[MUD-Dev] Re: [DESIGN] To kill or not to kill?

[The Wildman]

On Mon, 5 Oct 1998 Michael.Willey at abnamro.com wrote:
> I commented about this in another response, noting
> that The Prisoner as a world idea gives you a good
> opportunity to reduce violent conflict by making
> it unproductive as a problem solving method.  This
> world cannot be conquered by brute force.  (Although
> I'm sure players will *constantly* try.  There's
> an ingrained line of thought that if their guns
> aren't enough to solve their problems, they need
> bigger guns.)

I'd be surprised if I can get enough players to make it work.
 
> You've clearly defined what you *don't* want in
> this game - My question is, What do you want?
> The conflict in this setting is clear: the Individual
> Vs. the Collective.  But if conflict is not meant
> to be resolved through violence, how *will* it be
> played out?  What goals will your players be striving
> for?  Escape?  Dominance?  Survival?  (Or for the
> other side - protection of the collective and the
> induction of new members.)  What markers will you
> use to show the players their "score"?

Goals are not easily defined here. Possible goals could be outlined, but
players are sure to come up with their own. Number 6 managed to beat the
system so much they made him Number 2.
 
> I guess my point is that in order to keep things
> from regressing back to violence, you have to interest
> your players in another game.  I'm very interested
> in this discussion - I'd like to offer a number
> of these other games as alternatives to combat in
> our own system.  Combat keeps resurfacing because
> it's simple, direct, and well-defined.  Perhaps
> a complex, indirect and nebulous game could capture
> player's attention without having to directly compete
> with the all-powerful combat systems?

Let's hear your suggestions. I'm not worried about it regressing into combat
so much as I am about players leaving for lack of something to do.

The Wildman
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