Bounty System needs rework

[zDark Shadowz]

You don't need to vault someone to end their story, just create lottery type conditions they could ever be found.

The body isn't generated unless the player logs in that reset, the body can be perpetually carried between resets so it can never be 'found', placed in an area that no one would normally visit due to the obscurity of the nook or cranny and retrieved and held onto until the next reset so the ashes are never present in the world to be retrievable while someone is actively guarding them so.

Who would ever know they had to kill X to retrieve Y while X is online? People arent flagged to be carrying corpses while they carry corpses,

And all that was irrelevant to what I was pointing out -- a false summons could be used to kill someone, and if the summons are ignored, escalated into a bounty hunt, so if a player suspects that is the intent of the summon they should be prepared for combat, even while innocent, so they aren't taken unawares.

Just asking people to use common sense when interacting with anyone that initiates a pvp opt call, and remind them when that faction does do that call, if it's done to the wrong person the entire faction should be ready to be pvp'd too.

One wrong bounty could end the entire faction, so, you better be damn sure you can handle whoever you put on there because as soon as A SINGLE BOUNTIED INDIVIDUAL realises that a garda that speaks for a faction to kill someone puts the entire faction at risk as they've ALL opted in, hell will break loose. You just gave them permission to rambo the hell out of the faction.

This is why low ranking people dont have the authority to issue bounties and summons usually.

One low ranked idiot puts everyone at risk when there are players that literally walk around with the power to level small villages unscathed.

[Gnobodytalktome]

Moreover, not answering a summons remains a PvP opt-in.  So if an evil and corrupt Garda summons you on a fake accusation and you refuse to show, ironically, you have just handed them the right to pursue you in PvP.

Is it required that guard factions place a summons before a bounty? Your post seems to imply it is.

[Kaninchen]

A summons isn't required prior to a bounty. Example, you have a weapon out in the outskirts, and a garda sees you. You flee, and get away.  A summons would not be made, but a bounty placed instead.

Not that I've been in a guard faction, but a summons is usually meant as a way of questioning/obtaining information. And a refusal to show up to one, is impeding their investigation, which makes you possibly an accomplice to evil doers everywhere!

[Hathor]

Moreover, not answering a summons remains a PvP opt-in.  So if an evil and corrupt Garda summons you on a fake accusation and you refuse to show, ironically, you have just handed them the right to pursue you in PvP.

Is it required that guard factions place a summons before a bounty? Your post seems to imply it is.

I don't think that is what aprog was suggesting no. If a PC has already opted in to PVP, for example by being a member of a criminal organization or killing people, a summons isn't a necessary first step.

[APorg]

And all that was irrelevant to what I was pointing out

No, we're really just pointing out the consequences of your approach as they relate to players who may genuinely be interested in opting out rather than pursuing PvP.

It's true that a false summons could be used to try to kill someone, though presuming it will be PvP sort of makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy, because you opt in to PvP by preparing for PvP.

Also, PvP opt outs are definitely not for faction play: opting out of PvP means leaving factions involved in PvP. (Edit note: or, preferably, never even joining them in the first place.)

[APorg]

Is it required that guard factions place a summons before a bounty? Your post seems to imply it is.

As others said, that's not quite what I meant.

Having a bounty requires performing a criminal act.

Refusing a summons is one kind of criminal act.

[King Pickle]

While I have no idea how much DM's pay attention to these things, I dare to challenge this statement.

Players are arrested, wanted and even executed on mere IC hearsay.
You can get summoned for unknown/false reasons and then executed without actually having done any crime.
This is all well and good in RP perspective, but it does leave the whole opt-out business ambiguous.

To be clear, do you mean in cases where a summons was obeyed?

Because not obeying a summons is opting into PvP.  Even if the summons is for false or unexplained reasons.

Yes.
Though personally I've missed several summon deadlines simply because I never knew about them.
When you haven't done anything, you don't pay much attention to wanted/summoned forums.

