5. Rules of Engagement & Conflict

⚔️ Rules of Engagement & Conflict

Conflicts develop in stages. Proper escalation is required; otherwise, staff intervention and faction strikes follow.

Non-Violent Provocation
- Minor disrespectful acts (graffiti, tagging, leaving notes, taunting a rival’s turf).
Escalating Tensions
- Repeated disrespect: theft of shipments, vandalism, public threats, or harassment.
Direct Confrontations
- Physical altercations that might cause serious harm (intense brawls, near-lethal beatings, nonlethal weapon use). Considered “lethal escalation” if someone nearly dies.
Organic Build-Up
- Conflicts should unfold over multiple incidents rather than jumping immediately to lethal force. For example, after repeated tagging and minor skirmishes, a drive-by or robbery can escalate tensions legitimately.

Skipping these steps or jumping straight to lethal violence without prior buildup may result in faction strikes. 🚨

14-Day “War-Safe” Window: After approval, a new faction must wait 14 days before initiating any conflict. During this period, you may defend against attacks but cannot start an offensive.
- Violation: Launching an attack within the first 14 days → immediate disband.
Roster Lock-In:
1. Standard Rule: Any character involved in a lethal conflict must have been a faction member for at least 14 days.
2. Original Roster Exception: Characters listed on the faction’s initial application roster may participate immediately, regardless of the 14-day requirement.
3. Only highest-ranked characters (Boss, Underboss, Captain) may spearhead lethal operations. Alternate alts (siblings, cousins not on the original roster) must wait 14 days before joining.

A PK occurs when a faction member is killed by an enemy faction during an active conflict (or by law enforcement while escaping or involved).
Once PK’d: that character is “out” for the remainder of the conflict and may not rejoin using any other character.
No Voiding: A PK cannot be voided unless staff grants a written exception.
Penalties: Attempting to reinsert a PK’d character results in penalties for both the player and the faction.
Valid PK Requirements: Submit a clip or screenshots documenting the kill and show that all RP rules (voice comms, proper dispute procedure) were followed.

Faction Wars represent the peak of conflict escalation and are declared solely by Faction Management. Before engaging:

Provide evidence of escalation to justify a war.
Factions must wait for “terms of war” from Faction Management before any hostilities.
The war type (CK War vs. PK War) is determined at inception and remains fixed.

5.4.1 Raiding Rules

Defending factions in a raid are exempt from Posse Limits and Safe Zone Rules.
Defenders should assume a raid is approved and raise concerns afterward.
Attackers must follow Posse Limits and obtain administrative approval before a raid.
Unauthorized raids are voided; attackers must restore losses to victims.

5.4.2 War Conduct Guidelines

Combat Realism: Wars must be grounded in believable motives and planning.
Immediate Engagement: Once war is declared, combatants may engage without additional roleplay steps.
Civilian Safety: Civilians should avoid declared warzones; their involvement is strictly regulated.
Documentation: A “war-logging” channel on Discord captures all war activities.
End Conditions: A war ends when a faction’s character roster is depleted, both sides agree to deescalate, or specific objectives (set with Faction Management) are met.

Notification & Approval: Any alliance must be approved by Faction Management. Submit rationale, including all allied groups and reasons for teaming up.
Shared Cooldown: If Faction X and Faction Y jointly attack Faction Z at 2 PM, neither X nor Y may attack Z again until 3 PM (one-hour shared cooldown).
Joint PK List: Kills by either ally against the same enemy count on a combined “enemy kill list,” and both allies share PK credit for those targets.