PvP & fairness

PvP on Sunday Market is consent-based. The server doesn't decide your fights for you — the community norms do, and the rules layer enforces them. This page is the rule version of those norms.

Spawn is everyone's front door

There's no server-enforced no-PvP zone yet (a protected spawn region is planned). Until it ships, the norm carries the weight: no fighting at or around spawn. It's where new players arrive, where people trade and chat, and where nobody signed up for a sword in the back. Fighting at spawn is a rules problem even though the server won't physically stop you.

If you want to fight, take it out into open territory — with consent.

When PvP is allowed

PvP is fine when at least one of these is true:

• Mutual consent — both players agreed to fight
• Self-defense — the other player attacked you first
• Established conflict — ongoing rivalries between players or groups don't need round-by-round consent
• Organized events — coordinated event PvP (king of the hill, capture the flag, duels) where joining is consent

What's a fair fight

• A /msg <player> 1v1? and they accept
• A "want to spar?" exchange and both gear up
• An ongoing rivalry where both sides agreed long ago
• Self-defense if attacked first
• Coordinated event PvP (king of the hill, capture the flag, etc.)

What's not OK

Spawn-camping new players

Sitting near spawn waiting for new players to step out, then ambushing them. Spawn should be safe — the norm only works if the front door isn't a death zone. Don't do this.

Stalking peaceful players

Following a new player who's clearly exploring, mining, or building. Forcing fights they didn't ask for. Especially bad if you're geared and they're not.

Kit/loot griefing

Killing for the sole purpose of the killer reward (the per-kill coin). The recovery chest system removes the loot incentive, but the per-kill reward (with cooldowns) still exists. Repeatedly killing the same player to chain kill rewards = farming, which the cooldown limits but the behavior is still hostile.

Combat-logging

Logging out mid-fight to avoid losing. Staff can review logs and reports; repeated combat-logging earns punishment. Better to take the L and try again.

Multi-player ambush of a solo player

Three friends ambushing one player walking through a forest. Even if the solo player puts up a fight, this is "ganging up," and it's frowned on unless explicitly consented.

Ambushing in someone's base

Sneaking into a player's base while they're offline, then attacking them when they log in. This kind of "lying in wait" is poor behavior anywhere.

New-player protection

Fresh arrivals deserve extra patience:

• They likely don't have full enchanted gear
• They're learning the world
• Killing them for the per-kill reward is bullying

Staff treat repeated new-player ambushing as harassment. A veteran in full netherite who picks a fight with a fresh arrival in cloth can expect staff intervention.

If you're geared up and find yourself in an unwanted PvP situation with a new player, walk away. You don't have to fight every fight.

Arenas — planned

Opt-in PvP arenas (step inside, and stepping inside is consent) are on the roadmap. When they open, they'll be clearly marked with boundary signs and spectator areas. Until then, all PvP runs on the consent norms above.

Fights and recovery chests

When you die in PvP, your inventory drops to a personal recovery chest locked to you. The killer can't loot it.

This means:

• Killing for loot doesn't work — the loot is locked to you
• Death is a setback, not a complete loss — you have a window to recover
• PvP is real but reversible — losing doesn't ruin your kit

The killer does get the per-kill coin reward (with the 10-min per-victim cooldown).

This system is designed so PvP is fun — not "kill or be killed permanent loss." See Death & recovery.

Reporting unwanted PvP

If someone is hounding you with unwanted PvP:

1. Document — screenshot, note the time
2. /helpop — report to staff with details
3. Don't retaliate-and-grief — that gets you in trouble too

Staff has rollback logs and can correlate reports across players. A pattern of harassment gets dealt with.

Punishments

Staff has discretion based on context. A genuine misunderstanding that turned into an unwanted fight is handled with conversation, not punishment.

Why PvP is allowed at all

Some servers ban PvP entirely. Sunday Market doesn't because:

• PvP is part of the game — Mojang shipped it, players want it
• Designed encounters are fun — duels, organized fights, rival groups
• Self-defense matters — being able to fight back is core to feeling safe in the world
• Consent norms work — most communities self-regulate PvP just fine

The server-level controls (recovery chests removing the loot incentive) and the community norms (consent, new-player protection) shape PvP into a fun consensual system rather than a "kill or be killed" wasteland.

See also

• Combat — combat mechanics
• PvP — combat-side PvP guide
• Death & recovery — what happens when you lose
• Region protection — how protection works today
• Conduct — chat-side rules