[SnowTroll]

Don't want to derail the thread. I'll send you a PM.

Isles of Aedin is getting good buzz, too. ()

It's an RPE, though a little more loose in that requirement than New Worlds, and a smaller playerbase. Same deal with the PK system: No opting out, but killing someone needs to be an RP based thing. The playerbase is pretty cool and friendly and likes to foster interesting RP, so you're more likely to get into a verbal fight than a PK. It has a nifty skill-based system where you get better at various abilities by using them, so there's less of a hack and slash component, and more of a "what do I want to spam today" element. While some people find that type of gameplay tedious, it lets you specialize your character a little bit. Maybe your wizard or rouge does something well that other wizards and rogues don't, rather than everyone just going up levels.

Being somewhat light and casual in the RP department (still required, but not heavily enforced if someone exhibits an immature, gameish or unrealistic number crunching type persona) means your playing time can be a bit more irregular and you won't miss as much. And there's no payment system. The mud takes donations, and appreciates them, but no money is required nor does it get you anything in the game.