Why are people so uncomfortable with PvP?

[ThirdWizard]

I think a common feeling is that PvP has to end in death for some reason. That is definately not where I'm coming from. The vast majority of PvP in my experience, has been non-lethal combat [edit]toward some purpose[/edit].

 

[Kahuna Burger]

On a tangent, how do you effectively explore character concepts that aren't team players or are evil?

Answer one: in a single player game.

Answer two: in a adversarial game in which everyone else is doing the same thing.

Answer three: As the DM running a villian or plot advancing PC.

 

[Crothian]

I think a common feeling is that PvP has to end in death for some reason. That is definately not where I'm coming from. The vast majority of PvP in my experience, has been non-lethal combat [edit]toward some purpose[/edit].

well, the thread started from the getting XP for killing fellow PCs, so ya death is assumed.

 

[ThirdWizard]

That was a different thread as far as I know, and this just a tangent about that thread.

 

[Crothian]

well, to most people PvP is killing people. That just shows there are different levels to PvP. I guess technically two players argueing is a PvP situation, and everyone has that as no group gets along perfectly all the time. PvP is a term that as far as I am aware started from the on line games were people actively hu8nted other peoples characters and killed them. So, with no definition previded, people came up with their own.

 

[ThirdWizard]

There are also fights to unconciousness, first blood, wrestling matches, and sometimes I would count in things like picking a PC's pockets. Generally, if you're rolling dice against another PC, then I'll consider it player versus player.

 

[Crothian]

There are also fights to unconciousness, first blood, wrestling matches, and sometimes I would count in things like picking a PC's pockets. Generally, if you're rolling dice against another PC, then I'll consider it player versus player.

Okay, for most of those it would depend on the reason why a player was doing that, though I still in general frown on it.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Technically I don't think that Glyfair's quote is inaccurate. I just think that mhacdebhandia is the very rare person.

No, I actually think that "Roleplaying encourages a certain identification with your character" is a hugely innacurate statement.

 

[Shadowslayer]

On a tangent, how do you effectively explore character concepts that aren't team players or are evil? For example, say I just really want to try exploring the evolution of an evil enchanter

Well, if you're playing with people that tend to play a more traditional game, you could try joining your local Community Playhouse....or creative writing workshops.

I see the arguments where people are talking about the difference between the PC and his player. True enough that some people have a different version of where the dividing line is, and take it personally when another players character does something untowards to theirs. I agree with this, but think it misses an important point.

Assuming I'm in a game where this is going on, and it hasn't been implied that this is that sort of game. When the player decides he's going to do something contrary to the group, or play something evil in a traditional "good guys" campaign, I feel pissed. It has nothing to do with my attachment to my character.

It has everything to do with
A: the fact that the player has turned everyone's attention from the story at hand to him.
B: Its created an adversarial role where the group probably didn't want one.
C: Disrupted the feel of the game. (this is a bigger deal than it would seem)

Players have a right to be cheesed if this is not what they signed up for. So, it stands to reason that many folks who prefer a more traditional game would state upfront that there's to be none of that. At least everyones expectations have been thrown on the table for all to see. Thats a good thing.

Hey, guys can play their games anyway they want. they can take it as seriously as they want. You want to do complex character analysis? Knock yourself out. But most guys I've played with, they just want to get out of the house, bash a Dragon, rescue an innocent, and maybe get rich...not deal with the hassle of someone who thinks it'd be kewl to be evil for a while.

 

[DamionW]

Well, if you're playing with people that tend to play a more traditional game, you could try joining your local Community Playhouse....or creative writing workshops.

Well I brought up the evil enchanter example because it struck me at one point in reading fantasy fiction that you always find these high level powers behind the throne in place, twisting the ruling classes lives to create conflict, but rarely see them starting out. You have to think there is a defining moment somewhere, first identifying the fact they crave power and influence and just begining the arcane practices to warp minds.

So, I wanted to develop a character concept to play with this. I couldn't imagine making a whole campaign world just try him out because a party of good players would wipe out an early form of this villain, before he's evolved into a BBEG. Now, I wasn't designing him just to be a wise-ass and start annoying the other players goals. I picture him travelling with them to gain blackmail information from different realms and flee his mistakes from other towns.

However eventually if he saw a weakness in another PC, I'd be not playing the character to max potential if he didn't exploit it in some fashion. Now as a considerate player, I don't want to trample the plot just to do that or annoy the other player, so I wondered if anyone else out there could see a way to cooperatively make the campaign fun and keep the DMs story going, yet still work this type of characters plot thread into it? Is that impossible? I can imagine there being a civil OoC discussion before the start of a certain sessions were two players and a GM agree one PC has started coercing the other in a form. Not completely dominating them, but coercing them. I wanted to know if others have had success stories in exploring those kind of plot twists and PC interactions.