But how does this debate thing actually reduce the impetus for combat? As has been pointed out, it is still much easier to win the other guy is dead.

While you engage in debate, someone else comes up and says, "Enough of this foolishness!" and 6 inches of steel emerge from your stomach.

Idea: too much violence in a village causes the locals to mistrust you. If Daevos is running around slaughtering Celestians, the Rockholm dwarves won't listen to his influence. However, if this is to work, I want some competitive Influence skills of the influencing mobiles gig (I.E. If I and Rhysus are both Influencing, say, the Countess, she'll listen to both of our arguments, and go with the more believable one. I'll consider this idea, and write out possible skills/mechanics for it.

Hrm, Eldanien brought up serious consequences if there was violence in an uninfluenced village. Perhaps for every person/villager you initiate combat against in the village, the villagers became fearful (think the result of a paranoia influence battle) towards citizens of that city for 15-30 minutes? Maybe even make it nudge the villages a bit towards the side that was killed.

Also, repeated killings could result in this time stacking (+10 minutes for every killing after the first?)

Sure, people could still kill in that case, but it would be stupid, and prevent them from making any progress on the village.

Baen, Rhysus's idea included making open villages a safe zone. Thus, influencing and comms questing would be the only ways to sway it. Perhaps with comms questers being then targetted as they wander in and out of the village, dunno.

I'm loving Kaelar's idea.

Then, if your fed up with magnagora OOCly... to the extent, you hate it.. maybe you need to take a break. It's just a bloody game.

I like Rexali's idea from a mechanics perspective - after all, who's going to want all that bloodshed around their village? - but on a more complicated level, looking at the actual skills, it wouldn't work. I mean, look at Magnagora's influencing - starting with shocking them about tales of those who refused. Killing Celestians around town would be an example and demonstration of that, and so if anything would prove their point.
Good idea in principle though.

How could this be done? (I actually considered this earlier and came up with my own idea a day ago to cause this, but let's see what others come up with.)

Then, for every violent action you perform in village x, you get one 'violence point' (these are mechanical, and only Divine could see them), and for every kill, get 100 'violence points'. The ideal for a Magnagoran would be 250 'violence points' which could enhance Shock to twice normal ego strength. Going over 500 or 1000 'violence points' would not allow THAT person to influence. 'violence points' would wear off at 1 per 5 seconds (12 per minute, 100 per 8:20 minutes, 720 per hour).

And, to affect the whole city, 2500 'violence points' or some such from all citizens, total, wouldn't allow that city to influence, at all. Note, this is entirely brainstorm, and numbers could be adjusted, depending.

I'll brainstorm more, and come up with some ideas. Could CR6s post the Influence skills of all 3 cities/commune?

I guess that'd work? The rate of decrease is a bit steep there, though. People don't kill someone once every one minute forty. I like the city one though. But I still think that they'd be able to influence from an IC perspective - at that point, the poor Furrikin (say) are going to be all "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME" and ready to do whatever they say. I'd think.

I'd also like different villages/villagers receptive to different skills more easily. Estelbar furrikin most receptive to commune skills, but the farmers are receptive to Shock, whereas Yojimbo isn't receptive to Shock at all.

Hearing stories about, and actually experiencing, could potentially have two different effects.

Hearing stories about villages that have been conquered by Magnagora could be enough to induce fear and make them want to follow, but if Magnagora was right there killing them/someone they're considering joining, you can bet they would want to resist in any way they can.

So maybe not have the villagers fear them so much, but just a flat-out "No, you already kill us/people we are considering joining, so what effect is your shock going to have on us?" or something.

Oh, I don't know. I mean...the point of shock is that "we killed people who didn't join us, like these folk." So if they attacked the Furrikin (again, just an easy example) themselves, then the Furrikin wouldn't like them. But attacking Celestians nearby just proves their point. I always saw it as a sort of protection racket. You know, "Join us, and we won't utterly annihilate you like we're doing with these here folk."
I think I see your point, but THEM being killed and cityfolk being killed (which is really the issue) are very different things, I think.

Hrm, that's true.

I always thought of it as a "we'll kill you if your village decides to join celest/serenwilde" rather than a "we'll stop killing your uncooperative villagers if you follow us", but I guess it can go both ways. And you're right, it really doesn't make so much sense for actual PKing in villages, which was the whole point.

Ah well, I'll keep thinking. Maybe something will come to me.

Aaah! No . I understand Rhysus's intention is all honourable and .. stuff but i can't be bothered to think about all those solutions because they do not address the principal problem.

Lusternia is living its first total war and it's dramatic because not only you guys don't even try to end it, but you guys try to make it affordable, pleasant and .. and worst of it all . .. permanent

It's not like Magnagora has the choice anyway. Now that Serenwilde has walked down the path of War, its rp background will be more favourable to idiotic fanaticism than to the enlightened wisdom of the Ancient Celtic druids that i had initially wished for Serenwilde. If only Serenwilders had used their brains and send diplomatic missions instead of diving into this stupid war..

And the *alchemist's skillset* in the hands of fanatics is just not a viable option for Magnagora, and for Celest as well.

I really don't understand all those who whine about lack of Rp. You had your chance for Rp, but since it wasn't handed on a silver platter, you didn't even try. Now this is a war. It's a bloody war, and it is not supposed to be pleasant.. if you want the war to stop, just surrender or rp a stalemate.. just do something. Step out of the campfire instead of screaming that it is burning your arses.
That's all.

The Rp is there, the stakes are there. what else do you want. an How to Rp ?

I'd rather see the villages start to close their gates when war is declared

What if there was an option that allowed you to choose whether pk is allowed in a village after influence is rescinded and it goes back into "play"?

Freya, you are ignoring your history. The whole point of history is to follow it. Serenwilde should be actively trying to destroy Civlization.

...that depends on what You mean by an option. A referendum to have this permanently enforced? A choice for each village? A poll on the boards?