Be ruthless...

[The Crimson Magician]

Sometimes, it pays to ask yourself, "This is something this character would do... but is it the ONLY thing this character would do?"

[Craig210]

In my time on EFU, i've been involved in a moderate amount of pvp, most often friendly duels. I've been on the recieving end of muggings, and have had a character FD'd.

My decision on killing another PC however is purely OOC. Why? It's because its encouraged for players to build the conflict here, where as my characters would rather not have any survivors in such a harsh world, where they could come after you at any time.

While I may want my character to have a ruthless mentality of cross him even slightly and you end up dead, I know such an OOC harsh reputation could quickly be seen as grieving.

However to date the only PC i have ever killed asked me OOCly to end his character. What I have come to realise however is, EFU is harsh, and allthough you may let someone else walk away, they will come after you most often with intent to kill.

So perhaps it is better than people relate more to the character than OOC thoughts, and induldge further into realism than abiding by OOC wishes. I've got the impression on EFU that some people get into PVP knowing full well the OOC wishes of increased conflict, and that they have a high chance of surviving the encounter. And that the knowledge they have of this is what bases their decision on PvP more than the realistic fact most would simple be gutted after the duel and left to rot.

Live by the sword, die by the sword. Expect everything to come full circle.

[Cerberus]

Subdual means you're as dead. Left for dead. Not just knocked out (that's why there's a sparring mode). Buddies don't waste healing on dead people. They pick them up and bring them for a raise if the battlefield allows them to.
 
It's not hard to imagine you think you're enemie's dead, and just leave him to rot. Then that bad guy somehow survives his wounds and comes back into the story.

I like this mind-set...
Don't think of it as knocked out, think of it as laying there gutted and only serious, (very serious, not dumping a healing herb on the guy), magic or the luck of the gods is going to keep them alive. You either walk away leaving them for dead or chop off thier head. This would be a good place to send the fallen a tell and ask if they have a preferance even...
 
Knocked out is -1 to -10.... Subduel is you hit -10 and by all rights should be in the fugue (you're dead, stay down).