Monster Training

“Ah, training. The delicate art by which a bloodthirsty beast intent on ripping your head off can be transformed into a bloodthirsty beast intent on ripping your enemies’ heads off.”
- Foreword to From Savage to Star: A Training Guide by Steelglint

In holding pens located deep beneath the Arena and in privately-owned enclosures scattered around the city, Trainers work tirelessly to find the limits of what their Monsters can achieve. A poorly-trained Monster will be limited in its fighting capabilities and will be less receptive to its owner’s commands, while a well-trained Monster may use unique combat strategies that give it an edge in the Arena.

“So, the first thing we do with new Monsters is tame ‘em, quickly. If you look over there, you can see our resident expert Trainer trying to figure out what makes old Magmantis here tick. Don’t get too close to the glass, now. Haven’t quite finished heat-proofing this thing.”
- Double Dust, Arena tour guide.

Monsters caught outside Bastion will be untamed by default. Untamed Monsters will not obey your commands. They will try to escape. They will probably try to eat you. It is highly recommended that only those who understand the basics of training interact with untamed Monsters.

After a Trainer has spent some quality time with a Monster, it may become tame. This will not make it any less of a dangerous killing machine but may make it slightly less likely to kill you. Tame Monsters are more likely to obey simple commands, but it is unwise to rely on them for more complicated tasks.

Although the taming process often involves trying to get on your Monster's good side, it is unwise to try befriending one. Every so often, a handful of idealists will enter the Arena hoping to spark a new era of compassionate Monster training. Most of them end up being escorted out of the Arena in several pieces. Monsters, as it turns out, do not understand the idea of friendship. They understand food, loud commands and pacifying Archaeotech, and that’s about it.

A tame Monster may be trained further, which may result in it learning more difficult commands. Strategies for battling and hunting may be taught in this way, as may other feats of strength or endurance that would allow a Monster to assist with difficult tasks outside the Arena.

To successfully train your Monster, you should have a clear idea of what you want it to learn and how you want to teach it. A Monster will not automatically learn new skills simply because its Trainer is really nice to it. Instead, training typically requires the Trainer to consistently display the same response to a certain behaviour across a reasonably long period of time (OC Note: one major action).

According to Monsterologists, most training techniques fall into one of the following categories:

(Negative reinforcement, during which something unpleasant is taken away when a Monster shows a desired behaviour, is rarely used successfully. This is because constantly subjecting a Monster to unpleasant conditions tends to make it extremely angry.)

When spending an action on training, it may be useful to use the above categories as a guideline when describing your plans. For example, positive reinforcement may be more effective if you want to teach your Monster a new special attack, while punishment techniques may be more effective if you want to train your Monster to stop doing something.

Training may be enhanced by the skill of the Trainer. There are three broad categories of training that you may become skilled at, as below:

“Ha, as if you ever stood a chance against me! With pathetic armour like that, how could Obsidian Cannon possibly wi-”
- Trainer Brittle, seconds before their Monster was incinerated by Obsidian Cannon.

A great way to increase your Monster’s chance of winning a Battle is to make it really, really good at attacking things. A Trainer may teach their Monster to use devastating offensive strategies which target a specific weakness or make the most of its arsenal of weapons – natural or otherwise.

Trainers are encouraged to be creative with their offensive training. Copycats get old quickly in the Arena, but unique special attacks (colloquially referred to as Super Secret Special Moves) will capture the hearts and wallets of the audience.

“Aaaaaaaaand with a direct hit from The Mighty Ballisto, it looks like this could be the end of the road for Arthroprod! But… wait, what’s this? UNBELIEVABLE! Arthroprod’s carapace was barely dented! This isn’t over yet!”
- Commentator Castaway during the Ultimate Survivor Champion match, Season XXIV.

Being able to attack is important but being able to take attacks and keep fighting is extremely valuable in the Arena. With training, Monsters may be taught how to limit the damage that they take. This may involve the learning of evasive manoeuvres, pain tolerance training, or the tried and tested method of strapping a shield to a Monster and hoping for the best.

Some Super Secret Special Moves may be defensive in nature. Again, Trainers are encouraged to be creative and generate unique moves.

This thing? Aw, don’t worry about him. Two of us have a pretty great bond, y’see. He doesn’t attack strangers or nothin’. Well. Not unless I tell him to, that is.”
- Quote attributed to Hangnail, three years before his surprise victory in the Season XVII Grand Championship.

Becoming skilled in Obedience Training may be useful for a number of reasons. Firstly, it makes taming a Monster much easier. Secondly, it may be used to teach a Monster skills that could be useful out of combat, such as carrying heavy loads or playing to an audience. Finally, it may make a Monster less likely to break simple rules such as “Stop scratching the walls of your pen,” or “Don’t kill this Medic.”

Obedience Training tends to be essential for competitors in the Swimsuit Championship. As it turns out, it’s difficult to get a Monster to tolerate makeovers and dance training.