If you took 2 or 3 rares' date=' don't forget to count the 2 that crumble on death.[/Quote'] Your definition of meta-gaming works well with this. How, as a character, are we going to know if something has crumbled, or will crumble? We can't. That doesn't mean we should refrain taking what we want.
You can't tell if the person is or is not a newb to this mud' date=' only to PK. [/Quote'] Perhaps you cannot, but I sure can. The way someone runs, (how fast they are), the paths they take, the skills they use, the equipment they wear.. I've played this game so long, it's quite obvious whose newb and who isn't.
The flow of information available outside the game and inside the game has uplifted the position newbs start from now. Saying you can tell is that you have an educated assumption and we all know what it does to assume.
Ironically, I'm the one who gave most of the information out there. There are a select few who have helped me, but ultimately, my time and energy has been put into the wiki over a year now, and I'm quite satisfied in knowing whose newb, and who isn't.
Some people get upset when they die. Any RP that comes after death will have to come from a submissive position or risks dying at the hands of the victor again which means at least another 2 rares crumbling. Seeing this stack up towards a full loot by death/game mechanism' date=' yet? I'm not playing this game to appease someone else's ego, I'm playing to have fun. [/quote'] Exactly. Why should we play this game for the fun of someone else? But, then, why can't their be consequences in, for instance, spitting on your victor? Why can't you simply walk away, shake your head at yourself, or sigh exasperatingly?
At the same point, why can't the victor have some fun, too? Why can't he RP the big bad evil guy? Or the best goodie guy with the best ego? What's the harm in that? (Oh, wait, this isn't the Forsaken Lands anymore. This is the "Prance Land", or something similar).
Hindering ability to compete through quick loss of equipment is not fun.
PK, and in some aspects, RP, has equipment involved. The loss of this equipment stimulates equipment hunting (thus, learning more) and also should stimulate Roleplay. Unfortunately this isn't the case most of the time. If you can't roleplay a death well, leave, quit, ANYTHING. Don't stoop to name calling, spitting, etc. (I'm not saying I've never done this. I will however say that I've not done it in several years).
Of course' date=' this all goes into a RP aspect, too, as Mali has pointed out. However, every single person here metagames (don't lie, I don't like it) in one way or another. Whether you're sparing a newb, fighting a moderate (you know they're a moderate), examining fighting tactics and wondering if you can connect the character to a forum tag (some people want to for some reason), or farming gold/consumables (knowing when they'll reappear, not if, when), you are metagaming.[/quote'] If you don't meta-game, you lose. Your definition of meta-gaming makes it impossible for anyone NOT to meta-game. You can't create a new character and "act" like you know NOTHING, or can't survey the lands. What happens if you do? It either gets way boring, too frustrating, or annoying for you. What happens then? You end up deleting after a death, stop playing the character, or throwing your hands up and giving up on the whole "I didn't know anything at the creation of this character" thought.
I rest my case.
I hope not. 
