The Golden Age was probably earlier than that and wound down in around 2008. But, sit down and talk RPs were far more common and the Kada's and Harn's smithy were the hubs for that. The smithy more so for some reason. XD That's even why Harn complains about it in one quest. At the time, it kinda was like town hall as people would head to the grass of the smithy and sit and talk and hang out with friends. Now it's mostly crafters there.
Stuff like the RP with Ixala was way more common but people had to be more in the habit of doing conversation RPs to pull it off. (it also helps if the RPers are familiar with each other too.
) However, all three of us in that RP are oldbie players. Most of the time now, time is spent getting characters use to interacting or trying to help them develop their character. In that RP, Zandral was the least developed character and quite truthfully, it might be why she had the least to say.
One of the major components of those long conversation RPs that I think is overlooked is that it was character building time for non action characters, which were much more common. Most would do some action eventually, but not constant robberies, kidnappings, murders, etc... It was just as disruptive in game as it would be in real life to live in a city like that. However, the long conversations would often delve into where the character was from, family, reasons for being in Hydlaa, what they like to do, etc... and it gave the players time to let their character's unique personality shine while forcing them, in a way, to develop the character if they hadn't already done so. That is how all of my characters up till Mirodii were developed. Before her, they got a name, a starting location, and a profession maybe a hobby or two and a personality quirk. That's it. From then out they developed based on the interactions with the characters they encountered and the situations they found themselves in because of it.
Even now they still develop that way. At the time I first created Zandral, she was supposed to be a real cow and think she was better than everyone but the RPs she got involved in right from the start took her in another direction. Now, her circumstances have changed and she is that kind of character. It took awhile for her development to get to the point where I could pull of and justify her character being the way I wanted her to be, but now that she is there, no one questions it. It's natural enough to where everyone can accept meeting Zan as a real downturn in their day. Most people anyway....
But in the past, funny stuff like Ixala and Marq going at it was way more common. People must think the conversations that typically happen now were what people did in the past, but this now is a poor shadow of the parties and conversations of the past. That's why the oldbies left, it isn't good enough for them either.
But it can be a great deal of fun and that feeling of wondering what would happen next is what I mean by compelling storyline. You want to see how the characters react. That was OUR action. It had nothing to do with baddie RP a lot of the time, but it would have you on the edge of your seat just the same, even if you were dying laughing. This is the kind of stuff that I am struggling to bring back, but it will take a whole lot of character development and open character interaction to bring it back. I definitely think it is worth it, even action RPs need a few conversation RPs around to get word out, and those RPs make up the everyday stuff that lets the action shine as the extraordinary.
