Also note that there is a correlation between what I discuss below and what is expressed here: http://layonara.com/nwn/character-advancement
I identify three types of "players" (and subsequently play-styles) we see here, and I'm sure there are other ways to view this, to label play-styles, etc, but bear with me as I explain where I'm coming from. I need to define a few terms before going into the player types:
-Mechanical Achievement: Just like it sounds, this has to do with gaining levels and gear. It also includes crafting and other sorts of mini-games that aren't directly related to story or social interaction.
-Social Achievement: This has to do with both IC and OOC community involvement. Things such as building friendships, IC marriages, and starting PC organizations all fall under the category of social achievement.
-Worldly Achievement: This has to do with advancement and recognition in the player world. Political power, secret knowledge, building temples, destroying temples, monuments in your character's name, being the best swordsman in the world, and new inventions are just some examples of worldly achievements.
1) The Casual Role Player: This player likes to pop in on a regular basis and immediately start interacting in-character. The type of interaction is not as important as the interaction itself. Casual RPers tend to have a variety of characters at their disposal (but not always), and play them according to their mood. The Casual RPer is often just as satisfied, if not more so, by social achievements as opposed to mechanical or worldly achievements. However, if the casual RPer feels that mechanical achievements are necessary to keep up with their social circle, he/she will usually put forth the effort to raise their mechanical level, if only so that they can hang out with their social group. Likewise, if the mechanics shift downward, say with a fresh group of new characters, the casual RPer is also likely to start a new character that can mechanically fit with the group. This is the group that laments the drop in number of players the most, as this game is a social outlet for the Casual RPer more than anything else. Casual RPers also find it difficult to attain worldly achievements because they can't always attend scheduled events and prefer social interaction to writing lengthy PMs. Any new IG content finds bashing or praise based on whether it supports the social atmosphere the Casual RPer desires.
2) The Event Role Player: This type of player seldom likes to just pop in and hang out. When he/she gets IG, there is a purpose specifically relating to a character goal- it's about the story and the character more than social interaction. Even when they appear to be "casually role playing," the interaction is usually part of a plan to further their character's agenda. These folks get IG for scheduled events like quests and guild meetings, but otherwise are rarely seen IG. The Event RPer stays active via PMs and posts and enough plotting and scheming to both excite and burn out GMs. The Event RPer seldom has more than two characters, and usually only plays one with any regularity. Worldly achievements matter most to the Event RPer, and the Event RPer will pursue mechanical achievements for the sole purpose of completing their worldly goals. Social achievements often mean little to the Event RPer, unless those social achievements somehow give the character an edge in his/her goals for worldly power/recognition. This group worries the least about the dwindling player base, though it is a concern, because they don't want the world to die and their achievements along with it. Event RPers use the video game interface as just that, an interface, and don't worry nearly as much about content additions/upgrades.
3) The Video Game RPer: This kind of player enjoys the atmosphere of a fleshed out world and dedicated characters, but expects a certain amount of recognizable mechanical achievement at a regular rate, and typically expects the story and in fact the whole experience of the game itself to be set within the video game portion, unlike Event and Casual RPers, who spend hours playing the game (writing CDTs, exchanging PMs, posting on the forums, RP via IRC) without ever logging into the NWN user interface. This type of player enjoys mechanical achievement the most, but with the added spice of story or social interaction. Of all the player types, this character minds "the grind" the least, and will happily slay a thousand of the exact same monster for hours. Killing monsters is fun, so killing a thousand monsters must be awesome, right? This type of player usually explores the world at a rapid rate, and attempts to "beat" it like you might "beat" or complete any other video game. When the game is beat, they move on, or find a new way to beat it (such as starting a new character). As NWN has aged, most players like this have moved on to better/updated video game experiences, but in a sense, many of us still play with this mentality, that the game is entirely encapsulated within your NWN login. Video Game RPers are most excited by new IG content and new areas to explore.
Naturally there is some overlap in the play-styles, some people fit into multiple player types (though I would say that you lean toward one as the dominant), and it's not unheard of for a person to switch from one play-style to another over the course of their RPing "career."
The team has tried now for the past few years to in some way cater to all three player types, and there are those that have (and continue) to argue that we should pick a type (without actually giving labels to player types) and stick to catering to that one type so that our resources aren't so spread thin. The Event RPer in us all wants more GM activity in the form of quests, the Casual RPer wants more people and a more relaxed atmosphere (such as easier character sub rules) for social gathering, and the Video Gamer in all of us wants more fun doo-dads and monsters to play with. We do truly try and give all the folks that like to play here, regardless of style, a good time, despite the limited resources at our disposal. Really, we need a team dedicated to each play-style, or each of the things important to that play-style, but we have one team, and a small one at that. I think you'll notice that as we focus on one thing, such as new IG content, other things get neglected, creating a pattern or cycle that has some measure of regularity: development, recruitment, questing, development, recruitment, questing, etc.
For the record, I'm an Event RPer, if you didn't figure that out already, heh.