Responding in RP

[Makashi]

Last night I was running an small sessionto liven things up just outside Hempstead, it was good RP between those involved. However I did notice something that no one else seemed to at one point.

An orc turned up killing some kobolds, possibly saving the group, the group showed no fear or anxiety to the orc, he was accepted like most would be.
This is the first part I find odd, Orcs aren't socially acceptable generally, and I found it amusing aswell as annoying, how can some one ignore a huge green man infront of them wielding a spear.

Later on, in the fields, another orc, which confused me as to where it actually came from at first, but again, the orc ran admidst the group, not a flinch from anyone.

Just want to point out to people this sort of RP isn't the way it should be, people should be acting upon what is happening, not ignoring other PCs due to the fact they have fought some kobolds that aren't normally there.

I have noticed the same for my PC G'ork recently, most just don't react like he is a problem, some even (somehow) manage to pluck up enough courage to take a close look at his axe. Infact, most strangers do sadly.

I don't know about you, but if I was an elf and saw an orc on the roads, I'd probablyavoid them, or atleast keep my eye on them from a distance, but would be weary. It's an orc/half-orc/half-giant/goblin - it really doesn't matter, monsterous races should be RP'd as odd creatures. Not cuddly toys.

[Tanman]

I think I wrote a story about this Makashi here.

I totally agree with you about this.

[Script Wrecked]

There are several things that contribute to this behaviour.

1) Player Acceptable Races
Any race that you can be as a player, by default, is "in the club"; you're a player, I'm a player, let's go off and have fun together. This is, after all, why we play the game, isn't it, to have fun; by the way, dying is "not fun", so we will avoid taking any actions which would result in us having "not fun" together. This is also called "getting along".

2) Traditionally-Antagonistic-Races As Characters
Characters that are traditionally-antagonistic-races are usually loners; they are separated from their racial group. If they weren't, they'd be with their racial group now, and not be having adventures up here with everyone else.

When you are a loner, typically you want to make friends with everyone (all the loners who failed to learn this concept are dead).

Therefore, traditionally-antagonistic-race characters are usually played in a non-hostile manner. The characters that meet the TARC learn this. When they meet other characters, the TARC friend gives the TARC the "is okay" stamp. Any hostile responses to the TARC usually move to neutral while the behaviour of the TARC is evaluated. If the TARC shows the new people that they are "is okay", the TARC gets new friends. This cycle is repeated when they meet new people.

Further, once you have learnt that a loner of a particular TAR is possibly non-hostile, you are more likely to give loners of other TARs a chance.

And so traditionally antagonistic behaviours are steadily eroded away.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Script Wrecked

[Jaigan]

[INDENT]heh, c'mon I stabbed an orc that day in that field. he wasn't about to go neck to neck though, thats why the Jaigan travels in packs :p he likes his head where it is... on his shoulders [/INDENT]

[Tanman]

@ScriptWrecked
While I respect what you have written in terms of everyone being friendly towards each other, Layonara has behind it a deep intrinsic history and Lore. This has come about with hundreds of hours from writers who have fleshed it out.

I can show links to:

Orcs
Drow
Elves
Dwarves
Halflings

as being just a few races that have been fleshed out and placed into Layonara. Remember there is a lot more writeups in the handbook. I have to say that EdtheKet and his writer team have spent a lot of time (and that is literally a lot of time, like 10+ months) to write the third iteration of the handbook.

The handbook fleshes out how the diferent races relate to each other. It shows us how dieties respond to each other. It informs us what has gone on in the world. Yes, it is up to us to take that peice of knowledge and use that to enjoy ourselves.

But please keep this in mind when RP. Anyone can say "Lets be friends" and make an excuse for it. But please, please consider how that impacts on the those that wrote the Handbook and such. These guys have worked hard to write it. Personally I feel that when characters instantly make friends for the reasons you have stated, it is  kind of forgetting about all the hard work of the Writer's team.

