[LoD]

I rarely see this type of behavior, so I cannot really agree to it being a regular enough problem to make for a realistic example of the downfalls, or conversely the benefits, of a permadeath or non-permadeath system.

I don't buy into the argument that realism is a crutch as a blanket statement. This seems to generally be applied to people you are criticizing as shallow (not poor) role-players, who support or cling to concepts that are closely related to their own world so that the gap between themselves and their characters is nil. Embracing elements of reality in order to facilitate interaction and enhance RP is entirely possible.

Why is it, do you think, that so many MUDs and other game worlds support humanoid characters? If the assertion that "The larger the separation from reality, the greater the RP challenge." holds true, wouldn't we see nothing but atypical and unique race concepts that contain completely alien and foreign anatomy, appearance, movement, thought processes, value systems, moral beliefs, and so on? The notion that you have so perfectly represented the spectrum of mundane roles within low fantasy, Earth-similar environments that you require challenges in order to achieve higher levels of RP satisfaction smacks of arrogance.

I don't think that's what you meant to imply, but do you really believe that realism is so terrible a thing?

Perhaps a topic for another thread.

You seem to want to critique the color of the dish rather than comment on the flavor. My intent was to demonstrate how the threat of permanent death as a consequence compared to nearly any other consequence that does not result in the permanent death or severe limitation of one's character has an impact on how a person makes decisions regarding their character. If you disagree with that statement, then let's work from there rather than further muddying the issue.

Dying is a big deal to the people whom attach a value to that character. You obviously feel that the distance between the player and character is shallow indeed to feel that the death of one character and the beginning of another is akin to a casual formality while waiting to engage in RP sessions. The characters are works of art, not place holders. They are the canvas to many of us, an opportunity to create a unique and expressive work through days, weeks, months, and years of effort.

To even imply that switching from one canvas to another would be trivial because we're really just here to enjoy painting is callous. You may not attribute any great worth the product created by years of someone's effort, but many people do. And, for them, the creation of a new character is not a simple or carefree endeavor, and neither is introducing that character back into a world they knew as a different person.

I was going to respond to the rest of the points, but I believe our experiences and ideals are so different that it wouldn't be a worthwhile endeavor -- at least not on this subject.

Thanks for the responses.

-LoD