The Gorean Battle Medic 1

Class: Gorean Battle Medic 1
Lecturer: Snow Gryphon
Prerequisites: none

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At Physician’s Academy we make no effort to train you for any real life medical situations. We offer general information on medical topics, by the book and others, designed to better prepare you to role play as a Second Life Gorean physician. I make no claim to authoritative interpretation of the books by John Norman; nor am I trained in medicine in real life.  These lectures are offered as a resource to role play only.
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This is the first of two lectures called "Gorean Battle Medic".

1. Overview and Basics

1.1. Why
The Gorean Battle Medic (GBM) is a highly useful character for several reasons.  They provide a tactical advantage in battle by giving a health assist that allows the wounded warrior to regain health more quickly.  And the GBM provides another level of Role Play (RP) that adds to the complexity and fun in battles.  Most sims use the Gorean Meter (GM).  As the warrior takes hits, he is damaged and his health deteriorates and at some point he is no longer able to function and becomes unconscious or may die. The GM has a built-in clock that allows the warrior gradually to regain health (unless he is dead) even if he is not assisted.  But help by the GBM speeds this up and allows the warrior to get back to the fighting more quickly.  The job if the GBM is to make sure that happens, quickly and efficiently.

1.2. What
The GBM provides basic first aid on the battlefield.  This includes determining the nature of the wound, stabilizing the patient, stopping bleeding, dealing with concussions and shock and assisting the warrior to get to the nearest infirmary.  This first aid serve should take less than one minute and should be well-practiced.   Remember a warrior heals himself by doing nothing and the last thing he needs is a half hour RP in the field.

1.3. Who
The GBM requires training in first aid and dealing with battle situations. Typically a GBM is a kajira (female slave)/kajirus (male slave) or a physician.  Since the probability of injury, death and capture is quite high in a battlefield environment, it is considered better practice to have lesser trained more expendable characters fulfilling with role.   In order of preference you may want to use a kajira, kajirus, male physician, female physician, Caste Leader.   A typical female has the strength of a 12 year old Gorean boy, so they have limited abilities to be able carry a wounded warrior from the field.  

Physicians should be protected and are better used in the infirmary.   And exposing Free Women (FW) to battle is very risky, for themselves and any relationships they might have.  If given a choice, train a few slaves.  The slaves should be intelligent, quick RPers, brave, and ready to accept some dire consequences. A word of caution though:   A GBM that is a slave normally is not permitted to perform anything beyond basic first aid, and even when trained is not a member of the Green (Physician’s) Caste.  There are some slaves that were trained healers and physicians.   Upon enslavement, they lost their rights and freedoms, but of course not their abilities.  However, the use of “skilled” slaves is controversial, so it is best to stick with a simple format of offering first aid.

1.4. When
Obviously a GBM should be available for battles (or raids), but also should be included in battle training with the warriors. If the GBM is a kajira/kajirus, they also will be invaluable in assisting with RP in the infirmary.  Battles usually don’t just happen.  They are often carefully planned.  It is always good practice as a physician to be involved in the planning process and to pass along any relevant information to your GBM.   For Example:  the next battle with XYZ city is at 1pm SLT on Friday.   Be there ½ hour ahead of time for a briefing and the battle should last 2 hours including aftermath.

1.5. Where
Battles are either offensive or defensive.   The offensive battles take place in your opponent’s sim.  Sims can be cities, towns, villages, camps, or wild areas.  Your Commander (warrior leader) should have scouted the area and be able to advise the GBM about the battlefield. He likely will also have a battle plan including positioning, objectives, and fallback, and as a GBM you need to know where and when you should be at all times.   Most active raiding sims have a ‘Raid Gate” that you will assemble in front of before a raid, but some don’t.  You absolutely must read the raid rules of the sim you are raiding.  Ignorance is no excuse.  We will deal with this in more details later.

The defenders almost always are given the advantage in a raid.  Make yourself very familiar with your sim.   Know how to navigate quickly and efficiently.  Find the hiding places and safe areas.  Know the areas where the raid will come from.   Most important, know where your infirmary is and how to get there.   This may seem obvious, but in the heat of battle, it is easy to become disoriented.  All this will give you an advantage over the enemy and make you a more useful and valued RPer.

Question:  You are a physician and want to train a slave to be a GBM.  What medical skills and techniques should the slave learn?
Answer: “This includes determining the nature of the wound, stabilizing the patient, stopping bleeding, dealing with concussions and shock and assisting the warrior to get to the nearest infirmary.”

1.6. Gorean ranged and melee weapons
Many of us have not experienced being in battle alongside our warriors.   It is a fast and furious affair.  It can be exhilarating, scary and fun all at once.  There are in general two kinds of weapons: range and melee.  

Range weapons include bows, spears and slingshots.  Melee weapons are such things as swords, axes and pikes.   The most commonly used are a combination of a bow and a sword.   The swords can be one-handed or two-handed.  The one-handed sword like a gladius or short sword usually comes with a shield of some kind.  So it has both offensive and defensive properties.   Two-handed weapons like the great sword or battle axe are mostly offensive but had catch blows on them as well.  

