ARPK

Anti-Random Player Killing, sometimes shortened to Anti-RPKing or ARPKing is a style of gameplay where players choose to engage in combat in the Wilderness only with other players who are prepared to fight. The Wilderness Guardians was founded on the principle of ARPK, and maintains an optional ARPK policy as of July 2019.

Definition

A "random" player is considered to be anyone who enters the Wilderness with the intention of avoiding PvP combat. Their objectives may be to PvP, train non-combat skills such as hunter or slayer, complete clue scrolls, or collect resources. An ARPK clan will not attack such players who do not wish to fight and instead focus their efforts on finding PKers, clans and teams to battle with. A reasonable way to determine whether a player is random or a PKer is by the presence or absence of a skull, which indicates that they have attacked another player.

ARPK differs from Anti-Player Killing (Anti-PKing or APK) in that APKers disagree with the concept of PKing entirely. A common misconception was that APK clans did not PK at all - this was incorrect and APK clans would engage in fights in the Wilderness but only to defend a random player under attack.

ARPK in WG

As of July 2019, WG has an optional clause for ARPK in their Honour Code. The provision explains that ARPKing is not always feasible due to the lack of activity in the Wilderness and the considerably small number of PKers against which WG can compete. As a result, the ARPK policy is not in operation unless the leader of the PK trip decides to activate it. Outside of clan events (such as PKing with a team or solo), the ARPK policy does not apply to members.

Initially WG identified as an APK clan, influenced by The Sabres and its efforts to protect skillers in the early days of RuneScape (before PvP was limited to the Wilderness). Eventually this transitioned to ARPK as WG grew and was able to compete with other established PvP clans. However the underlying focus of "protecting the innocent" remained, as was invisioned by His Lordship and reaffirmed in the clan's name and motto. WG's initial APK/ARPK policy was:

Under no circumstances must any member of the Wilderness Guardians PK a player with no skull above his or her head Death pays death, and those who enter the Wilderness to kill for fun have no business with this clan whatsoever.

The clan made several APK and ARPK allies including The Sabres and joined an ARPK alliance known as The Federation.

Once WG was strong enough, they began to offer services to individuals such as protection for skillers in the Wilderness. This offer was eventually rescinded as clans and teams abused it in order to lure WG into a fight. Starting in November 2011 WG also offered to reimburse random players killed by them during clan PK trips for whatever items they may have lost. However very few players were aware of the offer, and an even fewer number requested a reimbursement.