Greetings,

A recent thread deliberated the pros and cons of admin versus player-driven RP.

That's a valid topic, and worth talking about. But I think what might be of more value is a discussion of RP possibilities for players who are participating in an RP-heavy environment.

We can talk about plots for admins to run in another topic later, but for right now: Discuss ideas for player-run activities!

So far I've seen the best player-run RP going on within the context of feudalism.

1) Build some castles.
2) Put cool stuff in the castles.. forges, mineshaft, kitchen, rooms with good locks and permanent save chests.
3) Put in a portcullis.. owner of the castle specifying who is to be admitted (exclusivity == good).
4) Owners of castles and their appointees get fancy titles.
5) Owners of multiple castles get even fancier titles.
6) Throw in at least one pickable back door... allow skilled people to climb over the walls.
7) Make only enough that maybe a quarter-half of the MUD can have one
8) Add a dose of players and let sit.

As long as you make it so that all administrative aspects of castles (including coups! ) can be handled by the players without IMM intervention, the above recipe is guaranteed. Players will form groups that try to take castles.. castle leaders will plot to remain in control - and possibly conquer their neighbor. Politics will run rampant, and the plot thickens.

In more general terms usable on any MU*:

1) Create a valuable resource
2) Make sure that that resource has practical in-game value that players can use for in-game benefit.
3) The resource must be usable by a group of people who are selected by a single person who has sole administrative control of the resource.
4) Owning the resource should be an ego-booster.
5) Make sure that even for those who own one of that resource, owning more than one == better.
6) It must be possible for other players to wrest control of the resource from the current owner.
7) The resource must be fairly limited, so that only a minority benefit from it at any one time.
8) Let the players run with it.

Valuable resources tend to create a motivator for players (damnit, I want one!! ). When the resource is usable by many, we get group dynamics (lets work together to get one!! ). Allowing a single person to own more than one of the resource, we get full-scale campaigns (I shall rule the world!!! Bwahahahaha! ). If the resource is cool enough, and a limited commodity, it will be enough to motivate people who lack it to seek it, even if they must take it by force. If you have all this, and allow it to be run by the players alone, you'll see a thriving society spring up around just this one resource. It will be self-regulating, and the plots will be provided by the players themselves.

Thelenian had some great suggestions - anyone else?

Well... -inserts evil grin here-

I think one of the main ways to establishing self contained player RP/social order is to make PK more defined. Not defined as in "let me make rules for every itty bitty thing and discourage killing so my morts can rule and so the whiny brats can rule", but defined as in the possibilities. Why you ask?

Well...

It happens far too often, be the players mature or young, that social discussions and situations lead to boosted ego and things of that sort. If the threat of PK were behind each and every conversation, then people would be more aware of what they did/said, and eventually a social order would develop. When the whining starts (oh and it will), the immortals should turn their backs and go fishing. (unless a bug was abused)

Once this social order is in tact, then roleplay becomes limitless. From simple tasks such as rally a mob to beat a local bully, to complex scenes of intrigue such as overthrowing an evil Duke. If your MUD has a craft system like Daedal, then you can do what they do and build entire clans of craftsmen that will either cheat...or favor people as they peddle their goods.

Once you get the social order in tact, it is almost impossible NOT to find roleplay for your character. The immortals just need to take their fingers out of the pie and let it cool a bit.

...

Hopefully this isn't too long, but my basic thought on 'self starting RP' without admin assistance is to look at your character, think of a goal they have, and RP to attain it. The goal can be the immediate 'I need a drink' and go find a tavern or something to something more of, 'I want to be known as the best of <blah>' or even, 'I want to live my life while everything crumbles apart.' Some are obviously better than others, it depends on the character.

Yev.

There was a situation some months ago in the mush I play wherein the admins took down the old automated system of travel.

Suddenly folks found themselves scrambling for transport. What happened was a number of players tried thier level best to gain their own ships. And several of them on their own started thier own spaceflight services.

There were also rumors of pilots and crew making thier passengers vanish to who knows where as well as pirates disguising themselves as passengers to steal thier own ship.

In this case the ships are the valuable resource here. The castles in outer space.

***

Self starting rp for me means travel. Someone, somewhere is doing something interesting. All you have to do is find that situation. It takes two to rp. And sometimes just bumping into a lone stranger can start things off.

Another way is like Yev said. Set yourself a goal like startand it will color your thinking and lead you to very unexpected places.