In the basic rules only one character can attack other players (the dwarf) and he is limited to one attack per player via bounty warrants.

I would like to add more PVP but there are design constraints I am struggling to satisfy.

Several ideas I am working with that are almost working:

• There is no PVP, except that one player is secretly an agent of the end boss. Once revealed (by attacking a player or sabotaging something) this player can be freely attacked or attack others. The agent wins if the mission fails, and loses if the end boss is defeated.
  
• No agents. There is free PVP. However in order for the action to be meaningful in game, there has to be gain for the winner and a loss for the loser. (Example: winner gains experience and/or takes an item from the loser). There must be loss to prevent players farming each other, but the loss can't be so significant that it puts a player out of contention for winning the game. Perhaps some areas are "safe" (towns) or perhaps we have an artificial mechanism like having to purchase bounty warrants (like the dwarf) - which would give the specific players warning.

I'd like hear peoples comments on the issue, even if they are "I hate it" or "it won't work". So long as you explain why, it's still helpful to me; if no reasons given then its just a rant! :-)

Hi, nice ideas, however let me say something from my own experience...

I didn't like PVP in Runebound 2 AT ALL.

It could be so annoying!
We've had a situation when 2 players, very similar in power, were fighting each other actually for the WHOLE GAME.

About a dozen of times or more.

Round by round, again and again.

It was like that:

1st player obtained an artifact from the monster and payed it with heavy wounds.

2nd player attacked harassed 1st player and took his trophy, however he suffered some wounds in the process.
The battle was close to the city, so in the next round, the 1st player, when he woke up in that city, healed, but without equipment, wanted revenge - and his artifact back, because he was reduced to level 0 without it!

So he attacked 1st player and won, but get wounded.

2nd player, on his turn, attacked the 1st player again...

The game was no fun, absolutely.

After this lesson, we've invented a home rule that after any defeat, You roll a dice to see in which city You wake up.

Technically that was better, but it was sooo terrible for the beaten player that was robbed!

It took all of his fun - and, what's more important - any chances to win the game.

Because of that experience, I personally like that there is no strong PVP mechanism in Runebound 3.

And when it comes to play (in cards and dwarf's ability) it's much more like taking the edge and much more less like destroying someone's fun.

I even like that the dwarf can attack only once per player per game - it prevents him from bullying around for easy trophies that he can get from wounded nearby-players.

I don't think that giving trophies for fighting others is a good way to improve the game - after all what would be the Corbin's ability for in that case?

Taking away gear is also a very radical idea - the gear is often the most important thing to customize your character and eventually win the game, you can work for the whole game to buy a sword of your dreams.

Why should you, if someone's gonna take it from you in the first round you'll be off-guarded?

In my opinion, there could be something like the FAME score.

When you fight another hero and defeat him, you get a fame token.

You can spent it in a few ways.

For example:

-in shop - to reduce the price of any gear by one gold piece

-in movement/exploring - to change the symbol of one of your rolled terrain dice to wild

-in battle - to use it as an additional surge symbol

No other benefits, except of that the other player will be slowed down a bit .

How would you like that?

I would like more Corbin type social quests that add more pvp. But I don't want true pvp.

PVP in 2nd ed was a great way to make a long game even longer. It's very difficult to recover from losing PVP in a game where PVP is optional, but not necessarily part of the main goal. Pirate's Cove, Twilight Imperium, Runebound 2nd ed. It was always easy to figure out who the winner was not going to be based on who lost the first PVP encounter. Other players then tend to pile on that person.

I'd like to thank everyone for listing potential problems. I'm still trying to work out how to fix them!

I don't see them as problems with PVP in itself, but more as problems with the 2nd Edition implementation of PVP.

What do you all think of the new expansion that's announced? Players will play normally without PVP until the end game, where they are all transported into some kind of Arena, and the winner is the sole survivor. This is something I had not considered. It does mean that PVP does not "interfere" with the adventuring part of the game.