I use the general you, not targeted at any player in specific. These are questions that I pose, to you, the reader, whoever you are.
I've never liked PvP in Arelith. It's something that is part of the game, yes, but it's something that I rather see from the side than to take part in unless I feel that it's part of the story, and not a coffee intermission like a 2 minute pause where we pretend we are playing a MOBA instead. Regardless how I feel, yes, it's something that is used to resolve situations in one way or another - where you have a disagreement that can't be solved through the use of diplomacy or persuasion, that is a disagreement that it seems common consensus that the dice should solve for you. That has always looked lazy to me, and definitely not something I want to see more often.
Player versus player is a concept that is aberrant by itself. You are never supposed to be against other players; the nature of the game is that of cooperative story writing, where taking the upper hand over other player should, paradoxically, increase their narrative options, not limit them to a "do what I want". And if there's a lack of options, that very lack is the story itself, but it is by choice of the players to drive their characters in that direction; not because there was an actual binary of a character that had a mechanical control over the other.
I may be idealist at times, but I know all too well that there's too many players that don't share this outlook, and that's not something you can report. You can't report people for not being flexible enough in their stories or thinking issues can be solved with PvP (they can).
With the die it's not different. You will have the same three kinds of players: The ones that abuse the system, the ones that are sensible about it, and the ones that don't care.
Now, just to nitpick:
This is the magic of roleplay, that has kept the server alive even though you can count the polygons in the face of your character with the fingers. The very same way you can lie in real life, a good roleplayer will give the same cues in their writing, so that their characters are not hard-faced killahs with absolutely not a sliver of change in their expression when it comes to writing a story.R0GUE wrote: ↑Thu Apr 12, 2018 2:27 pm
In Arelith, PvP is allowed when it comes to physical interactions, why can't PvP also be allowed when it comes to social interactions? That's what the skills persuade and bluff are there for. I understand that the Devs also have given them some other small benefits that are a little more "crunchy" for lack of a better word. But to me taking skill ranks in Persuade is not worth getting a little extra gold for turning in bounties. To ignore that skill's intended purpose handicaps certain classes like the rogue and the bard. Think of these skills as a way to solve social challenges, in the same way a PvP battle is intended to solve physical challenges. Say you and another player are having a battle of wits, it would be nice to determine a winner. Or say you lie to another player. In an improv class, or a LARP, you could read their face, look for cues, but in D&D (especially a video game version with low poly graphics like NWN) the next best thing would be opposed dice roles.
You will not see it happen often, like people that has learned to throw up a fight, but it's a sign of the kind of behavior that we should encourage, and not made redundant to use and hide behind the rolls of a die.
/2cents.