Arelith

Credit is due to the original poster on the old forums, Hins Are Friends Not Food. Original thread here!

Like culture, etiquette is a word that has gradually grown to become plural, especially in a multi-ethnic society with many clashing expectations. Thus, it is now possible to refer to "an etiquette" or "a culture", realizing that these may not be universal. In Britain, the word "etiquette" has been described as the one word that aptly describes life during the reign of queen Victoria.

Rules of etiquette encompass most aspects of social interaction in any society, though the term itself is not commonly used. A rule of etiquette may reflect an underlying ethical code, or it may reflect a person's fashion or status. Rules of etiquette are usually unwritten, but aspects of etiquette have been codified from time to time.

Special Thanks there to Wikipedia!

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Alrighty, so why am I typing this? Well, it's quite simple really. After playing here for a while, I realized something. There are few pre-requesites to PvP combat. These are clear... But sometimes... "Being Nice" doesn't seem to fit.


First Post will be a break down of the rule. Feel free to skip it if you've got a grasp. It's mostly for the new(er) players.

Rule #2 wrote:
Abide by the Rules of Engagement.

Combat actions and political actions (using our Citizenship System) against other PC's (PvP) MUST BE INTERACTIVELY ROLE PLAYED. That means you interact, they interact, etc: BEFORE any action occurs. No exceptions. If your character is killed by another PC (or vice versa), you must wait one realtime day before participating in PvP or interacting in any way with that PC or other hostile PCs from the battle unless both sides explicitly agree to. You are always free to take flight from PvP. Having an opposite or evil alignment is not sufficient reason for PvP action. Before attacking another player the dislike/hostile state must be activated.



Yes, I know, it's alot to take in if you're new to NWN (or an Online RPG all together). So, in this post, I will be breaking down Rule #2: Engagement.
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1) Combat Actions: What are they?

What are Combat Actions? These are the mechanical actions your avatar (or character) takes in a hostile situation. These could range from strike an opponent with an unarmed (or armed) attack, casting a hostile spell*, or using an item that has an adverse effect on the victim.


*Hostile and Non-Hostile Spells will be defined in detail in a later post


2) Political Actions: What are ~they~?

If you're new to Arelith, then this term likely got your brow raised. Political Actions are nifty little tools that some characters have. They have been given these tools by interacting with other characters and players (called Roleplaying) and have won a status in a settlement via guile, persuasion, honesty, or other methods.

The Hostile Political Actions are such:
Exile: The command that a leader of a settlement (or empowered citizen of a settlement) may use to forcefully remove another character from the settlement. This effect lasts until the exile is removed. [There are also ways to bypass this effect, but are irrelevent to this thread.]
War: The command a settlement leader may use to cause all citizens of a specific settlement to be killed or removed (as per Exile) upon entering.
Eviction: The command that removes a quarter, home, mansion, or shop from another character.
Removal Of Citizenship: The Command a settlement leader may use to remove the citizenship of an individual, thus stripping his right to vote in an election in the settlement. In some cases, some settlements require citizenship to own property, therefore this also triggers an Eviction.

Whew! Alright, so if you just took as long to read that as I did to post this, you're probably wondering if the rest of the post is going to be like this. The good news is: It's not! I've clarified what the Hostile Actions of the server are! So now, we get into the meat of the rule.


3)

Quote:
(PvP) MUST BE INTERACTIVELY ROLE PLAYED. That means you interact, they interact, etc: BEFORE any action occurs. No exceptions.



Guess what? PVP means the combined things above: That's right, all those words I used is summed up in three words. And the best part is that this part of the rule just explained itself!

You have to interact with another character before you kill him, or hurt him (since sometimes you will die), or try to kick him out of your home-town. Easy enough, right? Great! Now we can move on.

4)

Quote:
If your character is killed by another PC (or vice versa), you must wait one realtime day before participating in PvP or interacting in any way with that PC or other hostile PCs from the battle unless both sides explicitly agree to.



