Enforced RP: Good or Bad? Thread

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?

I RP single player games like Skyrim or Mass Effect, or even Dawn of War. The problem is how far does "taking it seriously" go. While it is kind of annoiying to be in Middle Earth with "BiGdIcK420BUZZZXx" I would think it is possible to get to serious.

I am reminded of ARGs. I read that you are never supposed to refer to the game as such, and to treat it as if it were really happening. But if a game was such that were it RL you would break into someone's house for evidence or some other potentially harmful crime, what do you do? I remember a short lived TV show about clan v clan game tourniments, and there was a 'hacking' round, but of course, they couldn't show actual hacking techniques on TV, and would be pretty boring, so it was more of a weird puzzle thing.

Point is, at what point does the seriousness end, and the fun begin? To get really geeky, I like SFDebris, and my favourite running jokes is how badarse Sisko is. RP, particularly enforced, is an issue in that it lands in that area of how far could I take such a character, without turning into self parody.

There is also the issue of balance, god modding, and other human problems. Godmodding was a serious issue back in my forum RP days, so much so I never finish a RP properly, but that feeds into the game balance. In DoW, I would often use strategies that were bad. Marines refusing to retreat. Giving ground to save lives as Tau ect. It would be easy for a player to god mod such a game. To have his Marines retreat or have Tau hold the line and justify it when it is technically cheating. Yes, there were cases of these things happening (There is an excellent short story in let the galaxy burn about marines retreating, torn between their doctrine of never retreat and always follow orders) but it runs the risk of becoming a problem in most games.

I was in some more serious RPs, and I enjoyed them. My problem is when people let their petty squabbles get in the way of a good story. I was part of a 3 person RP set in Gotham where the Joker first appears after Batman having been a crime fighter for easily a decade or more, but because of an issue the one guy and I had outside of the RP, it never got done.

There are some issues with too much or too little enforcement though. I once was on one forum that had so many rules and such an annoying unspoken political structure that I hated being there. Granted, the one unenforcing group I was in also had a shitload of political crap. Maybe that's just people being pig-headed, I don't know.

I have no problem with enforced RP, I do think a lot of people with RP don't know how to adapt to a large crowd. I run into a lot of divas in RP. I like to play support roles in general, but no one likes a character that has to be the center of any story-line all the time.

I'm not sure if many "RP" games really help with the immersion, I mean, how many times can you RP taking the same guy's head back as a bounty. It requires a lot of rules that people have to make up to make things work for them and you often end up with some incompatible RP styles. It's a complicated issue.

That being said, I think it would be awesome to have more dedicated RP games, where the bulk of RP wasn't limited to getting drunk in town and making up melodramatic pasts to wallow in, or romancing each other into oblivion.

I don't mind role-playing, and I don't mind if other people role-play around me, but I don't like being forced to role-play.

I am against enforced RP due to my experiences in Discovery Freelancer. The developers and admins just used roleplay to put their buddies into power and to slaughter anyone with impunity with the best ships and equipment. Too much potential abuse. Not to mention the enforced RP dictated who would have to win skirmishes, and if you and weren't supposed to people would kick up a fit about how you were out of roleplay.