You know what I want?

[Dusky]

I want more PC slavers requesting generic slave characters whose fate will be uncertain but are likely to include being sold to some other group.  Oh, how I long to play a slave whose "position" or "job" or "duties" were completely at the whim of his masters, the group of rough slavers or whatever.  Did I app a merchant and you sold me as a warrior - tough luck to the purchaser.  Did I app a merchant and you have me scrubbing floors and hauling bricks?  Too bad for my character. Such is the crappy life of a slave.

[Tisiphone]

I want more PC slavers requesting generic slave characters whose fate will be uncertain but are likely to include being sold to some other group.  Oh, how I long to play a slave whose "position" or "job" or "duties" were completely at the whim of his masters, the group of rough slavers or whatever.  Did I app a merchant and you sold me as a warrior - tough luck to the purchaser.  Did I app a merchant and you have me scrubbing floors and hauling bricks?  Too bad for my character. Such is the crappy life of a slave.

Start a slaver group that abducts people from the wastes.
I would play in your organisation so fast it'd make your head spin. In fact, I have plans for one myself, but my characters thus far haven't been in the right position to start it.

Wait...maybe this one could...hmm.

[spicemustflow]

Start a slaver group that abducts people from the wastes.

That's an extremely cool idea, and I was thinking about it. Do you think it could work on the PCs, though?

[Tisiphone]

YES.

That's the -point-, friend.

I don't mean to jump all over you, but this is an idea that excites me for all kinds of reasons.

[roughneck]

Four or five years ago I played a mul in Borsail and the noble at the time was trying to get it going.  We grabbed up a few neat trophy creatures and then actually enslaved a PC we found in the wastes with this big mother cage our HG carried out.  It was a looong time ago but I do remember the PC didn't appreciate it and suicided after we brought him back.

[Rindan]

Meh, so long as you are OOCly responsible for your slaves, other PCs have nothing to complain about.  If someone decides they don't want to be a slave and suicide, that is certainly their choice and you can't hold it against them.  That said, if you manage to enslave someone, you also could  have flat out killed them.  Better to enslave someone and let them decide if they want to play through it, rather than just flat out killing someone.  I know I sure as hell would pick slavery both OOCly and ICly over being killed for my trinkets.

The important thing you need to do though is to make sure that you are OOCly responsible for your slave.  It is one thing to take on a slave and give them lots of interesting things to do.  It is another entirely to take on a slave and then bore them to death.

[Tisiphone]

Plus, abduction != slavery

[Yam]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure the staff have said that going out and enslaving PC's is not kosher.

[Tisiphone]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure the staff have said that going out and enslaving PC's is not kosher.

Good thing I'm not jewish, then.


Knew that was going to happen sooner or later...

[Teal]

Yeah. I'm pretty sure the staff have said that going out and enslaving PC's is not kosher.

Good thing I'm not jewish, then.


Knew that was going to happen sooner or later...

Haha. Ahem.

I think going out an abuducting PCs for slaves sounds fun, weather you're the abductor or abductee. I could see where it would be a pain if you wanted to play a special role, and got hijacked from that. On the other hand, this IS Zalanthas, and what -does- go as you want it to? I think it's a fine thing to happen. It provides oppertunity for LOTS of interesting RP, from the abduction planning and execution of the abduction plan, to the selling of said PC, jobs of said PC, and possibly attempeted rescue and reprecussions from parties angered by the abduction of said PC.

But, ultimately, what staff says goes. Because I can only chip in my 2 'sid, and they OWN THE MARKET! Bwahaha! Ahem. Have staff actually said this? Or do we just think they did?

[Ladyimp]

Something like a PC group of slavers sounds totally appropriate to me.  Yet another thing to surprise the heck out of a lone traveler - the quick, the dead, and those that travel in fearsomely large groups.

Heh, can see all kinds of ways to play around with this, and sure, suicide's one of the answers.

But anything from rolling with the new situation to waying anyone you know who might help you (who knows what might happen with that, from your powerful 'friend' purchasing you with great amusement as their own slave to a band of mercenaries paid to head out and fight to take you back... hrm, kidnapping the conscious in a telepathic society has interesting twists, thinking about it) to so -many- other ways to play as the victim in that sort of role....


Don't think I'd be in a rush to roll up a character to join that band, no... though I might.  Do think if I found myself in that sort of situation interacting with that band as a victim... good and intense rp ahead, so I'm hanging onto my keyboard.  And for me, would be only IC horrors or pressures causing a suicide attempt if there was one.  Loads of other answers, unless pushed so savagely to that point.

