lose his cool, or even just have him laughing so hard he can’t fight. One who understands the enemy’s psychology can use it to predict his movements and take advantage of the predictions. Even with natural physics, helmets and capes can be turned into opportunities by exploiting a lack of peripheral vision or sticking them to the ground. Weapons are a weakness in that they can be removed. And the closer you get to Rule of Cool physics, the more improbable you can make your exploitations of your enemy.

At first glance, this probably looks more useful for a gamer trying to impress the GM with his resourcefulness. But that doesn’t mean other people can’t use these tips. Maneuvers good for the player are good for the GM as well, after all. And a writer utilizing these tricks can both demonstrate that whichever of his combatants using them is quick-witted and resourceful (show, don’t tell!) and make for a far more interesting fight than people just running around generically bashing each other with big sharp things or colorful magic blasts.

Everything is a weapon. Watch it change your fights for the better.

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