I am not, nor will I consider myself a native to WoW. It is because of this that my viewpoints can seem quite unorthodox or even unpopular within this community. In regards to role play, I believe that true RPers would never admit to the fact that they are RPing in order to preserve their immersion. I myself would never want to be forced to admit that others don’t see the reality that I perceive. Due to this, my conclusion on the matter is that RP is a state of mind rather than an activity.
In regards’s to RP/PvP, I believe that it would be best defined as PvP with an overarching agenda or purpose that supersedes the general motivations provided by the game model such as tangible rewards (namely gear, honor, currency). In my experience, these motivations are often related to politics and interpersonal relations between players and groups of players. Exacting retribution on players or guilds that have wronged you in the past, getting rid of another guild’s enemies to solidify an alliance between two states, and sending over spies to a rival guild to stage false flag attacks and stir up conflict from behind the scenes are just some examples of enriching RP/PvP experiences. This differs greatly from the Esport PvP experience and the make-believe fantasy driven PvP of my contemporaries. In short, the best RP/PvP stems from player drama and results in an unforgettable experience in the end much like actual warfare.
An example that I have that best illustrates this is an experience my guild and I had in Black Desert Online. Story Time Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
I would be encouraged to engage in this type of PvP more if I were to meet other ambitious leaders on my faction with an appetite for conquest and similar ideologies. Together we could reshape this land enveloping it in the dark cloak of fascism and gain mastery over the sheep-like people that inhabit it.