Personally I found the no "lol-raiding" rule rather settling in some aspects, as I am sure that we can all agree, whether hardcore PvP or hardcore RP heck maybe somewhere in the middle, that even the occasional raid could be made more enjoyable with some form of pretext to it. I'm sure that it's really easy to overlook things and state bluntly the facts so that we can get used to it or move on type thing, however I just wanted to draw a few comparisons and perhaps share my own view on the matter.
Raiding. The concept was unknown to me until about three weeks ago, given my two year stay on the server that might be surprising, however I was curious as to why such things were held in high regard. To my surprise the act of raiding is actually rather enjoyable, there's a thrill that I could definitely see merit in pursuing further. While I did enjoy the experience I did take note that I had been "tooled up" given the fabled "god armours" and "god axes" that passed me by in chats so regularly before, I was elevated to a better position than my skill probably merited and so thankfully I didn't die. However it did teach me a great deal, that even while I was relatively protected those who were unprepared for such an attack or simply not as equipped fell down instantly, there was a definite harshness to this that left a bitter tongue. So much so that my only demands for surrender were to swear fealty to the great queen "Florence Welch".
Honestly I think that is what is missing from PvP these days, now even more so with the removal of the protections from loosing items, humour. Far too often I see people pumping themselves up for a good bout of PvP and that is lovely, honestly I have had a brief spell enjoying it and respect it as a side of the server that is indeed quite fun. My issue is however when people don't go out for fun. PvPers have a tendency to make great deals of regals from the spoils of war, but at what cost, I for one have been the target of such attacks and given my mainly RP nature I lost an entire inventory of treasured items to me. Now you might say "well you should have dynmap hidden" or "should have secured your base before being afk", but really should I? In my view there's not much sport in hunting down and killing someone who is clearly it in a state to give any challenge to you. So why do it? The only logic I can come up with is either for economic gain or simply to bully such individuals. However that event has passed and myself moved on, I do think a little more 'enjoyment for all parties' should be in place.
Now this is a touchy subject, RPers and PvPers in close proximity and both fighting for the dual representation on the server. Good. So they should, however personally when you have things like this I tend to play them out from the other side's perspective. It is normally the complaint that RP is given too much light and not enough to PvP, but really if this were a RP argument then I would see it as the case where powerful characters pick at the newer and weaker targets for their own amusement. "You can't kill my character." They would cry out, however this would fall on stern euphoric ears that demand a 'surrender term' of a mutilated limb perhaps. This doesn't happen you see, because generally there is a consensus that everyone wants to enjoy an RP scuffle. Heck I've even been wrongfully prosecuted and lost all my lands, but there was a dialog between both sides so that there was at lead the opportunity to voice concerns.
However I'm sure PvPers won't want me droning on, raiding is fun, but I really think people need to sit down and evaluate the other party. Take a look, are they building, a quiet RP faction? Those are the sorts of things I think people need to think about before going off for a raid, because as much as it is a vital part of the server, ruining someone's experience of it or the server as a whole is not what you should be promoting. It's a topic which I feel quite strongly about, and I've been rather irritated by some of the responses here in their blunt natures, but if that is their opinion then fine. Here is mine.
To conclude, I very much feel that PvP and RP are equally part of the life of this server and for once I don't think that either is stepping on the others toes as you might put it. However blunt demands to accept surrender terms, while completely legal breed a certain bullying nature and can lead people to not enjoy their time here. Obviously I want people to enjoy PvP just as much as I do with RP, but a more empathetic touch should be taken in regards to this matter.
Fighting for the sake of fighting is not ok, fighting to have fun on all sides should be what we strive for as a community. Given the lessening of the protection of people from PvP I feel it is important to raise this matter to protect those who are innocent in the ways of PvP so that they don't get prayed upon and so we can all enjoy ourselves here. With or without a 'lol-raiding' rule.
Just my thoughts on the matter~
Ben