This part of the rule is known as the "Cool Down". Sometimes, when two players have their characters butt heads, it makes tempers flare. I speak from experience here. It is not uncommon for me, after an instance of PvP, to need to step away from my computer and enjoy some fresh air for a good ten or fifteen minutes at least. In fact, some of the other players of this server I know, even if they win, take a similar break after PvP. It's healthy.

This part of the rule is designed to ensure that tempers aren't strained. A full day (in real life) gives pause for thought. It lets the players move on to something more enjoyable. Now, if the two players enjoyed the interaction, and want to continue to RP before then? They are fully allowed to, but both players need to talk to each other in Tells and confirm their feelings.

It's a game, not a life. And just because you won the fight does not mean the sandbox is your domain. And just because you lost doesn't mean you need to throw your disc away, break the keyboard in two, and drive your mouse into your monitor.

Jjjerm wrote:
Be Nice and don't be a cheeseball.



Other people are here to play.

5)

Quote:
You are always free to take flight from PvP.


That's right! You are not at all compelled to engage in PvP. You may avoid it at your own whim. Though, all actions ICly have consequences ICly.*

*Avoiding interaction for the sake of avoiding having property eviction, citizenship revokation, or being exiled does not save you from such an effect. If you are caught to be logging off the server to avoid these things, the DMs will likely have a talk with you at their earliest convenience.

6)

Quote:
Having an opposite or evil alignment is not sufficient reason for PvP action.



This is a difficult part of the rule to really explain. Sometimes this is challenged with "But he's Evil, and I'm a Paladin. Why can't I smite him?"
The reason this part of the rule is specifically pointed out is this: PvP is to be used as a catalyst for RP, and RP is not to be used as a catalyst for PvP.

What does all that mean? Simple! After the Roleplay is there, and the tensions are high, and your barbarian has had it with the Elven Mageling who has his head in the clouds... beat him up! Now, you've gone and killed someone. You're a murderer. What does that do? And there-in is further roleplay. Witnesses? Oh dear.

Roleplay should not be done for the sake of killing another character. That should never be the case. The Roleplay should not be done to meet the rule, but rather the PvP should be done as a way to encourage the First Rule of Arelith: Roleplay!

After all, if we didn't want people dying, it would be a No PvP server.
If we didn't want people RPing, this rule wouldn't exist.

7)

Quote:
Before attacking another player the dislike/hostile state must be activated.



And here were are! The last bit of the rule. What is the dislike/hostile state?
Well, if you ever hit "Tab" while playing, everything glows. You glow white, friends glow blue (or green in some cases), and bad guys glow red.

If you open the Playerlist (by hitting the Cross Swords icon on the right side of the screen, or by hitting the "P" key in game), there are three parts. The middle column will say "Like" or "Dislike". Just that. If you're about to get into a PvP encounter with someone, you are required to first make sure that this says "Dislike" and the reaction on the Playerlist menu reads "Hostile".

--

And that concludes the breakdown of Rule #2! My next posts will get into the good stuff: The things like "How can PvP be fun if I keep losing?" and "How can I make it fun for others if I keep winning?" and "How do I know when enough Roleplay is enough?".


EDIT: Oh and when I said "It's not going to be that long" I meant that no individual topic would be. *innocent whistle*

Here I go again! This time, since the rule about PvP is laid out, everything should be clear about how to go about it, right?

Well, yes... if you don't mind having a 10 or a 20 Roleplay Rating (Definitions can be found on the Main Page and looking through the "Players Handbook" of it).

So, let's deal with the probably the question I have been asked most in recent days regarding this by a few players who weren't sure if they were in the right or wrong:


How much Interaction Before PvP is Needed? (And is PvP always the answer to a hostile encounter?)

I'm going to draft a scenario here of a mediocre, and rules-satisfying encounter:

Four characters of various alignments and races and classes set out on an adventure. The Dwarven Paladin of Moradin desires the iron that is said to be somewhere still in existence in the Old Iron Mines of Cordor. He has rallies three others with him.

As he goes about the travel, he and the other three are conversing amiably, sparring questions and such, revealing small bits of themselves, their views, and their alignment. The Elven Wizard among them seems very cold, and speaks favorably of "doing what must be done."