[Salt Merchant]

Something like a PC group of slavers sounds totally appropriate to me.  Yet another thing to surprise the heck out of a lone traveler - the quick, the dead, and those that travel in fearsomely large groups.

How would it work, though, without NPC buyers? If the group got too good at its job, you could end up with half the PC population enslaved and a market for only a few of them.

A group that kidnaps and ransoms people, and that only sells them off as slaves or kills them if they can't get a decent ransom, might do well.

[Ghost]

Not practical, since enslaving PCs is not legit.

A raider group (for the sake of raiding only) would work fine though

[a strange shadow]

Killing PCs is okay, but enslaving them is not?

I don't really get it.

[Yam]

It's an old "rule" I cannot find evidence of but cleanly remember.

[Ghost]

Well if you kill they will make a new character and the life will go on.

Enslaving someone is not always a closure.  If you enslave, and they are the kind of people who can't store characters (some people bear through what I can literally call "pain" of getting bored to death just because they hate storing) you will be restricting them a great deal.

Plus, enslaving someone will certainly require a heavy work on the slaver.  They will have to find something to keep the slaves' players enjoy the game somehow, which is more likely to be not-fullfilled by the slaver properly.

I am not really defending this "rule" to be honest, but I don't really think it is an inapropriate rule either.  It is not really killing something major from the game world in my opinion.  And if enslaving the PC's will be allowed, I am not against it but I would prefer to see some guidelines/special rules for slaving PCs.

[LittleLostThief]

Everyone plays to have fun.  The general consensus is that getting enslaved against your will kills that fun.

Dying is part of the game, and something that you can't really argue with.  Being forced to play something you don't want to apparently crosses a line.

Would you like it if I apped a character for you, down to the starting location, and forced you to play it?  Probably not.

Is it a little unrealistic?  Just a tad.  As a slaver though, you might be able to get away with "OOC:  Consent to being enslaved?", and if they say no, kill them instead.  After all, they were pretty weak, malnourished, and their teeth were obviously rotting out.  They wouldn't have made good slaves anyway.

Playing a slave isn't always that much fun anyway.  It always comes down to needing to be on when your master is, at least sometimes, and that isn't always possible.  Being randomly sold IC'ly to the highest bidder might not exactly facilitate that kind of relationship.

[Xio]

Shoot I wish I could play a slave. I've tried a few times to get into slaves roles only to get shot down with the 'We fear it will be to constricting and simply boring for you' I understand and accept such concerns. Though, a bored slave is usually a rebellious slave. Give your slave a second to think and that's second enough to plan a way to get out that window. Never said I'd stick around if it got boring Can come hunt me down, I'll enjoy the flee and hide RP. Two minutes away is enough to gut yourself. Any slave, any slave, can commit suicide. Often the simplest way is to say no. I don't see enslaving as being restricting. If you abduct someone, lock them behind a door and never come back, that is no where near slavery and is completely pointless. If you were going to kill me anyway, I'd love the chance for some slave Rp. Or, at least the chance to escape with my life and be hunted down. Perhaps you'll never find me and my char will walk into a mek, or I'll get caught and stabbed in the back. Never know, could lead a prosperous life and enslave you.

[Ghost]

Shoot I wish I could play a slave. I've tried a few times to get into slaves roles only to get shot down with the 'We fear it will be to constricting and simply boring for you' I understand and accept such concerns.

I believe you can special app if it is something you want to play.

[Tisiphone]

Or collaborate with another player.

[Xio]

Shoot I wish I could play a slave. I've tried a few times to get into slaves roles only to get shot down with the 'We fear it will be to constricting and simply boring for you' I understand and accept such concerns.

I believe you can special app if it is something you want to play.

I've tried spec apps. That's what I've been told. Never spec apped when they were LOOKING for slaves is my problem I think. Randomly asking for a slave or gladiator is a no-no apparently *shrugs* and I'm always deep in a char when they're looking. Don't wanna spec app and tie up that slave slot if by some wild chance my char lives past his next meal.

[Tarx]

Shoot I wish I could play a slave. I've tried a few times to get into slaves roles only to get shot down with the 'We fear it will be to constricting and simply boring for you' I understand and accept such concerns. Though, a bored slave is usually a rebellious slave. Give your slave a second to think and that's second enough to plan a way to get out that window. Never said I'd stick around if it got boring Can come hunt me down, I'll enjoy the flee and hide RP. Two minutes away is enough to gut yourself. Any slave, any slave, can commit suicide. Often the simplest way is to say no. I don't see enslaving as being restricting. If you abduct someone, lock them behind a door and never come back, that is no where near slavery and is completely pointless. If you were going to kill me anyway, I'd love the chance for some slave Rp. Or, at least the chance to escape with my life and be hunted down. Perhaps you'll never find me and my char will walk into a mek, or I'll get caught and stabbed in the back. Never know, could lead a prosperous life and enslave you.

http://www.zalanthas.org/gdb/index.php/topic,30139.0.html *
*Not your typical slave role.  This has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but this role is open, and you don't have to special app:  it is a staff-sponsored role.  You e-mail the staff directly about it.

