Schoolyard rule:
1. Make me.
This is the core concept of Schoolyard Rules. If someone can't make you do what they say, the only reason to listen to them is out of courtesy or respect. A prime example is a bunny without a protector. They demand points, you laugh at them. If they have a protector and that protector makes you wish you had paid the points... then you should probably pay them. Pecking orders and politics also play into this, so you should have an understanding of those as well.
2. Pecking orders.
Every schoolyard has various pecking orders. These are achieved through respect, brute force, political maneuvering and other means. You see pecking orders all over. They exist within your clan, within the HOFs, by the professional courtesy that various players exhibit to one another. Knowing your place in the pecking order is a vital element in staying out of trouble. Moving up in the pecking order is a core secret to succeeding in the game.
3. The Art of War.
Everyone in this game is their own province, capable of making and acting on their own decisions. They may chose to band into clans, which function as countries and further into alliances that function as global powers. You must know how your actions and the actions of others will affect both yourself, your clanmates and your allies. Further, you should know how to work these situations for the advancement of yourself, your clan and your allies. And ultimately, you should know how to work these situations against your enemies. These are the basics of the Art of War. If you haven't read it, you should, because that's as much as I intend to summarize it.
4. Persona non grata.
There's usually some kid on the playground that never learned how to fit in but keeps trying anyway. They spend too much time trying to fit in and not enough time learning why they don't. They frequently annoy people and these results in a lot of bullying and personal discomfort for them. When you fail to learn 1. 2. And 3, this is usually where you end up. This puts you in the difficult position where you have very few or no allies and the entire world is against you. An added side effect is that friends of this person can also end up persona non grata by defending them.
5. King of the hill.
The one with the most muscle and most ability to enforce what they want through sheer might. Depending how they accomplish this and how they maintain it, they can be loathed, hated, feared, respected, admired, or loved. They can also be persona non grata. This has obvious advantages and obvious disadvantages. Everyone wants to be king of the hill, so their position is a constant target. If they're hated, many may conspire to ruin the person. If they are loved, others may help them keep their position. At the very least, those who end up hated by this person can expect to be miserable.
6. Cliques.
This is very difficult to explain in Silent Murder terms. The most obvious ones are the ones that are most despised such as post whores, bunny slayers, and trolls. There are also protectors, sages, merchants, artists, Geisha House butterflies, bunnies and many others. The clique you end up in can play a huge part in how you progress in the game.
These are the obvious elements I'll focus on for now. Since this is off the cuff, I may add to the list in the future.
The key things to know are your position in the pecking order, whose king of the hill, how the cliques function, and who's persona non grata. Once you understand these, you will be in a position to properly judge who can make you do anything and whose rules apply and who do you can ignore. This will place you in a position where you can possibly advance your position through the proper application of the Art of War.
Examples:
-Online attacks are generally discouraged and attacking others online will usually result in others attacking you online.
-If a clan claims a city and is capable of controlling it, it may be in your interest to avoid it.
-If a bunny is able to pay a protector enough to make your life miserable, he is probably capable of enforcing his prices.
-If someone is king of the hill, or backed by someone who is, you may want to pay attention to them.
-The mob is almost always right, whether they are or not.
Claims of 'That's not fair!' may or may not apply. You can certainly plead your case, and you may receive support, you may not. It depends greatly on whose rules are in effect and if they can be enforced. This is not a democracy, there are very few written laws and the systems currently in place are enforced by the players. If you can't compete with the players enforcing them, those systems will stand.