[Hathor]

While I have no idea how much DM's pay attention to these things, I dare to challenge this statement.

Players are arrested, wanted and even executed on mere IC hearsay.
You can get summoned for unknown/false reasons and then executed without actually having done any crime.
This is all well and good in RP perspective, but it does leave the whole opt-out business ambiguous.

To be clear, do you mean in cases where a summons was obeyed?

Because not obeying a summons is opting into PvP.  Even if the summons is for false or unexplained reasons.

Yes.
Though personally I've missed several summon deadlines simply because I never knew about them.
When you haven't done anything, you don't pay much attention to wanted/summoned forums.

There's not really much that can be done about this, though. The best thing is always communication. If you find yourself in this situation, communicate the matter OOC and see what can be done.

[Crowl]

Actually it is,
Bounties can and have been placed for association with known criminals.

I know, i'm proposing change  .

A bounty is a domain exercising its power to influence the world outside on a server, given the strength and influence of the guard factions I really think that the conditions which trigger this need to be reconsidered. When they declare a faction or PC wanted unless they succumb and the guards are lenient, that faction or PC is basically on its inevitable way out unless they are sheltered by being an official faction of their own. PCs have been closured or characters abandoned due to anxiety. There is no way to know if the faction will be lenient and it's not always the case.

Let's not pretend the field is close to equal either, guards have been killed and inevitably returned, bounties have been killed and never released/killed. Bounties have been issued for really ordinary things in the past and I think that really needs to change. The crimes really need fit the wanted dead of alive notice and should not be used to police the server. There needs to be a separation between "They committed a crime" and "They need to be hunted to the ends of the earth".

Alternatively to all of the above there should be a new domain PC hub created that acts as a complete opposite to Dementlieu's authority and holds an official authority of its own. In the same sense that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, there should be a legitimate alternative that's not in the sewers.

I agree with this. We know the system is not perfect. It works, of course, but it's not perfect. For this and the matters of PvP and bounty hunting I do believe that a system for bounty hunters should be implemented. Like a registry. You register your character there as a bounty hunter, and he is allowed to pursue bounties on X country. And that opts in your character for PvP with any of the bountied criminals of that country.

As it is, there is no regulation for someone approaching Newly McMisty under a disguise with their level 20 character and killing them on the spot without RP. It would only be fair that the Opt in was already clear, because it cannot happen the other way around. Someone will tell me that a given character will RP out that they are 'hunting' for the bountied victim, making for some intense drawn out roleplay, and communicate with them OOCly. And that would be grand and conductive to RP. But in all the cases I've seen on bounty PvP so far that has not once been the case yet. And this has remained such since I was a new player and now after a long while too.

Since they are in no obligation to do it, what often happens, with consequences to PvP being what they are is that the attacking party will take no chances.

So I'd like to even the field. If you like that kind of roleplay, then that is good. You should in turn also be opting in for it in the same fashion. This differs from being into the player faction that issued the bounty in the first place.

This is because you can surprise attack a bountied character with no RP ('because they've oped in'). Yet if they attack you, random citizen, you can just say this is a rule infringement because your character was strolling about when they got no RP-PvP'd for no reason at all, and were not given an opt-out. And for all any judges would know it might as well be true because there was no OOC declaration or document that says you weren't, so that void is really exploiteable. Not to mention there would be an issue to be discussed between DMs, and overall just lead to insatisfaction with one or both involved parties. There has been talk about aleady being opted in if you're hunting for a bounty. Good then, let's make that official. A bounty hunter registration, a public document, so IC the domain's authorities will know.

And OOC it's just as clear as bounty notices that those people have as well opted in and have an interest in bounty hunting, and PvP.

Let's get rid of exploiteable murky lines.

