Taverns, the antithesis of RP

F'mes- characters with the sole purpose of mudsex and romance rp with no attention played to the game world in which they are supposedly roleplaying. Often characterized by needlessly flowery emotes, oh-so-perfect appearances and a lack of any goals beyond getting e-laid and acting with the catty spitefulness of a highschool freshman.
Social Chat Players- Often difficult to tell apart from the f'mes at a glance, these characters exist to turn the game into the player's personal chat room. They aren't here to roleplay, beyond the extent necessary to acknowledge that they are not actually their character. Did they have a bad day at work? Well, so did their character! (While they were logged off, of course) Exhausted from taking care of their kids? Their character might not have kids, but they're just as exhausted...from taking care of their cousin's kid! (While they were logged off, of course) Just passed that big university exam? Their character managed some other equal accomplishment! (While they were logged off, probably) They'll be sure to complain or gloat about it all...in character, of course...too, so be ready for that! You can tell after any prolonged interaction with these individuals that they'd probably be much happier playing Second Life. They pay lip service to the setting they exist in. Enough, anyways, to avoid being seen as terrible. If they are involved in a romantic plot, they'll be the ones bringing their virtual baby items into the Gaj. See Also: Bardic Circle

Socializing and chatting isn't the problem. It's a roleplaying game, if everyone walked around in stoic silence stabbing things, there would be no roleplay. The problem are the people who ignore the setting in which they are supposed to be roleplaying, and these two types of players are invariably the worst offenders.

To provide a very extreme example from a different MUD-- Parallel RPI had a playercharacter named Fionna, who treated the game like a social chat. She never once left the safe confines of the market, and when an in-game event removed the guards there, she immediately went to hiding in the locked backroom of her shop. In a world where people were supposed to be struggling to get by on a day to day basis, a character described as the perfect specimen of femininity spent all her time making new text-dresses to show off in the in-game bar, and attempted to utilize the fact that she was one of the most active players to turn a game in a post apocalyptic setting into a conflict free utopia. When this failed, she took to outright ignoring any character who didn't play along with her text-barbie fantasy.
This actually happened. There are people like this in every RPI, albeit most are a bit more toned down. In a way, the incredibly strict methods of staffing in Arm actually helps to restrict these people from going too far. Having said that, they are a detriment to the game. In a roleplay intensive system, anything that directly flaunts or goes against the setting - especially players such as these - is a detriment to the system.

When it comes to muds and characters you need some of each group. mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm sums it up very well with the 4 types of mud players Achievers, Explorers, Socialisers, and Killers.

1) All actions in an RPI are supposed to represent roleplaying.
2) All actions in an RPI which have no inherent benefit to the doer are considered pure roleplay. (such as emoting)
3) All actions in an RPI which have monetary or skill value are considered roleplay, but to much of it is twinking/ooc. (hunting all the time without socializing. Spamcasting. Spamcrafting.)

Basically RP is like Religion. The more of a martyr your can convince yourself you're being the more self righteous you become about others RP. I don't think anyone cares if one person makes 50 alabaster plates. I don't think anyone cares if one person actually falls in love with a breed. I don't think anyone cares if one person is best buddies for life with a gicker. The issue is, it's never one person, it's like everytime you make a character you giggle with glee when you find the person FOLLOWING the docs. You giggle with glee to find someone who RPs while spamcrafting 50 alabaster plates or at least creates work for hunters before spamcrafting.

It's all about perception. So yes everything everyone does on ARM is RP. So yes everyone has their own preferred styles of RP... But I think we can all agree that RP which has a hook, a goal, and a story behind it is fun... So always try and be inclusive to others in your RP. Create the feeling that something matters if they participate or not and it'll be fun and you won't have to worry about people complaining.

Allow me to clarify my position: I am not saying that all players who fit the Bartle archetype of a Socializer are detrimental to the health of an RPI.

Certainly we can agree that, as Fatfinger points out, a game requires players of each type in order to be successful. I am also going to go out on a limb and assume that you will agree with me when I say that it is quite possible for someone who fits into Bartle's archetype of the Killer to take things too far, and that players who do nothing but wander aimlessly murdering mobs and player characters alike is detrimental to the health and enjoyment of a roleplay intensive game. If you do happen to disagree with me on that latter point, then I think that our differences in opinion here are irreconcilable and we will have to agree to disagree.

However, if that is not the case then please hear me out: Just as a player who takes their enjoyment of killing things to the extreme can be a bad thing, so can a player who takes their enjoyment of social aspects to the extreme.

