Long Term Imprisonment

[MeTekillot]

In the same vein of my Goons idea and my complaints of there not being enough ways to victimize others (for the DRAMA) outside of the unoptimally permanent PK:

Let players take each other prisoner. The hostage would need to OOC consent for this plotline. If they go through with it, let them play a character in another part of the game in a similar manner to Reigning Gladiator PCs.

I suggest this to enable players more non permanent means to conflict meaningfully with each other, while allowing the less powerful party a reprieve from the horrid mundanity of being a hostage with a brief stint in a small role in another part of the game.

If the player isn't interested in having their character be a hostage, proceed to murder or whatever how we do now.

[Tisiphone]

But... this can already happen?

[9001]

I don't feel that something like this is going to improve player conflict. I could possibly see something like this being doable as an entirely voluntary thing as a staff-run plot, but definitely not with players spearheading and controlling the hostage-taking. It would necessitate providing the opportunity for other players to try and mount a rescue, or engage in 'appropriate' negotiations over release. It's the kind of thing that would need to be handled really carefully to not be really OOCly frustrating for everyone involved aside from the hostage-takers. Consenting to the situation doesn't mean the player won't feel pressured into it, especially if the alternative seems like death.

There are plenty of ways to meaningfully engage in conflict that don't necessitate PK or (temporarily?) shutting a PC away from the conflict. Pay a Templar/AOD/Whoever to be unsupportive/contrary. Steal your rival's clients/customers. Embarrass/shame them in public. Make them look bad to their superiors. Steal something important to them and ransom it back, or auction it off to their enemies. Turn their allies against them. Set them against their enemies while hiding your involvement.

I think the game needs more conflicts with low stakes so it doesn't feel like every feud needs to escalate to death, and that starting some small conflict isn't going to always blow up into something excessive.

[Fredd]

In the same vein of my Goons idea and my complaints of there not being enough ways to victimize others (for the DRAMA) outside of the unoptimally permanent PK:

Let players take each other prisoner. The hostage would need to OOC consent for this plotline. If they go through with it, let them play a character in another part of the game in a similar manner to Reigning Gladiator PCs.

I suggest this to enable players more non permanent means to conflict meaningfully with each other, while allowing the less powerful party a reprieve from the horrid mundanity of being a hostage with a brief stint in a small role in another part of the game.

If the player isn't interested in having their character be a hostage, proceed to murder or whatever how we do now.

plenty of ways to victimize someone outside of pk

The problem is that no one gives a fuck about them.

(edited because this got a bit to ranty)

[Lotion]

Is the OP suggestion essentially to allow PCs to temporarily force store one another?

Seems wack. "I capture your PC and throw them into a cage in my secret hideout. You are now stored until someone comes to rescue you."

[Riev]

I remember playing in the Legions once, a long time ago. And there was 'someone' (pretty sure it was an animated NPC) that had been captured and was being kept in a cage on our argosy inside the Heart.

On occasion, there were some plots that revolved around them. However, it seemed like it could only happen with an NPC. For a PC, thats even MORE restrictive than a slave PC and there's nothing to do unless your captors are online AND have a reason to talk to you.

I am down for kidnapping to be a thing. I like "PvP" that isn't straight up burst damage to kill someone. Kidnapping is a great avenue, however... after about a RL day I would be over it.

[Filthy_Grey_Rat]

Long term imprisonment does need to be a thing, a way for Nobles and Templars to get rid of a threat without PK. My suggestion is the old school dungeon, throwing them in a non-lethal hole with all of the other scum, where they can then struggle to survive in an even more brutal place with less resources and a small chance of escape. Though, to be entirely honest, this was all just a plot I thought I could push if I ever landed a Southern Templar role. You could have a steady supply of bodies to experiment on!

