Does RP ever happen in PvP?

I've never seen RP happen in a PvP zone. It seems like it would be an interesting experience, especially seeing as how villains and heroes exist specifically to oppose one another. An example of this would be like...

VillainX: Muahaha! If ever want to see your girlfriend again, HeroX, meet me under Atlas at 12:00!
HeroX: FIEND! You will pay for what you've done! I'll see to it!

*Engage in epic superpowered encounter*

Instead I just see

VillainX: Stop spawn killing me!!!
HeroX: LOL you stupid noob go back to Atlas!

I assumed when I started playing on Virtue that I would see more RP in PvP zones. Have any of ya'll had an experience with RP in PvP?

Usually what happens is that people (myself included) will hold Server-Wide RPvP events. That's more or less the only time it happens.

They have been pretty epic.

You can read about some of them here under the "Assaults" section: http://virtueverse.net/wiki/Sadistic_Seven

What Red said.

Although it's important to point out that some of RPers just don't like PVP. (Their uber powerful character concepts don't tend to translate well into it.)

PvP still happens?

To be honest, I don't think a PvP environment would mesh well with the lion's share of the RPers we have here. Far too much banal minutiae being rattled back and forth by people who take fourty-five seconds to type "/em nods in agreement" would be interrupted by PvP-focused people (who designed their characters less around concepts and more around pwning people's faces) running up and pwning people's faces.

And that fourty-five second thing wasn't a joke. Seriously, grab a stopwatch and hop into pocket D sometime. You'd think people that involved in conversation would be able to type a little faster.

Blah blah blah, joke about typing one-handed, etc.

Yeah RP PvP wont lend itself well to zones, if I see two people RP fighting in the zone and throwing attacks about as often enough to be regenerated before the next attack I would laugh.

RP PvP can only work with consent in the arenas. If you waste time typing out responses in zones it would be very boring, because of passive regeneration, and chances are a PvPer will come along and destroy you or the person you are RPing with. Red is dead.

I'm not sure how complicated a character is has any bearing on someone's desire to PVP anymore than it does to PVE. (As such "complications" would be just as hard to RP versus NPCs surely?)

I specifically said it was to do with power because the PVP system doesn't really put everyone on an equal footing. So to begin with you have massive power differentials in the game mechanics that might not even fit the concepts. (E.g. a Psy/EM blaster roleplayed as Jean Grey versus a SS/Inv Brute roleplayed as Superman. The Psy/EM would win every time.)

But ATs being unbalanced wasn't the main problem. The thing is; people create these wonderfully complicated roleplaying characters. They defeat hordes of NPCs, claim the powers of the gods, save the world, and (thanks to IOs) are virtually indestructible. Take that same character, one actualized & enabled by the PVE system, into PVP and they're suddenly much easier to drop. Defeat becomes that much easier.

So for RPers they have to accept defeat on two levels - both as a player, AND as a character. And sometimes that's just not fun. Sometimes you don't want to accept that someone else's character is able to beat yours in a fight. (Nevermind that it might even be EASY for theirs to beat yours in a fight...)

That's why LARGE-SCALE RPVP events tend to be the best. Because large groups of heroes/villains are all tearing into each other. It makes it easier to justify your Superman/Dr. Doom getting beaten by saying: "Well I was swamped by heroes."

Awww, I used to RPvP! I do it on my main toon, then perma domination happened and I literally killed everyone I saw, I was feared by a few!

I then made text macros whenever I attack someone or killed someone! It was lots of fun!!! Some players would RP me back to my macros it was so cute and I played along more! Till one guy worshiped me whenever he saw me in PvP zones and sends me tells to not kill him! Hilarious!

I suck now in PvP, the end!

Yeah, the most times I have seen RP in PvP where the times scheduled events happened, like DJ Shecky's PvP nights with the Cape. Mostly in the form of taunting and boasting in broadcast (In a more, "I'll get you Gadget!" manner than the, "u suk i pwnd u LOL" nonsense) and those were usually fun for all, even when repeated running back and forth from the hospital. Have seen some pseudo RP in zones when they are quiet and just a few folks are there and mostly evenly matched and the playful taunts and jibes and banter goes back and forth.

I remember ionce I went to a PvP area just to get the badges... and ended up fighting a group of villains with a couple of friends... we were utterly defeated but it was a fun time...

Until we got "insulted" by one of the villain teams... not that the word was an insult, but it was semi used as one. I got simply stunned by it. What did the PvPer told us? you will love it.

"You are a bunch of RPers"


Good times

There have been a few RPvP events on Union in the past but they've always taken the form of charity matches rather than actual showdowns between heroes and villains.

Personally, I'd love to see more happen but it would require going into it with no egos attached, accepting that it's just a fun time event.

I used to run a monthly RPvP show, rotating zones. Unfortunately it dropped to only a couple of us doing it so I stopped due to lack of participation after 2 years of doing it. During the height of it, everyone had a blast, and understood not to take the PvP aspect too seriously since we have everything from new pvpers to vets there.

Never gave it a try because of how easy it could be to grief. I don't like griefers and find them wasting my time to be a nuisance. So haven't really found a group of people I could trust that would actually bring enjoyment out of a broken system. On most my characters I try for a second win for that awesome "jump-back-to-feet" feel. Normally I don't care if I win or lose, I take my licks and try to incorporate it into a story or flat out write it out like it never happened (in the event I join a group who set difficulty so high they can't beat it - death ensues).

Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: But it depends on who you're RPing with

Ah PvP, I am terrible at it but I do enjoy it. My biggest desire in PvP? To run, to play tag and to outrun as many as possible. I've RPvp'd before not often but still it's fun when it happens.

You know, I'm positive there's quite a few people who would love to do this, and giving the obscene dearth of PVP on this server...why not start?

I'm sure there's more than a few people reading this now who are in SGs and know folks in VGs (or vice versa) that can organize up a little storyline brawl.

Hell, even within your own SG (or even circle of friends) you could hop into warburg and throw together a blueside fight club, or live-fire sparring, or "grown up paintball" as a team building exercise.

You know what? I'll take the initiative here. My global's in the sig, If someone wants to start a rivalry or something, I've got lots of characters on both sides from a bunch of backgrounds. Hit me up.

If this works out to something interesting I'll post a topic here so we can get a few more participants/audience/whathaveyou.

I've got an RPVP event in the works. Won't be for a couple weeks yet

I've had the luck of being able to particapate in quite a few rpvp events , they are usually pretty fun , have a plot and a purpose and seem to be a nice way to meet new folks (and kick their teeth in ) .

no you likely can't stand toe to toe with a single opponent without someone droping by to (drop kick you in the face ) and you will very much eat pavement at some point (everyone does ) and be bested in a way that may well seem cheap if your taking it a bit too seriously (seriously your in tights trading quips with other people in tights ...why so srs ).

but its usually great fun , for me its the epic cross over mega event fight where laser blasts , missles and magic arc across the battlefield and your not even sure what power that guy just used on you but it took off half your life bar .

broadcast is usually a jumble of rp and folks goofing off and i've often seen folks swap characters when a side was unbalanced and it was starting to get unfun .

anyway , next time one pops up give it a shot you might be surprised .

ps

added a screen shot from the Black Christmas event a year or three ago (I recognise most if not all of the names in the broadcast as rp'ers )