Highwaymen

[Caylin]

Caylin was robbed today, by some dirty rotten scoundrel. I'm not sure which section this post belongs in, so I figure GD is the best middle ground. I'm not making a complaint, I just want to understand why a player would take joy from threatening a newbie for a small amount of coin. Most of my money in my bank was given to me by nice people, and I never take it out or spend it because Caylin has been robbed before. I don't know what level that guy was, but I figure a strong fighter like Caylin could hold his own while his friend the Luckbringer came to help. OOCly though, I didn't feel that Caylin would take that risk and lose his hard-earned valuables that he was wearing, so I just dropped his pocket change and let the bad-guy win.

I honestly hope the player feels rotten for doing this, because there is no reason for any newbie to have a bad time trying to level up just so some borderline sociopath can get his jollies. Or, maybe he didn't realize I was a newbie. I really don't know, but either way the PC is going to get caught and dealt with.

[Mele]

Hi, this forum is ooc. Try not to spill a ton of IC tea here, thank you.

[Ariala]

Evil PC's *are* a thing still.

[Grenwyn]

...but either way the PC is going to get caught and dealt with.

This is as good a reason as any to threaten a PC for a small amount of coin: it sets up an ongoing antagonistic roleplay between the victim, the highwayman, and their respective friends and allies.

It's not fun to lose, but losing is part of every hero's journey before their ultimate triumph. That's okay; it gives you a motive to come back and win this time.

Try not to get too caught up in the specific wrong - coin is easily replaced - and think about this as a story arc that you and the highwayman's player are creating with each other. If you have the opportunity, perhaps reach out to the player OOC to make arrangements to continue the antagonistic RP (if you're interested in that). Do keep the hostility IC - the offense was in character, the response should be as well!

Even if you never get resolution with the original highwayman himself, how does this encounter impact Caylin? If it's had a strong impression on you, chances are it did on him too. Does it make him hate bandits with a vengeance? How might that hatred play out? A personal vendetta, a bounty?

These are some approaches I'd take to turn what might have been a frustrating IC encounter into fodder for more exciting roleplay.

[Caylin]

Does it make him hate bandits with a vengeance?

Caylin already despised bandits, no change there. As far as impacting me personally, I just don't like it. That's not the same as being upset by it or anything like that. If I think about it negatively, it's only because it wasted my training time. I wasn't sure what to do in that scenario. I don't ever want to use osay to prevent a roleplay from happening, good or bad. But if this were to happen every time I trained, I'd never get anywhere.

And as far as continuing the roleplay, if the person who initiated it had greeted Caylin, perhaps I would be able to contact him so we could continue, but he didn't. And I felt that he didn't care, either. Seemed he was trying to rush things and get something valuable out of it, which to me doesn't make sense because he's targeting lower leveled PCs, who are dirt poor. This is actually what grinds my gears; the fact that people with less than Caylin might be ripped off and have next to nothing. Caylin cannot afford to pay for bounties; so aside from begging his friends for help, there isn't anything he can do. He isn't lawful or chaotic, so the choice is up to him but there's nothing really pulling him to do anything one way or another.

[Harroghty]

As a sky-level observer, my two cents...



But, more seriously, I think it's good for there to be evil RP. It's hard to strike a balance between maintaining OOC good will and IC conflict, but the conflict is what makes RP fun and compelling.

[Ralthasar]

Leveling vs Roleplay. It can throw a wrench in the gears, but the story is what's important. This encounter happened to me as well. I went with it. Why shouldn't you go with it? It's just fun and roleplay. It was dealt with ICly. I won't say what happened after, but I am not against this sort of RP persisting and continuing. The encounter was fair, thought out, and fun. It allowed others to then be involved beyond just the 'Highwayman' and myself. Evil PC's are a thing. Don't focus too much on it sucking that you're trying to level, so much as it can further develop your character and those around you.

Having a hard time? Tell a friend. Grab a buddy, a *cough cough* squire, let people know. Alert them. Spread around roleplay. If you can't fight the foe, never hesitate to call in for backup or help later. If you fall? More chances for rp! Reach out to a stranger. Titles are there for a reason. Anyone that has a title can be assumed to have some 'renown' icly. I haven't met a person that wouldn't help if that ever happened. When you do that, it creates more roleplay.

Sure it can suck, but competition can be a good thing. If everything was easy all the time, what would be the point? Good on him for picking out his prey and choosing the weaker sort. Sounds like a good time for people to start being on the watchful prowl!!

Edit: Don't expect people to greet before they attack. If you ever see an orc that's a player, chances are they won't greet. You'll get an emote or two stating their intent to attack, then engagement. Possibly an osay. You are also allowed to say "I don't want this" via osay per help PK. Read the files! They're there for a reason!

[Caylin]

Thank you for the wise words, I am sure I will take better action in the future.

Also V for Vendetta was great; I need to watch that again