PC's taking other PC's hostage is problematic, like real problematic, in so many ways. It's been done well a couple times, and back in darker days, done poorly a lot. But it doesn't seem very fun for the victim as is. Before we get this kind of hostage taking, we need a rope/knot skill that pops like drawing, to be used in combination with attributes to set up a check that the vic can defeat. We'd also need functional blindfolds, doors that can be bashed, and probably other stuff. That's just my humble opinion.

I want the idea to work. I want our harsh world to have more stories available to us, I just think we need some more code on a lot of things for hostage stories to not need massive staff help or have such a high risk of isolating a pc and crippling their autonomy or fun.

[Riev]

I want the idea to work. I want our harsh world to have more stories available to us, I just think we need some more code on a lot of things for hostage stories to not need massive staff help or have such a high risk of isolating a pc and crippling their autonomy or fun.

Even with knockouts/paralyzation and cages that might fit a humanoid, I feel like it just becomes logging into a one-room cage and hoping someone wants to talk to you. Thats far more restriction than I would ever want to play. If someone wants to play it, let it be a special application and/or worked with staff.

That said? I would LOVE to "kidnap" a noble or do ransom stuff. It just never really pans out.

( Also, what about Templars sending people to "the mines" where you have to work off your debt? Severity of the crime affects how many large chunks of obsidian you have to sell before they let you out. Its not long term though)

[lairos]

I dislike any ability to keep someone long term for playability even if it's consented. This seems to tread even worse than being a slave.

That said, I would love a way to sap someone or subdue them with an added ability to tie them up, blindfold and even gag them to keep short term.

Maybe this allows for checks to break free of bonds or something to escape.

[Armaddict]

This seems to tread even worse than being a slave.

Yeah, was going to say this seems to push towards a player-player relationship that was eliminated in the case of slavery.  Having characters dependent on other characters for permission to do things...was enjoyable for many, but ultimately too complicated for people to want to keep it around.

[MeTekillot]

Hence my suggestion that those so kidnapped are allowed to play another, temporary PC.

[stoicreader]

Last year I played a spice addict whose friends locked her in an apartment for an IRL month and only let her out with a chaperone.

Spoiler. It was not fun.

[MeTekillot]

EDIT: nevermind

[creeper386]

I personally think, temporary or limited roles would be amazing for so many things.


Some roles are just restrictive in ways. Rather that's just because all your Byn unit got destroyed. Your clan is inactive, or just noone is playing in the city your characters in.

Having a secondary role could help with that. As well as potentially help flesh out populations, assist in mundane tasks. Keep things flowing when an important PC stores or dies. Like, GMH roles, they are busy enough as it is, let alone getting slammed when taking over because someone died or stored and trying to pick up the pieces that could have perhaps been handled by a temp, GMH role to help fill in the slack.


There's certainly some limits in terms of learning OOC knowledge that could be bothersome. So I don't think these roles could just be standard characters, mostly clan-bound roles. A special Byn position that can help with recruiting/training and what not, but is mostly a compound bound role. And apprentice merchant that might help fill in when there aren't crafters or help out when a sponsored role isn't filled.

Although I kind of thing it'd be lovely to have temp characters to pot in with for events, that your character couldn't or wouldn't actually make it to. Imagine being able to hop in as a Byn runner for some big combat HRPT. Fill in numbers. Cause some problems. And the character is gone.

[LindseyBalboa]

Since it's necro'd...

Has anyone actually tried to come back and play a character they stopped playing for a few months? A year? Big oof.

In re: temp roles for big HRPTs, if you're uninvolved, just send in a request beforehand asking if staff needs any temp roles or redshirts.

[Agent_137]

When i played Tar the long lived whiran in the council of allanaki mages, I'd often quit for months, one time even a year, and come back and get into it again. I'd just start a new "contacts" sheet from scratch each time because most previous contacts were dead or retired. I enjoyed it more than retiring and completely starting over.  The only characters I've retired were never well established to begin with.

[MeTekillot]

Bumping this.

[LindseyBalboa]

there's no 'incarcerate' in mcb

ed. personally not a fan still, forgot i commented already.