Whoo... talk about a topic close to my own heart.  I'm no expert or anything, but I majored in Cognitive Studies and minored in Psychology; Riggy's question is akin to the big issues we had to wrestle with in that course of study, especially as it relates to the concepts of "mind" and "consciousness," and the the debate of Dualism versus Materialism.  We looked at phenomena such as Phantom Limb (as mentioned by Volki) and read a couple of books by Daniel Dennett (including an audacious work entitled "Consciousness Explained"), among many others.  I could go on, but suffice it to say that while I'm not an expert, I'm definitely an aficionado of the topic.

Regarding the metaphor of Theseus' Ship, I would add that we already undergo a similar process known as Apoptosis (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apoptosis), in which various cells die off and are replaced. The popular myth is that this occurs over the course of 7-10 years, by which time you basically have a whole new body, but the process is actually an ongoing, rolling cycle of renewal. Research suggests that different cell-types have varying lifespans, and some aren't even replaced if/when they die (such as the cells of the cerebral cortex).*

I am always becoming.

I think this is a nice brief, if not very comprehensive summation that describes our transitory nature as temporal beings. However, I think Rigwyn's question is trying to get at our essence(s) as beings in relation to ourselves, eachother, and our physical environment.

One of my favorite answers to this question is by C. S. Lewis, who was reflecting on whether people really have souls or not. His conclusion was this:

"You don't 'have a soul'; You are a Soul. You have a body."

I realize this quote proverbially "breaks the hermetic seal on a metal cylindrical container of subterranean invertebrates" by including topics such as spirituality and religion, but the question is so big that I don't think physical sciences alone can comprehensively/meaningfully address it.

...Aaand that's all the time (and big words) I have for this post, for now...

I look forward to continuing this discussion!

-Timil

*See this selection of articles for more info on cell-death and replacement:
http://askanaturalist.com/do-we-replace-our-cells-every-7-or-10-years/
http://www.livescience.com/33179-does-human-body-replace-cells-seven-years.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/science/02cell.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I like the concept a lot. Traveller's Pie/Bread sounds good for something with an easy-to-hold outer crust, like a calzone or stromboli (or pizza too).

Here are some name elements that came to mind while reading the thread:

Savory Topped Oven-Baked Flatbread Pie

heh, pizza could easily become the longest-named food in the game, depending on how descriptive and specific you want to be. xD

... and there was much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth....

It's the end of an era, people.

At least until next time.

I think another bit of advice I'd suggest is avoid jargon as much as possible in RP'd PVP, or else be willing to pause and explain (perhaps parenthetically) what unique terms mean.

For instance, I know a thing or two about fencing, so if i want to throw in bit of fencing terminology to add flavor to the RP, I should be ready and willing to explain what those terms mean, and what the implications of the move might be.

For example (assuming that the trainingdummy mentioned below is holding a mockup of a weapon):


Someone who has taken fencing should know that Timil aimed at the dummy's chest, near its shoulder, on whatever side the dummy was holding its weapon, and that Timil tapped the dummy's weapon with his sword, brought his sword quickly up and over the opposing blade, and then used his rear leg to propel himself forward order to strike the dummy's chest.  However, I'm guessing most people would struggle to understand what action was described by all that jargon i used.

The nice thing is that once a bit of jargon is explained to someone, you can use it with that person as shorthand in place of the lengthy, detailed description of the action.  (For the moment, I won't address the problems my example poses in terms of tempo/timing, right-of-way, and the fact that it is in fact a compound action that might require finding out how an opponent will react at each step of the process!)

So yes, it can be a dilemma: use jargon and risk having people not understand what you're describing, or invest in the time (and possible tedium) of deciding the level of detail you wish/need to use (I prefer sufficient rather than exhaustive), and then typing everything out...

But with patience and grace, the end result may not just be one Good RP, but future Great RPs!

Just my further $0.02 + tax & tip.

~Timil~

Hmm, come to think of it, my chars haven't done a LOT of PVP combat compared to some player chars I know, but what PVP I have done has been almost entirely RP. I think my style varies between detailed and lite, depending on who I'm playing with, and how it best enhances the narrative of the RP story (realizing, of course, that my concept of 'best' is entirely subjective).

I agree with Caraick and Aramara and Rigwyn's posts above. I also agree with Volki inasmuch to say that it's good to gain more knowledge and bring it into RP when possible, because RL knowledge is useful to enhance RP, but *not* that it is a requirement.

In any case, I think Prreta made the strongest point by highlighting the word GRACE.

Whatever style or method of PVP is to be used, the participants ought to be graceful toward each other OOCly.

If someone godmods, then why not graciously and gently either (ooc) whisper to them, so that the action can be retconned or otherwise agreeably addressed, or just let the matter go and see where the RP goes from there?

Or if someone happens to be a newbie at descriptions, and doesn't RP much detail, why not graciously look on it as a teaching/learning opportunity? OR (for just this once) try graciously humoring them and then have an OOC discussion about it afterwords?

Anyhoo, I realize this is somewhat idealized, but I hope it is taken in the spirit which it was meant.

~Timil~

Hey, congrats Wulfar!  And know that you are missed, till we get to RP again.

Oooh, so THAT's what a Bagga looks like! .... Okay, now I'm officially disturbed. 

Is anyone else getting a "nightmare before christmas" Oogie Boogie vibe from that thing?