I'd like to address #1 scenarios.<br/><br/>The first rule of any freeform roleplay is that you, the player, decides ultimately what happens to your character.  It is not up to other players to tell you how to play or what plotlines you should accept, it is YOUR character and you have ultimate power over that.  If you're not playing a prey character then simply do not allow that character to become prey--it is *not* childish or unreasonable to say "I do not want my character in that role, so I am removing him from this scene." You *always* have the choice what to play, how to play it, and whether to stop something that someone is doing to your character without your agreement or enjoyment.<br/><br/>In situations where a fight has broken out and neither party wants to lose, I found in past that if it cannot be argued out by players to where either of them can rationalize a loss, then the best thing to do is stop the fight.  You can either end it with a statement that would allow either player to feel as if the story could conclude in a way they prefer, such as "...and from there, the fight progressed until its logical conclusion. The End."  If that feels too sudden and choppy, or you simply insist on a scene ender, pull in a ridiculous deus ex machina like "Suddenly a disk covering in flashing lights zooms out of the upper atmosphere and beams up (fill in your own character's name)!  He has been abducted by aliens! The ship zooms off, carrying _______ to some unknown adventure..."<br/><br/>Bottom line is, if you can't agree on a mutually satisfying scene ending, or if play is going a way you don't like, *stop playing it*.  I learned this the hard way over several years, and trying to "win" just brings you frustration and wastes time you could be spending playing something more satisfying.