A roleplaying game which is meant to simulate a breathing world requires many types of players. It needs players who enjoy achieving and accomplishing things, because they are the core driving force behind in-game events. However, it also needs those players to acknowledge the existence of others lest they trample the enjoyment of their peers, and it needs those players to acknowledge that the world they are playing in has rules and culture, lest they decide upon goals that are wholly impossible or unbelievable within the setting and culture of the game so as to disrupt the cohesion of the setting. It needs players who enjoy finding and learning about new things, as without them the game world will lose its sense of mystery and wonder, or worse - stagnate as mysteries and plots go unsolved and forgotten. However, those same players need to acknowledge that they are playing in a defined world, or else, as with the achievers, their actions may lead to the selfish theft of potentially shared discovery with other players or even lead to taking actions which are wholly unrealistic. The game needs people who enjoy combat and code related happenings, because without them threats are neither dealt with or created. At the same time, they need to take care not to go overboard with the abilities they've gained from their endeavors, because being able to wipe out half of Red Storm with their master level skills and well made equipment doesn't mean they should.
Finally, I'd argue a game needs socializers, to breathe the life into a world through their interactions and antics. Without the drama, intrigue, and mundane wants and needs of these types of players, a game would become very bland indeed. At the same time, as with the others, they need to recognize the world in which they are roleplaying their characters, lest their bold and vibrant actions run counter to the established premise and create a dissonance which can't be easily bridged. I'd argue, perhaps, that they need to be more aware of this than any other type of player. They are, after all, the first step to bringing a world to life, and their going against the non-verbal contract of the sort of setting which is going to be played can be nothing short of disastrous in the long run.

When I talk about f'mes and social-chat players ruining a setting, I am not talking about people who play characters that crave sex and other carnal pleasures. I've been roleplaying long enough that I've encountered plenty of characters who are sexually open, or even actual prostitutes, and many of them have done so in such a way as to enhance the game world and improve on my sense of immersion. If I would be so bold, I'd even call attention to your whiran Emere and the Gaj prostitute you animated: Both of these characters were undoubtedly sexual, the former character was of an age where that is to be expected and the latter's job description involves sexual acts. Having only seen the logs for the whiran, I can confidently state that I am certain that both the character and the animated npc both served to enhance the illusion that the world being played in was populated by actual people, that this was not just another game filled with scrolling text and instead a story being told.
On the other hand, characters who are described as physically flawless and beautiful, who very clearly and obviously exist as little more than sex objects are not giving this same illusion. Their very appearance runs contrary to the world in which they have been created to tell a story in, they are the equivalent of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: They vaguely seem to exist within the setting, but they still remain jarringly out of place. When I talk about social-chat players, I am talking about the players who make their character as little more than an avatar. They will never take risks, and they will never do anything vaguely of interest. Their characters exist for the sake of providing them a vehicle to talk with friends in a setting where they can claim to be and appear however they want.
These are both types of Social players, but they take their enjoyment of the social side of a game to the extreme, and if you were to roll a character in Tuluk once the urge to see what's new dies down, you'll find them in abundance. As social players are the boldest, loudest, and most vibrant type of players, they are the ones most in position to make or break a roleplaying game's setting. This is why I say that something that prevents players who utilize the game as little more than a chatroom or a space to cyber (is my age showing with that term?) in from even playing would be incredibly beneficial to a game.

For the record, the example I provided was not an exaggeration. Nor was it a work of fiction. If you seek out and speak with other players of Parallel, I think you'll find the story to be true. It was, however, an extreme example - Few of these types of players are as terrible as the one I used.

Well, I can answer the second part of your question.

Lifting a weight doesn't make you grow to be 7ft tall.

I can make a vague attempt to answer the first part. Depending on the character, they've probably spent a lot of time swinging a weapon. Doing so requires a large amount of muscle endurance and the weight of the weapon would affect the projected muscle gain. Assuming they're getting enough protein, they'd be on the right track for some wicked muscles. Or they carry satchels, backpacks and bags full of pounds of gear like everyone in the game.

Let's face it, even with Armageddon physics, squats erry day ain't gonna these hoes asses like dey got!

On a side note, I've raged over horrible characters and social interactions more than I have over getting insta-gibbed in the Rinth and by krathis near Redstorm.

Also, in response to d-man:
Durr this game is shit butt I betta settle with et becuz Wut else would I do wit my life??? Good way to look at things.

I mostly agree with Lizzie, and I think I can whittle this down for you @anaiah...

From her example, I believe this refers to someone who is an character that is little more than a shell for the player to socialize through. They may wellbe entirely contradictory in their setting but persist because they're 1) in a safe area or 2) not technically doing anything that would warrant killing them (or the local templars are just giant pussies about that). youko for example.

I disagree with the less grief part. Someone totally out-of-place in a game who mostly socializes is like a suspension of disbelief ruining eyesore.

I beliefe when she said "perfection" she meant "unscathed". something very difficult to be when you're poor in a hostile world. The words she used were "physically flawless and beautiful", not "well-endowed and attractive". the difference is subtle here but made snse to me in context to mean that these people had no physical signs of the hard life their characters should have had growing up as commoners.

The problem is when the game becomes nothing but those tavern-sitting types. *cough* Parallel RPI