Crime and criminality - Revision history

Hailmur at 13:25, 26 April 2023

2023-04-26T13:25:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:25, 26 April 2023
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	There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds\|traumatic wound]] that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character if you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!		There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds\|traumatic wound]] that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character if you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!
	[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]		[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]
			{{Crime Links}}

Matt: /* Social Contract */

2021-06-25T08:33:33Z

Social Contract

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:33, 25 June 2021
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	==Social Contract==		==Social Contract==
	Of course the legal system is only a disincentive to murder and other crimes if you are put off by the prospect of your character being caught and executed. If players create characters who have no concerns for the repercussions of their actions then that does undermine the game. For this reason, as part Empire's social contract, we ask people not to create characters who have no concern for their own demise - or at least not at the hands of the magistrates. It's fine to be extraordinarily brave on the battlefield, nobody will mind if your character's life is quickly swept away when fighting the barbarians. But characters in Anvil should be cognisant of the law and give due consideration to the reality of what will happen if they openly break it.		Of course the legal system is only a disincentive to murder and other crimes if you are put off by the prospect of your character being caught and executed. If players create characters who have no concerns for the repercussions of their actions then that does undermine the game. For this reason, as part of Empire's social contract, we ask people not to create characters who have no concern for their own demise - or at least not at the hands of the magistrates. It's fine to be extraordinarily brave on the battlefield, nobody will mind if your character's life is quickly swept away when fighting the barbarians. But characters in Anvil should be cognisant of the law and give due consideration to the reality of what will happen if they openly break it.

	That means that creating a disposable character purely for the sake of attacking another character at Anvil is completely outside the remit of fair play for the game. As a result, certain very extreme characters, like a serial killer or a murderous fanatic are also outside the social contract of what is appropriate for Empire. We do accept that murder will still happen, but it is something that should happen because of a fierce rivalry and antipathy that has developed in play. There is an inherent fairness to this process - people tend to have a narrative of their character's existence in their head. In effect we are all the starring character in our story when we're roleplaying. For that reason many players find it deeply unsatisfying to be randomly murdered. It's always sad to lose a loved character - but if it happens as a result of a long running feud then there there is a cause and effect which gives meaning to the death.		That means that creating a disposable character purely for the sake of attacking another character at Anvil is completely outside the remit of fair play for the game. As a result, certain very extreme characters, like a serial killer or a murderous fanatic are also outside the social contract of what is appropriate for Empire. We do accept that murder will still happen, but it is something that should happen because of a fierce rivalry and antipathy that has developed in play. There is an inherent fairness to this process - people tend to have a narrative of their character's existence in their head. In effect we are all the starring character in our story when we're roleplaying. For that reason many players find it deeply unsatisfying to be randomly murdered. It's always sad to lose a loved character - but if it happens as a result of a long running feud then there there is a cause and effect which gives meaning to the death.

Matt at 08:31, 25 June 2021

2021-06-25T08:31:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:31, 25 June 2021
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	The reasons behind this choices are fairly simple. Our experience from Maelstrom was that PvP combat can be deeply unsatisfying unless it is carefully managed. If it's going to have any meaning at all then it's often over incredibly quickly and usually because one side is attacking with surprise and overwhelming numbers. It also tends to be overwhelmingly fatal - involving one side wiping out the other. It was also clear that these kind of games were inherently unstable - the risk was that half the player base would wipe out the other half. We didn't want that for many reasons - not least of which was that it tends to cut a character's story very short. And when it happens on a widespread scale it tends to undermine the credibility of the setting; it becomes harder and harder for the organisers and the participants to justify why murderous rivals are meeting up to socialise with each other on a regular basis.		The reasons behind this choices are fairly simple. Our experience from Maelstrom was that PvP combat can be deeply unsatisfying unless it is carefully managed. If it's going to have any meaning at all then it's often over incredibly quickly and usually because one side is attacking with surprise and overwhelming numbers. It also tends to be overwhelmingly fatal - involving one side wiping out the other. It was also clear that these kind of games were inherently unstable - the risk was that half the player base would wipe out the other half. We didn't want that for many reasons - not least of which was that it tends to cut a character's story very short. And when it happens on a widespread scale it tends to undermine the credibility of the setting; it becomes harder and harder for the organisers and the participants to justify why murderous rivals are meeting up to socialise with each other on a regular basis.

