Note  50  Mathias      (03/31/10 17:44)  Upcoming changes to PvP

The administration has long felt that a problem exists in the game: that
some players may be bullied by others via the combat system, with the 
result being either death, merciful, or blessing.  Regardless of the 
result, this bullying has had the result of directing some players away 
from the game.  We have defined the problem in the following manner:
 
Players are forced into the Player vs Player Combat system without their
consent.  
 
While it can be argued that this is the way the game is played, this 
administration believes that the game may be played in other ways.
 
We've tried to resolve this particular problem in the history through
various ways: We've deleted repeat offenders and those who sought to
drive other players away through their combative actions.  In more recent
history, we've instituted the Blessing of Mandos in hopes of preventing
these problems from occurring.  Sadly, none of these implementations have

had the desired effect of providing a safe and consensual environment 
away from the problems of real life.  This is, and always shall be a 
fantasy world free from the trappings of the mundane; to that effect, we
believe that our players should not be required to participate in 
interpersonal strife against their will.  In order to resolve this 
problem, we have decided to change the manner in which Player vs Player 
Combat is initiated:
 
A opt-in PvP flag shall be created which will ultimately preclude a
player from being attacked without their say-so.  As this flag and system
has many details, those details have been relegated to the help file
"help pvp flag".
 
Implementation:
This PvP flag will go into playtesting in the coming weeks, first on
testmud and then "live" on realmud (still limited to playtesters). 
During these tests, we may find that some aspects work less well than
others, or that other aspects are necessary to fill in the cracks.  We
invite you to help us find these cracks by becoming a playtester
('playtest apply') and help us resolve these issues.
 
In the meantime, a new thread has been started on The Two Towers forums
(http://t2tmud.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=16533) for you to participate in
and discuss the topic.
 
Thank you,
Mathias, on behalf of the administration of The Two Towers.