I was left as speechless as Nepenthe by the DREAD post, so since I
can add nothing worthwhile to that, I'm commenting on what led to it:

>1. "PK seems to be favored over RP. All of my efforts at RP go
>unnoticed, whereas PKers get all the titles. Therefore I'm not
>going to waste my time RPing."

Since titles below level 51 go away when you level, some Imms
pass them out on whims. I got one just for being obsessive (the
Galadonian Janitor one I keep commenting on here and on Dioxide's).
The titles at level 51 are all RP based, as far as I know. Even though
they often reflect the character's PK reputation, no one gets a
title without RP to go with it.

>2. "The IMMs treat people unequally and show favouritism. Therefore
>you shouldn't bother RPing, as CF is all about who you know."

If CF was about who you know, I'd have been banned years ago. Two
Imms in particular have good reason to dislike me due to long ago
events. I don't know if they actively do, because they and I would
rather leave it in the past. So don't ask who or why.

>3. "Empowerment RP is not worth it. I basically just RP for over 50
>hours and get absolutely nothing. The IMMs can take their RP and
>shove it."

Empowerment classes, as I see them, are entirely for people interested
in RP. If you don't enjoy RP, don't play those classes. RP done well
is its own benefit, and can be enjoyed without any special attention.

>These perceptions might explain in part why you see lackluster
>RP from more than a handful of players. This is no criticism of
>anyone -- it's just that many players think RP is done in vain.
>Some players feel resigned to the fact that they're not going to
>get anything, and consequently their RP effort is severely inhibited.
>In other words, "I'll just stick to PKing. You can RP all you want,
>since it's a bunch of useless emotes."

Again, the trouble looks like RP for attention, when that's not what
it's really all about.

Also, good RP is based much more in attitude and perception than
emotes. You can have a successful RP career and not emote once.
It's harder, but not impossible, especially if you can still use socials.

>Another observation is that a large number of players are young and
>either do not understand or appreciate RP. Even if that were not so,
>I'm sure you agree that asking anyone to think deeply is a tall order
>in the real world -- much less in a game. You'll have to find some
>way to give these players incentive to put forth the effort. Some
>players with strengths in fiction writing are going to feel more at
>home, but what about the casual non-writing player? It is very easy
>to lapse into the mentality their RP effort is to no avail.
>
>I'm just mentioning the plight of the disenchanted RPer. With
>my characters I try to help others develop their roles IC, and
>it is not easy. I can certainly imagine your headache as a game
>administrator trying to motivate the uninitiated and the skeptic
>alike.

I also try to keep people motivated and develop their characters, but
if they don't at heart actually want to keep at it, there's no point. Help
and encouragement don't do a thing if they don't want to enjoy RP and
the game itself for what they are.