Combat in 9 Dragons by Ken Johnston (1)

9Dragons has a background story we haven't heard a hundred times, 9Dragons has period authenticity that was clearly painstaking to compile, 9Dragons has beautifully rendered artwork that likely took time off the lives of their artists ... but what those who have entered The Land (and survived) will tell you, is that the real perk of 9Dragons... is the combat system. 9Dragons combat was designed to be different than that of any other MMO from the seed stage. The designers had played the early MMO's like Everquest (where you could just click on a monster and let the stats package do the rest) and knew they wanted more, more, more. They wanted more interaction, more skill sets and to make combat more... well... more better.

Here's a glimpse of what the designers came up with...

When you first start the game you have no fighting ability at all. You could maybe punch out a stray dog. If you happened to come across a staff or a saber... you'd be so inept that you wouldn't be able to use it, or it would break pretty quickly. You, grasshopper, need to learn some Kung Fu before you'll get to wield that sword or those razor wheels.

Each of the starter clans (Shaolin, Wu-Tang, League of Beggars, Heavenly Demon, Sacred Flower and The Brotherhood of Thieves) has its own unique form of Kung Fu, each one compiled of several hundred individual moves you can choose from and use to build your own unique attack and defense combinations.

But you're not ready to join a clan yet, peasant, so what you need is someone to teach you some simple survival moves first. Well, you're in luck. There are Sifu's (teachers) who run independent martial arts schools in many of the villages. They will teach vagabonds like you some basic moves in return for a few coins. But know that the Kung Fu you learn from a Sifu is puny compared to the master training you will receive from a Master after joining a clan. Still, it should keep you alive for a while. So, after you've learned some basic chi-breathing techniques... What? I have to learn to breathe, you ask? Of course. One cannot learn Kung Fu if one does not learn correct breathing and meditation skills first!