Chris Marques by Tim "Kai" Bonci
As the Realms evolves and weapons get faster and more
precise, a strong
competitive combatant playstyle has developed and become a driving force
in moving the game forward. One of those combat focused players who
doesn't get enough recognition for his good influence is Chris Marques -
Jaha.
The Order of the List is more or less the Olympics for competitive fighters. Besides helping create and arbitrate the framework around a year-long, cross event scoring system, Chris has publicly posted his fighter's manual, most easily seen on orderofthelist.com. While not being the last word on fighting technique, it's certainly the best piece on individual combat I've seen. Instead of keeping his strategies to himself, Chris actively does what he can to help others push themselves higher in fighting skill.
He (along with the rest of the Order) is an aggressive marshal, always pushing for a standard set of practices combatants can expect in tournaments. Marshaling the sport in the past few years has become intensely difficult as speed and skill have increased, and Chris not only volunteers to marshal, but to train others to watch the right things and make the right calls.
His organizational contributions aside, Chris has my respect for the way he conducts himself as a combatant. By far, the greatest thing he does is set an example of how to behave as a top-tier fighting talent. He is always conscientious of his opponent(s) and teammates. He walks away from a win without fanfare, and he loses with just as much grace. In battle, Chris can be seen to exercise his intellect more than brute force. For him, it's about precise strikes and movements, and not an adrenaline-charged steamrolling through a crowd of opponents as lesser fighters can do, this author including. Chris, most of all, is a joy to fight. He seems to be concerned as much about his opponent's fun as his own. For those of us who look for inspiration in the ranks of the Realms sport, we could do a lot worse than Chris Marques. Thanks for being a good role model.
The Order of the List is more or less the Olympics for competitive fighters. Besides helping create and arbitrate the framework around a year-long, cross event scoring system, Chris has publicly posted his fighter's manual, most easily seen on orderofthelist.com. While not being the last word on fighting technique, it's certainly the best piece on individual combat I've seen. Instead of keeping his strategies to himself, Chris actively does what he can to help others push themselves higher in fighting skill.
He (along with the rest of the Order) is an aggressive marshal, always pushing for a standard set of practices combatants can expect in tournaments. Marshaling the sport in the past few years has become intensely difficult as speed and skill have increased, and Chris not only volunteers to marshal, but to train others to watch the right things and make the right calls.
His organizational contributions aside, Chris has my respect for the way he conducts himself as a combatant. By far, the greatest thing he does is set an example of how to behave as a top-tier fighting talent. He is always conscientious of his opponent(s) and teammates. He walks away from a win without fanfare, and he loses with just as much grace. In battle, Chris can be seen to exercise his intellect more than brute force. For him, it's about precise strikes and movements, and not an adrenaline-charged steamrolling through a crowd of opponents as lesser fighters can do, this author including. Chris, most of all, is a joy to fight. He seems to be concerned as much about his opponent's fun as his own. For those of us who look for inspiration in the ranks of the Realms sport, we could do a lot worse than Chris Marques. Thanks for being a good role model.