[Vesper]

Well, first and foremost...take into consideration your dedicated and loyal players. Do THEY want such a system? If yes, then the system works, but it's not a one way street.

I've had experience with a MUD that used "roleplay points"...every tick, you earned a point. These "points" could be cashed in to earn EQ you couldn't find anywhere else in the realm. Now, to actually earn enough points by idling, you'd have to idle for THOUSANDS of hours. The real gravy came in when a staff member watched you roleplay. That's when you might earn as little as 25 points, up to a couple hundred, depending on the roleplay and the circumstances surrounding it.

And this is what I mean by two-way street. When I was a staff member, if I saw someone idling and using triggers to keep from voiding, I'd purge them to the realms of real life (frightening, I know!). And if I saw a couple players roleplaying, I'd award them points. This DID NOT involve snooping. This involved being wizzy and just watching them in a public area somewhere.

It requires more dedication by world staff, really. The players can log on and do their thing. But it requires staff members who actually watch the roleplay as it happens and keep an eye on those who want to abuse the system. On the above mentioned mud, the majority of the players DID NOT idle to gain roleplay points.

The diligent imm staff, the high cost for items using roleplay points, and honestly, interesting world storylines kept everyone happy and for the most part, kept them from abusing the system.

Do you have a dedicated staff? Do you have something worth earning through the accumulation of those points? Are your players generally happy? The system can work.