Finally, after a long travel, the Dwarf sees the iron gleaming from his torch-light. While he's in the middle of striking the ore with his pickaxe, he hears the Elven Wizard muttering.

When he finishes, he turns to see 2 Skeletal Warriors by the Elf. The Elf has now blocked the way out.

The Dwarf, noble Paladin he is, doesn't strike, but insists the Elf dismiss the foul creatures, and promises safe protection back to the city in return. The Elf refuses, and threatens the three that if they do not listen to him, he'll have his knights strike them down.

Doing what is good and noble, the Dwarf (after checking the player list and Hostiling the Elf) charges one of the skeletons, and his two remaining allies join him in the attempt.

They all die.
---

What? That's it?

Yeah. That's it. Sorry to say it, but that's it. The requirements were met, and the rule was sated. Game over. Time to respawn.

I can guarentee one thing though, that Dwarf won't ever party with th-- Hey! Wait a minute! The Dwarf struck first! That's hardly fair!

THAT'S THE POINT!

So, in the previous post we talked about how PvP should be a catalyst for RP, to make more and inspire more; and how RP should not be taken in such a light that all it does is line up the next duel or brawl.

What if that Elven Mage had a plot? What if he was hoping the Dwarf would think outside the box a little more? What if he was hoping to initiate Redemtion Roleplay?

So, how do you know if there's been enough Roleplay before the Hostlity is checked and the deathblow is lined up?

Ask a few questions:

What are MY goals in this encounter? In the above, the Dwarf (who most of us instinctively thought was the protagonist), had the goal to gather some iron and be on his way.

What could the other guy possibly be thinking? In the above, did anyone care to find out why the Elven Mage had two skeletal servants? Perhaps he was thinking to just take the iron for himself and leave after a few threats went about. That would cause a long-term brewing of hatred from the Dwarf, and the Dwarf would have the opportunity to have more players and characters involved.

If I don't initiate the PvP now, will I miss something important? This is the big one, guys. Do you have a target you're supposed to be chasing? Do you have a time limit? Will the victim escape?
If No to the above, draw it out. Always try to draw it out. Sometimes, some amazing RP can come of a conflict that doesn't end with PvP on the first encounter.

Keep thinking. Never stop thinking. The more questions you ask yourself before hitting that hostility button, the more RP has a chance to come to surface. Maybe if the Dwarf didn't charge, the Halfling would have set some traps and burned the mage up. Now, there's RP between a dishonorable trapper of a Halfer and a Paladin Dwarf.

Now, of course, we don't want to be stupid and draw it out to the point our enemy is fully buffed. That's why the casting of spells is often considered a hostile act. (This will be explained in another post).

--

And guess what! If the characters parted ways, the Elf made off with the iron, and the Dwarf was left seathing, it means there's RP behind the two characters now for future encounters!

Alright. So the first post broke down the rule.
The second post gave an example of what sates the rule; and how to do more than just meet a requirement- go above and beyond a simple thought process of "Evil! Kill it! The RP Req is met!"

So here's the third post. I don't know about you, but my hands are tired of typing. Ah well. I'd sooner have this typed up then get an inbox full of "But how do I do this with my hostile RP?"

So, without further waiting:

I always win when I go into PvP. I'm being called a pride gamer, but I don't mean to be. How can I do better?

Well. If ever there was someone proud of his build, it was me. A Monk with insane speed, a solid AC, a matching AB, and a Stunning Save that wasn't Mind-Affecting that would make Enchanters with their Hold Monster spells shudder at the DC (Not to mention the Quivering Palm).*

So. You've just finished combat and, once again, there's a corpse on the ground, you're standing still, and in your left chat window there's a bunch of angry green text called "Tells" from the defeated.

Let's rewind...

As the deathblow landed, you send your opponent a tell "Good fight. Sorry you died."

MISTAKE! Contrary to popular opinion, such a tell often incites a feeling of deception; it makes the reciever of the Tell feel like he just got told "You suck in PvP, but I'm trying to be nice."

