I was wondering the possibility of rehashing an old idea: The Wanted Start. The exchange is relatively simple - In exchange for starting your character with a degree of infamy you're afforded a starter boost of XP and supplies to help get the ball rolling.
Perks:
- Starter Equipment similar to the "Named Gangs" of the scraggleways/sewers/alleys
- Level 6 character start dropped in the Scraggleway.
- Warrior's Satchel or comparable bag of supplies based on your class and some healing shipment style supply.
- An item on your character creation which, only removable by FD, can be delivered to the Murderer's Guild in TIcker for a token of xp/hero loot pool item or the Royal Huntmaster in the Peerage for prestige/hero loot pool item.
Expectations:
- Similar to monster races you are banished from Ticker Square and the Peerage Ward
- High PvP scrutiny/PvP Karma - Story matters and just rolling 3 pre-created PCs to trounce foes no one wants.
- Stirring up conflict on a smaller or larger scale as your PC develops.
Benefits:
- Solo PCs would be able to make things like brigands, necromancers, and cultists to give the established players folks to chase
- Group PCs of 2-3 would be able to make small crews of gangs, outcasts, outlaws, etc without "Flipping a switch" at the point their RP shifts from questing and supplies around the hubs to criminal violence
- Characters could hunt and pursue the wanted to bring RP of law and order, a bit more low level/low tier street violence, and other benefits to keep the server moving.
PCs with limited time could roll a Weekend PC to just try and raise hell or it could serve as a sort of criminal prelude for PCs who would want to go on to become a larger presence for outlaw ring runners, Knaves, prominent Pondsmen, or other avenues.
Equally a chance for newer PCs to the server or those who traditionally play good guys to try their hand at Crime with a bit of a helpful nudge.
Love it, A+
Can even get a whisper announcing your presence to the ig world from a local 'bounty man' 'George Bobson is a wanted man for the crimes against the king, bring his head, he has dirty hair.'
Such things have been discussed multiple times but variety of balance and other factors, such as your mentioned Weekend Warriors - type scenario, which is something we want to avoid fully, because the scale of investment is misaligned there. A weekend warrior with some set of easy and fast to access power and going at pvp involed situations, or even competing situations of story or other, sets another person against an opponent that has nothing to lose. This is not equal or fair. Mechanically things are not in balance in efu, which is fine. Such challenge is alright. What is not alright is if level of investment to character, time and story is greatly out of balance, and that there is the great trouble we face with these sort of plans. It may be possible something of the sort definitely will come to be. How, I cannot say yet. When, who knows.