And on the point of Mary sues... don't think of your character as a plot device, something that just pushes the plot forward, think of your character as a person with feelings, personality, and realistic motivations.
Characters should not advance stories. Stories advance characters.
Extraordinarily well put.... I like this, and couldn't agree more 
And Riggy, that was a fantastic explanation, I couldn't have put it any better, thanks for posting that, I only hope players can actually find this thread to read that...
One small clarification - By "nudging the plot" I am referring to player-led events, where it is the job of the player leading the event to steer or nudge it. In un-guided freestyle role play, nobody should be trying to manipulate the plot - they should just act as their character doing whatever he or she would do.
There was some mention of game mechanics being used to promote role play:
[quote[I honestly think we are moving into a period where the focus will be on mechanics and content. I think that we will find that things that can be done to the system to promote roleplay will happen,[/quote]
I really don't see this happening. The nice folks who developed the game don't seem to know what role play is .. nor do they really care - and thats fine. We all like different things.. Roleplay does not come from code - it comes from the creative minds of the players. If you want good role play, you need to have a population of decent players who ideally are on frequently and somewhat consistently. How do you promote role play with code and "content" ? Even if planeshift had wicked art and awesome stories, it would still suck. The power levelers would not bother to read the stories because it does not contribute to leveling, though they might notice the art work. Likewise, they will not stick around too long because the game is not that friendly to them. The role players would not stick around because the game is not conducive to good role play.
I'de like to know how code and content can promote role play.
Its nice to have a 3d world and avatars and such, but even that does not promote role play. Game play - yes, roleplay - no. The two are very different. Its a mistake to confuse them.