There are slave roles open, but most apped slave roles are within noble Houses or among the Templarate.

Slavery in Zalanthas is interesting, as is the social structure that has created it.  There exist three major noble Houses that deal entirely in slavery--both the breeding, training, and sale of them.  "Slavers?"  Yes, these Houses also are occasionally given recalcitrant prisoners or perhaps they capture new slaves and struggle to retrain them.  The better trained and loyal a slave is, the more valuable the slave is--and of course, the more unique skills they possess, the more valuable they are as a tradeable commodity.

In recent memory, I can name two instances where people were enslaved.  In both cases, it was a noble house or the templarate that was involved in the enslavement process.  In both cases, proceedings with those PCs had progressed so far that the only options were enslavement or death.

What makes someone a slave, in general?

The powers that be determine whether someone is a slave or not.  If you are Joe Shmoe raider and you "capture" someone with a few of your raider buddies, the better option would be to turn your captured person over to the closest slaving House, and sell them for a profit.  Depending on the city, there may be different proceedings for this.  If you raid and capture someone and make them your own slave without the blessing of the "powers that be" in either city (or even possibly Luir's) you could run into significant problems.  The fastest way to tell if someone is a slave:

--They wear a collar.
--They are a mul.

If you are a free mul, in the vast majority of cases, you are free because you escaped.  Muls are commonly recaptured.  If you say your slave is a slave, they would need a collar.  If they have no collar, other people may not recognize your slave as a slave.  If they do have a collar, people usually expect to see the colors of Winrothol or Borsail or Kasix on the slave.  This would imply that it has been sold to some independent group (your group of raiders, perhaps).  If the colors are different, it usually implies that the slave is the property of another noble House, whichever one that would be.

I'm not saying PCs owning a PC slave is impossible.
I'm not saying raiding and enslaving a PC is impossible.
I'm just pointing out some areas that I see some inaccuracies.  Unless you stay out of either city entirely, the major city-states are the powers that determine who is a slave and who is not.

[BlackMagic0]

I've been enslaved on past PCs. 

I must say that some of the PCs were not to fond of it and the rest were like "Bah.. Could be worst.."! I enjoyed all of the enslavement PCs that I had very much.. and it was PC to PC enslave, no special application, just.. "Hey.. You.. Yah my bitch now." 

I miss the slave PCs. 

[Elgiva]

Shoot I wish I could play a slave. I've tried a few times to get into slaves roles only to get shot down with the 'We fear it will be to constricting and simply boring for you' I understand and accept such concerns.

I believe you can special app if it is something you want to play.

I've tried spec apps. That's what I've been told. Never spec apped when they were LOOKING for slaves is my problem I think. Randomly asking for a slave or gladiator is a no-no apparently *shrugs* and I'm always deep in a char when they're looking. Don't wanna spec app and tie up that slave slot if by some wild chance my char lives past his next meal.

I tried to app and was told the same. I understand the concern, but seeing IMMs not approving spec. apps for slaves kind of makes me inclined to think IG enslaving is also not really that "great" either. I remember one of my characters took a part in enslaving a couple of PCs... and really, all of them suicided, stored, died or were killed for acting like fools (sometime I really got an impression they wish to be killed).

On the other side, if there is some noble/templar/enslaver who really -really- feels s/he could make the game fun for their slave and wishes to try to play a master, I think they should let the IMMs know. Apparently, there -are- people interested in playing slaves, the problem is to put the right ends together, eh?

[LittleLostThief]

A lot of people have the wrong idea about slavery in the first place.  They let their real world concepts interfere with the understanding of slaves in the game.

1)  A major part of the population are slaves.

2)  99.997% of slaves WANT to be slaves, and wouldn't dream of escaping.

Being a slave means that someone is taking care of you.  It means that you have a place to sleep that isn't a midden heap in an alley.  It means that someone is providing food and water for your continued survival.  All in all, though slaves are below commoners on the social rung, they've got it a lot nicer than some of them.  Most commoners down on their luck might even try to become slaves, just for their continued survival.  And they'd be fucking ecstatic to be so.