Conflict with Others? What do?

[Semli]

[SIZE="5"]CONFLICT WITH OTHERS![/SIZE]
What do?

If you've ever been killed by another player when it was unwarranted/premature, it leaves in you a sense that your story was not complete. That you may as well have named your character Starving Kobold Bandit, or the like, because you only served as another characters stepping stone to wealth and fame.

Now, it is not wrong to quarrel with others. It would certainly be a much more boring world if all our characters got along! In a world where necromancers, paladins, demonologists, crusaders, scholars, thugs, rebels, and nobles all cohabitate, there will of course be battles. Most of our stories are doomed to end in failure and death. Be that as it may, every person created a character with the intent to tell a story. When they are denied that through sheer indifference simply because "you inconvience me" or "I need your stuff but want no reprocussions," it is the greatest insult imaginable.

So, how do you quarrel with someone and keep it classy? It's not an easy question to answer. Here are some simple guidelines that may help.

- Your methods should only be a step above the "crime" commited against you, if any. Has someone insulted you? Subdue their character and take 100 gold or a useful potion. Although it may be tempting to take much more, essentially "dry looting" a character is almost as devastating as killing a person outright. Gold, potions, and loot are story telling tools you see. The more time and effort you invest into the server, the more of these you tend to acquire, which in turn effect your ability to influence the story world as you see fit. More powerful and established characters can stand to lose more. If you had to use supplies to down your opponent, it is acceptable practice to replace what you used. If you and five friends used no supplies and beat down some dude, you really don't need to take much at all to make the encounter profitable. Not taking anything in such instances shows tolerance that one day may be repaid in kind, by a future character of his to a future character of your own.

- You have the option of disfiguring/dismembering a character, if a DM is present. You should only explore this option if your opponent has challenged you on more than one occasion or has proven particularly challenging to the point a second encounter may easily result in you losing. Here are some ideas:

• Marking a person by cutting off an ear/scarring their face/cutting off a single finger. This tends to be the least crippling disfigurement option. Useful if you want to be hated and feared but don't want to truly hurt someone elses gameplay.
• Cutting off a foot will slow a person down in the future. Useful if you don't want Militiaman Fatty being as spry as he once was to give your thieves guild a chance at some good getaways. A good option if the character in question specializes in two handed weapon combat.
• Cutting off a hand. This tends to be the most crippling. Noted effects are inability to weild two handed weapons, inability to use a shield larger than a buckler, and others. This should be reserved for only your most hated foes, or those that will surely kill you if they seek revenge.

- Finally, killing. Every tale needs have an end. The paladin who stood up to the demonic cult time and time again and finally penetrated their secret sanctum, the violent mugger dragged into the Citadel one too many times, the known assassin who was finally subdued trying to kill a lord of the Duchy - all of these must now face their end. The difference between these characters and others is that they have told their tale. Having risked so much, they may have accomplished deeds great and terrible. But they have also demonstrated that their tale, and its direction, runs in opposition to anothers. As they have demonstrated an unwillingness to embrace change, so must those who met out their punishment demonstrate their own. Give the character in question a chance to make his final remarks, make a badass speech about how they failed or were wrong or have been brought to justice, whatever you can to heighten the drama before finishing them. If you are unsure, check out some dramatic death scenes (Shakespeare, anything from an anime ever, etc.).

If you are concerned about a blooming conflict with another player, you might try discussing it with them OOCly. A lot of EFUA veterans are very relaxed about initiating and seeking conflict, so a person you feel is being threatening or hates you may actually be very friendly out of character, which in turn will help you feel more at ease OOCly when dealing with them.

[Spiffy Has]

Chill, relax, strive to achieve.

The three magical words to win my heart.

[The Old Hack]

A small addition to the excellent opening post:

If you lose PvP and face potential loss, harm or death, a good way to reduce damage is to remember that you lost, you didn't win. Your character's life is in the hands of another character who may be willing to let you live relatively unharmed if you play your cards right. Keep this in mind.

