I understand that this game is heavily role playing based, but there are a lot of people that want to role play the \"monster killer guy (gal)\".
Kidding aside, roleplaying will take place as people get comfortable with their characters. Unfortunately, killing monsters and exploring are the first steps in feeling out exactly who these new personas are. One often finds they are ill equiped as a low level whatever and begin the leveling process in order to feel more secure about themselves.
If there were no perceived need to level up, more role playing would happen as people would feel safer in their \"virtual skin\". After all, it isn\'t exactly fun to run back and forth from the arena to the blacksmith to the guy that trains sword, back to the arena....
But, in the above process, you meet people. Some you help, others help you, some you fight, some fight you, etc. These are the beginnings of relationships, which will grow with time and lead to the types of \"quests\" and roleplaying you \"pure role players\" dream about every night before you lay your heads down to sleep.
But you can\'t expect everyone to just walk up to the \"circle of waiting\" (waiting for the NPC server, you know the one, it\'s in the Plaza) and start role playing with \"strangers\" especially when we all \"look\" the same and are only distiguished by the little green letters above our heads and the stats we get when we right click. There\'s \"trust\" you must consider also.
I mean really, do you have any interaction with the people on the street as you walk by them on your way to the store? I don\'t. I hardly notice them. I\'m usually all about myself and getting the items I need to make my life more comfortable (or whatever). The only people I have interactions with are those I work with, party with, or study with. And in the beginning I had no interactions with them until I got to know them. That\'s how it is on PlaneShift as well.
Most of us will be right there role playing with you as we get to know you. Maybe even planning the expedition to retrieve \"the heart of the Rassin\" to save your sister cursed by the sinister Ceril Terpik over a mug or two.
Araye