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[Buzzyboy]

What is everyone's thoughts on Enforced RP in online games?

Some of my greatest gaming memories come from a RP enforced game I used to play (Back in 01!). The game only had around 50 players online at a time, but everyone was role-playing and taking it seriously. It was the most fun I've ever had come from online gaming. Creating my character and interacting with everyone just made it so fun. People would RP thieves, or body guards, merchants, and so on. And the game had a structural stat system, so this game was very much graphical unlike a lot of MUD's and such where Enforced RP is actually some what common.

So, I myself enjoy enforced RP in MMO's, provided that it is monitored (Someone has to stop the trolls). But you really don't see any popular games with such a quality. Do most people find Enforced RP as a turn-off? For you to enjoy a game, would you need a Non-RP server option?

[Jerick]

I enjoy enforced RP myself but it's easy to see why having to pretend to be a character for someone who just wants to play the games mechanics is a major turn off.
For those who aren't used to it RPing can take alot of effort that players who want to just play the game shouldn't really have to bother with if they don't want to.
The imperfect option that people usualy turn to is spliting the comunity into RP enforced and RP non enforced.
Not an ideal solution but the best I know of.

[Telgin]

I'll mostly echo Jerick here in that I like RP heavy games but can understand why some would not.  From what I've seen most games that have much concept of actual RPing have alternate servers for players who prefer RPing, or at least guilds who do so.

Everquest for example had the Firiona Vie server, which was their roleplaying preferred server.  Very few items were no drop, allowing even many raid items to be traded or sold to anyone you wanted to.  The languages used by each species were more rigidly enforced in that, if I recall correctly, every species had a different language and you had to learn new languages to interact with players and NPCs of another species.  "Evil" and "good" aligned players couldn't mix in groups, unless a "neutral" aligned player was the group leader.

It's a pretty cool concept, but the server suffered a lot as players left Everquest in general, and is now mostly a ghost town from what I hear.

On the normal servers there are often guilds that do this.  They'll place restrictions on player conduct to encourage roleplaying, such as only accepting evil or good aligned members.  I think these are mostly nonexistant now.

I never really got into the RPing in Everquest all that much, for one reason or another.  I think it's because I mostly solo and thus had little reason to, but I did try to keep up a minimal level of it.  I played as a paladin, and went out of my way to avoid attacking friendly or neutral NPCs and fought undead where I could find them even before I had any spells to help make them more worthwhile targets.

I'd actually really like to see an MMO that focused on the RP aspects of playing more than just grinding and gameplay mechanics.

[Paul]

I've had fun with RP enforced games in the past. I played a Neverwinter Nights server years ago with enforced RP and active GMs running multiple campaign-like storylines (usually with something for all player levels so nobody was left out) every weekend, which was crazy fun, but it eventually shut down after some of the main GMs got disinterested.

I think the main reason most games don't do it is that it's a pretty small niche of people that play on rp-enforced servers.

You can still have fun roleplaying your character on non-RP servers with the right group, though. Some of my best gaming memories come from roleplaying in Shadowbane, partly solo and sometimes with a RPing pvp guild that I had joined for a while. I still remember role playing as a racist Irekei trying to run the elves from the desert. I often convinced PUGS to turn on their elven group members to "cleanse the sands of the elven filth" haha. Or running around with a group massacring the elven players and anyone who defended them, often times seeing groups just stand there and let us kill their elf party members without trying to defend them. With the right group of folks you can generally ignore any out of character comments and have plenty of fun doing your own thing. Plus, you'd be surprised how many people will go with the flow or even join in when you start a bit of interesting roleplaying (especially when it gives them an excuse to murder that guy in their group that they never really liked...).

[Alkhemia]

I avoid the whole thing if it has Enforced RP but I don't see it as a bad thing I just can't RP to save my life. 

[lordcooper]

It's extremely rare that I'll touch an MMO/MUD that doesn't have mandatory RP.  I'm gonna have to throw in my usual plug for Armageddon MUD as an example of enforced RP done right.

[Cthulhu]

Depends on the game.  I usually prefer enforced RP to be structured, with rules and stuff.  Those MUSHes or whatever where there's no rules and everything is determined by the players feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

Iron Realms MUDs can actually be really good, but the emphasis on payment ruins them.  I'm talking hundreds of dollars to get a good character, at least if you want to do PVP.  The roleplay is fun though.

[Wrex]

My only experience with enforced RP was the FDscovery mod for Freelancer. You know, the spaceship game? And it was a wreck, since the economy was downright awful. That mod brings "Developer favoritism" to a whole new level.

[alexandertnt]

For something like MUD's, I prefer "encouraged" RP, where it's not a strict requirement, but generally people do. I just don't like being required to do anything, and don't take it as seriously as some.

For MMO's, When I used to play them, they were too... silly to really take seriously in any way (What with the bright purple AOE explosions and buffs/debuffs and all that stuff).

Something about text gives the imagination a bit more to work with.

[Neonivek]

While I love roleplaying...

I find Enforced Roleplay in a game not designed for it and not anywhere CLOSE To designed for it... to be boring and kinda stupid.

"Ohh my... I sure am having fun in this World of Warcraft roleplay server... Yep..."

[Sonlirain]

Well personally i dislike RP unless the game was made (or properly modified) to support it.

WoW is a prime example of bad RP experience.
You can't talk to the other faction nor learn their language (there was some item called "elixir of tounges" that could teach you another language for several minutes and forsaken could talk in common and communicate with the alliance but it all got scrapped).

A proper RP experience needs freedom and WoW offers none.
No houses.
No teamwork outside of your faction.

And if that werent enough some NPCs and quests deliberately crack or outright shatter the 4'th wall.