The difference between the person who just wins a PvP Encounter and the one who makes the PvP Encounter last beyond the "X Killed Y" text is the who stops and sends the victim Tell: "Alright. I have your corpse. Let's both step afk for a few minutes to cool off. I think that that the RP beforehand was unsatisfactory given our past/wonderful/pretty cool/left open-ended. I would like to see about arranging more RP. After the short break. Could we talk about wavering the 24 wait?"

And there... Now the spot light is on the victim. He's just been given an opportunity to see what you're like. He has a chance to get to know your character - and you to know his.

But How Can I Do That? He's Dead!

Well, why'd you kill him? Something cool I've seen done before (though not recently) is when someone is killed in PvP, sometimes the winner will emote *strikes him hard with the flat of his blade in the head, knocking him unconscious*. Then he'll delay and talk to the person in tells to arrange what happens next. A Raising? A Jail-RP session? Extended Jail (A character may only be in jail for a maximum of 3 RL days, without concent of the jailed player for longer, and should be tended to often and respected with continuous RP)? Prisoner bound and gagged, forced to walk back to his home and be humiliatingly thrown back to his own friends?

Always keep a Raise Scroll if you can afford it. Wink

Not all OOC chat is wrong. JJ himself has given some examples of good OOC-Coordinating.

What if he refuses to waver? What then? Well, here's a few ways to spare him the cost of being forced to use the respawn portal:


"The OOC Raise": This is a big no-no. You drop the corpse off, and drop a raise spell or scroll on it, and run away/stealth. It's a violation of Rule #1, regardless of how "Nice" it is. There are other ways of being nice with a corpse.

"Leave the Corpse": It's that simple. If it's in a decently trafficked area, you could leave the corpse and someone is BOUND to stumble on it.

"Take it to a Proper Place": A Graveyard, or a crossroads to be found.

Lastly: "Short Waver": This is my favorite. Offer to waver the rule of no RPing within 24 hours for only about 10 minutes, to allow time to Raise for an "honorable fight" or another similar reason that makes IC sense... See to the victims security, then leave him on his own with a curt "farewell". People won't ALWAYS take this, but sometimes they do. It can make an interesting dynamic. "Huh... He does bad things, sure... But he respects honor and valor... He may be salvagable for the forces of good" or something. Wink



So there you have it: Ways to win, but still be nice to the other player and STILL be IC about it. No rules broken, and it often lessens the pain that comes with "losing" for the other party. Smile

Good sportsmen slap-five after a long hard game, even though during the contest they taunted each other and cussed each other out out of earshot of the referees. Wink

*I often exaggerate the devastation my character really had the ability to cause.

Alrighty, so now we come to an interesting point. First, I'm going to tell everyone a really nifty trick!

!

That's it.

!

And in case you don't get it yet: "!"

All you have to do is type on the Chatline the following, verbatum: !
This command instantly hostiles every PC within a certain radius. No need to search for them individually on the Player List.
This trick is wonderful when it's 1 v 3 or so, and you're the odd-one out, but ready to strike, and you know it's time, but hostiling one means he may attack, then you're in trouble because you're still filtering the Player List.

--

So, that said, in a previous post I mentioned a situation that met the requirements of Roleplay before PvP (Interactively). Sometimes, though, a character has been given a job of beheading someone through any means. Now, I'm not talking about assassins. I'm talking about Character A told Character B that Character C did something bad, and he needs to be smote down, as he's a threat to the Island and is a very bad person.

So, When B meets C, when's it time to deal the hits?

Hostile Actions (that are non-PvP) are an interesting thing. They could be considered a grey area.

If B tells C: "Cast another spell, and I strike", and C's in the middle of casting a series of spells? Upon the next spell cast, B is - technically - allowed to strike. C broke the conditional set.

Now, if B tells C: "Don't cast anything" while C is in the casting phase, and C doesn't cast again, B could strike C since at any point a caster may cancel a spell by clicking the icon in the top left, or moving.

So this brings us to our first lesson in Etiquette!

