Honor duels amongst nobility and military officers are a common way of settling disputes in the Imperium, and gladiatorial combat is a common form of public entertainment. Alongside this, skill in single combat is also useful for defending against would-be assassins. Elite schools of swordmasters—such as the Ginaz—exist to fight, and teach, combat to those who can afford them.

Most dueling is fought with swords and knives, as the widespread use of shields renders projectile weapons ineffective and energy weapons too perilous to use. Low-velocity projectile throwers remain somewhat common for ambushes and assassins, as they’re useful against enemies who don’t have shields, or enemies who are unprepared to fight, but they’re otherwise quite rare in dueling.

Zones in Dueling: Maneuver & Positioning

Dueling is a single combat between two individuals. As such, the physical environment matters somewhat less than the positioning of the combatants. Thus, each character receives a single zone which represents themselves, and two zones that represent the area immediately around them, which can be thought of as their guard, one to the left and one to the right, with one fighter’s right guard zone connecting to their opponent’s left guard zone (though they might equally reflect ‘high’ and ‘low’, or any pair of areas that a fighter must protect). See the example below.

Each combatant is assumed to turn to face their opponent at all times. Both combatants’ assets begin the battle within their own zone, and battle is a matter of moving assets into positions to attack and defend effectively. Moving a weapon asset into the opponent’s central zone and making a successful attack typically results in the target’s defeat, though some prolonged bouts may require a succession of attacks (using the extended task rules).

Example: Kara is doing some combat training with Nasir. As it is one-against-one, this is a duel, so the zones are defined as the standard personal zone and two defensive zones each. 

Assets in Dueling: Weapons & Defenses

The assets used in dueling are, naturally, weapons and defenses. 

• Melee weapons are the most common form of dueling asset. Blades, varying in size from swords to daggers and knives, are the most common form of melee weapons, and many combatants enter battle with more than one: a blade in each hand, and maybe some extras sheathed about their body for special circumstances. Blades are useful both on offense and defense, and swordsmanship is a complex game of feints, parries, and precision attacks. In single combat, moving a melee weapon asset represents the position the weapon has relative to both attacker and defender. A melee weapon may attack an opponent once it has been moved into that opponent’s zone.
• Subtle weapons are essentially a specialized form of melee weapon, designed for trickery and deception rather than honest battle. Tiny needles—nearly invisible, always envenomed, often embedded in clothes—can nick or scratch unwary foes with innocuous movements. Concealed blades can be drawn to provide a sudden advantage. Poison and drug dispensers upon weapons can turn the merest graze into a debilitating hit or leave a foe disoriented.
• Ranged weapons are rare in dueling, and they are used more commonly by soldiers and assassins seeking an unfair fight in their favor. They’re hard to use against a shielded target—the shield stops fast-moving objects completely—but quite effective otherwise. In dueling, moving a ranged weapon asset represents moving where the weapon is pointed, and what it is aimed at. A ranged weapon may attack an opponent once the asset has been moved into that opponent’s zone (that is, it’s aimed at them).
• Shields are the primary form of personal defense for anyone of any importance. All player characters are assumed to be of sufficient standing that they can equip a personal shield if desired. Most shields protect the whole body, stopping any object moving faster than a few centimeters per second (to allow air to pass through and avoid suffocating the wearer). Some combatants employ a partial shield, or half-shield, which only covers half of their body, but which can be maneuvered around tactically. A full shield asset cannot be moved. A half-shield asset can be moved in single combat, but only to zones adjacent to the wearer’s own zone. Attempting an attack in the same zone as a shield is impossible unless the attack is sufficiently slow-moving (normally from a melee weapon). Note that a shield also prevents the wearer from making ranged attacks.
• Armor is rare in dueling and gladiatorial combat, but it is commonly used by soldiers who may not be equipped with a shield. Those wearing shields tend to avoid armor as it hinders mobility for little benefit; the kinds of careful attack that can pierce a shield can also find the weak spots in a suit of armor (see also 'Attacks' later). 

In addition, characters may seek to create intangible assets to represent an especially favorable position, or taking aim, or other temporary advantages that come about through tactics or circumstances.

Example: Kara and Nasir are both using knife assets, but to give Nasir a chance, he is wearing a shield and holding a knife in each hand. Kara only has a single blade.

Actions in Dueling

This section provides some guidance on the most common actions you’re likely to attempt—or have attempted against you—during a duel. These are all explained in the Conflict Overview.

Movement

Moving assets in a duel reflects moving weapons and defenses to attack and defend different areas.

