The common thread I've identified is that most people are willing to engage in a CK war if:
1. The IC reasons behind the war are realistically justified
2. Rules aren't broken in the midst of it
Given the vast amount of people who are usually involved in a war (including allies, outside hits, etc.), there doesn't ever seem to be a situation in which point #2 is met; there are going to be rotten eggs. Someone metagamed _______, someone violated a PK by engaging in _______, someone cheated. Hence, "why the fuck should I be the one to sacrifice my character when the other party wont, and they don't adhere to the rules and they're just playing to win blah-blah-blah." I'm quoting myself there. I don't think I'm alone in saying it either, regardless of which side of any amassing conflict you find yourself on.
So, yeah. Maybe there's not a fix-all answer. But we can try to better regulate these conflicts before they spiral. I think this is possible through:
1. More members/help for the IFM staff to assist in regulating these conflicts from the beginning so that it doesn't become a hearsay contest in the reports section when things come to a head.
- The IFM team is busy. I've raised concerns to them that I feel were insufficiently answered, not because they don't give a shit, but because the team lacks the time/resources to investigate the mile-wide spiderwebs that are multi-faction wars.
2. Consistent, good-willed communication between faction leadership.
- I'm currently the lead for a faction that has been involved in a PK war for the last 2 odd months, and have never once reached out to any of the opposing faction leaders to address concerns. That's on me. I'm not sure whether that's the norm or not, but I feel that a lot of the miscommunications that materialize in the reports section would be a lot less of an issue if people (myself included) were able to communicate more openly, and work through OOC concerns cordially. I'm not sure how to put that into practice, though.
