For the duration of the event on i17 we will be doing a short trial with a new PK policy. The main difference here is that the most combat-related rules (including the complete sweep PK policy) have been replaced with a specific combat PK policy. Given combat was started for a valid reason, anyone who dies as a result of it will get PK'ed (participant or bystander, doesn't matter). This applies equally to citizens and factions. Some minor changes were introduced as well here and there, but nothing really major.
We will see how this goes, and together with the feedback received in
the survey we'll see how to update the PK policy on C24.
Terminology
What is a PK?
PK’s or Permanent Kills results in the permanent removal of a character. A character’s death, in a way befitting the overall story of the server, are by far the most common cause for a PK to be issued. Permanent Kills (contrary to the name) can also happen upon the removal of a character from the setting of the server's roleplay (e.g. transported out of the city), without the expectation for them to return. Once a character is PK'ed, it can no longer be used, which is enforced via a permanent character ban on the server. A character ban obviously still leaves you free to play any other character or make a new character.
What is NLR?
The New Life Rule differs from a PK. Instead of your character dying and being issued a permanent kill, we retcon the death and any events leading up to it to have happened to another, unnamed generic character. Your character reverts back to the moment before these events, except any loss of items, credits or skill reductions from the death stay (unless a refund was given on top of the NLR). You can keep playing your character as before, with the same backstory and connections, ignoring the death happened.
Although the loss of items may be hard to explain for your character, it is important to understand that NLR is a privilege given as an alternative to what otherwise would be a PK. You are always free to choose to be PK’ed instead of NLR’ed. If you choose to be NLR’ed, it is expected of you to come up with an alternative, plausible explanation to explain this loss. NLR's are mainly used to allow the other people to keep most of the roleplay surrounding your character's death, while also allowing you to keep your character.
What warrants a PK?
The below criteria sum up the basics of what is considered a PK, assuming the death of your character does not fall under the exceptions listed under ‘What does not warrant a PK’. Note that these criteria are not to be taken to the letter, as specific little details or context may change the outcome. The below criteria and guideline only serve to give you a good understanding of what is likely to result in a PK and what not.
Any death that does not result in a PK, automatically results in an NLR unless stated otherwise in the PK Policy, Rules or by a member of the staff. When given an NLR, do not return to retrieve your items - this is metagaming. Staff members may also choose to void a situation or give an NLR with a refund of any lost items, credits, skills, …
Good Faith
‘Good faith’ can broadly be described as that a PK must happen fairly, in accordance with the rules, with honest intent and respect for everyone involved. PK’s are one of the most serious parts of roleplay - with consequences that can wipe away months (if not years) of work developing a character - there is a higher standard expected, both in terms of roleplay and out of character behavior.
This goes beyond simply following the rules. Ideally, a PK is your very last resort, after all other options have been reasonably exhausted. Your goal should never be to achieve a PK, but it should be to create roleplay, and the way the roleplay played out left you no other choice but to go for a PK.
In the case of any negative OOC influence or interruptions (e.g. bugs, server crashes, admin interventions), good faith also expects you to ensure the PK remains fair. It is up to you to make every possible effort that you do not gain any unfair advantage. Try to avoid doing anything that later on can cause arguments along the line of ‘if x bug or y OOC interruption had not happened, I would never have died and gotten PK’ed’.
In practice good faith isn’t a black and white thing. It is always something gray in between. If there is an appeal, the PK appeal manager will weigh good faith against the context and merit of the PK. One small mistake in a PK that is an otherwise done-deal on all other points won’t cause it to be overturned. Likewise in a PK that is on shaky foundations already, any doubt around good faith may be reason enough to overturn the PK.
Combat PK Criteria
These criteria apply to any death as the consequence of player-versus-player combat. These fights are dangerous, and you should approach them with caution - death as a result of one is very likely to be a PK. Think twice before you start one, and don’t stay around to see how it goes if you do not want to get dragged into it.
