Why do we kill (ICly and OOCly)

[flurry]

Death is one of the few ways we have of actually inconveniencing the PLAYERS behind the characters. It causes players to lose something, and to need to put more work into the game. Death is the point where player and character interests most naturally coincide, and so the easiest method to use to modify player behaviour.

This would be abuse, though.

[Cutthroat]

Whether it's abuse or not I think that idea still exists and is somewhat valid, even if unintentional. If a player's PC who was casting spells in the Sanctuary dies, the player will probably think, "Oh crap, I probably shouldn't do that again unless I want my character to die again." If you go around killing PCs in order to inconvenience players, I think that would be considered griefing (I don't think anyone's advocating that though).

[Salt Merchant]

When a character flies into a rage over some setback and turns his fury onto his unfortunate subordinates.

[Dalmeth]

Because I had a character that learned that it's not the punishment or the spirit of law that encourages people to follow it, but the certainty.  When I pike the head of some fool outside the gates who thought they could walk away from me and be free of the law my character upheld, I know plenty other folks will know that if they try something stupid, my character will find them.

[flurry]

Whether it's abuse or not I think that idea still exists and is somewhat valid, even if unintentional. If a player's PC who was casting spells in the Sanctuary dies, the player will probably think, "Oh crap, I probably shouldn't do that again unless I want my character to die again." If you go around killing PCs in order to inconvenience players, I think that would be considered griefing (I don't think anyone's advocating that though).

Oh yeah, I agree. I didn't think she was advocating for it, and I don't doubt it happens.

[Tisiphone]

Death is one of the few ways we have of actually inconveniencing the PLAYERS behind the characters. It causes players to lose something, and to need to put more work into the game. Death is the point where player and character interests most naturally coincide, and so the easiest method to use to modify player behaviour.

This would be abuse, though.

I don't think it always is, though. For example, some people just refuse to learn not to mouth off to templars.

[flurry]

I don't think it always is, though. For example, some people just refuse to learn not to mouth off to templars.

Yes, true, because there's also a valid IC reason to support it.

But if it were because some people refuse to learn to use 'talk' when sitting at a table, that would be another story.

[brytta.leofa]

Because the combat code is by far the easiest coded way to hurt another character?

A single tough character can conceivably gank your troublesome PC.  Holding someone still long enough for Intimidation to occur requires subdue and guard and locked doors and buddies and a good deal more luck.

[Seeker]

Because the victim had something I wanted, and the other ways weren't working.
Because the victim had something I didn't want them to have (knowledge included).
Because my lover told me I had to.
Because someone HAD to die, and that particular victim just got the shitty luck this time.
To make a crystal clear point to the survivors.
To preserve the game environment.
I was hungry, and the victim looked yummy (limited to certain PCs only)
To punish other associated PCs somehow connected to the victim.
As a squirming, bloody offering to {edited by request} so that I could {edited by request}
To earn a promotion or avoid punishment.
Orders.
Psychosis or specialized deviancy (limited to certain PCs only)
Self-preservation.
Either that jack-ass had to die, or my image would have suffered.  Status.

I think that is my complete list to date.  Sorry fellow-players.  Looking back up at the list, some look more convincing than others.


Seeker

[ale six]

Wow, you guys all did cover some pretty good reasons. I don't have much to add.

Sometimes, killing a PC might be "easiest". You get characters who feel threatened, or are jaded by past encounters, or are just too uncreative/lazy to take the effort to spare someone... and then they decide to pull the kill trigger on people often. It's a shame when killing somebody is your preferred option, but it does often seem to be the safest.

[Gunnerblaster]

My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die.

I live to fight, I fight to live.

Yes, well, it served him well, as did I, right up until you self-defensed him to death.

Reasons I'd Kill IC:
1.) Family & Close friends
2.) Duty
3.) Secret that should stay Secret
4.) Self-defense

[Morrolan]

It's a shame when killing somebody is your preferred option, but it does often seem to be the safest.

Sociopathy is rampant on Zalanthas.  Especially when it comes to magickers, other races, and NPCs in general.

Morrolan

edit: to be fair  It's no more rampant than it is in Western media.  When was the last time an action hero lost any sleep over the 20 mooks he killed to get to the "big boss"?

[ale six]

My next PC is gonna be a Zalanthan Action Hero then  .

[Ourla]

Looking back on it, I should have chosen to exile this PC instead--because honestly, the IC consequences weren't going to be THAT bad, and it's highly probably I could have gotten the PC to cooperate with whatever my demands were--but I was a n00b to playing leadership and didn't know better. (Sorry, Ourla!)

Hahaha, you nobles toying with peoples' lives.   

