Alright. Here's some good guidelines for 2kinds RP player versus player, and player killing. Most RPs fall into two different categories of pvp- none at all (D&D party blah) or reckless abandon (see the aborted Hell Rises Over and Wynni's hooligan thread, though the latter seems much more reserved).
PvP is a touchy subject, especially when there's no useful sparing system to be used on a forum. However, here's some tried-and-true methods-
-Initiating a PvP should always be by attacking player's discretion. Actually killing or severely inhibiting (maiming, breaking bones, etc.) another PC, however, requires some authority. A general rule of thumb is, if the other player's responsible, he'll take a hit every so often. However, most players won't die on a relatively spontaneous pvp. Now, if you're 120 pages into the roleplay and not a single player character has died yet, you might have a better chance, especially with someone who's wanted their character to get off scene for whatever reason.
-The end of a PvP may also be decided by GM. This can be touchy as well, as many GMs like to play characters inside their own universe -myself included, as Animus players know- and the chances for godmodding abound. It can also turn into a "run little ants run" fiasco, for example, the black hole of sandboxes that is the Kaerwyn RP, where the GMs have no compunctions about randomly stepping in and hitting one of the players in the genitals with a lightning blast. A responsible GM will not step in to a pvp and decide a victor unless there's a clear problem (likely godmodding), and it can make a much more phobic (and therefore interesting) environment if one of the players secretly (PM ftw) goes to the GM and asks for the right to player kill. The GM should also state, after the post has been made, that he authorized this, and a reasonable reason why. Usually, however, this would be an OOC reason, like frequent godmodding. An IC reason would probably have to be approved by the other player as well.
-Remember that player killing means you're effectively ending a character that someone could have put hours of forethought into. Don't be fooled by small bios- some people simply aren't as good as putting a bajillion words on the screen as others. A big bio does not mean a good bio.
-In a roleplay with an ongoing story surrounding the characters, player killing should be sparse, especially in pvp. In this case, the GM should be the cause of most player deaths, and even then, with discretion and plenty of chances for the character to worm out of it.
more later.
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