A lot of noise has been made about RP (roleplay). But what is it? Why do we make such a big deal about it? And why would you want to do it?

A friend once said: "There are two reasons people MUD. One's to kill time levelling.  The other's to socialize." He couldn't have said it better. The point is, the average player will never go beyond having some fun killing things and getting better at it. But then again, Iconoclast was never meant for the average player.

Iconoclast is fairly unique with its cyberpunk/goth theme. Most of us were drawn here by our interest in Gibson, P. K. Dick, and so on. And so there's a vast array of descriptions of this world we've built. Slick technology to use.  It's just like a novel. Only this time, you can be a part of it. And that is what RP comes down to. It's rarely something the Average Player will ever get exposed to on a MUD. We tell stories, and get caught up in others.

Childish make-believe? Naive escapism? We disagree. We think that we act every minute of our life. It's only when we choose roles that we know it's not real. "Words, words. They're all we have to go on." -- Rosencrantz.

How: the tools of the player
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We all know about socials; they're a fixture on every MUD for smiling, frowning, and a whole lot of other things  (I've seen my share of... interesting ones). But only through EMOTE do you have the freedom to write. Here's some examples of the kind of stuff you can pull:

> Stanser takes a single step toward the rail, places his hand on cool
>metal. Pause. Grimace. "I never said I -chose- that jazz, Lex. What
>came down, n' that's all she wrote."

> Colnes arches her back, her facial muscles contorted in pain. Stutters
>desperately, faster and faster as she eases the metal sheet out of her
>abdomen, fingers gummed with sticky blood and heat.
>Gemma snatches some coconut shrimp from the plate and stuffs it in her
>mouth, eyes gleaming merrily.

What you're thinking. "Man, that's too much typing." Cool. No worries. It's all about what -you- want to do; Iconoclast never stopped being about having fun. We just want to do more than kill and level.

Or, "That's just silly.". We'd be sorry to hear that. It'd probably mean that you'd have a better time on a MUD that's geared towards making combat and levelling fun. Nothing's wrong with that kind of play; it's fun, and that's why a lot of people do it.

Who: you're gonna be?
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Hero. Anti-hero. Someone just looking to make the next cred, and the next meal. Obsessive. Scared. Young. Dying. Impatient. Desperate. Waiting for the next gram. Clean-cut. Ambitious. Scrupulous. Unpredictable. And so on.

Why: would I bother?
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Gad. If you ever truly enjoyed a book, you'd probably have a good reason. We like to write. Like themes like future anxiety. Facing despair, all you've got being two feet planted on the ground and heart pushing blood out the top of your head, let you know you're still alive.  Desire and tragedy. Shock and caress.

The final word
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This isn't a rulebook.  It's just telling you where -we're- looking to go. And maybe you want to keep step, look over, give a slight nod.  And proj on, since there's so many more steps and legs that never get tired.