[Taislin]

I must agree with Makashi both orcs were mine and to Eru they did simply nothing; as for Herekete they reacted slightly maybe because he is a mage of some sort. Besides being played by players monster races arent to be taken easily so they should be treated in a ~much~ diferent way then the NPCs. I never asked with any of my monster races (and yes I played orcs and a goblin) to tag along and be friend of anyone, well maybe with Eru but he is NG.

[jan]

Alignments don't have much to do with it i think .

There are races who dislike or simply hate other races , that should be rp'ed out .

Those choosing to play a race that is "disliked " by others can know that by reading up on the race .

Same goes for Followers of God's .

Due to things we as mortal chars don't understand , there are God's that are hostile to each-other and that should be rp'ed out .

If that inter-fears with your friendly feelings towards the player behind the char , then don't play a char that is hostile or unfriendly to that players char .

If the char you play inter-fears with you leveling easy because you cant find a party , too bad ...it was your on choice to play that character and no one forced you to it .

The more i run around , the more i see chars partying up together that according to their race or faith should flat-out hate each-other .

It's in my eyes a complete ignoring off the work the writers have done and still are working on .

Of-course we are all here to play and have fun , but to me the choice you make for characters should be visible in you rping that character , i don't know about others , but more and more i get the feeling that characters are made for their extra abilities and are played as-if they are a complete other race/ follower of a God  then they were created.

Of-course these are only my thoughts on this and i don't want any-one to think i'm talking about their characters or rp .

I'm surely not the best rp'er myself and am sure i do lots off things wrong myself .

Bottom-line i guess is :

Read up on your race and Deity ..and play accordingly to it !!

[Falonthas]

since i was there with spider

eru the orc with the spear is seen alot, out and about with his ox, gathering fighting, him being seen tagging behind wasnt need for much alarm, as there were those present who had seen him before and were aware of him not being a bad orc

now herekete on the other hand came through the group invis'd and we saw shimmers, and formed defensive circles as best we could
his ice mephit was followed and led us to the shiny orc on the hill
now when you get within firing range of a shaman, they fire and use their spells
once spider saw what it was, he wasnt alarmed anymore, a single orc with a pet, not something that would alarm a drow
when the mephit came in and attacked he was chased and sent back to his plane

now im not sure about the others, but we did have a few newcomers with us and were showing the ropes type things, when we got some gm spice, and it was great

the two new guys with us, have seen the world is alive, and are now stocking their chairs full of red bull and snacks cause they wont leave


perhaps we could have done some more with the second orc, but i cant speak for the others in the group, only as spider, and the orc didnt scare him in the least, once he was revealed

[mixafix]

Not attacking any creature that has maybe just saved someone in a party doesnt seem so bad

also

there is so much 'unusualness' it is not that unusual to the extent a pc is likely to meet or be in party with a drow/goblin/giant etc on most/a lot of occassions they have an outing so...it cant always be rpd to best effect on every outing...it might prevent/slow/stop any other gaming...to the detrement of some other plot the gm is trying to get going.

I think we should all remember it and try to rp as best we can without destroying others rp or fun too. (by dominating other plots/storylines) I think its a balance thing, not sure we can always get it right every time.

[Script Wrecked]

It's in my eyes a complete ignoring off the work the writers have done and still are working on .

I understood that one of the stated aims of the original Blood campaign (as presented by the writers) was that the characters would unite against the common enemy despite their differing alignments and/or races.

If the char you play inter-fears with you leveling easy because you cant find a party , too bad ...it was your on choice to play that character and no one forced you to it .

On an RP server, where the whole purpose is group interaction, if you can't find a party to RP with, should you be playing that character? Viz, should you be detailing whom you will be RPing with in your submission, and/or be given direction in that regard?

I think we should all remember it and try to rp as best we can without destroying others rp or fun too. (by dominating other plots/storylines) I think its a balance thing, not sure we can always get it right every time.

I would suggest it becomes a question of "RP fun" versus "strict RP".

Regards,

Script Wrecked.

[Makashi]

since i was there with spider
once spider saw what it was, he wasnt alarmed anymore, a single orc with a pet, not something that would alarm a drow

Just to highlight this point made - if my cleric was stood out there, and had seen a strange orc running about with summons, she'd probably be concerned to say the least.