The weapons are designed to give no individual a distinctive advantage in battle.  They all have advantages and disadvantages.   For example one may deal more damage, but is slower to use than another.

The bow is the most commonly used and versatile range weapon.  It is able to fire unlimited arrows (only on Gor…laughs) and can be setup to lob arrows over walls or buildings or fire straight at things.   Bows usually come with a HUD that allows the user to adjust and target easily. In the hands of a skilled warrior a bow is highly accurate and lethal. When you see a warrior draw his bow, you had better escape quickly!  The bow also has a grappling hook for scaling walls and other obstacles. 

In a battlefield during a ranged attack, arrows will be flying all around you and you may be hit several times by accident. Also, some less than honourable people do target greens to take us out of the equation.
When you see a warrior close by draw his melee weapon, don't stop and think.   Run away as fast as you can!   You are unarmed silly, what chance do you think you have?  It is very easy to go down when attacked by a warrior.   They are very fast and deadly.  If you have a chance, go and see your warriors training even if you have no intention of taking part in the battles.  It will give you a clearer understanding of the role of a GBM.   Next, we will explore training in more detail.

Question:  You find yourself in the middle of a raid and the arrows are falling all around you.  What is your best course of action?
Answer: Try to get behind your battle lines and behind shelter but still available to assist downed warriors.

2. Training

2.1 Caste Codes and Sim Rules

Knowing the rules of the game is the starting point in any training.  Of relevance here are caste codes and sim rules.   I’m going to pull out those that are essential to know, but of course you must be familiar with them all.

The Physician’s Oath of this Academy says that “I will aid any who call upon me for healing.”  Well in a battle there may be many calling on a GBM for help.  Obviously you should help your warriors.  But should you help a downed enemy, if he is close by?  In some sims, aiding the enemy is considered treasonous.  You need to read your sim rules and have this discussion with your Commander and admin.   Usually a middle path is acceptable, in that you can assist a downed enemy when you are not needed anywhere else and it won’t affect the outcome of the battle.  

There are usually a great many sim rules governing raids.  They include, entering and exiting the sim, TPing, binding, use of weapons by different classes, etc.  They differ somewhat from sim to sim.  You must carefully read and understand the rules and apply them faithfully.   Combat brings out the best and worst in all of us, and not following rules can lead to unnecessary conflicts.

If you are training a slave, it is essential that they be made aware of the Physician’s Oath and relevant sim rules.

Question: If you have a choice between helping an enemy warrior near death of one of your own that is lightly injured, who should you treat first?
Answer: I would treat the enemy warrior first as long as it didn’t endanger my warriors, but this is a very tough choice.

2.2 Know Your Warriors

Imagine you are in the middle of a battle and 10 warriors are swirling around you fighting, one goes down and shouts “Medic I need help!”  You look in your local chat window and see his name, and for a several seconds, you can’t remember if he is on your side or not.   It’s very embarrassing, right?   And when you get to him, and ask him what the problem is and he responds in a strange way and you don’t know what to do?   The result: lost time and an annoying experience for you both.  So the solution is that you must practice with all your warriors.   Memorize their names, understand their RP styles and roles, and let them get used to you too.   They will learn how to respond, they will get used to you being there for them, a help and not a hindrance, a part of a well-oiled team.   The key is practice, practice, practice.  It can be a lot of fun too and you’ll enjoy your RP a great deal more when you are with your “buds”.

2.3 The Battlefield Serve

2.3.1 Accessing and Interviewing Your Patient

The first thing to remember is that you are doing “first aid” as quickly and efficiently as possible, in less than one minute, if possible.   So with that in mind, when you encounter a wounded warrior, the first step is to ask him about his injuries.  This should only take a few seconds with practice.  For example say “Warrior, where are you injured?”, and he responds “I have an arrow in my shoulder”.   A battle serve is not the time for para RP, keep it simple and direct, forget about the long emotes.  Your next goal is to stabilize his injuries and prevent further damage.  Determine what his worst injuries are, if he has more than one, and treat them first.   Look for major artery cuts or punctures, or major bone breaks or difficulty breathing. This requires some practice and judgment, but in most cases it means stop the bleeding first. 

2.3.2 Cuts and Projectile Wounds

If the patient is a non-combatant you may wish to offer a painkiller such as a tassa tincture.  Warriors almost never will accept a painkiller, so you can save yourself the typing.   If the wound is a cut or puncture, clean the wound with sterile water and remove any debris with tweezers.   Do this quickly.  Do not try removing any projectiles such as arrows in the field unless you are a trained physician and even then, it usually is better to do that in the infirmary.

If the bleeding is profuse, press a sterile rep cloth on the wound to promote clotting.  In most cases, your goal is to get the warrior to the infirmary ASAP.  If you are a physician you may consider cauterizing the wound with a hot iron and putting in a few stitches in the field to repair major damaged arteries, but think about how likely this is in the middle of a battle.  Slaves must not do this at all without permission.  If the wound is less severe, you may be able to patch him up sufficiently to keep on fighting by simply stopping the bleeding and bandaging.

