You got your RP in my PvP! You got your PvP in my RP!
by Matthew Rossi 
Sep 24th 2007 at 6:30PM
Tipster Shewa sends in this interesting forum discussion from an RP-PvP server (Defias Brotherhood - EU) about what, exactly, is in bounds on such a server. Is it griefing to attack an RP function? Or is it okay as long as you're in character as, say, a malevolent Alliance warrior who hates all blood elves and attacks them whenever he can, even when they're peacefully congregated for (as a possible example) a picnic in the woods?
I tend to be more in line with poster Rumbalt in this page of the thread, when he says Perhaps I expect to (sic) much of people, when stuff like this happens I have no trouble weaving unexpected stuff like this into a storyline, an a mass of the shadow being attacked by a violent and dangerous Horde guild. Back when I played on RP servers, I didn't wait for other people to roleplay, I played and let the chips fall where they may. Other posters point out that, since you can't communicate with the other side anyway, it's effectively impossible to know if they're attacking you in or out of character and so you should just always assume they're in character and ignore stuff like forum posts and message boards that would ruin the RP illusion anyway... since you're already missing one gloriously amethyst eye anyway. (I kid, but it's a good comic strip and deserves to be linked.)
I suppose I fall on the side of the 'it doesn't matter what they intend by attacking, you're on an RP-PvP server, role play your PvP response and just move on'. But it's an interesting debate. What are your thoughts?
Filed under: Realm News, PvP, RP, Forums
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Green Armadillo Sep 24th 2007 7:24PM
If you don't want your RP events to be disrupted by PVP, roll on a non-PVP RP server. The only reason why RP-PVP servers exist in the first place is because griefers claimed that not having PVP prevented them from "role playing", so I don't see how anyone can claim shock and surprise that there is PVP on RP-PVP servers.
For that matter, if you're holding an event in contested territory, what to do if the enemy attacks should be PART of your event to begin with unless you're role playing an idiot. If your group is too small to defend itself, maybe your picnic should be held in some remote location, or near NPC guards. Or perhaps you shouldn't announce the location publicly (would your characters really want the Horde to know where and when the Gnome Garden Society is meeting?). There are ways to deal, but expecting people you have neither control nor influence over not to behave in ways the ruleset explicitly permits them to behave is not a good one.
Shotgunbadger Sep 24th 2007 7:38PM
As an RPer I have to say, if you're on RP-PvP, and you hold a private event in contested land, you loose all right to cry grief when you're killed.
I'm in an all Night Elf guild on Emerald Dream, we hold Elune based ceremonies, know where we always do them? Darnassus! We even say IC "The other lands of our people are too dangerous due to Horde attacks to feel safe in".
CrpyTech Sep 24th 2007 10:39PM
If you're on a pvp server...etc. Unless of course you were just role playing ignorance then by all means role play indignation!
Luciferasi Sep 25th 2007 1:59AM
Is it proper roleplay for a Tauren (1) to be ganked by an Alliance paladin (2) while busy killing Scourge mobs (3) on a RP-PVP realm (4)?
Mel Sep 25th 2007 6:40AM
How nice to see that the pvp-jerks are spreading their bullshit on RP-PVP servers, too. /sarcasm
Sad but true: those kind of jerks who use the "but its a pvp-server *ZOMG!* excuse for ganking low level players - which is NOT PVP but ganking and e-peen waving - give all honourable pvp players a bad name. :(
Bess Sep 25th 2007 7:04AM
Immersing yourself into the world is the basis of role-playing. Azeroth is a world torn by war, the two sides skirmish constantly and wage all out "veins in my teeth" bloody battles in certain lands.
Therefore, to think that your role play event should be left alone in a contested zone is bad role playing.
The only reason I can see that this would even be a debate is that there is no way to determine if the guy who just attacked you did it because he's in character or "just because."
Frankly, this shouldn't make any difference. If you role play then being able to take the actions of players around you and create a story out of it and fashion in character responses, are all in a day's play. If not, if it really bugs you that the guild that just ganked you and your friends wasn't doing it for an in character reason, then please for your own mental health choose another server.
ColonelChris Sep 25th 2007 7:12AM
Killing enemy players on a RP realm is absolutely ok, even if they are roleplaying. If they choose dangerous places for that, it's their own fault. As long as you don't grief people, it adds to the atmosphere.
What I hate MUCH more are those people who think RP-PvP means PvP with optional RP. Blizzard failed to tell players it's an RP realm where killing the other faction is allowed. Instead now it's just a mixture of PvP hack'n'slay mentality with sporadic RP.