However, I disagree that WoW implemented it the most successfully. Granted, WoW is the most successful game (ever?), but this isn’t due to its PvP.

I submit to you that Guild Wars is actually the best implementation of a competitive team PvP online game… ever. Yes, yes, some don’t consider it technically an MMO, but they’ve got the e-sport thing done pretty damn well nonetheless.

My advice: do some poking around, and learn about the things that Guild Wars has brought to the RPG genre. Don’t try and re-invent the wheel, they’ve seriously done a lot of great things in that game, and the fact that it didn’t get a mention in the podcast implies that you guys haven’t played it. Big, big oversight – you stand to learn a lot as designers if you do some reading about this game.

As an example, have a look at this blog post (yes, I wrote it, so I’m biased :p) –
http://word-of-shadow.blogspot.com/2008/08/guild-wars-revolution.html

If you hate the idea of wasting valuable man hours researching some game you’ve never heard of, feel free to PM me and I’ll refer you to top members of the PvP community who could inform you with even more qualification than I about all the good (and bad) things related to PvP in that game.

Me : WHO is in beta.
Guy : I don’t know.
Me: I got in.
Guy: Got in what?
Me: No, got in WHO.
Guy: Who is No and what is who?
Me: I am who and why no to WHO?
Guy: No to you?
Me: No, who.
Guy: YOU!
Me: Never heard of that game.

AHAHAHahahahhaahaahhhhhhhhhhh…..aha….ahh….it’s going to be great.

On a side note, that is the first time I actually typed the abbreviated name for that game….which I suspect is going to / has already yielded quite a bit of vaudevillian stupidity in forums across the tubes.