I don't understand why a drow would be exempt from being a bit, well disconcerted atleast.
A drow isn't much different, drows still have to worry about getting hurt, more so than most infact.

In response to Mixafix, I didn't expect you to have killed Eru , but it was like, he was already known as the friendliest orc around or something. No one seemed to care that orcs have a tendancy to kill a lot/most things that aren't in their tribes. Even if you see an orc killing kobolds, how would you be so sure, he isn't going to do the same to you?

I'm not trying to get at anyone, I'd just like to see a little more realism. I accept there are times when unrealistic situations present themselves, but if possible should be prevented.

Going on to the point about odd combinations in parties, they do come about from time to time, but generally, people do use their common sense, which I'm pleased about, I infact recall a few months back, G'ork trying to travel with some people, and some one then stating that G'ork had been involved in a robbery, and so, had to make a run before the guards came along, and I didn't get to go adventurring! But! I was pleased when I got this response. The party had general concerns about G'ork travelling with them.

Thanks for all the feedback on the subject though, I'm glad to see everyone putting their opinions across.

[iceyfire]

Saira gets so much hate , well probably due to her shifty nature, of being CN, not some goody little Darkie, but i find it fun that some people start chasing her for no apparent reason, and that people have set prices on her head @_@.

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

I understood that one of the stated aims of the original Blood campaign (as presented by the writers) was that the characters would unite against the common enemy despite their differing alignments and/or races.

You're right. But that was the Soul of a Lost Ancient campaign, where all the PCs had both a common enemy (Blood) and a common background/voucher (Ozlo summoning them).

We no longer have that. We haven't for many years, in game.

There is no reason for most people/characters to think that A_Random_Orc is anything but an evil brute driven by bloodlust. Ditto Goblins, giants, etc. The halfblood forms of these don't lessen this by too terribly much. Dark elves, likewise, are the poster children of evil; they are literally the boogieman that parents scare kids with.

On an RP server, where the whole purpose is group interaction, if you can't find a party to RP with, should you be playing that character? Viz, should you be detailing whom you will be RPing with in your submission, and/or be given direction in that regard?

There are other things to do than RP; however, one should never step out of character just because noone else is around. In terms of "who you 'should' be RPing with," characters are assumed to be more or less normal for their race/culture unless stated otherwise. A_Human_Fighter will typically hate/fear Dark Elves and Orcs, for example, and would likely attack more or less on sight.

I would suggest it becomes a question of "RP fun" versus "strict RP".

I would disagree. "RP fun" with a dwarf randomly greeting and running around with an orc is not "RP fun" at all. Fun it may be, but the RP bit is arguable.

Your cycle with the "agressive races" does not illustrate a workaround, but rather, it illustrates the problem.

We should all keep in mind that orcs, goblins, giants, and especially dark elves, are all evil. This statement is much like "humans have some number of appendages." There may be an EXTREME few who do not, but they are considered freaks and aberrations (not to be confused with abominations), and would be unheard of among other races.

EDIT: Now, before anyone points to the number of not-totally-evil monstrous PCs we have in game, let me illustrate something, and point to the number of high-level characters we have in game. They ARE that tiny segment; almost all of it. It's like gathering all the pastafarian albino amputees in the world to say "hey! Pastafarian albino amputees are fairly common!"

[lonnarin]

Considering that the "heroes" of Layonara make a living by running around slaughtering massive amounts of tribal beings minding their own business for fun, profit and training, I think we just need to sit back a moment and admit to ourselves that even the most self-righteous paladin here is a bastion of Mordor.  I mean, seriously, only one character I've ever met, the Aeridenite known as Eghass Treebringer passes for a good alignment in my eyes.  The rest are all slaughtering fey creatures, neutral naturalistic Kenku, little woodland fairies in Dregar, and beings that don't attack unless you stray far from the road and charge their tribal lands, etc. all for a handful of pecans and a bag of salt or less sometimes!  How many times have you been just sitting there idly in Hempsteed and had some complete stranger walk up to you and solicit your help in killing something?  Now isn't THAT an interesting conversation starter... "excuse me guy sitting there, wouldst thou help me commit genocide because it pays better than being a hotel clerk or bank manager?  Oh, but I can't survive on those wages, I need to buy a better sword and magical items to KILL people better!"  