Well real life comes with a presumption of innocence, a legal system, lawyers and all the transparency that comes with that.  A walk may be easier to a resolution but in the process may represent the immediate disassembly of an adversarial role, concept, faction, which is really the point but how far do we want that influence to extend across the server landscape. If you piss off a gendarme you can expect a hostile reaction in Dementlieu but relating back to real life again and the summons example aprogressivist, an international warrant is generally only issued for very serious crimes. I'll let others chime in, i've said my piece

This is something I've wondered as well, and is properly put. It is good that we have a bounty system and I like it. I like how threatening the consequences are, it keeps a gritty dark ambiance and the fear of death and being removed of play helps keep down hot tempers and easy PvP. But I feel though as it could use some light tweaking, or a rephrasing here and there as some have pointed out (regarding the possibility of turning in) so it feels as though it's being used fairly rather than people feeling like it's being exploited and they are on the receiving end every once in a while, and it being hand waved because it 'technically' followed regulations.

[tanikozo]

As for bounty hunters "no-RP PvPing" their marks, I find criticisms regarding it and suggestions for having a compulsory scene before the PvP absolutely laughable. Not only is it impossible to supervise but bear in mind it doesn't make IC sense at all for let's say an assassin PC, to jump out of stealth, glare at his target and say "I am going to murder you". Not only that puts the assassin at a severe mechanical disadvantadge, is a bizarre thing to do ICly but chances are the bountied target will just use this as a window of opportunity to escape. Sure, if there is a great level of mutual trust between the respective players it could work but 95% of the time it really won't.

[APorg]

This is because you can surprise attack a bountied character with no RP ('because they've oped in'). Yet if they attack you, random citizen, you can just say this is a rule infringement because your character was strolling about when they got no RP-PvP'd for no reason at all, and were not given an opt-out. And for all any judges would know it might as well be true because there was no OOC declaration or document that says you weren't, so that void is really exploiteable. Not to mention there would be an issue to be discussed between DMs, and overall just lead to insatisfaction with one or both involved parties. There has been talk about aleady being opted in if you're hunting for a bounty. Good then, let's make that official. A bounty hunter registration, a public document, so IC the domain's authorities will know.

And OOC it's just as clear as bounty notices that those people have as well opted in and have an interest in bounty hunting, and PvP.

Let's get rid of exploiteable murky lines.

I think you raise a fair point about the inequality of the playing field and your suggestion has merit, though IC, I don't think the law works that way.  IC Bounty Hunter registration wouldn't really make sense because no domain recognises that a crime committed elsewhere is equivalent to a crime committed within the domain.  As such, bounty hunter registration to signal opting in can only really work as an OOC concept.

[Iridni Ren]

I don't think comparison to real life helps so much in this situation except to point out that IRL you have enormous resources and people (with big brains) committed to making our justice system work...and no one would argue ours is completely fair. So we're trying to perfect something that is vastly difficult.

In the case of the 20th level jumping some newly misted with no RP, really that should be a community enforced no-no (meaning universally a reason for shame). First off, the 20th level actually has *more* to lose because the player has invested quite a lot of time into the PC, and very little to gain. You stomped a nonentity with your 20th level and collected the equivalent of a Port Bounty--money that can be made in five minutes of work without brutalizing a new player. Yay you! And if reported to the DMs, I expect you're not going to come off looking very swell. Anytime there's PvP you run a risk of a rule break that might make you unable to play your shiny 20th level for some time or--if you do it enough--forever.

The reason if I were a DM that I would weigh heavily against the 20th level in any dispute is that the PC has all the luxury of RPing without risk. Are you playing this PC because you want to be a griefer, or are you playing to RP an actual assassin character? If you can't RP anything other than "wham bam thank you ma'am"....that's some character you have there. When dealing with someone far weaker than you, there's no excuse not to RP. So what if the victim escapes? You put a pretty good scare into the PC ICly, and OOCly the player hopefully appreciates that you didn't flex on her.

Maybe the two of you can establish a longer running cat and mouse?

