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I think greed and envy and barriers and cowards are GREAT things to have on muds. They can all spark conflict and RP situations.
As far as roleplayers who think they deserve good eq.. they do. The only reason why hack n' slashers would have great eq as opposed to people who primarily roleplay are a totally broken economic system and view.
Why is it that on the vast, vast majority of muds, you can find fantastic eq on random mobs with no explanation or backstory for it, but the best eq available for sale in the biggest baddest city is mediocre at best?
With a fully functioning economy (and I'm not just talking about some tradeskills thrown into the mix) where RPers can amass wealth through business endeavors and the like (and i'm not just talking about some merchant stalls thrown into the mix), wouldn't it make sense that they could buy top of the line equipment?
RPers should have much higher incomes than hack n' slashers.. that's what balances the players out, power-wise. The RPer may not be able to go toe-to-toe with the hack n' slasher, but that's what all his bodyguards and political connectins etc., are for.
But I digress. Equipment is a commodity, and all too often, it is the *only* commodity on a mud. As long as this is the case -- that equipment is the only thing of real and actual value (other than money itself), you've got a broken system. As long as the quickest and best way to acquire massive wealth is through killing mobs (ich in turn required good equipment to do), you've got a broken system.
If your system is broken like this, then I say that at least greatly reducing eq bonuses is in order, and just letting the players duke it out on the merit of their skill and characeter's skills is the best option.
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