What is this mud?

[Questioner]

So I took a step back from my current alt and realized something. I have absolutely no idea what this mud is. For the most part, it seems like a place where descriptions and roleplay are semi-enforced for the sole purpose to prevent people from just going around Halloween-style fighting everyone.

I would even venture to say that most of the playerbase develops their rp in order to justify why they kill, whom they kill, and when they kill; but almost never for the simple sake of developing a character because they want to roleplay something that takes their fancy.

Of course there are exceptions once in awhile, but I believe that the majority of our time spent is upon defining kills and how to make it all balanced and not boring.

Interested in what everyone else thinks.

[Twinblades713]

I agree with you and it's kind of annoying.

[BigPapa]

For me, its a place to lose myself. After a long day at work dealing with whatever the day brings, driving home at a crawl through Chicago traffic, working on the kids homework.. its MUD time. My time to explore, fight, talk, relax and unwind in a world full of whatever I want to make of it.

Sorry if it doesn't fit with what anyone's definition is of what a MUD should be... but it's mine.

[f0xx]

Ask yourself the same question Questioner. Why do you play, to RP or to PK?

I will be honest, I play mostly for the PK part of the mud, although you will *never* see a character of mine walk around and attack everyone in sight unless ofcourse I am feeding something. Which doesn't mean I don't RP, I am just not a good RPer, but I try.

[EyeSeeU]

This mud is for entertainment, pure and simple... Each person who plays it may have a different reason why they play, but that is to be expected. As for what is this mud, I would have to answer a game, sometimes its awesome and fun, other times it sucks and makes you angry... Nothing is perfect despite what we would hope to think.

[f0xx]

What he said ^

[Imoutgoodbye]

Honestly, I don't know what to tell you.

I LOVE the thrill of PK, the intense adrenaline rush...just not the losing.

However, I feel the game has been built to encourage you to think of PK first and RP second. This doesn't mean anyone has to, though. It takes a strong player to go for something like faerie thief Warmaster.

You do have your Purity and Scourge/Death nutballs that follow the "You're evil/I'm good" mentality that makes it incredibly simple to just run in and PK, the evils that attack you because they can, blah, blah....but I've actually grown fond of danger around every corner, even though it usually means my death.

I do wish more people would put more thought into their RP. I remember coming back to my corpse and having my killer there. He tossed me what I deemed a few crap emotes. I'd rather have you just be gone, be the silent killer type than toss me crap emotes. Don't think someone's going to want to discuss your interesting...whatever your emotes pertain to after you kill them and take half their crap.

THINK, THINK, THINK PEOPLE!

Phew...wasn't meant to be a rant, but honestly, the lack of RP in this game falls solely on the players.

[Ali_gmud]

I'll admit I'm without a doubt here for PK. I enjoy cabal warfare, capture the flag (or standard) game, equipment hunting, weapon hording, and just roaming around in general and have those that are here for RP around me to create a more real feel to the game world.

I don't bring in depth RP plots to this game, and I don't think I ever will. But while I'm playing here, I will play to what I think a player should play like, minus the RP. I will help out new players to the best I can, I will never full loot a enemy, I will play fair and honest. I can't even play a evil character, because I feel my RP will be just the usual, 'I'm a evil douche bag that wants to kill and take all your stuff' because I don't find that kind of attitude, because no one likes that attitude, especially when they're coming to this game for relaxation and entertainment.

I just hate how sometimes when I log on, 'some' other players deem my player as nothing but 'food' for their weapons so they just chase me down, and if they do manage to catch and kill me, they'll just loot my ****, stand there expect me to say something, so they can comeback with something like, 'heh, keep talking little man, you'll never beat my class/race/cabal combo' As Valek said, I'd rather them just be gone, because I'm already pissed they chased me, I'm already pissed that they manage to kill me, probley easily, I'm pissed that I'm sitting as a ghost, my PK flag is gone, so everyone in my PK range can see that I've died, I'm annoyed that I've come back to my corpse to find my rares have been looted, and maybe a few other things, and I'm mildly bugged that I've lost a life, and if you're still standing over my corpse with all your shines, what do you expect me to say, do you expect, something like 'good job' or 'well done, you're a awesome player, you're the reason I keep coming back.'

rant rant rant, just some thoughts.