AMPCs are much more vulnerable than the typical PC who engages in bounty hunting, yet somehow the best of them pull this style of RP off.

[Kaninchen]

It is not up to the bounty hunter to make sure the RP to justify said pvp was met. That is in the field of who places the bounty.  The same is true for assassinations, and hits. The "opt-in" criteria should have been met by whoever is placing the contract.  In terms of assassinations, it can certainly leave the target feeling confused/frustrated, but this is also why people should screen shot stuff, for DM review.

[Hathor]

In the case of the 20th level jumping some newly misted with no RP, really that should be a community enforced no-no (meaning universally a reason for shame). First off, the 20th level actually has *more* to lose because the player has invested quite a lot of time into the PC, and very little to gain. You stomped a nonentity with your 20th level and collected the equivalent of a Port Bounty--money that can be made in five minutes of work without brutalizing a new player. Yay you! And if reported to the DMs, I expect you're not going to come off looking very swell. Anytime there's PvP you run a risk of a rule break that might make you unable to play your shiny 20th level for some time or--if you do it enough--forever.

The reason if I were a DM that I would weigh heavily against the 20th level in any dispute is that the PC has all the luxury of RPing without risk. Are you playing this PC because you want to be a griefer, or are you playing to RP an actual assassin character? If you can't RP anything other than "wham bam thank you ma'am"....that's some character you have there. When dealing with someone far weaker than you, there's no excuse not to RP. So what if the victim escapes? You put a pretty good scare into the PC ICly, and OOCly the player hopefully appreciates that you didn't flex on her.

I am going to tentatively disagree here, and maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but here we go.

Consider your example of a level 20 PC dunking a baby PC who has a bounty on them. Maybe the player and PC are just being an ass, sure. But maybe that PC is trying to fight against a whole faction that hurts other people. Maybe they're stepping in because that faction has antagonized other PCs or represents a threat to other, weaker PCs, and they're just taking action as someone who *can* do something about it. Maybe the reason they don't want that PC to get away isn't "oh no my handful of money is gone" but because they are trying to protect others, make a statement, etc.

Unless that level 20 PC is going and corpse-hiding the lower level in say, Perfidus, they're not really vaulting the other PC. That other PC still did opt in somehow.

I think the problem with these sorts of statements and "fairness crusades" is that this is still a roleplaying server. PCs aren't making choices in a vacuum of mechanics and levels, they're making choices according to the story that is already ongoing. They're making choices to protect people, to act on their moral imperatives, etcetera. We shouldn't be policing that or shaming it unless it's actually OOC toxic behavior.

[MJ_Johansson]

I certainly agree with the above, but that being said, as a level 20 PC, you'll in many cases vastly overpower a lot of antagonist PCs. You certainly could dunk on them, or you could try to RP an actual "arrest". While rolls arent enforced, I've found most dedicated RPers will go along with them, and would rather do so than watch their HP go from 100% to 0% in an instant.

At least for the "good guy" PCs like Paladins and such, this should be the logical first approach to bounty hunting. Assassins PCs are another matter, their whole class revolves around stabbing people in the guts from the shadows.

[King Pickle]

As for bounty hunters "no-RP PvPing" their marks, I find criticisms regarding it and suggestions for having a compulsory scene before the PvP absolutely laughable. Not only is it impossible to supervise but bear in mind it doesn't make IC sense at all for let's say an assassin PC, to jump out of stealth, glare at his target and say "I am going to murder you". Not only that puts the assassin at a severe mechanical disadvantadge, is a bizarre thing to do ICly but chances are the bountied target will just use this as a window of opportunity to escape. Sure, if there is a great level of mutual trust between the respective players it could work but 95% of the time it really won't.

