Playing out my role in Midkemia Online.

As a long time player of role playing games, be they table top pen and paper, live action, offline console RP games and mmos I have always been a big fan of personal roleplay. In my experience, with graphical games at least I have often felt limited on what I could or could not do. There are no barriers in MKO; none at all save for that which goes against canon. You wanna play a badass thief and actually go out there and rob the fellow players of all their worldly possessions? Go for it, there’s nothing stopping you. Although unlike most graphical MMO's there will be consequences. If you play a thief in Midkemia Online you can expect to be reviled by those you have stolen from and will likely be chased down whenever you decide to go near any of the organizations that have members you have stolen from but for the thief character that is half the fun.

Personally I have never role played someone inherently evil, I don't enjoy it one bit. But don't get me wrong, I do love it when a thief makes me his victim... or at least tries to. There are always ways to prevent theft and if done properly you will be relatively safe though there is nothing more fun than chasing down said thief for an epic battle of good vs. evil.

My character, as you may know from my previous entries is a member of an elite military organization, and as a result his roleplay leads him to encounter many characters from different walks of life. Be it aiding the Eledhel who are allies of a sort against some of dark brotherhood, breaking up a fight between drunken dwarves or protecting the citizens of our city from a raiding party. With Midkemia Online you are never far from roleplay, every action you take in the game is considered in character and as such whether you are killing ghosts in the Hadati Crypts or hunting the Moredhel in the mines of Caldara. You should always be mindful of the loyalties of the denizens you choose to kill.

Would an honorable soldier of the kingdom butcher the farmers who work the lands outside the city? Of course they wouldn't. But the possibility exists. As a player in MKO all the choices are down to you, how you roleplay your character will affect how every other person in the game will see your character.

In game, though every action is essentially roleplay. Some would say that the only roleplay that makes a difference is the roleplay that is seen and participated in with other characters. Some would argue that while out bashing, or hunting as it is known in character that this is not considered roleplay and as such some people who would roleplay a good Knight or caring priest will sometimes kill or hunt things that are essentially just civilian non player characters who may even be affiliated with the same organizations from a canon point of view, just for the quick experience. It is here that a balance should be struck for who knows what could happen to your character should an ally stumble across you hacking and slashing your way through a neighboring village. As all factions are player run, you could find yourself in very deep water.

It is this unrestrained environment that keeps me coming back to Midkemia Online and allows me to enjoy my RP Gaming more than ever before.