[Bert]

This mud can be whatever you want it to be for the most part. And that is why I love this place. You can lean towards PK, RP in whatever fashion you so choose. I can see myself evolving more towards RP as the years go by and I gain more knowledge and confidence.

Right now, in my newb stage many of you would probably classify me as one of those silent pkers. I'm so paranoid about getting one rounded if I don't type where often enough, or keep my preps up that it kills RP for me mostly. I'll usually RP a little after a battle, win, lose or draw, but rarely before, unless I'm VERY familiar with my opponent. I prefer to have as much surprise as I can in order to last a bit longer. I'm constantly getting tells over this in game, and its kind of annoying, but I can see the other side as well, so I try to RP something.

I hope one day I can contribute as much RP to the game as some of you do. The RP does add an ever changing feel to the game that many muds lack. And some of you are crazy good at it.

I started to have the most fun here when I quit trying to make the mud into something I thought it should be and just enjoyed it for what it was. Adapting to it as the environment and players changed. Sometimes I log on to a pk fest, sometimes its a bunch of pacificsts. The not knowing what to expect, or that it could change at any moment is fantastic.

[jibber]

Where's Ernie?

Just kidding. I'll have time in a bit to post what I think, but for the most part, I adore this mud.

[Twinblades713]

I need to effing ask man... Where the hell did you leave Ernie?

That being said, and out of my system, I found in recent times I am always willing to sacrifice my element of surprise unless I am a thief or ninja (Which I have not played in several months to a year). I always drop a few tells, and I think this is great for RP. If you talk to a person to let them know you're gonna attack them sure, but I even let it be a reason to talk their way out of a fight. My current lowbie (I like to pk with lowbies) has been aggressive once while I was figuring out what I wanted my RP to be, had 4 pks or so-the rest being defensive. Looking at those numbers, consider that I have spoken to about 10 people in my pk range, and the rest talked their way out of fighting me- win or lose, or we came to a mutual agreement.

RP first, PK second in my book.

[samag08]

It depends on my day.

If I had a bad day I like to PK first and rp second to vent some.

If I had a good day I am more calm. Ready to rp first and pk second.

[Imoutgoodbye]

I PK first now. You want to talk to me, you want to know my RP? Put some effort into finding out. Otherwise, go **** yourself. I'm not putting out effort when no one else bothers and until I see some form of overall improvement, that's the way I'll play. I'm tired of feeling like I'm trying to spearhead some kind of movement that isn't there.

[Twinblades713]

I've always been told lead by example. That doesn't do ****.

I RP because I want to. Usually it gets ignored. People who don't ignore it, I find have a good time.

[f0xx]

This mud can be whatever you want it to be for the most part. And that is why I love this place. You can lean towards PK, RP in whatever fashion you so choose. I can see myself evolving more towards RP as the years go by and I gain more knowledge and confidence.

Right now, in my newb stage many of you would probably classify me as one of those silent pkers. I'm so paranoid about getting one rounded if I don't type where often enough, or keep my preps up that it kills RP for me mostly. I'll usually RP a little after a battle, win, lose or draw, but rarely before, unless I'm VERY familiar with my opponent. I prefer to have as much surprise as I can in order to last a bit longer. I'm constantly getting tells over this in game, and its kind of annoying, but I can see the other side as well, so I try to RP something.

I hope one day I can contribute as much RP to the game as some of you do. The RP does add an ever changing feel to the game that many muds lack. And some of you are crazy good at it.

I started to have the most fun here when I quit trying to make the mud into something I thought it should be and just enjoyed it for what it was. Adapting to it as the environment and players changed. Sometimes I log on to a pk fest, sometimes its a bunch of pacificsts. The not knowing what to expect, or that it could change at any moment is fantastic.

A lot of our vets can learn from you my friend.

[Pali]

I RP because I want to.

Exactly the mentality that is needed. RP is FUN. It's its own reward.

[Celerity]

RP is FUN. It's its own reward.

