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The Duellist's Code

Nov 06, 2004 ctishman link
This is resurrected from rules I originally wrote a year or more ago, lost, found again and have updated for the latest version. These are considered guidelines for honorable dueling.

-=Setting the Stage=-
Duels are to take place in an unmonitored sector, free from the presence of a station or wormhole, bots of any kind and other duelists.

A duel involves three players: The two contestants and a referee. The referee should be a player both duelists trust with their lives, their reputations and their money, as all three will be in his hands. The referee should strive to maintain a distance of at least 500m, but no more than 1500m from the contestants at all times. The referee must be absolutely neutral, as his reputation rests upon it. It is also best if the referee is of a different nation and of a higher level than either participant, or is a guide or developer. The referee and both participants MUST KNOW THE RULES.

Load-out is to be arranged before the duel begins. Generally, unguided weapons are the rule, and homing weapons or mines the exception, and only used as ratified specifically by the referee and both participants.

The referee is the only one who may start a duel. The referee may only start the duel once the duelists have reached a distance of 1000m from each other, and each has sent a message in clear words they are ready. A player messaging that they are "Ready" will be taken to mean the following-

1) That they have accepted and will comply with the terms of the duel and all of the rules of engagement in this document.

2) That they agree to accept the consequences of loss or spoils of victory.

3) That they are prepared to fight, and await the referee's signal to begin.

-=Spectators and Betting=-
Spectators are permitted, so long as they do not interrupt or disturb the duelists in any way, and try to maintain a distance of at least 1000m from the combatants at all times. If a spectator should attack either a participant or the referee, they are to be immediately destroyed or chased away by all in the sector able to do so. The duel is considered void.

If a reward is agreed upon for the duel's victor, the prize is given to the referee before the duel begins, and disbursed to the winner at the duel's end. If the duel is voided, the prize is refunded to the participants. Reason #1 to be damn sure you can trust your referee.

Any unofficial wagers between players are to be worked out before the duel begins, and the referee is to have no part in the betting, nor involvement in unofficial wagers of any kind.

-=The Duel Itself=-
Once a duel has begun, the referee may not interrupt it for any reason other than a rule violation. A duelist may interrupt it by messaging "HOLD" on a public or sector channel, but he does so solely at his own peril. Once the participants are prepared to resume, they return to a distance of 1000m, report readiness and the referee gives the order to continue. Each duelist may stop the duel only once, and beyond this, all orders to hold are to be ignored.

-=Ending The Duel=-
When a participant dies, the duel is over, and the surviving player is declared the winner by the referee. If both players die nearly simultaneously by each others' weapons, a victor may be decided by the referee and the referee only, or he may name it a draw, with no victor.

If a participant leaves the sector, logs off or self-destructs the duel is over, and the referee declares the remaining player the winner. If both players leave the sector, log off or self-destruct simultaneously, the duel is considered a draw, with no victor.

If a participant is destroyed while a hold is in place, the duel is considered void.

If a participant violates a load-out agreement, the duel is immediately halted, and the violating participant is asked to modify their load-out to comply with the ratified rule. If they will not do so, they will be asked to forfeit the duel. If they will not forfeit, they are to be killed or driven away, and in any case, the duel is considered void.

If the referee dies or leaves the sector, the duel is put to an immediate halt, as any kills without a referee present are void.

If the referee attacks a participant or interferes with a duel, that duel is void, and the word of the referee regarding that duel is considered void. Unless he has a good explanation, his reputation may be permanently damaged by such an incident.

Should a dispute arise over victory in a duel, a single player's word is worth nothing, unless corroborated by the word of the referee. Reason #2 why it is vital that both participants be able to trust their referee.
Nov 06, 2004 kriss link
The Queensberry code of Vendetta.. ;-)
Nov 06, 2004 Spider link
Thanks for reposting this, A lot of players are new and haven't heard of proper conduct yet. :-)
Nov 06, 2004 Durgia link
The duel command takes care of who wins and loses well enough now. It would be cool if you could add a bet to the /duel command though. hmmmm

Oh ya, all you new people read this!!
Nov 06, 2004 Tyrdium link
Oooo, nice...
Nov 06, 2004 Spider link
Just a note that I was observing a couple of duels between Cree Barnographer (UI) and Niki (itani) today.
2:0 for Niki.

layout was dual tach vults. (might be different marks on the things though)
Nov 06, 2004 ctishman link
Heh, I saw Cree Barnographer take JSteiner yesterday in the most boring duel since the dawn of time. They were both in homer hogs.
Nov 06, 2004 Spellcast link
unfortunately since thats all Jsteiner uses Homer hogs are really the only way to fight him.
Nov 06, 2004 Niki link
Umm, what about rails? You can kill ships that carry only homers with rails pretty easy.
Nov 06, 2004 Durgia link
in a duel(no docking) you can use tach III easy enough if you are patient