Rulings/PvP

PvP Rules and Considerations

PvP Consent and Requirements

• All players must consent to a PvP scene.
  • Abuse of this trust will first be resolved by thematics to ask the player to stop having their character act in a “smack your mouth” manner.
  • The abuse of this trust will be resolved by moderation in extreme cases and after repeated thematics warnings.
  • Please contact moderation if you have repeatedly turned down escalating requests for PvP.
• If consent is declined, thematics will arbitrate a way for both PCs to continue working on the Haven.

GM Required

• PvP scenes must have a neutral gamemaster facilitate them.
  • The gamemaster facilitating the PvP scene must ensure the scene is a fun experience for all, all have consented to the scene, the scene is properly pre-negotiated and everyone’s expectations are set.
• Gamemasters should avoid placing characters with known conflict, or who's factions conflict, on the same run.
• The gamemaster and involved players should negotiate the scene. This negotiation should set clear expectations. The starting condition of the scene should be briefly written down and submitted to thematics then approved before the run takes place.
  • In this Negotiation, set if the run will be one of the following:
    • Uneven: we have pretty good insight into who will live and die unless some really bad rolls are involved. For example, an unprepared decker vs. an end-game street sam.
    • Even: The GM will endeavor to make the battle as even as possible. For example, a decker could fly to New York City to cut a protection deal with the Genovese Family. This will also give the decker a chance to show off their strength by remotely messing with the street sam still in Seattle.
• All participants must acknowledge that, on a fundamental level, freeform PvP can be very unfair. A decker might place a 100P car bomb in the street sam’s car, for example. This is a valid thing to do as a weaker character if it was known a stronger character wanted to geek you.
  • This is the case even if the GM tries to make the scene as even as possible.

PvP As a Story Element

• All PvP must be story driven, meaningful scenes. The lead up to the PvP scene must be documented on the wiki for the fight’s AAR. This is to avoid a few things:
  • Bullying due to OOC reasons,
  • Mechanical flexing of characters which drives up the power level of the LC,
  • A trend of characters submitted purely for PvP which drives up the power level of the LC,
  • Small slights IC resulting in a character’s death,
  • New players getting their characters killed before any meaningful story has happened.
• Geeking a PC should be an emotionally weighty story element.
  • From Unknown Armies

"Somewhere out there is someone who had loving parents, watched clouds on a summer's day, fell in love, lost a friend, is kind to small animals, and knows how to say "please" and "thank you," and yet somehow the two of you are going to end up in a dirty little room with one knife between you and you are going to have to kill that [Metahuman].” 

IC Considerations

• Geeking a runner will likely add notoriety or faction reputation
• Geeking a runner may have an enemy contact assigned to your character
• Geeking a runner may have negative qualities assigned to your character

Breaking the IC rules

• Breaking of the Haven’s IC rules will get characters forced to retire where noted.
  • Players may have their characters intentionally break the Haven’s IC rules and get removed IC and forced retired OOC should there be a compelling enough reason to do so while working in partnership with thematics and players involved to pre-negotiate the scene.
  • Thematics may override this should it make sense IC after polling involved characters and taking a temperature of the IC chat rooms.

Banned PvP Interactions

• PvP is forbidden in the roleplay spaces under “in-character roleplay” on the Discord server.
  • Sparring is allowed, please see the RP rules for more details on sparring.
• Non-lethal PvP, but not sparring which are low stakes scenes for fun, falls under these rules as losing or weaker parties in a non-lethal fight may be compelled to go lethal to gain the upperhand due to the stakes involved.