Balance

In battlegames, balance is the comparison of each team's success and lack thereof. There are many variables that contribute to imbalance, but in broad strokes it's determined by battlegame design, fields, and players. Some of these variables are harder to satisfactorily control than others, so rather than trying to achieve equality in balance it may be ideal to attempt approximate equity. In some circumstances, however, balance is not a concern beyond achieving a level playing field.

Team Composition

One of the easiest but most volatile variables to change is team composition. Moving a fighter from one team to another not only transfers over that fighter's individual skill and loadout. It can also affect each team's synergy, cohesion, and even morale. Moving a highly-skilled veteran can have a larger effect than one's particular field could possibly need. When balancing through team composition, keep in mind that small changes add up.

This section names some methods of team comp balancing, in alphabetical order.

Deserter

A member of the winning team must move to an opposing team. Either the team captain or a marshal may choose who the deserter is.

For flavor, the deserter may consider themself to be a prisoner of war forced to fight for the enemy.

Stand or Deliver

The team of the last combatant to lose can choose whether the opponents Stand or Deliver; Stand as they are, or Deliver unto them as a new teammate. The person to make the choice on behalf of the team is either that last combatant or their captain. An opponent who has been Delivered recently cannot be chosen for Delivery again.

Swap

Multiple fighters from different teams take each other's place on the other teams. Swapping is the best way to avoid imbalance by numbers of teammates.