I mean come on, when killing becomes so reflexive that you ask people who you've only known for 5-10 minutes to come hack things apart as they writhe in agonizing pain, pleading for their lives for their coin and the sheer pleasure of killing and training to be a better killer... you have to cede the moralist perspective and realize we're not much better than orcs.  At least they have enough honor to put you to good use and the pragmatic ethos to eat you once you're dead... we just stomp their babies and decapitate their women for sheer greed and pleasure... and at best, religious zealotism which makes the most jihadist our earthly sects look like Ghandi.  Vorax is LG and worships... WAR!  How the heck does a good guy who obeys all laws preach decapitating other races on sight, no matter how "evil" they are without being at the very least, a neutral mercenary?

Also take into consideration that adventurers aren't like normal people... they are exceptions to every rule there it.  Furthermore, if a band of angry kobolds was trying to kill me, an orc popped out of nowhere and saved my life, I wouldn't exactly be screaming at him that he's evil and charging at him with a sword.  Even if I totally hated orcs, the sheer and utter fear of such a huge hulking brute would keep my mouth in line, a pleasant smile on my face, a sir-yes-sir with every word.  So I wouldn't chalk it up to bad rp, but rather RPing somebody with more than 3 int.

Furthermore, who says anybody trusts humans, elves and dwarves these days?  Look at the bandits outside town, the dwarf clans on the hill just outside bloody gate, the elven druids who eat innocent Hlintian tanners!  Heck, Bloodstone, the most evil man in all of history, was human... So if anything I would trust evil races even more than any of the rest... at least they're up front with how they feel.  Meanwhile we have all the best of the best and the most goody goody of heroes, high priests and paladins doing errands for Milara, breaking into Rofirienite crypts desecrating the holiest of the dead and stealing divine essence to help a LE drow become a god... some moral high ground there!

Anybody who is more than level 4 should be shifted to CE by sheer server mechanics, save for Eghass and maybe Athus.  The rest are all bloody butchers who'll slay an entire family of innocents for 1xp a pop.  (the few that hunt ONLY undead are the one big exception)

On that note, we need more pacifistic and social quests so that goodly characters can wipe some of that blood from their hands, xp drops for RP for its own right, and ways to gain decent xp when no GMs are around that doesn't involve killing.  You can self-justify that killing evil things is a good act till you're blue in the face, but Jesus, Ghandi, Aeriden and Azatta all beg to differ.

[Gulnyr]

Also take into consideration that adventurers aren't like normal people... they are exceptions to every rule there it.  

True enough.  Still, if a character is friendly or even unmoved by any of the typically Evil races, there needs to be an exceptional reason.  That's especially true of the traditional racial enemies, like Dwarves and Orcs or Elves and Dark Elves.

I agree with the rest of that paragraph, except that I'd say there is a difference between not reacting to an obviously powerful Orc and keeping your mouth shut around an obviously powerful Orc until he has gone when you can comment on how horrible they are or curse about owing your life to one.  If some in a group know the Orc, then that might affect how others in the group who don't know him respond, but instant acceptance seems very extreme.

This is a lot like the deity relations, only not quite as strict.  You don't have to go totally nuts just because a follower of your deity's enemy is in the group, and you don't have to go totally nuts just because a hated race is in the group.  Going overboard with any of it wears out fast.  But you shouldn't act like that Orc is just a funny-looking Human any more than you should act like that Toranite is just a Lucindite with a funny-looking lightning bolt on his shield.