The number one reason I pkill is because the victim is a threat to the livelihood of my PC and those she cares about.  If they were allowed to live, Bad Things would happen, and no alternative (smear campaigns, blackmail, torture, etc.) is a possible solution IC. 

The RP benefits of allowing a character with whom I'm having conflict to go free, rather than ending their story with death, outweigh most instances of instant-gratification pkilling.

[helix]

I think most people break it down too far.

Zalanthas as I envision it doesn't have the moral aversion to killing and death that western culture does. Without fail, all of my PCs so far will kill:

1: When it is in their best interest to do so.

Zalanthas is a brutal, brutal place.

[jstorrie]

I rarely have any reason to pk someone that rationally outweighs the risks of trying to pk someone.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

After thinking about this matter longer, the reason we kill is because every other form of punishment is subject to OOC reality. There is consent for everything, other than death. Furthermore, there is no code backup for anything, other than death. No torture code commonly available, no enslaving but by consent, no beat downs in the street which are not instantly broken up by guards, not enough corrupt people in higher places to pay off .... death is the one way to actually make the player of the other character think about saving his character's ass.

[number13]

I've only directly killed a couple PCs --- on accident.  Only in the rarest of cases do I end the lives of human/elf/dwarf NPCs.

I've participated in a few PC deaths on orders from a leader. Really, the PK is on the leader's head in that case.

I've engineered the deaths a couple PCs -- because they were simply too codely powerful to let live, and I figured a way to get rid of them.  Of that particular classification of PC, my character would have murdered them by the dozen if I could figure out a safe way to do it.

...............
I've been on the opposite end a dozen or more times -- ignoring my coded right to flee, instead allowing a superior force of PCs to overtake my character and decide his fate.  That has mixed results.  Kudos to those who choose a more interesting fate for the my character than simple death.  No hard feelings to those who picked the kill command.
...............

Death is a little bit too acceptable in game, just a little bit.  It should be taboo to kill 'one of your kind' (say, rinthi round-ears killing rinthi round-ears without a damn good reason).  PCs who are known to murder others (including NPCs) when other avenues are available shouldn't be trusted.  I've seen some psychopathic PCs spanked, by staff and by other players. The balance just needs to be shifted a touch more in that direction.  That requires as much effort from the playerbase as it does from staff.

[AmandaGreathouse]

I've never actually killed another pc, ever, except by taking something needed to live from them, and even then, it was only once. I didn't feel too bad about it, because it was in the middle of about 12 hours of the best single session I have ever had playing Arm. I have to say, my character felt terrible about it, even though it was a total accident.

But then I've also barely killed any animals either. *shrug*

[Yokunama]

--Political Power
--Contracted
--Removing Potential Threats
--Following Orders
--The Only Solution
--Fear (Magickers, Mindworms, and Etc.)

[Melody]

-Every- time I've failed to kill someone, I've lived to regret it (unless an unrelated doom met me somewhere along the way).

.....

Armageddon's motto is: "Murder. Corruption. Betrayal." not "Second chances.  Multi-line emotes.  Conflict resolution."

That said, I dislike killing other characters. It often makes me feel very bad oocly, and I rarely do it. On the other hand, I'd feel worse if my char died instead. Often, pk is a matter of ic necessity, when there is no way around a potentially lethal threat.

[Jenred]

To fulfill a focus.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

--The Only Solution

This is the one I have to really support. If I could tell somebody IC that if I hear a word of this rumor, they will lose their right hand, and then go catch them and actually do it to them in coded terms, without staff intervention, I have got to say, killing would suddenly seem less attractive. If I could tell someone that the next time they steal from me, I'll lop off a foot, and I could codedly do it to them, killing would suddenly appeal much less to me.

But since the only lasting thing I can do to a PC is to kill them, that's what I'll continue to do as punishment ... that, or whip them. If it is not a coded punishment or some sort of really really good social punishment, I have no interest in it.

[spicemustflow]

Lovely. Reading this it would seem the posters here are not the same people that actually play the game. I've been killed many times when even some lighter forms of punishment, though not much lighter, like brutal torture, disfigurement or rape would be far more than I deserved. Face it, many players -love- to kill other PC, and it is fun, I admit, but then go play a killer for hire and enjoy yourself, don't just kill someone for having a big mouth or looking at you wrong way. In all these instances my char was obviously new, powerless and without any friends worth mentioning.

Once again, if I knew the names or descs of the 2 would be dwarf rapists, I'd give them a fat kudos. Every housewife on Zalanthas would rape me, -and- kill me for the same thing. Which makes me, as a player, a bit quicker with the blade, too.

[najdorf]

One should also ask

Why do we kill (ICly and OOCly) without RP?
If we are no newbie