[event idea] dark doubles

[Bonifarzia]

I'd like to open this topic to discuss ideas for and interest in a possible combat event.

Just a few days ago, we had the DarkStars Duelists Championship, and I think this was lots of fun for everyone involved. A nice tournament with plenty of action, which also revived the community's interest in PvP. Now, I wonder, can we run some small player event with a bit more room for team work, different game mechanics and strategies? But without the utter chaos of the infamous Champion's cup? Some of you certainly remember this monthly event, which served as a big testing playground for free-style free-for-all PvP. Yes, it was havoc. But it was fun, at least when there were still enough participants.

So, can we do something in between? I thought of a small tournament for registered teams of two players each, maybe three. Since there's a high chance for accidental killing in team fights, the fights should probably be moved to the Death Realm. That's bad for spectators and nearly impossible to legitimate from an IC perspective, so the games would be more of an OoC fun-battle. But it allows to bring in another interesting aspect: Magic. I think if we disallow armor (and robes to hide it), this might actually work. And we would not need to worry about masterwork gear. Potions and food can also be allowed, as there are timers in place, and weapons can deal good amounts of damage. I am not sure if bows should be allowed, but if you have to face the enemy properly for a good chance to hit, then the movement advantage will not be that imbalanced. Nope.
Maybe we can get a bunch of players for some testing, such that we can gather ideas and insights for future events.

Thanks for your feedback.

EDIT: Rules draft/notes

Mode: Arranged team fights, always two versus two fighters
No armor: Armor, helms, robes and shields are not allowed
No bows: Magical attacks are allowed, but no ranged weapons
No Stuns: Combat moves, spells and consumables are allowed, but no stuns, cages, glues etc.
Registration: 4 teams can enlist three fighters each
Matches: Teams decide which two fighters they send against which team
Getting Ready: Before each match, fighters challenge each other and sit down when ready
Count-down: The referee starts the match with a count-down to stand up and attack
Points: A total of 4 per match, one per standing fighter, one per defeated opponent
Ordering: Six matches in total: AB, CD, DA, AC, CB, BD
3 team mode: If one team fails to attend with two fighters, the remaining teams fight twice against each other
Grouping: All fighters form one group to view health bars and combat messages
Disconnects: Matches are repeated on mutual agreement, otherwise disconnect counts as defeat
Location: Hydlaa arena (with GM assistance) or death realm (when run only by players)

[Eonwind]

That's bad for spectators and nearly impossible to legitimate from an IC perspective, so the games would be more of an OoC fun-battle.

Not really. In a project never completed by the designer (sadly) there was a plan to make a true death Arena in the DR. So the idea of an arena fights in the DR is not out of lore. Of course the reason why each character is participating is up to you to make up but it's something that can be worked on (even with the GMs).

That said I like the idea. 

[Bonifarzia]

Thanks for the info. Actually, the champion's cup also felt kind of OoC to me, so I don't think that's a big issue, given that players will have fun.

Right, the idea of PvP in the DR is an old one (7 years old random example), especially if you have to deal with kills by accident.

Concerning my bow remark, I'll better not get off-topic here and comment on PS#6132 instead.

[Sarko]

I'm sure supporting your idea Boni let have a chat and develop the idea a bit more...
my first question would be why naked fight ?

[Bonifarzia]

I thought about rules that can be checked by players without GM assistance. The idea was that if no armor is in use, defense modifiers from multiple masterwork items (and buffs) will not matter that much, so any weapons can be used. Maybe physical attacks get an advantage from this compared to magic, but I think that's okay, since you have to get close and time your attack, and magic has other great uses than direct damage. Of course, all of this is open to testing and discussion. Like the question if helms or shields should be allowed.

[Sarko]

As against mage's attacks masterwork buff can't do anything...
I would first try with all allowed... and see what strategy people will use.

[Bonifarzia]

Sure, that can should be tested. I suspect that in this setting, physical attacks will be completely omitted and fights can endure for very long. Maybe players will struggle to inflict more magical damage than the target's healing rate. If armors are allowed, magical resistances will also come into play - I can imagine a player with shortcuts for three full sets with 80% dual resistance each, which can be further raised with spell buffs.

Another possibility I see is that some stun spells permanently lock down the enemy (including item usage). I don't know what the current spells can do in this regard, but that could get pretty boring. It would be a shame if the match ends with the very first spell cast (stunlock).

[Bonifarzia]

Rules draft/notes added above.

I wonder, if there was GM support for such an event, would it be possible to overcome accidental killing? Could players be reset from the DR without a curse on them, such that kills can be ignored IC, and played like regular defeats? That might be cool to move group frights to any other place than the DR.
EDIT: After some chat in-game, I see that the curse is triggered by the portal, but not when a character is moved by a GM. So this may be a nice option.