I am aware I have not really added to the topic of conflict guidelines instead, just hammered on about mechanics. In the time between my first post in this topic and this one I have had sometime to get back in touch with the game and truly remember the issues IC and OOC that went with conflict. I also considered that without some form of penalty IG conflicts can become an unending cycle. At first glance I was heavily in favour of no skill loss until I thought it through and realized the same heroes would be attacking the villains and same villains attacking the town, endlessly. Without some system that separates a winner from a loser the pvp aspect of conflict becomes meaningless. However at the moment it feels nearly punitive as many have stated.
The best solution would of course be a system that empowers players to hand out killing blows if they feel it is warranted. This would enable high skilled characters to engage in conflict with anyone without it being a punishment, if you knock some one out/down, rp with them, take their gold and they get to carry on minus skills lost? Well everyone is going to feel more positive about this. It would also remove a bunch of other old annoyances, death by duelling, accidentally killing that poor smith because they were in the door way and so on. The current health hits zero and skills are lost system is not very rp friendly.
If the coding for the above is impractical at this time, then put it all on a timer. Skills are only lost if you die three times within 24 hours in game. This can be expressed via text warnings.
First visit to the cross = You return feeling only slightly weaker.
Second visit= It was hard to return this time you feel greatly weakened.
Third time= You nearly did not make it back you feel you have lost some of your old strength. (at this point skills are lost)
After eight hours in game = Your feel your spirit growing stronger, You feel like your old self again, You no longer feel as if death has a grasp on you.
What ever those messages are, if by killing my enemy I could buy eight or sixteen hours in game piece and quiet or conversely time to hatch my evil plan. Well that is a victory, a victory that lets players decide if they will risk their skills and a pat on the back to those who choose to do so.
The above timer system would also stop players losing skills to lag and bugs with NPC's something I was always very against in game. I go hunting to enjoy playing the game, not be punished for a disconnection. It also encourages role playing being wounded or recovering. The above would also free gms up to spawn more monsters as currently a GM is made a villain if they miss calculate the spawns during a quest. Frankly remove skill loss from npcs all together the hour cool down is plenty control enough on hunting and pging, I feel.
Item loss has never bothered me much in a role play setting, however if the balance has skewed to the point where you must have a lighting magic sword because a steel sword is just so inferior, then that is a separate balance issue which needs to be addressed separately.
Now to return to the actual topic a guide to handling conflict in game, that's far harder. I doubt the issues have changed much since I was very active here. Its never easy to lay down guidelines for conflicts each are unique and all of them have two sides. However there is always the old its just a game, role play and enjoy preach to fall back on.
1. Illarion is a constantly moving world that flourishes through player initiatives and change. Without conflicts the world will stagnate and with it your character and story as much as strong characters are vital so is loss, victory and challenges. Remember we are here to create a story not a chat simulation.
2. We are all on the same side at the end of the day, your worst enemy in character is also the greatest asset to your characters story. Keeping this in mind be mindful of fairness, try allowing an enemy to escape, attempt to role play instead of just clouding your adversary. Keeping in the spirit of the game instead of just throwing your skills around will earn you respect from your fellow players and often cause new avenues of role play to flourish.
3. Winning and losing is defined as much by who has fun as who is victorious.
4. Conflict happens and it should be enjoyed, however it is best enjoyed with communication. Its hardly fun or particularly sporting to wait until all the guards are gone to siege a town or try and attack a group at a time when most of its players are offline.
5. Roll with it, your bad day in Illarion is tomorrows tavern tale or camp side story. The worst parts of today will bind you to characters tomorrow and have enriched your story and given you a real, concrete part in the game world. Make the best of it
If we could all maintain those three ideas and adhere to them the entire attitude toward conflict would change. Most of the best role play I have had has been with an enemy who is also a great role player, if you rely on skills before role playing you will stomp out most great stories before they begin.