Why CAN’T pvp’ers RP!?
I’ve often been asked why I’m not playing on a “PvP” server considering how often I like to charge my blasters and head into battle. While it’s true, I DO love PvP and it usually is what dominates the time I spend logged on that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy RP as well. Why can’t a player enjoy and be good at both? Why don’t we see more RP efforts going into the Warzones between the Republic and the Empire? And would it be so bad to make an effort to change this?
I’ve spent some time thinking over these questions lately and the best I can come up with is that there are pros and cons to role-playing amidst a hostile skirmish. I’d like to start by saying that I don’t consider MYSELF to be very exceptional at either PvP or RP but I enjoy participating in both. I can hold my own on the battlefield, bearing the two blasters of my overpowered class. More often than not I can keep a conversation going and throw some spontaneity in there for a laugh or two but I would hardly consider myself an expert in either realm. With that in mind these are just the opinions of one competitive girl who happens to enjoy assuming the role of her character as well.
Pro: Even the most simple compliment or emote directed at a player or a team can often lift the spirits of the team as a whole, thus motivating them to not only endure and fight the good fight but enjoy themselves while doing so. I don’t know about others but I play much better when I’m enjoying the game and receiving a compliment with effort put into it rather than a simple “gj” in the ops chat goes a long way towards boosting my numbers. I feel empowered when my teammates get into the fight, cheer me on or even display some good sportsmanship towards the opposing team.
Con: its one thing to jest and tease a team, making the battle more interesting, intense and all around fun. It’s another to be a complete prick and kick someone when they’re down. While I encourage emoting in a warzone I think players should be respectful, EVEN of the opposing team. /Spitting on someone who’s getting raped 6 to nothing in the Pit isn’t exactly what I’d call good spirited role-play. However, blowing a kiss to a healer just before delivering a fatal critical hit brings the battle to life and motivates both sides to increase the intensity and compete with their heart in it.
Pro: Let’s face it, PvP is fun but can be tedious at times. For instance being on the ass end of a rape job aboard the Voidstar, banging your head against the first door for ten straight minutes with little to show for it but some bruises and a meager pity prize of commendations. Getting into the fight and charging it up a bit with some light hearted RP can make even the most mind numbingly bitter losses tolerable at the very least.
Con: Pick your moments! I’d like to be clear that while I encourage RP in the Warzone setting you may end up frustrating more than most if you emote *Picks daisies and makes a chain, placing it upon her gold locks and smiling like a spice-fiend* while the control panel of the Northwest bunker is being sliced on the coasts of Novar. Instead, be a smart player. When you’re team is at an advantage and green is overflowing on the screen take the time to throw something out there but keep your heart and head in the battle.
Pro: It’s easy to get caught up in wins and losses in the world of PvP if you’re anywhere near as competitive as I am. A lot of times players get so caught up in winning they forget they they’re playing a game and games are meant to be fun. Seeing RP in a warzone reminds me that the numbers that appear at the end of the battle are simply a loading screen players are forced to sit through during the wait to hit the “exit warzone” button. However if you have fun in a warzone, win or lose you’re gaining much more out of your subscription than just commendations. This makes a battle memorable as opposed to being a mundane passing of 10-20 minutes.
Con: On the flipside don’t forget that the point of a warzone IS in fact to compete and nobody LIKES to lose repetitively. Just like anything else that is enjoyable in this life you have to pick your moments I guess is what I’m trying to say. While a game is meant to be fun, a game is also meant to be won…
Pro: RP’ing in a PvP setting exposes players to role-play that might have simply never experienced it before. They may find that they do in fact enjoy RP once they put some effort into their character. This is an easy way to broaden the RP population within our server by exposing good role-play to broader audiences, reaching further than the cantinas. Likewise, including PvP into your RP can expose role-players to new aspects of the game they’ve overlooked like the thrill of actually overcoming the enemies they claim to despise in their prose.
Con: There IS a misconception that RP does not belong in PvP but we are ALL of an RP server. The truth is you’re just as likely to get grief anywhere outside of the Cantina’s and you are in an Warzone simulator when you partake because the truth remains that some people are just assholes. This shouldn’t deter us from helping the role-playing community thrive in the ALL aspects of the Bergeren Colony. While 6 of the 8 people on your team may be frowning at the end at least you brought a smile to the 1 other. And don’t pay too much mind. The other 6 were frowning before the match even started and they’ll be frowning through their next queue as well… PvP’ers can be bitter, teeehee.
Contradictory to what I just said there is no set mold from which all PvP’ers and RP’ers alike originate from. The only rules and bounds set against us in this game are the ones that we the active players impose on ourselves. I for one would LOVE to see more role-play in my competitive battles. Likewise I’d like to see more PvP in our role-play. Its one thing to talk up a storm against some feeble Pub in a neutral cantina but it’s a whole other to experience it, bringing threats to life, victories to the deserving and shame to the defeated. Experience all aspects of the game and you’ll get that much more out of your subscription.