- Any player-versus-player fight will have all participants that die as a result of the fight will be PK’ed
- This applies equally to Turn-Based Combat, S2K and S2RP
- This rule also applies to any bystanders that remained within the vicinity of the fight
- Friendly fire or accidental kills are not a valid cause for exceptions
- The death does not need to be caused by a player, as long as it happened during a fight involving at least 2 players attacking each other
- The fight must have started (or escalated) as the result of one player attacking another player with a valid reason
- The roleplay PK criteria serve as a guideline for what constitutes a valid reason
- Once a fight is started, anyone is free to join the fight without needing a specific reason. Anyone in the vicinity of the fight that doesn’t leave can also be made part of the fight without needing a specific other reason.
The Roleplay PK Criteria
Outside of combat, roleplay may simply develop to a point where a PK happens, without there necessarily having been a fight. In this case, there are 2 basic criteria for any roleplay to result in a PK:
- The PK must fit within a narrative that your character was involved in, in other words it cannot be ‘random’ or completely forced onto you. That is, your character choose to do (or not do) something that was
- Decisive in the narrative for the PK to happen, AND
- Important to the narrative of the PK, AND
- you were aware of a PK being a possible consequence
- Your character was either:
- specifically in a situation that is listed as a a ‘PK by default‘ OR
- specifically targeted as the result of RP
- It must matter that it was -your- character that got PK'ed and not a random other character
- Valid reasons to target a character here include (but is not limited to):
- Extensive character development between all characters involved
- Escalating conflict, exacting revenge or retaliation if there has been a build-up in severity justifying a PK
- Concrete threats of serious harm made by a character to another character
- Invalid reasons to target a character include (but is not limited to):
- Items, money, or other forms of simple greed
- A mere dislike of another character, a few verbal insults
- Suspicion of them having done something without any evidence
‘PK by default’ criteria
The below will always result in a PK under 2a., regardless of the specific character being targeted or not.
- Members of the CCA (that are on the CCA whitelist) and CP Overseer characters will always be PK’ed upon death. The first criteria does not apply to these characters.
- Deaths resulting from a roleplayed suicide or sacrifice, where your character willingly dies. Deaths directly following any action in which your character showed a lack of proper fear are considered to fall under this rule as well.
- PK's resulting from execution or other punishments by Combine factions, (e.g. amputation, transferred to long-term captivity), for crimes warranting an amputation, or enough lower level crimes to justify an amputation.
- The character must have actually committed the violations they are accused off
- The Combine factions need to have good evidence to support their case that clearly ties the violation to the character, and leaves no possibility for it to have been someone else. Amputations happening with any less evidence will be turned into an NLR.
- Any deaths that take place outside of the server on the world map.
What does not warrant a PK?
Regardless of the above criteria, the below situations will never result in a PK:
- Deaths resulting from accidents, bugs, glitches, or any other out-of-character events. These deaths will always be voided.
- Deaths by S2K combat on the main server while Turn-Based Combat is turned off.
- Deaths on a secondary server with S2K combat are still subject to PK’s.
- TBC fights turning into S2K, or getting involved into a fight after S2K has already started in it, do not apply here as TBC isn’t turned off.
- Death by NPCs, assuming the death does not fall under the suicide/sacrifice rule and no other (enemy) players were involved.
- PK's resulting from being targeted for actions your character did not actually do or based on suspicions without conclusive evidence of your character committing the actions.
- PK's where all parties consent to another outcome (such as NLR). This consensus can either be reached on the server with an admin present, or on an appeal.
Factions & PK’s
Factions are in no way immune to being PK’ed. Any faction that sees any form of character development is expected to properly follow PK’s. Characters are to be banned and a new character must be made. This new character is expected to come in at the lowest rank/position, or the same rank/position as other new members get (or the rank just above any recruit/trial rank/position if there is one).
There are 2 possible exceptions to this rule, where characters can be brought in at a higher rank/position:
- Faction stability: if there is any concern for the stability of the faction due to someone losing their rank/position, they can make a character auth with the support of their faction lead to start at a higher rank/position. This auth must then also be approved by the administration.
- OOC roles: some ranks/positions are not entirely limited to just an IC aspect, but also have OOC responsibilities within a faction. If needed, anyone in such an OOC role can make a new character at an IC rank/position that allows them to continue to act in their OOC role. E.g. a PK does not remove a faction lead from their position, and upon a PK they are allowed to bring in a new character to lead the faction.
These exceptions only allow them to bring in a NEW character at a higher rank/position than would otherwise be possible - it does not take away that a PK will be issued against the old character.
)