OK so here is the heart of the problem: A warrior is down and he emotes that he has an arrow in his leg.  I have just told you that a GBM should not attempt arrow extraction in the field, and that the proper course of action is to stop the bleeding and get the warrior to the infirmary and to a physician; BUT…you have only one minute to do that and the warrior can himself in 4-5 minutes.  What are the chances of a warrior agreeing to be brought to an infirmary for an extended RP while his mates are being slaughtered?  So usually the best you can do is to get him out of his bubble and back into the fray ASAP.

Question:  You come upon a warrior with arrows in both legs and he can’t walk.  What are your options for getting him to the infirmary?
Answer: A few people could carry him or better yet use a stretcher or wagon.

2.3.3 Concussion and Shock

Shock can occur with almost any injury, so here are the symptoms: pale, clammy skin, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, decreased alertness, and confusion. Be sure to watch for any of these key words in your patients emote.  Treat by having the patient lie down with feet elevated, unless it is a head wound. Loosen any tight or restrictive clothing and keep the person calm. Warm the patient if needed and give liquids.

Concussions may accompany other wounds, so watch for these symptoms: headache or a feeling of pressure in the head, temporary loss of consciousness, confusion or feeling as if in a fog, amnesia surrounding the traumatic event, dizziness or "seeing stars", ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting.  The treatments are as follows:  Apply ice or a cold wet cloth, use a painkiller such as tassa tincture, rest, and monitor symptoms over time.

Cuts and projectile wounds, shock and concussion are the medical issues most often encountered in the battle field that can be addressed easily and efficiently.  You may also encounter, poisoning, bites, burns, broken bones, choking among others.  Treatment of all these are beyond the scope of this series of lectures, but suffice to say that the GBM should pass these along to the infirmary staff.

Question:  A warrior is down and he said that he fell of the wall and may have banged his head.  His only symptoms are a rapid heart rate and cool clammy skin.  What should you do?
Answer: It is not uncommon to get mixed messages and symptoms or even next to no symptoms from warriors.  A little bit of godmodding here may be OK.

2.3.4 Summary of the Battlefield Serve, Step-by-Step

Now that you have mastered the RP, here are the steps to do a healing serve in the battlefield.  First, when someone goes down they will usually say something like; “shouts: I need healing, help me!!”. Once you have determined that the person is on your side and where he/she is, run to them quickly.   When a person is downed you can’t aid them for one minute.  So as soon as you arrive, click on the bubble to see how many seconds are left.

Also look around and assess the situation.  Is there an enemy warrior standing right there?  If so, will he leave you alone to do your serve, or does he attack you?  If you are attacked, get out of there fast, you have no chance against a warrior.  Also make note of who he is and when and where, and give that info to your Commander.  Post battle, there are often heated debates about cheating, etc. 

Now let’s assume you have arrived and no one is trying to kill you.  And in this example, it is assumed you do not have GM crafted bandages that give a huge health boost but are difficult to make or find.  Here are the next steps for a battlefield serve.

1. When the patient is down and in a bubble, emote about getting ready to heal the person, name them explicitly.  For example:   “Runs to PowerfulOne to heal him”

2. Assess the injury.  For example:  “How can I help you warrior?”

3. Use appropriate RP to heal the wound.  For example with a cut: “Warrior, be still and I will heal you."  Cleans wound carefully with sterile water and removes debris with tweezers.  Applies healing salve, and presses sterile rep cloth on wound and wraps with bandage.  "You will be fine now brave warrior!” 

4. Click on the bubble again and select “Aid”

5. The bubble should disappear and the patient will once again be on their feet.  You will note that their health number may be very low, so they are not really fit to re-enter battle accept to assist someone else.  At this point you can close the serve by saying something like: “You are healed enough to continue PowerfulOne, Be well!”

6. Or if the patient is seriously wounded, transport to the nearest physician.

2.3.5 Questions
I pose the following questions because I value your input.  Often there is no right answer, so let's see what we can do with them.

1. How do you deal with an uncooperative warrior?

2. IMing on the battlefield, should we do it, and when?

3. Why bother doing the RP, why not just click the aid button and go to the next patient?

4. Should you try to defend yourself when you are working in the battlefield?

2.4 Extending the RP at the Infirmary

Not all your patients will be warriors. Some will be others in the community such as free men, women and slaves.  They may be injured either accidentally or on purpose.  So the GBM can encourage these patients to visit the infirmary for a more extended and hopefully more interesting RP.  These RP’s can also serve to enrich existing story lines and create new ones.   For example, a pregnant free woman has been caught in the crossfire and has received a few arrow wounds.  Will she survive, and how about the baby?  And why was she there in the first place?  One can imagine many possibilities.

While the warriors certainly will not appreciate extended RP’s while the battle goes on, they may quite enjoy a post-battle visit to the infirmary to fix up any serious problems.  These RP’s can be quite fun as the warriors often are in a good mood after a battle.  They can be scheduled same day or more typically for the following days.  For best results invite them before the battle.   Warriors love to talk about their battle exploits.   Be sure to ask them about it while you are healing.

The next lecture will deal with equipment for a GBM and a mobile field infirmary, and RPing the battle and its consequences.   Hope to see you then.