If your goal is to win, to get coin, to get that prestige class... For sure, no talk, no emote, click to kill is the best approach. I'm not sure if that should be the goal though.
I have seen PC's manage to find their marks with good RP and in these cases their very goal may have been exactly that: RP.
It may well be that 95% of PvP on the server is complete rubbish as far as RP goes. But that's not something we should strive for. IMO. As an assassin you don't have to engage in a fight if you think there is 95% chance it will be unenjoyable roleplay experience to either party.
You can get pretty creative though, on how you trap and ambush your target, if you spend serious time following them around and setting them up. Something most people probably don't want to do, so nevermind me rambling.

I am going to tentatively disagree here, and maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but here we go...

I don't disagree with you, but I see snatching baby members of factions as something that is very easy to do and ultimately restricts RP.

[Hathor]

As for bounty hunters "no-RP PvPing" their marks, I find criticisms regarding it and suggestions for having a compulsory scene before the PvP absolutely laughable. Not only is it impossible to supervise but bear in mind it doesn't make IC sense at all for let's say an assassin PC, to jump out of stealth, glare at his target and say "I am going to murder you". Not only that puts the assassin at a severe mechanical disadvantadge, is a bizarre thing to do ICly but chances are the bountied target will just use this as a window of opportunity to escape. Sure, if there is a great level of mutual trust between the respective players it could work but 95% of the time it really won't.

If your goal is to win, to get coin, to get that prestige class... For sure, no talk, no emote, click to kill is the best approach. I'm not sure if that should be the goal though.
I have seen PC's manage to find their marks with good RP and in these cases their very goal may have been exactly that: RP.
It may well be that 95% of PvP on the server is complete rubbish as far as RP goes. But that's not something we should strive for. IMO. As an assassin you don't have to engage in a fight if you think there is 95% chance it will be unenjoyable roleplay experience to either party.
You can get pretty creative though, on how you trap and ambush your target, if you spend serious time following them around and setting them up. Something most people probably don't want to do, so nevermind me rambling.

I am going to tentatively disagree here, and maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but here we go...

I don't disagree with you, but I see snatching baby members of factions as something that is very easy to do and ultimately restricts RP.

Does it actually restrict the RP, though? Or does it foster more RP by creating something both sides can react to, since the low-level PC isn't actually being vaulted? It's a lot more dramatic than low-level PC complaining to other faction members that they feel scared.

[Gnobodytalktome]

Does it actually restrict the RP, though? Or does it foster more RP by creating something both sides can react to, since the low-level PC isn't actually being vaulted? It's a lot more dramatic than low-level PC complaining to other faction members that they feel scared.

It restricts the RP, I don't know what else you can call it when a person is forcibly taken to a faction base they mechanically can't escape from.
They are restricted to a single path forward, because they were killed in a single round of combat by someone over twice their level.

[FinalHeaven]

Does it actually restrict the RP, though? Or does it foster more RP by creating something both sides can react to, since the low-level PC isn't actually being vaulted? It's a lot more dramatic than low-level PC complaining to other faction members that they feel scared.

It restricts the RP, I don't know what else you can call it when a person is forcibly taken to a faction base they mechanically can't escape from.
They are restricted to a single path forward, because they were killed in a single round of combat by someone over twice their level.

You can not be permanently imprisoned within a Faction Base unless it is a DM approved scenario, which also means that you can attempt an escape with equal DM oversight.  Your corpse can also not be hidden within a Faction Base (again not counting rare/brief DM approved scenarios) or anywhere else that has a plot locked door.

[tanikozo]

If your goal is to win, to get coin, to get that prestige class... For sure, no talk, no emote, click to kill is the best approach. I'm not sure if that should be the goal though.
I have seen PC's manage to find their marks with good RP and in these cases their very goal may have been exactly that: RP.
It may well be that 95% of PvP on the server is complete rubbish as far as RP goes. But that's not something we should strive for. IMO. As an assassin you don't have to engage in a fight if you think there is 95% chance it will be unenjoyable roleplay experience to either party.
You can get pretty creative though, on how you trap and ambush your target, if you spend serious time following them around and setting them up. Something most people probably don't want to do, so nevermind me rambling.

