What is Battle Row?

Battle Row is a massively-multiplayer browser-based role-playing game set in the underworld of turn-of-the-century New York. Players take on the role of cops or gangsters and battle for control of the city.

What should I do in the game?

The goal of Battle Row (insofar as one exists) is to to further the interests of your organization (be it a gang or the police department) by battling rivals and taking over (or clearing) new territory.

In practice this means fighting, gambling, drinking, picking pockets, committing burglaries, defending your allies, planning attacks, trying not to get arrested (or to make arrests) and gradually progressing from neophyte to true headbreaker.

What are action points?

Action points represent the number of discreet actions your character can take in Battle Row. Moving and performing most actions costs one action point. Some actions (such as buying and selling, or changing clothes) cost no actions points at all. Others (such as picking locks) cost more than one action points. Each player gets 50 action points per day. Action points refill at a rate of 1 per half-hour.

I'm out of action points! What should I do?

Simply wait a few hours and your action points will refill.

What happens when I log off?

When you log off, your character remains in the game until you return and can be the target of attacks, pickpocketings and possibly arrest. It’s a good idea to log off in a safe place, such as inside your gang’s headquarters (or inside a police station if you’re a policeman). After you’ve gained a bit of experience you may want to try hiding or attempting to use the counter-attack skill to defend yourself while you’re offline.

How does my character improve?

Your character can improve in a number of ways: You can play the game to gain enough experience points to increase your character’s level, thereby allowing you to add an additional point to one of your Traits (and more hit points.) You can also earn money and use it to purchase more points in your skills. Additionally, you can find and purchase better weapons, clothing, tools etc.

What are experience points?

Experience points describe, numerically, how much life experience your character has attained. When enough experience points are gained, your character gains a level thus becoming a little tougher, faster, stronger, etc. Experience points are gained through fighting, committing extortion, making arrests and many other actions.

What are hit points?

Hit points describe, numerically, how much damage your character can sustain before getting laid out. When another player successfully attacks you, your hit points decrease. When your hit points reach zero, you have been laid out.

What happens when I get "laid out?"

Your character is unconscious for a time and then returns to active play.

I dropped something, but now I want it back. How can I find it?

Once you drop something it’s gone forever. Try searching in the same place you found the original or perhaps buying a new one.

How are traits different from skills?

Traits represent the fundamental qualities of your person, whereas skills are learned abilities. Each trait affects numerous actions that are taken within the game. Traits can increase only when your character gains a level. Skills can be increased at any time by spending money.

How do skills work?

Each skill relates to one or more types of actions that can be taken in the game. Often, the success of these actions is dependent upon the relevant skill in combination with one of the three traits. For example, when fighting with bare fists, success is based on a probability that takes into account your Brawn trait and Fisticuffs skill.

How does searching work?

Searching allows you to find both useful objects and hidden characters in a particular location. The success of searching is a probability based both on your location and on your character’s Brains and Alertness. If you search and fail to find anything, try again. You may have better luck.

How does extortion work?

Extortion brings a particular business under the control of your gang and earns your character a certain amount of money. The difficulty of the extortion and the amount of money earned, are dependent upon the type of business being targeted. The success of an extortion attempt is a probability based on your character’s Brawn and Intimidate skill.

How does counter-attacking work?

The counter-attack skill allows your character to fight back if they are attacked when you are offline. Activating the skill costs 1 AP, and gives you a number of counter-attacks equal to two times your rating in the skill. Moving or taking most other actions de-activates this counter-attack state. Your counter-attacks are triggered if your character (or anyone in your character’s gang, at the same location) is attacked. Multiple characters counter-attacking in the same location can be quite deadly to attackers.

Something happened in my location while I was logged on. How come I didn’t see it until later?

Battle Row is not a real-time game. All actions in the game occur asynchronously (this is what keeps the game relatively light and allows it to be played in a simple web browser.) Your personal description of the events that have happened in the world is only updated whenever you perform a new action or navigate to a new page. Constantly auto-refreshing every page for all logged-in users would exceed capacity of our servers.

How come I can’t give an item to another player?

As the game is played asynchronously, it is extremely difficult to perform actions that require simultaneous input by two parties. If players were allowed to transfer items, there would be no way to guarantee that the receiver was simultaneously online to accept the gift. We prefer to keep it simple and allow players to find their own items.

Why does it cost an action point to talk?

It would be too taxing on our servers to allow players to continuously chat.