So, whats the line of roleplay? I've spent years as "Lady China" posting as "Lady China" with her words, her mannerisms, and her views on life and death, and JUST found out, thanks to Kyrandos and his insider's tip "Ah, most people don't roleplay on the posting boards or in IRC". Oh REALLY?
So, I go to the KAAOS boards or the Mercs boards or the Regulator's boards and I'm supposed to go there as what? A mother? A wife? A postal worker? I can see how I might go to "Real FOLKS dot com" as that, but to a GUILD board of ROLEPLAY GAMERS? I'm supposed to give them a "HEADS UP"- this isn't really ME, this is LADY CHINA. Is that penalty for maintaining a name for so long?
You think "roleplay" is some really strenuous OVERT thinking process that one has to engage in in order for it to truly be "roleplay"? You don't think that people that hang out in KAAOS and the Mercs have been traveling down a dark path (in action and verbiage) in games for so long that anything they do is part of their PERSONNA of chaos/evil? So you're going to judge somebody for being so good for so long at their chosen style of roleplay?
I was at a renassiance festival a couple years ago and they had a "Squire training" take place. All the boys ages five to ten were invited to the center of a field, with their wooden swords and shields. In the center of the circle they formed was one of the "real" knights of the festival. Full leather armor, real sword (not sharpened I hope), and the real attitude of a Knight. This was not some "roleplay", where there was a little tickle of the real deal, but no damage done. No - this Knight schooled the boys with questions and demands, one boy he decided wasn't doing as well as he should. He took this boy by the scruff of his neck, pulled him out into the middle of the field, and made the other boys laugh with his mockery, while the crowd of adults grew ever silent. Finally he said, "You're not to be a squire!" and sent him running back to his mother in the crowd. Crying. I thought he'd gone too far. Way too far for the sake of his "role" as a Knight. Way past the socially accepted venues of "acting" with the crowd. In this case, Yor. I would say this was roleplay taken too far. So there are cases.
As for Grimster and his dark elf behavior - whats the line for you? Is it okay for him to yell insults at the person? To perhaps emote a "spit"? Just not to do what a sly dark elf would do, no doubt, and befriend a fool and relieve him of his goods? At what point do you start worrying about the emotional damage done by a dark elf's insults? What if the person he was interacting with just had a really really low tolerance for being called a stupid human? At what point is roleplay OKAY - when its not the airy fairy falalalalalalalala kind?
You did read about the guy that went and killed another player for selling his rare item didn't you? So I suppose we're all taking risks in whatever behaviors we're engaging in.
Personally I find the false face of a harmonic to be the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. Sucker punches from the one selling lollipops. I admire all of KAAOS and all the Mercs there has ever been, because though they pack a hell of a blow, they're up front about their desire to dole it out.
The person that banned Grimster's account was abusing power. If you're going to have an "evil" race - you best define what "evil" is before you even start the game. What the hell, can I get an amen for some sort of racist crap going on? If all that makes a dark elf EVIL is his darkness - I think the NAACP needs to get involved. Or, could a dark elf show his wicked nature by stealing the armor of a stupid human...