Of course that in an ideal scenario both the hunter and the hunted will RP out the encounter, but as I said earlier this sort of thing requires a good amount of trust and excellent OOC communication. It may seem game-y to be ganked without warning(safe for the 10 seconds after you are set to hostile) but the bountied target should know that they are opted-in for PvP already and that being a wanted criminal is hard and has its consequences. Personally I don't think enforcing bounty hunters to have prior RP to justify their hits would be good since, as said above, there has been sufficient RP already leading to said bounty.

I will also reiterate some other posts by saying that bounties very rarely result in closure and that turning yourself in is definitely an option which in itself is more possible to culminate into enjoyable RP rather than hiding in the Mist Camp.

[Gnobodytalktome]

If your goal is to win, to get coin, to get that prestige class... For sure, no talk, no emote, click to kill is the best approach. I'm not sure if that should be the goal though.
I have seen PC's manage to find their marks with good RP and in these cases their very goal may have been exactly that: RP.
It may well be that 95% of PvP on the server is complete rubbish as far as RP goes. But that's not something we should strive for. IMO. As an assassin you don't have to engage in a fight if you think there is 95% chance it will be unenjoyable roleplay experience to either party.
You can get pretty creative though, on how you trap and ambush your target, if you spend serious time following them around and setting them up. Something most people probably don't want to do, so nevermind me rambling.

Of course that in an ideal scenario both the hunter and the hunted will RP out the encounter, but as I said earlier this sort of thing requires a good amount of trust and excellent OOC communication. It may seem game-y to be ganked without warning(safe for the 10 seconds after you are set to hostile) but the bountied target should know that they are opted-in for PvP already and that being a wanted criminal is hard and has its consequences. Personally I don't think enforcing bounty hunters to have prior RP to justify their hits would be good since, as said above, there has been sufficient RP already leading to said bounty.

I will also reiterate some other posts by saying that bounties very rarely result in closure and that turning yourself in is definitely an option which in itself is more possible to culminate into enjoyable RP rather than hiding in the Mist Camp.

I actually think the system works quite well for Vallaki,
Since to hide from a Vallaki bounty, you simply have to head as far as the mist camp, and no one can get your body into Vallaki without DM assistance.
It's a way to say, You win, I'm leaving. Self imposed banishment, which should be an option.
Which further helps incentivize RP over PVP.  There is no where to hide from a gendarme bounty that they can not drag you out of.

[tanikozo]

If your goal is to win, to get coin, to get that prestige class... For sure, no talk, no emote, click to kill is the best approach. I'm not sure if that should be the goal though.
I have seen PC's manage to find their marks with good RP and in these cases their very goal may have been exactly that: RP.
It may well be that 95% of PvP on the server is complete rubbish as far as RP goes. But that's not something we should strive for. IMO. As an assassin you don't have to engage in a fight if you think there is 95% chance it will be unenjoyable roleplay experience to either party.
You can get pretty creative though, on how you trap and ambush your target, if you spend serious time following them around and setting them up. Something most people probably don't want to do, so nevermind me rambling.

Of course that in an ideal scenario both the hunter and the hunted will RP out the encounter, but as I said earlier this sort of thing requires a good amount of trust and excellent OOC communication. It may seem game-y to be ganked without warning(safe for the 10 seconds after you are set to hostile) but the bountied target should know that they are opted-in for PvP already and that being a wanted criminal is hard and has its consequences. Personally I don't think enforcing bounty hunters to have prior RP to justify their hits would be good since, as said above, there has been sufficient RP already leading to said bounty.

I will also reiterate some other posts by saying that bounties very rarely result in closure and that turning yourself in is definitely an option which in itself is more possible to culminate into enjoyable RP rather than hiding in the Mist Camp.

