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Old 04-20-2004, 03:16 AM   #81
Valg
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Home MUD: Carrion Fields
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I've seen the "XP for mobkilling means no RP!" argument before, and I don't buy it either.  

For example, we (like many MUDs) have a system where you can grow as a character through combat.  XP is one incentive, but skill improvements, etc. all figure in.  You can earn XP in a number of other ways, but combat is the most common.

What does that tell you about our roleplaying quality?  Nothing, really.  

Gaining experience this way isn't "OOC".  If your holy paladin-type rampages through town killing innocent children, we don't say "Oh.  It's for XP.  That's OOC, so it's OK."  Instead, you are probably an ex-paladin, unable to tap into divinely granted supplications, and facing retribution from the mortals and immortals you've betrayed.  It's all IC, like anything else.

You could also have an XP-based combat system on a MUD where no one roleplayed at all, and everyone talked about the NBA playoffs or what their cat is doing.  That's not our game, but there are many like that, and some people like them too.

Apples and oranges.
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