So much, so much, where to begin?
Conflict:
Unfortunately, at least as of late, conflict has come down, (at least as far as Max as been on the recieving end), to combat. Why? Because killing someone (permenantly) ends the conflict. Case closed, game over, do not pass go, do not collect your $200.00, if I kill you, I -win-. When people begin to understand this is not a game you can -win- the conflict will change and combat will no longer be the big component of it, that it is. And combat comes down to stats, and gear (which comes down to chyen). The time Max has spent in the dome don't mean squat in terms of ability to defend himself from most other 'combat' oriented PCs (human controlled or otherwise) who have been here longer than he has. He doesn't have the stats, and he doesn't have the chyen to afford the gear he needs to help bridge the gap. It's a simple fact that has been proven time and time again. And when he did start to get the gear, what happened? A char identified that he had it, and killed him for it. Bravo! That's the way it should be done! Howver, in the 2-3 months since that has happened, Max has not had the opportunity to even -think- about replacing it. Why? read on!
I miss Moss, and to a (much) lesser extent, Luc. Yes, I actually said that. But not because of who they were, but because of -how- they (usually) were.
Moss never once killed Max, he didn't have to. There are -far- worse things to do to someone than to simply kill them. Which is worse? Getting killed and re-cloning, or wishing you -were- dead and -couldn't- re-clone?
I've tried to learn from these people, and have tried to find -non combat- ways to generate conflict. By all rights, Max should have killed 2 newer characters this past week. Why? Because leaving them alive (and in the process opening a -huge- potential for conflict) could be very bad to his long term health. Was I true to the character there? Nope. But this is, after all, a game. I don't have a problem killing someone, as long as it's the IC thing to do to be true to the character, I feel I've given them a good RP session, and they're not a completely new char, both of these char, IMO, were pretty new. And besides, leaving them alive, opens up conflict for later!
And for the love of whoever, please people, don't let bygones be bygones .. if someone pissed you off, do something about it! Max knows IC who several of the people who have killed him are, human controlled PC and otherwise. He's holding that grudge, if an opportunity presented itself before he figured out how to complete his revenge, there would be no hesitation. The offending character would be dead. Would anyone know it's Max who did it? Unless someone saw him, nope. It's just not his style. Is that CP, no, it's not. But it's Max.
Death and Perming:
Ok, here's where it gets muddy. I spend, as do many players, a lot of time playing my character. Max, has been on the dome a bit more than 6 months, and that's squat compared to many of the older characters. He has not been permed by their good grace. They know it, and I know it, just as the newer characters have not been permed by my (and other characters) good grace.
Why? I think the answer is different for everyone, but as for me, I like to play a character for a while, let him, or her, develop, and grow. To me, RP, especially here, is like a novel. It's a story that we are writing as it happens. Plot, character development, scene, and all the rest of the pieces that make a good story must be there for the story (RP) to be good. And it's damn hard to develop a character, if he or she has an average life expectancy for a month or two. Yes, 'The Dome' is also a story, filled with the trivial and not so trivial lives of it's residents. I wanna be a good cyberpunk. I don't want to be not so trivial.
The way things are now, I don't want Max permed, unless for some reason -I- choose it, in which case I'll contact every admin and GM I can and see if we can come up with some spectacular, RP intensive way of doing it involving drugs and guns and women and firetrucks and explosives and .. well, you get the idea. Yeah, explosives .. heh. Just like admin don't want us running around destroying the stuff they slaved over to write and code (thank you again), I don't want someone perming a character I've put so much time and effort into, unless, there is a payoff for me. And that payoff, is great RP.
While we're on the subject of death - clones:
Either make 'em dirt cheap, or not at all. All making a clone 5k does, is make it just another hoop for a newer char to jump through just to survive. If I'm a new character and I gotta save 5k to get a clone, I'm gonna run for Bruce, and hide in the cheapest cube I can get until my life is garunteed should I walk into a bar, someone not like the way I look and decide to kill me. Why? Because I don't want to die. This tends to kill RP as people tend to hide in their cubes and horde what they have.
On the other hand, maybe I want to run a whole bunch of different types of characters, each living only a short time. Much more fun in the short term, but -non combat- conflict doesn't get much of a chance to develop.
A blend of both types, is needed. And the characters that are older, and invincible to the newer characters need to be able to help then new ones. Give them criminal jobs
Or maybe that should be the province of the NPCs .. giving the jobs, dealing out the chyen, keeping things moving .. hmmm … an @idea is forming here ...
Corpies:
A staple of CP (at least -my- version of CP and remember, everyone's is a bit different) is the haves vs the have-nots. In my eyes, that's what drives conflict, or at the very least, starts it. Corpies are the usual representation of the 'haves'. I'd love to play a corpie. Never did that before. Only problem is, other than shooting their mouth off (and most likely getting permd), given the current state of the game (being in BETA) there's not a whole lot to RP. I'd love to get together 3 or 4 players who all work for a corp or two, or three ... and have them put together a team (of PCs) to do stuff! Start trouble in the Drome, frame a PC for the murder (the team comitted) of some hastily created non player controlled character, while they're sitting in some bar that costs 5k just to walk in laughing their ass off about it. It raises the possibilities endlessly. However, the perks of being a corpie, just are not there, that I've seen. There's no one to drive me around, no glitzy apartment, nothing to really seperate me, as a corpie, from the scum on the streets.
To me, no offence to the player, Ty does not seem like a corpie. Give her a posh pad on Green or Gold, a big fat paycheck, access to things that other players can't get (certain clothes, jewelry, electronics .. whatever), things like that, things that set the scene. Now she's gettin to be a corpie.
As long as I'm here, a few other things ...
Speed:
CP should be fast. Lightning fast. Make 20k in the morning, lose 30k in the afternoon, and have to do something desperate just so you're not sleeping on the streets that night. Let the chyen flow freely, into, and out of the pockets! I don't mind losing a ton of stuff as long as I have a realistic potential to get something else instead!
Hoarding:
Anyone who hoards gear, real gear like firarms and armor and stuff that actually costs some real chyen, should have their locker/cube/whatever broken into regularly. Be free with the stuff, holding onto it won't help you if you need to call in a favor. Start a gang and outfit them and have them go out and make -you- some chyen!
Ambient population:
Let us mug them. Let them mug us ..
Mug <population> would be a great way to generate a few extra chyen, increase the criminal feel and bring the population closer to the players. Of course, you could be walking down the street and see the message
"Is that your wallet that punk with the rainbow mowhawk has in his hand as he runs down the street?"
Limit it .. 3 times a day, 50 chyen a pop max .. any more and you risk WJF for -someone- getting a call about you. Hmmm, maybe I'll @idea that ....
Yeah, I rambled a bit ..
There's more .. -so- much more. But this has been long enough.