While your points about PCs being rather Evil in their actions have merit, they aren't entirely fair.  If it were possible to, say, buy iron from a regular ol' Human mining company, maybe it would be more fair to point fingers at the people who decide to go raid some Gnoll's cave instead.  And since the nature of the game leaves killing and crafting (which often requires killing off guardians for CNR) as the only real methods of advancement at low levels, it seems a little slack is in order.  More XP for non-combat RP would be nice, but it also seems like it would take a lot more manpower that is likely better devoted to maintaining what we've got and working on the next Layonara so there aren't problems like this.

[darkstorme]

I would argue also that those who submit for monstrous races (orcs, goblins, dark elves) know what they're getting into.

If you want to play a character who's buddy-buddy with most everyone on the server, you choose a NG farmboy.  Open mind, open heart, ready to greet the world with a smile and an open hand, ready to pit his young, idealistic self against the evils of the world (viz, those same orcs, goblins, dark elves).

The monstrous races have alignment restrictions as PCs for a reason - the monstrous races are evil.  In many cases (especially Dark Elves), to break from the mold is to invite death from your kin.  As such, a selection pressure on those races leads to, if not a genetic alteration to temperament, then a sort of social darwinism - if you come from orcish/goblin/dark elven society, you're not a nice person, nor should you be expected to be.  And a person from those societies wouldn't expect (nor should they) to be accepted by human/elven/dwarven society.  They'd stay in disguise, all the time, and maybe, MAYBE when they really trusted the people they'd met, they might show their true face.

Exceptions to this are fairly obvious - there are the truly stupid (orcs can sometimes fall into this category), who don't see the danger in being themselves.  There are the clever, who rely on their race's reputation to protect them.  (Dark elves could try this.  No guarantees on that working, though.)  And then there are the PCs of monstrous races who have gained either a) power, or b) universal respect.  A Dark Elf who is renowned for her good works, say, and is whose name is known across the lands... they could walk about freely.  A Dark Elf who is known to incinerate anyone who looks at him funny, and who is capable of holding off a small army, can likewise walk about with a certain amount of impunity, should he so desire.

Other than that... it IS an RP server.  While we do not dictate what good RP is... it must be fairly evident that being instantly trusting of a member of an untrustworthy race is neither wise nor intelligent, and would not be an RP-accurate portrayal of someone possessed of a modicum of either stat.  Likewise, a Dark Elf/orc/goblin walking uncovered who finds a sword to his or her chest ought not to be surprised - and neither should her player.

[lonnarin]

Generally I try to play a very Malcom X-ish isolationist viewpoint for these very reasons.  Kor for example generally avoids highly populated areas and acts like an abused, snarling dog when people interact with him, preferring to stomp around in the wilderness doing his own thing and only accepting the company of other savages or the truly decadent like outcast necromancers or the like.  If a dwarf ever comes across his path it's usualy KOR who hates him with a passion, not the other way around.  He isn't truly evil, so he tries to take it to the arena, and doesnt really hate anybody other than dwarves for their fear.  (I've been told he acts like a Klingon on bad hallucinagens)  Most of the time he laughs and basks in the fear, taking their threats on his life as a compliment, and looks forward to any paladin murdering him so that he gets the last laugh when they fall from grace, pointing out he's unarmed and not doing anything to them, while mocking their god.  Martyrdom has a pretty hefty place in Grand's teachings, just as much as the bloodlust.  He's practically suicidal in that aspect, for in death he can taint others, making them give into the vengeance of Grand.

Grovel is equally as seperatist, sometimes more, sometimes less.  Being smarter than Kor, he tends to cover himself up as much as he can and avoid people if at all possible, preferring to just be with the other goblins and a handful of folks.  The only people who have seen his face are a handful of people whom he deems to either care more about the natural side of things (Pallenia for example) or those who his brother War Singer befriends who seem to bear them no ill will and seem to be open to not judging races. (Vendar & a few others)  The rest he tries to avoid, often just running past them quickly before they can even type a greeting, or if in the worst case scenario... he keeps covered up and pretends to be a halfling.  Still, when he does manage to be stopped for conversation he does have decent skill in diplomacy, choosing his words carefully and trying not to ACT evil.  He also loudly declares his hatred for other, more evil things to distract others from worrying about him... namely undead and werewolves, for surely anybody who would hunt a werewolf and undead hunter MUST be evil and in league with them! heheh.  We try to keep as hidden as possible in that regard when playing them, as to keep in line with not walking around with our race on our sleeves.  

