Enabling Conflict

[Romewhoa]

I make sure that I try to piss everyone off in a scene, every scene. Sometimes it's hit and miss. Sometimes you'll rub certain people the wrong way and they'll try to avoid scenes with you in the future. This can certainly limit the pool of people you can play with, which is why, I think, conflict is avoided a lot of times. Everyone wants to be nice. If you aren't, people will do their best to make sure you won't ruin them being nice. And this is completely okay, I think. That's what happens in real life, so it should also happen in the game. But it can seem discouraging for people who intend to play characters who are nuisances and general menaces on day-to-day interaction.

On the other hand, sometimes scenes in which I agitate everyone can lead to inclusive mini-plots involving intense character rivalries and the like. Hell, there's even the threat of death, which always spices up a scene.

What I'm trying to say is nothing new. Everyone's said it already. Just adding my view.

[Mika]

I had this big huge reply reply written up that I've since deleted, but I'll simply state this: to me, the best way to enable conflict is to use coded commands as a last resort. Sending out a city-wide messenger when a demon or mage is spottec show-off should happen many motes into a scene. Leaving a scene should come when all expressions of your characters tolerance have been exhausted. Take face-to-face action wherever you can, try not to decide another characters rp for them when they're off screen unless they've given you no alternative.

I'm a big fan of this. (Though usually we're the ones who send out our own city-wide messengers when our demons come out in public because we want to draw in EVERYONE ;D).

I've also been thinking after yesterday's demon battle,

(which was so much fun and it made me feel REALLY GOOD to hear people enjoyed it)

the lawful-bias in our game really influences the outcome of tense or conflict scenes. The fight was, again, everything I hope for when someone unleashes the Sovereign, and I'm not going to go into IC details because the conflict's still fresh - but I did notice that the lawful side has the privilege of infinite fully-healed and rested reinforcements filtering in over time to jump in on their side even when realistically the fight would have been over much quicker than it took to RP.

I think we see this a little in political disagreements, too, where in rumours etc you'll hear how it's "social suicide" to agree with or seek the support of someone who's been shunned by the popular crowd and their agenda.

I think it's something to think about, but I'm sorry I don't have more tangible solutions.