I actually think the system works quite well for Vallaki,
Since to hide from a Vallaki bounty, you simply have to head as far as the mist camp, and no one can get your body into Vallaki without DM assistance.
It's a way to say, You win, I'm leaving. Self imposed banishment, which should be an option.
Which further helps incentivize RP over PVP.  There is no where to hide from a gendarme bounty that they can not drag you out of.

Yeah, of course it's an entirely legit option.

As for the mist transition dropping the body, I am unsure if that's intended since I can recall bodies being transferred from Dementlieu to Barovia without DM assistance.

[APorg]

The issue with saying that self-imposed banishment is legit is that it ignores the IC realities of the law in game.

If you defy the law in Barovia or Dementlieu, it's not good enough to say you're leaving and not coming back.  You broke the law.  They will want to punish you.  That means you first have to submit to their authority, or be caught.

If you are willing to surrender yourself or play nice with the Garda/Gendarmes, you are very likely to be able to negotiate banishment as your punishment (as long as your crime wasn't too severe).  But again: that has to be on terms they agree to.  Saying you should automatically be entitled to do this is, again, confusing dis-engagement with de-escalation.

It's saying you get to choose the consequences for your actions.  That's not how it works.

[tanikozo]

The issue with saying that self-imposed banishment is legit is that it ignores the IC realities of the law in game.

If you defy the law in Barovia or Dementlieu, it's not good enough to say you're leaving and not coming back.  You broke the law.  They will want to punish you.  That means you first have to submit to their authority, or be caught.

If you are willing to surrender yourself or play nice with the Garda/Gendarmes, you are very likely to be able to negotiate banishment as your punishment (as long as your crime wasn't too severe).  But again: that has to be on terms they agree to.  Saying you should automatically be entitled to do this is, again, confusing dis-engagement with de-escalation.

It's saying you get to choose the consequences for your actions.  That's not how it works.

PCs are still open-game if they are self-imposing their banishment. In a sense hiding in the MC is "legit" since it's not rulebreaking and for me personally staying confined to a single zone is more punishment than whatever the guard factions have cooked up for you, provided the crime is not very severe but I am not trying to knock people for hiding behind the Vistani.

Though this might change or has already changed since I recall that PvP there is actually allowed provided the Vistani or their property is not harmed which makes much more sense.

[Crowl]

This is because you can surprise attack a bountied character with no RP ('because they've oped in'). Yet if they attack you, random citizen, you can just say this is a rule infringement because your character was strolling about when they got no RP-PvP'd for no reason at all, and were not given an opt-out. And for all any judges would know it might as well be true because there was no OOC declaration or document that says you weren't, so that void is really exploiteable. Not to mention there would be an issue to be discussed between DMs, and overall just lead to insatisfaction with one or both involved parties. There has been talk about aleady being opted in if you're hunting for a bounty. Good then, let's make that official. A bounty hunter registration, a public document, so IC the domain's authorities will know.

And OOC it's just as clear as bounty notices that those people have as well opted in and have an interest in bounty hunting, and PvP.

Let's get rid of exploiteable murky lines.

I think you raise a fair point about the inequality of the playing field and your suggestion has merit, though IC, I don't think the law works that way.  IC Bounty Hunter registration wouldn't really make sense because no domain recognises that a crime committed elsewhere is equivalent to a crime committed within the domain.  As such, bounty hunter registration to signal opting in can only really work as an OOC concept.

That is an interesting consideration. I believe it would not matter much. How so, let me explain: A bounty hunter registered in Dementlieu can still go to Barovia and hunt a Dementlieuse criminal there just as much as they already can, and already do. The only difference is, with the registry being a formality, we know they opted in for it, so everyone is on the same page. This conflict after all is not an IC one, but an OOC blurry line that can be exploited with the rules being what they are.

Hunting a bounty from one domain in another domain is already illegal, registration or not, so it wouldn't change anything of what is already being done, other than get rid of that exploiteable ambiguity that was mentioned I feel.