Getting Schooled in PvP and PC vs PC (CvC)

[Steve]

I just got schooled last night in PvP (again). I’m much more a Character vs Character (CvC is RP-based!) interested player, but sometimes interactions come down to the mechanics in a fight, and it really is a player vs player duel (meaning OOC knowledge helps A LOT). I’m not complaining that I got my arse handed to me, when I thought I “had most things covered” in my build.

But one simply learns through experience, and I honestly do have very little Epic Level Character PvP experience IG (but a lot on paper...you should just see my bloated NWN2DB vault!).

It is really true that every Build has a counter build, and when yours finds itself fighting in PC vs PC combat against the counter build AND a capable Player, be prepared to RP that Epic Fail!

So in my case last night night, I learned just how easily a HiPSing high APR Critical Strike + Epic Dodge build can lay waste to a melee Lock. I also, OOC, learned from the encounter what a “best” counter to such a monk-Rogue-SD Would be for next time, but...

I woke up today thinking about the situation of applying our OOC knowledge (PvP) into the RP of our encounters (PC vs PC, or CvC). In the aftermath of the IG encounter which led to a fair CvC and PvP match up, follow up RP actually led to some of what I’d call “Character gained tactics” for previous encounters. Which was very cool!

But after I logged off I then tooled around in the NWN2DB to get an understanding of my “opponents” PC build...and it all of a sudden felt very dirty, and kinda like cheating (which is how metagaming goes!).

So while I find CvC the most interesting of experiences, and PvP also exciting but a bit more OOC, in general, I think it is a good practice to consider how we as Players bring knowledge to our PCs (possibly unearned!), and how we can strive as Players to RP means to gain such knowledge IC for actual application. It might be asking a lot, but here I am asking anyway!

Finally, I do think it brings something dynamic to the game when experiencing and learning from other Players through their creativity in building. But also, and most importantly, players support each other to actually generate RP from it (which does take a healthy dose of “don’t take it personal”).

Perhaps PvP and even CvC becomes a bit too “He-Man and Skeletor” never ending cartoon feud, but then again, that’s the sandbox we play in.

Any funny or “WOW, I just got schooled!” anecdotes to share?

[izzul]

Sharing is caring . A good PVP encounter is the one who generates further stories that does not leave a bad taste or lead to OOC drama.

[Blackman D]

i remember the time way back in the day before randall got turned into a girl... he came down to the UD startin stuff with cazna, who was my assassin's high priestess, and attacked her

he was 30, shadera was like 21 at the time, but she is an AA assassin, but me and randall get into this huge epic fight and when i say epic i mean like 10 minutes of me lighting his ass up with arrows because he kept drinking heal pots, after wasting (according to him) 10,000g worth of healing pots he stopped drinking them and just accepted his defeat...

at which time the DM dropped a level 35 paladin on my face to recover randall

fun times

[c2k]

Has no relevance to the way the server is today, but back in the early days of the server, my fighter got into PvP with a weaponmaster, and we must of disarmed at least 3 weapons from each of us. We spent the aftermath of the pvp collecting weapons, save one that fell off the walkmesh(which was said, because it was a +3 weapon and those were top gold back then.).

There was also another PvP where I failed an Entropic Husk check, and I proceeded to kill the mage who cast it before the timer expired.

[Tekill]

I just got schooled last night in PvP (again)

To a Hipster? - not much of an education losing to a hipster. They will almost always have the edge in pvp.

But I think I see what you mean.
There are just so many variables at play, both IC, OCC, PvP or CVC. And we all balance it differently. I find how each individual player balances these variables, very interesting. It really gives a lot of insight to the player and not just the character. Fun for a weirdo people watcher, such as myself.

One really good thing about pvp in particular is it allows us to challenge our own pride, or that bit of arrogance we are all flawed with (although some more than others).

In every PVP senario I enter I make sure I am 100%, ready to lose. I basically say it out loud. "It's cool if I lose this."
Then depending who or what I am fighting I set a goal. Maybe the goal is to win the fight. Maybe the goal is to hit the opponent at least once before I go down. Sometimes it is the golden opportunity to try that one spell that I never use just to see what sort of hilarity it might cause.

This way the PVP remains just a small part of the CvC conflict and the related RP. It can be very exciting adrenaline rush where I might end up with a bruised ego. But we are immortal in a game with limited mechanics and so I treat 'falling in battle' the end of one round. You lose a fight but not the war.

[Steve]

You lose a fight but not the war.

Yes. Which often makes me wonder why the Server has a Fugue or even a death mechanic in the first place (except for the Permadeath Character feature, which I can totally get behind).

Over the years, I’ve been involved in a number of CvC encounters where, after my toon was “killed,” the victor proceeded to gut my toon and spread the intestines around, put the head on a spike, etc., all of which I kinda yawned about considering my toon would be “back in action” in 24 RL hours.

Like I said, it’s all a bit Masters of the Universe cartoon, but considering what it is, making it more the “official” paradigm does steer CvC and PvP towards are better, communal understanding.

And of course it would make Hoihe happy!