I won't turn away somebody who wants to join us though, since that can be seen as rude in an OOC sense and it's tough for some people to find groups.  The RP will be there to express how freakish he is (rolling around in corpses, eating eyeballs, ranting about how he wants to kill and torture things that cross him) but I'm not going to bash somebody's RP for wanting to play a *game* and have *fun* with the only other person online in their level bracket.  The trick is to have fun with it, and to emphasis the goblin and "orky" (heheh, dawn of war reference) qualities of your race, or the mannerisms that set them apart, I think.  Not everybody fits the same mold as their racial skin... we can't judge RP for failure to adhere to stereotypes.

Now as far as the notion that RP is grim on openly accepting the monstrous, with both of them I have never found that to be the case.  Kor has never grouped with anybody who wasn't wholley decadent and outcast, has dragged so many people to the arena its hilarious (was the last person who beat Hardragh too!), is generally reviled several times over and has a huge whopping persecution complex that rivals even schizophrenic evangelicals.  It's all how you play the monstrous character, and how they interact with others that truly makes them monstrous.  You don't see half-giants fall under the stygma very often (except Bakee, who's practically Pyrtechon's right hand of destruction)  since for the most part, they tend to be big, dumb, an favor their human sides, almost in a cartoonish and loveable sense.  Prior to our goblin hoarde, most of the goblins (not all though) were equally as loveable in a sense... it would take a hardened heart indeed to kill Bilkivvi, with his silly, amiable manners and strange garb.  It's all in how you play a character that makes it monstrous, not just the race.  Take other decadent humans for example, Chanda, Nethro, Az-Ptol and of course... that bloody madman Czukay.  Now those are some truly freakish, monstrous, people that you instinctively guard your children from.  I still remember when Czukay came to Hlint, how each time a whole gaggle of people would get worked up and freak out over him, Acacea and Piper screaming at the new players not to follow him into the wilds to help them with quests.  Now those were some pretty monstrous encounters!

So who's the real monster?  I think persona and demeanor have a much greater emphasis than race, at least as far as player characters is concerned.  PnP players are far more likely to have played the goodly adventurers trying to talk sense into a mob, than weilding the torch or pitchfork themselves.  Sure race will always be a factor,  but not so much with heroes such as ours who, like I said, murder for a living and beyond that, have experienced enough decadent humans and amiable monsters in their journeys.  It's the uneducated who tend to be racist, and the experienced and wise who judge people based on their actions.  Don't blame the players for not hating monsters on sight... half of them are just living up to their good alignment and the other half are such monsters themselves it doesn't matter so much.  Besides, its usually on GM quests that we wind up meeting goodly nature giants who parlay, Milaras with dracoliches on a leash who have a quest for a group of paladins, blackened demons in Hlint who just want to talk and be friends, Corashes who redeem themselves by turning away from Grand and Psychotic human tyrants who once were goodly dragonslayers and are now hellbent on destroying the world and torturing everybody in it.  Don't break the mold and expect the populace to fit within it.

So as for the above example not being the way RP should be, I would cut them some slack and remind us all... seriously, have you ever found a single solitary server where the RP was any better?  I honestly wish my PnP players RPed as well as the new people I meet here every single day.  Let's not pidgeonhole people for not being rabid mobs of fundamentalists... is it not the team who reminds us constantly not to attack everything that's glowing red?  How is killing on sight for race any different?