What does this mean? Well, for openers, it means that hard as it may be, keeping your temper and refraining from aggravating and insulting the guy who just beat you will probably make him a lot more willing to go easy on you. On the other hand, talking trash and making threats against someone holding a blade to your throat might not be an ideal approach if you want to go on living. Okay, maybe your character is ICly supposed to be a badass guy who never gives up, but even if he is, he just got beat which limits the amount of badassness you can project anyway.

In short: restrain your anger. You don't have to grovel, though it may be an idea (as well as entirely IC for certain types); you just have to stay reasonably polite and remember that this is just roleplay. Even if it was an unfair fight, these nonetheless happen and are part of the game world.

Conversely, the winner of a PvP might do well to remember that taunting someone you just beat is not necessarily the best way to get their respect and that trash talking the guy you just beat will greatly increase the odds of future retribution. More importantly, you should remember that roleplay is meant to be fun and no matter how cool you may think it is to gloat and torment your victim, the player you just beat might not think it is all that much fun to listen to you telling him how much he sucks.

Short version of above: Try not to insult the guy with the knife at your throat if you want to live. Promising him certain future death is likewise not necessarily the best way to escape your own. Give the guy who beat you something to work with so he doesn't feel forced to kill you. And last, if you win, remember that there is less chance of OOC resentment (as opposed to IC) if you are at least nice enough to not add humiliation to the pain of defeat.

~tOH.

[Drakill Tannan]

What tOH said, but expanded. When faced with death there are ways in wich you can allow your PCs story to continue. If your enemy is religiously inspired, or a cleric, lick his boots and convert to his faith. If you're a docksman and he is an infantryman offer him to be his spy, same works the other way arround but most importantly-

DO IT

see because if you save your PCs ass because you "converted" to the cleric's faith and you just ignore it and instead try to kill or ruin the plans of the guy who spared your life players realize that they shouldn't be taking such offers in the first place, and after a few times, they won't.


In the same way, offering such posibilities to the nemesis you're about  to kill is a good idea. If your character is a cleric or religious  zealot, go "CONVERT OR DIE" on him.

[SkillFocuspwn]

Great post, a comprehensive guide to the nuances of FDing is always needs on EfU! Should be stickied.

[Nuclear Catastrophe]

I don't really want to have to leto people's appearance to minus-hand every time Jimmy Barbarian wins a PvP, and then have to leto them back to plus-hand when they get restoration/regeneration or whatever later on...

[Random_White_Guy]

Stellar post.

Another thing people so often seem to forget is nothing pisses people off more than cherrypicking. I am not speaking of FDing but more shifting your target of attacks.

If you are a Docksman and Joe Patrician gets you arrested? Rather than trying to FD him start mugging his friends leaving warnings. If a Docksman mugs your rich merchant start offering discount potions and more to the Stygians so they can potentially crush him. People get way too linear with conflict of "A HIT B, B MUST -BE CRUSHED IN EVERY WAY-".

Half the fun of conflict is taunting the target of your conflict while he is powerless to stop you bringing suffering upon all he loves and holds dear.

[Capricious]

Also, give people a little space for their own plots. Just because you have the ability to block someone at every turn and stomp them into the ground doesn't mean you should. Ask yourself if you would have fun if you were on the other side of that equation, if the answer is no then ease back a little and give them some room to build themselves up.

A good way to do this is to prioritize your potential foes according to what's most important to your character. Certainly there may be others who your character's beliefs may put you in conflict with, but it's unnecessary to take everyone on head-long. Worry about the ones who are most directly opposed and dangerous to your character's goals and put the others on the back-burner. Allow them to make the first move before you start looking to enter more direct conflict with them. I find that this allows them to begin the conflict when they feel they are ready instead of you coming and stomping on newer characters when they're simply not ready for it.

The best conflict is when both sides exchange victories over the other, rushing to the endgame just makes the conflict a hell of a lot less interesting. A rivalry implies that there's at least a measure of equal footing, and the longer this can drag on the more fun it is for everyone involved.