How to be polite: Sometimes, there are things that cannot be overlooked. These include a mage preparing for combat, a Priest preparing himself, A Paladin casting Aura of Glory (which gives him +4 Charisma, and makes his Smites have a +2 Attack, makes his DIvine Might/Shield give +2 Damage/AC AND last 2 more rounds... It's a big spell), or a Barbarian entering a Rage.

Now, a Barbarian entering a rage can be quelled, and I personally compliment you in advance if you manage to get a Barbarian to trigger his Rage, and THEN calm him down and avoid PvP.

So, you've told your antagonist (since really, no one's the good guy or bad guy, we're all just self-made-protagonists, unless you're like me and hate most of your own characters because they do the stupid things in some situations) that he should stop casting or you'll strike.

He finishes the spell.

Naturally, most people don't mind taking the chance to attack.
Others, though, are nice and let it pass.

So, what's right and wrong in this instance?

How can I be nice to him now that I know he's already prepared to kick my butt in combat?

First: Consider ~your~ character: Is your character Lawful (Strongly encourages him to hold to his word and strike); is he Good (Encourages Mercy, to allow the caster the benefit of the doubt); is he Chaotic (If so, why did he even say "Don't cast", he should have just drawn his blades and said "Don't say a word", then when the casting started... well you know); is he Evil (I'm sure if you think hard enough, there are more things that are evil that can be done to someone who disobeys an order or a threat than just killing them right off).

Second: Consider the ~player~: Now, this is second because "Roleplay comes first". It's rule number one. Being Nice is number 4 and is a bit down the line from keeping things In Character. Does the character cast that spell and ignore you? Or did the player not have reaction time? Was he busy OOCly? -- Giving time for a second offense if the situation allows for it is often considered polite and fair. Also, giving around a minute, maybe even 3, for time enough to reply with chat is good. Some players aren't fast typers. And when you say "You have til I reach 5 to drop your weapon. 1 2 3 4 5", that's hardly nice. It goes about much more nicely if you say "1", then give a 30 second pause before "2", so they have a chance to emote, or even comply.

Third: Consider what just happened: Was that spell "Mestil's Acid Sheath"? Is the Caster a level 30? 30 by 6 is 180, devided by 60 is 3... That's only 3 minutes of that spell, 6 if it's extended, at the most. Know Your Spells: Sometimes, it's possible to talk a mage out for so long his spells fade away.

So, how do you take all that and make it into something short, sweet, and nice?

Think about what you're character is doing, how hard or soft he is; think about how the other player is feeling, and give him some wiggle room; and think of other ways to draw out the RP without entirely destroying your own advantage.

But most importantly: Give your antagonist a chance to flee, to react, or even to offend again. After all, not every victory is a win, and not every defeat is a loss.

I've said it a handful of times, and I'll say it again: PvP is not the end of RP. PvP is the CATALYST for more RP.



--

But... what's a catalyst?

I keep using that word. Some people don't know what it is. Here's an example.


Alright, I have coal (carbon) and iron (iron). Taking these two, I can make steel, right?

So I smash them together. ... No steel. Just... black iron, now. And if I brush it, the black's on my hand.

Heat! I send the coal into the fire, and it burns up, the carbon is released, and it can now bind with my iron to make steel.

Heat is the catalyst. It is the essence (physical or non-physical property) that gives way for something new and cool to come about.

Carbon + Iron + Heat = Steel.
Just like:
Personalities + Conflict + PvP = Roleplay.

(In physics, there is actually a symbol that is used that means "catalyst" in these equations, and the catalyst is named above the symbol. It could be heat, water, or even another element).


--
Now, careful readers will notice I didn't go into detail about "What's fair for me to start striking with." Why didn't I go into detail? The answer is simple:

Common Sense: It's in Rule #2: Interactive Roleplay is required. The Hostility Button needs to be hit.

I'm not typing this to tell people how to enter PvP.
I'm typing this to teach a healthy pattern of thoughts that may help make PvP more than just "X deals Y damage to Z, until X kills Z".