	Likewise, PvM politics tends to equally unsatisfying for some players. It can be hard for NPCs to compete with players on an equal footing in a large LRP game, partly because there are so few of them, partly because players tend to instinctively band together against NPCs, and partly because they often lack the killer political instincts that the players have. Even worse, in a game where we want the primary protagonists to be players - where we want the plot of the game to be about the decisions that those players have taken - it is completely counter-productive to have NPCs trying to politically outwit the players. In a game in which players compete with each for control of the Empire - the last thing we want to do is be part of ''that'' competition - not least because it's a competition we would never want to win.		Likewise, PvM politics tends to be equally unsatisfying for some players. It can be hard for NPCs to compete with players on an equal footing in a large LRP game, partly because there are so few of them, partly because players tend to instinctively band together against NPCs, and partly because they often lack the killer political instincts that the players have. Even worse, in a game where we want the primary protagonists to be players - where we want the plot of the game to be about the decisions that those players have taken - it is completely counter-productive to have NPCs trying to politically outwit the players. In a game in which players compete with each for control of the Empire - the last thing we want to do is be part of ''that'' competition - not least because it's a competition we would never want to win.

	==The Role of the Legal System==		==The Role of the Legal System==

Rafferty: /* Retiring A Character */

2019-08-21T12:04:56Z

Retiring A Character

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:04, 21 August 2019
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	This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.		This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.

	There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a traumatic wound that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character if you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!		There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a [[Combat#Traumatic_Wounds\|traumatic wound]] that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character if you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!
	[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]		[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]

Rafferty: /* Retiring A Character */

2019-08-21T12:01:06Z

Retiring A Character

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:01, 21 August 2019
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	This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.		This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.

	There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a traumatic wound that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character is you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!		There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a traumatic wound that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character if you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!
	[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]		[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]

Rosemary: /* Retiring A Character */

2018-09-20T21:28:37Z

Retiring A Character

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:28, 20 September 2018
Line 45:		Line 45:
	This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.		This might be fun for the player retiring their character, it might be fun for their group even - but that fun is all at the expense of the players in the militia. It doesn't take long when investigating an incident that has been prearranged like this to discover that it is not a real crime that has taken place during the game for in-character reasons. But if the militia do sense that a murder has been arranged by the victim and their friends, that is not a conclusion that makes any sense in-character. As a result they are often forced to roleplay through investigating the matter, despite the fact that everyone involved knows that there isn't a crime that can be solved here.

	There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking ~~crazy~~ risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a traumatic wound that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character is you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!		There are loads of good ways for your character to die in Empire if you want a dramatic exit. The easiest and best way is to start taking absurd risks on the battlefield - that will usually get your character killed pretty quickly. But if you're in a rush to die and you want to make sure that your breathe your last then you can always speak to our referee team and they will arrange for you to receive a traumatic wound that cannot be cured. That will allow you a dramatic final scene with your allies. Even if you don't take the battlefield, you can still talk to the refs about getting something fatal arranged for your character is you absolutely want that. It does mean some work for us - so we prefer players to take their lives in their own hands if they can - but ''anything'' is preferable to fabricating a story that your character has been murdered!
	[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]		[[Category:Game Design]][[Category:The Law]][[Category:The Empire]]

Rafferty at 20:19, 4 September 2018

2018-09-04T20:19:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:19, 4 September 2018
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	{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the<br>[[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=~~left~~\|width=300}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the<br>[[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=right\|width=300}}
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.		One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.

Rafferty at 20:18, 4 September 2018

2018-09-04T20:18:48Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 4 September 2018
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	{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=left\|width=300}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the<br>[[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=left\|width=300}}
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.		One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.

Rafferty at 20:18, 4 September 2018

2018-09-04T20:18:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 4 September 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
	{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=left\|width=~~250~~}}		{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=left\|width=300}}
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.		One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.

Rafferty at 20:18, 4 September 2018

2018-09-04T20:18:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 4 September 2018
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{CaptionedImage\|file=Magistrate Abraham.jpg\|caption=Magistrate Abraham, a constitutional scholar and part of the [[Scrutiny#Constitutional Council\|Constitutional Council]]\|align=left\|width=250}}
	==Overview==		==Overview==
	One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.		One of the distinctive features of Empire is the criminal justice system. Empire is a relatively law-abiding society; it has an extensive body of established law, legal and constitutional protections for citizens, an organized militia to investigate crimes and politically independent magistrates who conduct trials. Of course the system isn't perfect - just like the judicial system in the real world it has severe limitations. But we have put a considerable amount of time into the design of the legal system in Empire - along with the design of the game rules - to try and make it as effective as we possibly can.