PLAYER VERSUS PLAYER(PVP)

PLAYER COMBAT TERMS

TIMELINE-CHRONOLOGICAL: Each thread and subsequent post must be accurately portrayed and adhered to. It is vital that post continuity is maintained in a time-based method of precedence. There will be times where "time" seems to go back and forth in a thread depending on character actions. Avoid this unless necessary, due to the furthered possibility of convoluting the thread and causing issues between members. 

The context of prior posts must be used to formulate a clear timeline in which your characters' actions or words interrupt or follow what the previous authors have written.

• Example-Intervention: "The act or process of intervening or intercepting" To put it simply, this action is an interruption in the timeline. Most typically, this form is through physical action, such as an attack to prevent someone else from finishing their attack. This can also be a verbal action, such as interrupting someone else' speech. While you cannot technically prevent them from speaking, you may talk over them or distract the listeners from hearing the person you are interrupting. In the case of an intervention, please use the [Intervention] tag in your post to clearly state your intended and implied purpose.
  

POST-ROTATION: Quite similar to the chronological timeline, the post rotation also follows a similar process. Each participant of the thread is given equal opportunity to post in a structured rotation. No one may intervene or interrupt a writer during their post duration.

• Example-2 person thread: Person A & Person B create a thread together in which they fight one another. Person A starts the thread, therefor they have the right to post first unless Person B is given permission to post first. Otherwise Person B must wait until Person A creates the thread and makes the first post. Once Person A posts, Person B may post immediately or wait up to their maximum duration grace period. Once Person B has posted, it is now Person A's turn again. This process repeats until the thread is resolved, or either participant goes over their post duration grace period. In which case, Person B may post again.
  
• Players may neither attack, nor pre-stage combat in their first posts in PVP threads.
  

POST-DURATION: This term piggybacks off of Post-Rotation, as well as chronological order. Each participant in a thread has 48 hours starting at the time period on the forum in which the previous participants post registers. Failure to post during your duration grace period, will cause you to forfeit your post turn and allow the next person in Post Rotation to make their next post. Be warned that if you miss your duration grace period, any attack previously made that is unresolved, will be considered an auto-hit on your character. Attacks made afterwards by the next writer does not count as an auto-hit.

• Example-Over 48hrs: Person A and Person B have both made two posts in their thread together. Person B attempted to attack Person A in their most recent post. Person A did not reply in their 48 hour grace period, enabling Person B to post again and claim their previous attack a success. Any additional attack made in this new post does not count as an auto-hit and must wait for Person A to respond once again.
  

Additionally, you may not autohit/win against anyone whom hasn't posted in the thread.

• Example-Person C: If Person A, B & C agreed to a thread but only Persons A & B posted, neither may claim a hit or win against Person C.
  

GODMODDING: Godmodding is a large issue in collaborative roleplay writing, but most commonly seen during player versus player threads. Godmodding comes in many forms and can sometimes be difficult to recognize. Common forms of godmodding are listed below.

• All-powerful: When a player writes their character to be so powerful that nothing applies to them. Rules, logic, fairness, everything goes out the window because they portray their character as a godly being.
  
• Invulnerable: This is fairly simple. The writer portrays their character as never taking damage. This can devolve into ignoring damage as well, for the purpose of pushing one's own agenda. Such as receiving an attack but pretending it wasn't fatal or acknowledged just so your character can score a free hit.
  
• Killing another's character without permission: Exceptions apply when both participants are in death-enabled threads or zones.
  
• Auto-dodging: They cannot be hit because they dodge everything or simply just cannot be hit.
  
• Taking control of another's character without permission.
  
• Downplay: When someone downplays another person's character or portrays them into something they are not. Especially with the intent to make themselves superior to others.
  

It can be easy to misunderstand or accidentally imply godmodding through the way you word an action through grammar and syntax. Always strive to be cautious with your wording and use phrases that allow room for the other writers to accept or deny what happens to their character. Such as writing "Person A attempts to stab Person B" instead of "Person A stabs Person B"

VAGUE MANIPULATION: Much like godmodding, vague manipulation is also a prevalent issue in collaborative roleplay writing. Unlike Godmodding however, vague manipulation is much more subtle and can be even more difficult to spot. It is impossible to never use vague information. In some cases, writers feel the need to add in extra detail one of the other writers may have forgotten to add. Or even omit information in their own posts but subtly imply an action with the intent of gaining the upper hand.

Vague manipulation is a behavioral action designed to exploit, control or influence others or situations to their own advantage or gain. Manipulation is generally a dishonest practice through social influences at the expense of others.

Manipulation differs from influence or persuasion. Influence is often perceived as harmless and respects the right of the other user to accept or reject it without being coerced. Persuasion influences others into more desirable actions or responses through written context, such as beliefs, motivations or behaviors.

• Example-Sword attack: Person A draws a sword and runs at Person B, whom is standing in front of a large hole in the ground. Person B perceives the intent of Person A to use the sword to strike them and responds by dodging backwards. Person B's real goal was to force Person A forward and into the hole.
  

Vague Manipulation is a dishonest and disrespectful stratagem. It will not be tolerated. As a general rule of thumb, if it is unclear- ask the other writer to clarify in the post. If an issue occurs where there is a disagreement or rules may be broken, notify a battle moderator to step in. From this point, the battle moderator will read the thread and make an impartial ruling so that the thread may continue. In some cases, the battle moderator will void actions and have the writers start up from a previous point in the thread. If you disagree with the battle moderator's decision, you may verbalize your disagreement but only once and through thorough, careful, concise and clear evidence.

METAGAMING: Metagaming is a real issue and similarly to vague manipulation, it can be difficult to spot. To a fair degree, each writer responds to the former writer's context in a way that allows their own character to continue within the confines of the thread. However: using information your character does not possess, is a clear violation of metagaming.

• Example- Known weakness: Person A has a weakness to fire magic, but Person B does not know this in-character. The writer of Person B does know this and uses it to their advantage without any prior knowledge or clear indications.
  

PRE-STAGED ACTIONS: While this particular term isn't banned, it is cautioned against use. Pre-staged actions can simply be called "conditioned responses" This would be like writing an attack in your post, but also applying three separate outcomes based on your first attack.

• Example-dodging: Person A fires a fireball at Person B. Person A also states that if Person B dodges to the left or right, Person A fires another fireball at Person B's new location. While this is an acceptable method of writing, you run the risk of locking your character into action. Person B may respond to Person A's action of firing the first and possibly even second fireball. Person B must accurately portray Person A's actions however when responding. To further this. If Person B counter-attacked while dodging, Person A has already locked their character into performing the first and second fireball and cannot immediately respond or timeline(Intervene) Person B in their immediate follow-up post.