Portal:Handbook/Reputation/Selected article/1

The term Player versus Player, or PvP, refers to multiplayer activities in Role Playing Games against human opponents. The term is more often encountered abbreviated than written out in full.

Most commonly, the term PvP is used to refer to sea battle combat between player-controlled ships. However, Blockade combat, Drinking, brawling or any other match where there is no computer-controlled opponent are also considered PvP.

The frequency of sea battle PvP combat varies based on the mix of player types on each ocean. Some players are "PvPers" who actively seek out other player-controlled ships to attack, but players who focus on trade will usually try to avoid such encounters. Any player ship sailing can be PvP'd regardless of why they are sailing. Players that have been attacked may ask for a disengage but the attacking player is under no obligation to comply. It is generally considered bad form to PvP ships that are "floating" unless the attacker believes the ship is floating valuable goods, or has a strategic reason to delay the floating ship (for instance, if the ship is being floated to blockade the attacker's home island). Also some flags ask you not to PvP ships in the same flag, or belonging to allied flags. You can tell a ship is of an allied crew by a narrow blue border around the ship.

PvP combat in sea battle affects a crew's rank. Victories, or combat where the opponent disengages, will raise a crew's ranking and losing or disengaging reduces the ranking.



Important Differences Between PvP and Combat against Brigands/Barbarians in Sea Battle
When player-controlled ships fight against each other in a sea battle instead of against brigands, some of the rules are different:


 * The winning ship takes 25% of the losers' hold and 50% of the booty instead of the usual 10%/25%.'''


 * If the two flags are at war with each other, it is possible for one or both ships to be sunk during the battle and lost forever, possibly resulting in injuries to the pirates on the ship(s) that sank. If the two ships grapple and swordfight or rumble, the winning ship takes All of the loser's hold and booty except for a small amount of rum/grog/swill.


 * If the two ships are both configured to target barbarians rather then brigands, after grappling they will engage in a rumble rather then a swordfight.