I would take that a step further and say reciprocated RP is its own reward. When it isn't returned with a good amount of effort, it leads more to my regret for wasting my time or my disappointment in the other player.

If I wanted to RP alone, I could play Diablo, Fallout, Counterstrike, or simply just enjoy writing creatively in notepad.

I would like to think I tend to make long-lived, RP-heavy, PK-moderate characters---and I try hard to include a variety of other people in my RP--and to be honest, most of them RP back---the problem is, most of those people wouldn't initiate (or continue) meaningful RP on their own. Another problem is that with such inter-character relationships and plots, people go inactive or delete and it's back to square one. OOC longevity is important for developing a good IC relationship/plot.

[Pali]

I would take that a step further and say reciprocated RP is its own reward. When it isn't returned with a good amount of effort' date=' it leads more to my regret for wasting my time or my disappointment in the other player.[/quote']

A fair point.

[f0xx]

OOC longevity is important for developing a good IC relationship/plot.

And another one.

[The-Nameless]

Personally I see this game as a place where RP should take first, second, and third seats. If you cannot produce a legitimate reason for your character to kill me, then why did you? Im not saying "Im evil, I kill" is not roleplay, just creativity breeds innovations. I have tried across alot of my recent characters to force groupmates to RP. I have even left great hunting groups JUST because the RP led to it. I have taken deaths to imms several times for the sake of Roleplay. If I wanted to pk, I would play a godwars base for a mud. FL has such an intense rich history, I feel it does great shame to the game to ignore the plots that have shaped these lands. Here are some examples.

Who remembers when Miruvhor was rearranged and why?

Who remembers when the Heroes had epic battles, and the ONLY motivation was rp?

Who remembers when Despisers DK went Herald, now who remembers why?

Who remembers why Marti joined Tribunal?

Who remembered why Tylith was an avatar?

Who remembers why Cylandas was the way he was?

Who remembers why Charim went Neutral?

On the flip side:

Who remembers Grunge being a monster without remembering why he went WM?

Who has had a titled malform, and not offered a drop of RP to 60% of the people they killed.

Who has killed someone JUST for shinies, without knowing the char before hand?

Who has rolled a char JUST because of the pk power the combo had?

I challenge all of you who say your here more for pk to do this. Make a character strictly for Roleplay. Do not make it a "power" combo. Seperate yourself, from your character. Make decisions the way a follower of nature would, not how John from Boston would. If your character would kill and loot someone, then do it. When talking to another character, pretend you do not know he is level 12 and talk **** to him. Pretend ihe is your exact peer. That your on a level field just like if you met at the mall, or at a bar. React to his statements the way a priest would. I never understood how clerics that are not followers of battle rely so heavily on physical assaults to do anything. I once rped a character AGES ago that was a dedicated follower of the cycle, he believed that the true path to god was through selfless service. Sure I wanted that crested shield of eternal darkness, and I wanted that trip through dischord. But why would my character want it? He knows that he will die, and these things mean nothing. So my character would never accept such things. The power of death was his shield. The dirt from the grave would armor his skin.

I promise all of you, if you set aside YOUR desire for pk, you will see that it was not that you are not a good RPer, it was that you had never bothered to apply yourself in that manner.

[bavarianbrew]

Make a character strictly for Roleplay. Do not make it a "power" combo.

That went out the door when Bards were spruced up/down for reasons of PK.

[The-Nameless]

Well now I get 100% why people question the reasoning behind RP. Bards gained combat viable skills.

*please note the sarcastic nature of this post.

[bavarianbrew]

Bards gained combat viable skills.

The Original Bards had so many combat viable SONGS that the skills were on the player not the class. None the less, they were fun. You made them because they were fun. I do protest that this game was once fun.

Bringing back the Original Bards will surely not hurt our Game, rather enhance it. So why not? Imagine!

[Ex-D&Der]

Couple of really good points in that post by The Nameless. The thing about separating what you want from what your character wants, and also interacting as if it's a level playing field. These are things that really good players did with me, but I couldn't have said what it was exactly. Zaen and Aymen, for example.

[Imoutgoodbye]

The thing about separating what you want from what your character wants.

So, who's making a character whose goal in life is to have sex with all the gods?