Perception of Risk

[_____________Losobal]

Reviewing some of the posts, and various articles regarding game events and results, I began thinking "Is there any real risk involved in RP?"

Aside from the intervention of GMs or funcom or whoever, it can all boil down to the little kid game of cowboys and indians. Remember that?

Boy 1: I shot you! You're dead!
Boy 2: No Im not you missed!
Boy 1: No I hit you, you're dead!
Boy 2: No you didn't!

etc etc etc.

In this case, even in the event that everyone in the rp decides to be brave and do it in a 0% or 25% area, and someone gets whacked as a part of RP, they just re-appear at some insurance terminal, possibly with no XP loss and just a bit or rez shock.

Then come back 5 minutes later and rejoin the fight, if there is one.

From an RP side of things, I would imagine actual fighting make sustaining RP difficult. Heck, fighting makes RP end, since then it becomes a simple matter of game mechanics.

Since I haven't seen much large RP on RK2, I'd like to ask those on RK1, how do orgs and rp groups sustain the feeling of risk/value to their rp? How do they extend things when the natural course of the rp will lead to violence?

The storyline (overall) is about conflict, how do orgs and rp'ers sustain that without everyone just dusting themselve off at an insurance terminal and going on their business as normal?

[____________Enerbias]

Hmmm...I think you have a valid point. I for one rarely use missions for roleplay, they are just nescesary to level, which is something I feel the need to do to rise in status and be taken more seriuosly when I do role play. If the option was there to level without so much killing, then I believe some would take it. Of course, the option is there to a certain degree, but providing services is a far poorer option when it comes to xp.

I tend not to play Enerbias as your typical Fixer, showing annoyance when branded as a thief, but it's difficult to argue with someone when they say you have stolen items from the dead in missions (I regard very few missions as actually having taken place IC)

I did once get involved in an official event which I found very difficult to take seriously for the reasons you mention. On the other hand, I have also had several exceptionally rich role play experiences that re-kindled my faith in the game, one of which being a very well played intimidating interrogation (by players in fact, one of whom I later found out was a professional actor!). For me the perceived threats come from being banged up by Omni, or the threat of permakill. Of course, in reality these are not real threats, but you have to role play their possibility to a degree, otherwise, there is absolutely no point to any of the fighting whatsoever.

I know of one guild who create their own storyline that incorporates reasons to mission. It seems to work very well, and I think this will improve when we can create our own missions, which, judging by the interface, is something that is planned. We shall see.

[Jynne]

If an RP event is taking place between friendly parties, doing it in a PvP area and abiding an agreement not to return once killed is certainly possible

[Dabblez]

I agree integrating combat in to roleplaying in AO is not all that easy. As I see it you basically have three options, two of which you already mentioned.

1.You can use the existing PvP mechanism, but can be very clumsy given all the regulations about just where and who you can fight. And if you are neutral, this just isn't an option at all.

2. You can just act it out. I've been in scenarios where I've been robbed at gun point or otherwise intimidated by physical violence in technically perfectly safe zones. The situations described did not always make a whole lot of sense, but it's still good roleplaying etiquette to go with the flow. Admittedly this type of roleplaying doesn't really capture that flavour of "risk" you mention however if you do get stuck in a situation where people are get into the "your dead/no I am not" routine, your are probably not roleplaying with the right kind of people.

3. Another option is to graft onto AO a different, paper based, action resolution system. You basically need a player to stand back and act as referee (in pen & paper terms act as the "GM") and roll the dice (or use what ever other agreed set of rules) to determine the outcome of the fight or other any other action you care to simulate. I drafted a very simple set of rules to which can used in AO (search this forum for CAOS if you are interested), but I'd suggest this route is only really viable for pretty hard-core roleplayers.

To be honest none of these options are entirely satisfactory. Perhaps the best solution is to write scenarios in which the risk element is not attached to characters life or death.

I'll just illustrate this with two very different examples from past SRS adventures. In one adventure the plot revolved around the fact that an enemy of the SRS and of Savoy in particular had got hold of some nude pictures of her and was threatening to publish them in a sleazy calendar. Once everyone got passed the comical aspect of this scenario, the "risk" became more apparent. These pictures could damage Savoy career and embarrass the SRS. As such various plans were set in motion to recover the pictures. The players were only partly successful in this adventure, and as a result "Savoy's pictures" were to become a recurring problem in future adventures. In another, more conventional adventure the SRS took upon itself the task to rescue a dissident artist from a clan labour camp. The obstacles in this scenario were provided by the environment (clan guards and other roaming mobs). While there was not risk that the player characters would be permanently killed, if the escaped prisoner ( a level 2 character) got killed, he would rez in a clan facility and the chance to free him would be lost forever. As such the result of the scenario was in the balance until he finally managed to scan in Newland.

I think in both cases, the outcome of the adventure mattered and the players really did care. The fact that they were not physically in any real danger was not crucial.