From: gt9398b@prism.gatech.EDU (Christopher R. Boggs)
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.misc
Subject: Player Killing
Date: 19 Nov 92 05:02:57 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology


    Just as there are notorious player killers (PKs), there are also notorious
player killer killers (PK-Killers). There may even be groups of both of these
classifications.

    I learned mudding on Adversary (DikuMUD). Under the "flag system" there I
had my Lvl 8 killed repeatedly by a Lvl 16 PK. The reason I got jumped was 
because I got loud and obnoxious after a thief stole my recall. Well, the high
thief on at the moment decided to take up for his thieving brothers. I ended
up at Lvl 8 with less experience than most Lvl 3 PCs.

    I started over and Immorted. I kept my mouth shut but still had to deal
with player killers. When I was 3k from Immort, I was jumped after recalling.
I was slept and colour sprayed while at 60 HP. Fleeing to the park, I Immorted
rather quickly and figured I had no more reason to worry about PKs.

    But after Immorting, I got tired of watching my friends get jumped by PKs.
At this point, I started a thief and a mage. Keeping my mouth shut, I worked
both up to high level. At this point, NiteBreed and Kargen began thier Anti-PK
career. Upon making a definite statement that I meant to kill PKs, several
other players offered help. Thus, The BrotherHood of the Crimson Fist was born.
The PKs, and especially the Gods, sneered about a organized Anti-PK group. But
alot of PKs bit the dust and we were high enough level to stand on our own. The
ole sleep/backstab/fireball combination worked wonders. =]

    Of course, this organized group earned me enemies that crossed over to 
other muds. The war on Apocalypse II that pitted the GT Wrecking Crew against
PSU was a carry over of this. But to be totally honest, the possibility to 
have groups of high level, high powered players hacking and frying each other
added more spice and challenge to the game that you can imagine. No longer did
we sleep in the street or use all our mana. We always had a recall and enough
mana to sanct/heal. Many time, Midgaard was the sight of career players running
and fleeing, while engaged in combat. Groups of player aligned with each other.
Groups of schools aligned against each other. And it was _FUN_. Warriors that
massacred three times around and clerics who could heal for hundreds of points
of damage. Anti-Paladins who could backstab you and then leech hitpoints from
you to heal themselves. Thieves with a beefed up backstab modifier. Battles
that ended very quickly or dragged on for minutes. And it was _FUN_. You can
never create mobiles that are as fun to chase as the guy on the other side of
your monitor. And as long as assassins only kill assassins, noone gets thier
feelings hurt. When we entered into the situation, we were prepared to have 
our beloved equipment stolen or dumped. While at the same time, we were all
prepared to deal with indiscriminate player killers. My Lvl 29 Anti-Paladin
has been known to kill low levels who go on sprees of newbie killing. Just as
my low level thieves have been killed by Thief-Killers.

    Those who truly give player killing a bad name are those who drop link or
run and rent after a kill. On Apoc II and Adversary, such link-droppers were
purged completely. If you kill, stick around and defend your actions. If you
are powerful enough to withstand reprisals, then you are powerful enough to
act as you wish. Most Dikus are midevil in origin. Shouldn't we act as such?

    I support player killing because it allows for a mortal power structure
that allows mortals to handle things they should handle. And inevitably, there
will end up being factions of both good and bad players, as well as the players
who remain neutral and stay out of it. This simply gives the mud flavor and
danger. You know what you are doing, or you die.

    Basically, those who cry about the unfairness of player killing should go
play some mud where the gods will return your corpses and there is no risk of
loss. To me, each mud has its own micro-society and power structure. Its what
makes me keep playing. Who wants to kill the same mobile repeatedly, when you
can work with your friends and obtain power?

    As Co-Imp of Arctic, I am not sure what our policy will be. We have yet to
set one. I suspect PKing will be allowed to an extent that mortals can maintain
some control over mortal matters. And if the mortals cannot handle a specific
problem character, then as it should be, we Gods will step in and end the 
trouble.......quickly and cleanly. First by imprisoning the offending character
and lastly, by banning the entire site. Still.....There is no definition of a
"Problem character". As long as one plays within the rules and does not abuse
lower level players, so be it.

-[Red Aura] Chris' Evil Twin
 Skurge Ragnarok, Apocalyptic Death Knight      [ Long Live the Brotherhood! ]
 Kargen the Kamikaze Kaster
 Balstaff the High Arctic Minotaur
 NiteBreed, Bastard Child of the Gods

-- 
[]==========================================================================[]
 |     Christopher R. Boggs, MGT Major, Georgia Institute of Technology     |
 |    "Death is life's way of telling you that you've been fired." -Anon    |
[]==========================================================================[]
Newsgroups: rec.games.mud.misc,rec.games.mud.diku,rec.games.mud.lp