[Drizzlin]

Considering that the "heroes" of Layonara make a living by running around slaughtering massive amounts of tribal beings minding their own business for fun, profit and training, I think we just need to sit back a moment and admit to ourselves that even the most self-righteous paladin here is a bastion of Mordor.  I mean, seriously, only one character I've ever met, the Aeridenite known as Eghass Treebringer passes for a good alignment in my eyes.  The rest are all slaughtering fey creatures, neutral naturalistic Kenku, little woodland fairies in Dregar, and beings that don't attack unless you stray far from the road and charge their tribal lands, etc. all for a handful of pecans and a bag of salt or less sometimes!  How many times have you been just sitting there idly in Hempsteed and had some complete stranger walk up to you and solicit your help in killing something?  Now isn't THAT an interesting conversation starter... "excuse me guy sitting there, wouldst thou help me commit genocide because it pays better than being a hotel clerk or bank manager?  Oh, but I can't survive on those wages, I need to buy a better sword and magical items to KILL people better!"  

I mean come on, when killing becomes so reflexive that you ask people who you've only known for 5-10 minutes to come hack things apart as they writhe in agonizing pain, pleading for their lives for their coin and the sheer pleasure of killing and training to be a better killer... you have to cede the moralist perspective and realize we're not much better than orcs.  At least they have enough honor to put you to good use and the pragmatic ethos to eat you once you're dead... we just stomp their babies and decapitate their women for sheer greed and pleasure... and at best, religious zealotism which makes the most jihadist our earthly sects look like Ghandi.  Vorax is LG and worships... WAR!  How the heck does a good guy who obeys all laws preach decapitating other races on sight, no matter how "evil" they are without being at the very least, a neutral mercenary?

Also take into consideration that adventurers aren't like normal people... they are exceptions to every rule there it.  Furthermore, if a band of angry kobolds was trying to kill me, an orc popped out of nowhere and saved my life, I wouldn't exactly be screaming at him that he's evil and charging at him with a sword.  Even if I totally hated orcs, the sheer and utter fear of such a huge hulking brute would keep my mouth in line, a pleasant smile on my face, a sir-yes-sir with every word.  So I wouldn't chalk it up to bad rp, but rather RPing somebody with more than 3 int.

Furthermore, who says anybody trusts humans, elves and dwarves these days?  Look at the bandits outside town, the dwarf clans on the hill just outside bloody gate, the elven druids who eat innocent Hlintian tanners!  Heck, Bloodstone, the most evil man in all of history, was human... So if anything I would trust evil races even more than any of the rest... at least they're up front with how they feel.  Meanwhile we have all the best of the best and the most goody goody of heroes, high priests and paladins doing errands for Milara, breaking into Rofirienite crypts desecrating the holiest of the dead and stealing divine essence to help a LE drow become a god... some moral high ground there!

Anybody who is more than level 4 should be shifted to CE by sheer server mechanics, save for Eghass and maybe Athus.  The rest are all bloody butchers who'll slay an entire family of innocents for 1xp a pop.  (the few that hunt ONLY undead are the one big exception)

On that note, we need more pacifistic and social quests so that goodly characters can wipe some of that blood from their hands, xp drops for RP for its own right, and ways to gain decent xp when no GMs are around that doesn't involve killing.  You can self-justify that killing evil things is a good act till you're blue in the face, but Jesus, Ghandi, Aeriden and Azatta all beg to differ.

Someone has been RPing with Daralith too much. LOL. He loves to point out those facts IN game to people all the time. Too funny, but true on so many levels.

[Serissa]

You remember Corash!  Yay!

[Gulnyr]

Sure race will always be a factor,  but not so much with heroes such as ours who, like I said, murder for a living and beyond that, have experienced enough decadent humans and amiable monsters in their journeys.  It's the uneducated who tend to be racist, and the experienced and wise who judge people based on their actions.  Don't blame the players for not hating monsters on sight... half of them are just living up to their good alignment and the other half are such monsters themselves it doesn't matter so much.

Well said.  It's important not to let "I'm an adventurer" become an excuse for ignoring race, though.  "Bad" races don't have their reputations for nothing, after all.  How many "good" Dark Elves does a character have to meet before he gives every random Dark Elf a chance?  How many "bad" Dark Elves have come before, back through the generations, that make giving one a chance seem like a really bad idea?  Yeah, the Good alignment can stave off a killing blow, but there's a lot of room between charging like an insane Voraxian and passing out flowers like a hippie Aeridinite; you don't have to be friendly to be Good, you just have to respect life.