Blue-walling/PvP Flagging
The Grim consider “blue-walling” or “flagging down” to be a type of magic, allowing a person to remain passive in areas under their faction’s control, despite violence that may be occurring around them or intended towards them. This is the same magic that is used in Sanctuaries such as Shattrath and Dalaran, except in Azeroth its use is faction specific, restricted to major cities and undisputed areas of control.
The Grim refer to this magic as the “Pact”, in past reference to the tenuous and blatantly fictional peace Jaina and Thrall, when he was Warchief, which allows “bluewalling” behavior to continue.
Staying safe under the pact in Azeroth is definitely an act of cowardice in the eyes of the Grim. For the truly untrained, it is useful, and on occasion is applied out of political or personal necessity, but it always comes with a strike against one’s ability to walk proudly and confidently in one’s own abilities. (Hint: Keep Warmode turned on as much as possible.)
Player Killing/Griefing/Ganking/Camping
The Grim are meant to be a fundamentally fanatical group when it comes to their beliefs. More often than not these beliefs lead to violence, especially in any situation in which circumstance turns to their advantage. Any action that might be considered aiding and abetting the Alliance, while it might not necessarily be detrimental to the Horde, would definitely be viewed as such by the Grim and considered treachery.
However, how much violence you actually want to partake in is ultimately up to the player. There are times when the Alliance simply outnumber you in the area, so you may feel that starting a war you cannot win may be unwise. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. It may be you are on a particularly important task that will further the Mandate in other ways, so you don’t feel that passing Alliance are worth your time and energy just then.
Or you may be the kind of person who attacks any Alliance, any time, regardless of any accompanying circumstances. All of these options are reasonable, as long as you’re not helping them.
The Grim do not condone player griefing, especially roleplay griefing. To some extent, upsetting opposite faction roleplayers may be unavoidable, but most players understand the nature of the Warmode setting and the risks of engaging in nonviolent roleplay out in the open with it toggled on. Most OOC/PvP problems have PvP solutions and should not cause major issues provided there is no use of unintended exploits, but it is possible to act violently in a world of violence while continuing to be considerate of other players. You don’t need to ignore them. Many players choose to have Warmode turned on because they enjoy the fight, so don’t be afraid to present anyone with a challenge in the field. Just be smart about inconveniencing anyone for extended time periods.
Keeping the untrained Alliance on their toes should almost be expected of the Grim out in the world. However, just because your character might be psychotically violent probably doesn’t mean you the player want to be a jerk all the time. One way to handle this in terms of low level ganking is a “kill and move on” philosophy that will help instill the fear of sudden violence accompanying those who wear the Grim’s colors, but also doesn’t necessarily ruin that player’s game session. Another way is to simply consider yourself above those without training, that they aren’t worth the fight, and to continue on your way.
Cross Faction Interaction
The use of Alliance characters to acquire information is a hotly debated topic. Some are of the feeling that any interaction with the Alliance at the level of the ability to spy, without demanding the deaths of those doing the spying or being spied upon, should be considered aiding and abetting the Alliance as an action in and of itself. Others are more flexible with the idea that information gathered could be used to tip the balance of particular battles in the Grim’s favor.
Ideally, cross faction information gathering should never be necessary. Every eventuality should be considered and planned for, without the need for some Stormwind street urchin to share particular details, without making the Grim dependent on the very people it intends to destroy.
Cross faction communications in terms of roleplay that takes place on forums and other places outside of the game is slightly more delicate. While languages can’t be understood within the game itself, many characters may have valid reasons to understand some languages used by the opposite faction, or to employ neutral factions as translators. While encouraging any and all roleplay within World of Warcraft is a good thing, in order to avoid problems always keep in mind the nature of the Grim as a fanatically violent organization bent on genocide when engaging in cross faction communication and roleplay. One good way to look at cross faction interaction is as opposing teams. We can show good sportsmanship, even be friends out of character, but ultimately they are our opponents and at the end of the day, we are playing to win.