pyrocide
The Mogul of Cromarcky
I noticed an ongoing trend, and I wanted to highlight it and finally raise it up to the community to discuss on how we can fix or at least curb said issue.
The trend is that many different groups/organizations are trying to force the perception that the members of their group is to be "feared." They are trying to force players to take actions that the character wouldn't normally take, have emotions and thoughts that may not be what a character actually would have, ect ect.
Now, I'm not saying that when the PS guard for example tells you to respect them that this is a bad thing. It's logical that most people should have a healthy level of respect and maybe even fear for the guard. The issue becomes when every group says that they are the organization to be feared, there becomes an inconsistency of power.
"What does that mean?" you may be asking yourself. What I mean by an inconsistency of power is this: The level of power that each organization holds is inconsistent between each player's mind. The players that are playing as PS guards think they are the most powerful force, the Inquisitors may think the Inquisitors are, and the Bandits think the Bandits are, and the assassins think that the assassins are the most powerful. This is part of why we see open defiance against the peacekeepers of the server. "Don't sit on the roof" and in response we've had more people on the roofs than we used to. Some people are allowing themselves to be jailed, others run. Some fight. In the last two instances, this is a simple disrespect of the law, and because the players view the law as powerless.
There will never be respect for the throne, or any other group, unless the playerbase buys into these groups having power. So how do you make the players buy into the power the organizations have?
My first idea was to propose a system in which there is a tangible ranking of the different groups. Of course, that idea died pretty quickly, as the already established inconsistency of power makes ranking the different groups impossible. Sure, the Silvercloaks should be one of the most powerful groups, the guardsmen of the king and all. However, simply because they are the king's men, does that really make them better than, say for instance, the assassins? And what of the groups that actively live and prosper outside the rule of the king, like the Bandits? If they continue to live without being crushed by the king's army or forced into the empire, are they not better than the king's men? As you can see a ranking system of power is impossible.
So how do we get the playerbase to buy into the idea that the guards and other groups have power? I can't see how to give players the carrot, so to say, but I can see giving players the stick. Punishment must be swift and severe so that the player, and not just the character, knows to abide by the law in the future. Not just the law though, as the bandits and all the other evil groups need to be able to wield power as well, otherwise the power is simply unbalanced in some people's favor and against others'.
So, what does the community think? Currently, all groups really seem to hold no real power. Is there a way to give power to all groups, without unbalancing the amount of power, respective of each organization, with the end goal of having the players act more realistically towards powerful organizations?
The trend is that many different groups/organizations are trying to force the perception that the members of their group is to be "feared." They are trying to force players to take actions that the character wouldn't normally take, have emotions and thoughts that may not be what a character actually would have, ect ect.
Now, I'm not saying that when the PS guard for example tells you to respect them that this is a bad thing. It's logical that most people should have a healthy level of respect and maybe even fear for the guard. The issue becomes when every group says that they are the organization to be feared, there becomes an inconsistency of power.
"What does that mean?" you may be asking yourself. What I mean by an inconsistency of power is this: The level of power that each organization holds is inconsistent between each player's mind. The players that are playing as PS guards think they are the most powerful force, the Inquisitors may think the Inquisitors are, and the Bandits think the Bandits are, and the assassins think that the assassins are the most powerful. This is part of why we see open defiance against the peacekeepers of the server. "Don't sit on the roof" and in response we've had more people on the roofs than we used to. Some people are allowing themselves to be jailed, others run. Some fight. In the last two instances, this is a simple disrespect of the law, and because the players view the law as powerless.
There will never be respect for the throne, or any other group, unless the playerbase buys into these groups having power. So how do you make the players buy into the power the organizations have?
My first idea was to propose a system in which there is a tangible ranking of the different groups. Of course, that idea died pretty quickly, as the already established inconsistency of power makes ranking the different groups impossible. Sure, the Silvercloaks should be one of the most powerful groups, the guardsmen of the king and all. However, simply because they are the king's men, does that really make them better than, say for instance, the assassins? And what of the groups that actively live and prosper outside the rule of the king, like the Bandits? If they continue to live without being crushed by the king's army or forced into the empire, are they not better than the king's men? As you can see a ranking system of power is impossible.
So how do we get the playerbase to buy into the idea that the guards and other groups have power? I can't see how to give players the carrot, so to say, but I can see giving players the stick. Punishment must be swift and severe so that the player, and not just the character, knows to abide by the law in the future. Not just the law though, as the bandits and all the other evil groups need to be able to wield power as well, otherwise the power is simply unbalanced in some people's favor and against others'.
So, what does the community think? Currently, all groups really seem to hold no real power. Is there a way to give power to all groups, without unbalancing the amount of power, respective of each organization, with the end goal of having the players act more realistically towards powerful organizations?