Quote from: Aramara Meibi
Quote from: Illysia
And that begs a bigger question yet, "What is it that makes you care about an RP regardless of the type of RP it is?"
whether or not it sparks the interest of the character i'm playing.
I think this touches a very important point; things would probably be easier if considered from a character (as opposed to a player) point of view.
It seems to me that most people in this discussion are entirely absorbed in the metagaming aspect of things, which I think is the least direct (and therefore least reliable) way to consider roleplay.
I don't think people are consciously 'trying to get something out of' RP, other than pleasure, entertainment et cætera.
I believe it would be much more intuitive to consider what would engage a character in events, as opposed to what would engage a player in a RP. Players probably are more likely to let their character express themselves, and behave according to their nature, rather than actively try to attain their own objectives.
As I see it, the important part is to find a motivation suiting the character that is played. If a player feels his character engaged in something, they'll most surely go along.
Now if I had to find a thing that, as a player, I like in RP, it would probably be the writing; how the scenario was made, mostly if there are creative elements to it, an 'universe' behind it, how it all holds together, if it feels natural and possible, that sort of things. And of course the 'writing' (by lack of a better word) of each character involved.