What are the settings Zanzibar? Just because they say that there is no record of inter racial conflict does not mean that it has not, or can not happen.
Not to intrude in on your little conversation, but I have just a quick interjection.
"The city of Yliakum is a melting pot of races with different culture and origin, mixed and integrated by living together over the centuries. Racial suspicion and hostility are completely unknown, given that the greater part of people belonging to one race is normally married to someone of another race." Taken from:
http://www.planeshift.it/guide/en/setting-races.htmlThe key words here are: "Racial suspicion and hostility are completely unknown" as in they either don't happen, or that which does happen, goes on behind the scenes. To me anyway, I see Zanzi's point quite clearly. The settings dictate that there shouldn't be a dravesbane, at least not openly. I am not for or against it nor am I for or against any of the other RP events that unfold in game, just so as long as someones RP does not tell me how I need to RP my characters.
We are player testers. Not only do we test the game mechanics, but we also RP, testing out the player to player interactions, what is good for the community, what is bad, what enriches the game, what takes away from it. By doing so, the devs observe how the community in the game grows, evolves, matures, and they can then use this to better shape the game through its mechanics to not only drive the game from a technical standpoint of where they want it to go, but also from the more important side, the community that makes up the game.
Whether you agree or not with what the dravesbane guild is doing, what the so called evil players try to do, what Xillix did when she annouced herself to be octarch, all these events are equally important in the bigger picture. Each event shows the community what is good, or bad, what the game is ready to handle, or what it isn't. All these events are equally important in the larger developement of the game. They shape the direction of the game. They show what can be done, what can't be done, what should, and what shouldn't be done, either right now with the current abilities of the game itself, or what can't ever be done in the game, or at least not until quite a distant furture.
Each of the above given examples are just that, examples. If anyone wishes to discuss the legallity of them, whether you agree or not with them, they each have thier own threads devoted to that subject. This thread, is subjected towards the ability of players to "evil" or not. Going off of that then, as it has been said, the idea of being evil in game is fairly limited. But one must look at where the game is at in its developement. With a more fully developed game, the ways to be "evil" will become easier. It doesn't have to be just PvP "evil" either. RPing evil can be done just as well against npcs. Ultimately, the game mechanics will improve and players will have more abilities, skills, etc, to put forth to accomplish whatever type of character they so desire.
As for this stage of developement however, I think many people need to take a step back a bit, think about what they are saying, stop treating this game as a completed project and just go with the flow of things. Play with in the limited game mechanics given to you. If someone sets something down and someone runs off with it, then so be it. As the current game mechanics are, if you set something down, you give up ownership of that item. It's up to the player to decide if he wants to be curtious to another player and not pick up stated item. If someone does pick it up though, then there is no reason you can get mad, as you gave up the owenership of that item the moment you dropped it. That other person isn't trully being evil, simply taking advantage of his surroundings. You can either RP that out, or take it OOC and get upset. Most of the time, running after the other person, and talking with them will either get the item back, or they will keep it for themselves. They do have that right afterall, you did drop it on the ground to begin with. You may be able to challenge them to a duel for said item to get it back, but its not like they have to accept. After all, you did drop it on the ground for anyone to pick up. That other player is simply playing the game as to how the game mechanics allow him/her to play.
The same goes with any other type of "evil" action done in the game. People are simply playing the game as to what it allows players to do at this current time in its developement. The real question becomes, are you going to complain about it or are you going to play along and react to what the game throws at you and truelly RP the world your character lives in? If the game mechanics change so that you have the ability to place an item, yet still retain ownership of that item, then there in opens the posibility for true thievery/stealing to take place. This then leads to a fuller RP experience, but again, it relies on what and how the game mechanics are set up.
This holds true to any example from the game, from being able to drink litteraly 100's of potions in a single second to being able to walk through another character when they want you to stop. Is it realistic? Of course not. Can you stop it? Not with out chaning the games rules. Play by what the current game mechanics allow you to do and RP that. Then, if you are unhappy with the current way the game is setup, suggest ways in which the devs can implement ways on how to fix what you think needs changing. Thats the primary function of these forums afterall, to allow players the oportunity to provide feedback to the game designers so they can further shape and mold this game to the ideal direction they want to take it. Play the world as it is given to you, and should the rules change, then adapt. Really, just go with the flow of things.