(11-08-2014, 02:01 AM)OttoVann Wrote: Title alludes to it. Â
Allow me to explain further. Â I RP Otto as an 'aloof' playboy. Â Rich beyond compare IC (and ooc), extremely talented Artisan who knows how to create works of art with his hands. Â Hes physically large and powerful and dominating but he lacks combat prowess. Â AKA a punch would hurt and his grip is impressive - but he lacks martial training. Â He is also very well entrenched and connected to Syndicate affiliations with a subtle and non-implied emphasis on the ability to lean on those connections mafia-style to get the task done, whatever that may be.
So this leads me to how to handle dilemmas ICly. Â
For example tomorrow, if random cool-dude shithead goes out of their way to pick a fight with Otto and even hurt/hit him....what then? Â OOC/IC I could summon easily over a dozen people to fuck and fuck and fuck with this person IC to the point where it could be considered harassment almost. Â However, is that so wrong considering that would be the consequence of their IC actions?
Otto doesn't fight, at all. Â If tomorrow cool-dude X kicked his ass, he would dare cool-dude X to kill him because he if he doesn't the reaction will be severe and very real (ic and ooc).
My dilemma is...what do I do? Â Do I sick the hounds on them if organic RP leads to them laying hands on me or do I spare them being 'bullied' and fucked with for touching me by my connections? Â Its very easy to say "Well its up to them and how they consent." Â True but its also easy for me to retort with that if someone is pushing a fight onto Otto and they are /very/ clearly beside themselves with their aggression. Â What sort of IC consequences should they face, if any?
I would bring it back to OOC communication. Just politely discuss the matter with the person OOC, letting them know you and your contacts have it arranged so that conflicts with Otto may result in the consequences listed. Some people love that kind of thing, so as long as they're aware they'll be happy to participate.Â
But being completely realistic? Such actions could have repercussions as to your personal reputation depending on how the people you deal with feel about the matter. For a lot of people, depending on how you handle it, it could come off as a borderline overpowered character. In general people don't enjoy engaging in conflicts that one party has already decided the outcome of, whether directly or indirectly by design of their character. That quickly turns into people not really wanting to engage in rp at all. Not out of spite, but because they can't for risk they'll be faced with conflict with consequences they are not comfortable with.Â
It can be a strange catch-22 in which the more powerful your character the less wiling people are to fall prey to your character's influence.Â
It's a difficult subject I've thought about quite a bit myself when considering a similar character. Though he's far more keen on false airs and underhanded manipulation than direct conflict, I still find myself in a dilemma. Because while he's a good deal of fun for me to play, as well as other people 'in' on the dynamic or plot... I can see where were I to realistically hold other rpers to his IC influence, many of them would probably cease having fun. And at the end of the day, people want to enjoy the rp they're involved in. But NOT realistically holding others to his influence belittles that influence, so I instead have to work around it. I treat him as an alt/NPC, though, so it's even harder when it's your main.Â
It reminds me very much of playing villains in smaller campaigns. One of the easiest follies to fall into is forgetting that the other people involved are in it to 'win' as well. So no matter how impressive your villain or elaborate their shenanigans, at the end of the day if you don't make the party feel like they've received their fair share of victory, they're going to end up dissatisfied.
I really don't know Otto or the context of these conflicts so I can't offer much more advice, but I think it really comes down to polite OOC communication. And in matters like these, phrasing is everything. Good luck!