• Any asset worn on your character’s person, or which represents their overall position or situation, is placed in the zone that represents your character. Such assets cannot be moved—they’re there to protect you.
• Any asset mounted upon one of your character’s arms, or held in one of their hands, begin the conflict in one or other of the zones immediately in front of them; you can choose which ones go where. These are normally weapons or tools, and they can be positioned to help defend your character or attack your opponent. Moving such an asset to the zone representing your opponent allows you to attack them with that asset.
• If you find yourself without any other weapons, you automatically receive an ‘Unarmed Attack’ tangible asset with a Quality of 0, allowing you to strike and grapple without the use of a weapon.
• Intangible assets which represent things you’ve done or are doing to your opponent—such as misdirection, or aiming a ranged weapon—can be moved around freely but are not present at the beginning of the scene; they must be created during the conflict itself.
• Moving an asset subtly often involves moving while the opponent’s attention is elsewhere. If they’re paying attention to the blade in your right hand, they may not notice you moving the blade in your left.
• Moving an asset boldly is often a form of misdirection, performing an obvious, dramatic action to provoke a hasty reaction; the daring thrust often serves to draw attention (and defenses) away from the slow blade. Sometimes, moving an asset represents wrestling your opponent into range of your asset rather than moving the asset to them.

Example: Kara and Nasir both begin circling each other. Nasir cannot move his shield asset, but can move either or both knives in an attempt to get an attack on Kara. He tries to keep one knife on the offensive, moving it into Kara's defense zones, but keeps one knife back in his defense zone to parry with. He uses a lot of subtle moves in case he can get in the right place to make an attack. 

Kara makes a lot of bold moves, taking her blade close to Nasir’s personal zone and giving her the option of moving his defensive knife out of the way (by dodging and weaving to find a gap in his guard).

Attacks

The following is how the Conflict Overview applies to dueling:

• A dueling asset must be a weapon of some kind, and to defeat your opponent it must be used in the zone that represents your opponent.
• The skill you roll in a dueling contest is normally Battle for both sides; other skills are possible if there’s a good reason. Creating a trait that represents an observation or insight might allow you to use Understand to attack or defend, while a trait that represents good positioning might let you use Move. The attacker’s final Difficulty increases by +1 for each defensive asset in the same zone (armor, shields, and weapons being used to block or guard).
• If your successful attack leads to an extended task (meaning the foe is not a minor character), the task’s requirement equals the foe’s Battle skill.
• A lasting defeat can include death, but also covers serious injuries which have a long-term or permanent effect, such as dismemberment, disfigurement, severe organ damage, and similar.

Defeat

A character defeated in a duel may have surrendered (at the controlling player’s discretion), been rendered unconscious, or suffered some painful but non-serious wound—something which keeps them from fighting but which won’t have any real lasting impact. In a formal duel or training bout, it may simply be reaching an agreed-upon win condition such as first to draw blood.

Targeting Assets

Targeting an opponent’s assets is a useful way of gaining an edge. While it’s next to impossible to deny a shielded or armored foe their shield or armor—as such assets are securely affixed to them—you can still remove other kinds of asset from play. In these circumstances, assets and traits are largely synonymous.

• Assets which represent weapons can be knocked from their owner’s hands, allowing you to disarm your foe. They can attempt to retrieve weapons lost in this way but doing so requires an action.
• Intangible assets which represent your opponent’s positioning or circumstances, or effects inflicted upon you (such as being tricked, put off-balance, or having a weapon aimed at you), can be overcome and removed from play entirely. If an opponent has a good position, you can move to deny them that. If an enemy is aiming at your character, you can disrupt their aim. If your character is off-balance, they can regain their center and restore their balance.

Creating a Trait or Asset

Creating traits to give your character an edge or impair your opponent can tip the balance of a fight in your favor, opening up new opportunities for you or closing off options that your opponent might have used. Similarly, creating new assets can be an important option during a conflict.

• Tangible assets must be something hidden on your character’s person, and only revealed now, or they may be something improvised from the environment, such as finding an object to use as a weapon. 
• Intangible assets can represent the benefits of observation, positioning, tactical ploys and tricks, and any other advantage that may come from how your character fights rather than the physical tools of combat. Alternatively, an intangible asset might be some hindrance inflicted upon an opponent, such as knocking them off-balance, creating a fake opening to lure them in, using taunts to distract or confuse them, and similar.

Example: Kara manages to attack one of Nasir’s blade assets, sending it spinning across the training floor out of reach. Nasir fails to bring his other blade back for defense and Kara presses her advantage, subtly moving her blade into Nasir’s personal zone. She Keeps the Initiative to make an attack, but the shield asset increases the Difficulty by 1. She succeeds, defeating Nasir by sliding a slow blade under his throat.

Gaining Information

Even in a one-on-one duel, knowledge is power. Being able to read an opponent’s fighting style may allow you to form appropriate defenses or figure out a way of attacking that they’re ill-equipped to defend against. Being observant might allow your character to detect hidden weapons or discern the signs of their ploys.

While Understand is the obvious choice for gaining information, the Battle skill can be useful in dueling for learning about an opponent’s weapons and fighting style or judging how capable a fighter your opponent is.

When gathering information during a duel, you might wish to create traits that represent identifying a weakness in your foe’s defenses (making it easier to attack them), or ones which represent anticipating enemy attacks, to make it harder for the enemy to attack your character. Alternatively, you may be on the lookout for information that doesn’t help you during the combat at hand, but which might be helpful later. Many swordmasters swear that you can only learn who someone truly is when you fight them.