For the preservation and advancement of the evolved players who can refuse the spotlight and take secondary roles I have a proposal. For them to be able to achieve specialized advancement and access in skills unobtainable by the hack-n-slasher due to the role they can fill to better the game itself. Why not allow their art in the game world be rewarded..though some are old skool and would never ask because it's not their way. These players fascinate me more than alot of devs/producers I notice..

Their interaction can advance the worlds in ways that the programmers cannot yet they can volunteer to be directed with the code, magnifying the experience to other players. Why not? For those who want to experience and influence a world like that to be ignored ,is just sad..when they are merely encouraged instead to click a button for a psuedo skill that merely adds to the pile of repetitive garbage which is the opposite of their potential..

I think I get where you are coming from.

I just got into a game from this site's list called Wurm. I am on it's free server building the biggest player construct in the game's history... or at least on the free server. We got about 10 hardcore players on it and work daily, soon the project might even make the game's front page. Not many games allow this kind of freedom and artistic use of construction, but there is room for some kind of project like this in any sandbox... and had a few people not had the incentive to start, and talk others into joining, it would never happen. These people are [always] old-skool gangsta gamers.

Awesome. I think builders are great for a game. In character building can be very indepth adding to the world's history and showing a product of actions over time..especially if it's being built for the purpose of other players to experience and enjoy. I am assuming that it is a selfless act performed by the player character, at least to some extent and I respect that. Ya might get some recognition for it but that might be about it.

 As an example of a player character fulfilling a secondary role to better the world I would have to ask, wouldn't that be a better way of obtaining a skill (locksmithing, bashing, climbing) or access to in game items (lock picks, tools of the trade, sewer/roof access).

To take it a little further, if a game master who wanted some help to run an event, wouldn't these types of players be a powerful tool to use to fulfil a secondary role for the purpose of fleshing out a story better than the AI could alone. If a GM could privately contact these people who were on a list as possible event volunteers and truly make something great.

Say for example your characters were building something for the community, but there were monsters stopping this progress (all of this could be set up privately on a volunteer mailing list in advance) Wouldn't it be fun to RP with the hack-n-slashers in the game as a role of secondary character to talk them into going in and deal with these progress monsters so that ya guys could keep building.  What's to keep one of ya from playing the monster and trying to give reasons to hold progress..by doing what ya want to do artwise and fulfilling secondary roles I think it would open a whole new world of possibilities. I think a dev who would rather spend millions on coders and animators to try and get the same effect should consider this.. 

Yup, you are definitely getting it, but normal player won't be GMs themselves as much as they would handle things whan any aren't on. This does happen often enough in this game. The main idea of the project was to make an awe-inspiring area for noobs to see what can be done, but we have moved a little further in making a dynamic route to the startertown through a mountain. Will take weeks to make, and then months to reinforce so it doesn't cave in, but once we reach the other side there will be a quick-route to our town where be plan to build collosi - giant statues that we hope could get isolationist players on the server to come and help with. It's like a group project that when established enough, will become a pubilc one.

I see players who are capable of assuming secondary roles (those who can stand outside of the spotlight) as the ultimate tools of the GM. Meaning they can be directed as would characters (especially background characters) in a play to a far greater extent and efficency than a hack-n-slasher, whom I'd just assume  would always want to take the center stage. 

I see an endless possibilites of these secondary roles. Builders are a good example btw, being 10 strong, especially in compatible time zones, sounds like it has alot of potential. I think if more roles that were suited to what a GM could work with and direct were to replace the mindless repetitive tasks and quests that produced nothing other than maybe a little player satifaction and character exp (the ones that make ya think ya are working for the townsfolk but ya are really not)..it would benifit everyone involved in the game world.

I'm not saying that your building is mindless and repetitive cause I think it's great..

I'm talking about other games.. kicking 10 branches outta a tree for a year and nothing being built ;)

Oh, I misunderstood your base concept of "exemplary players becoming trustees and lore-devices". I have worked with that idea before, but it all comes down to a coded mechanical structure that allows a council to be formed and assign duties to players. In the best-case scenario it would be a council of developers and GMs, but I even work with a couple plots that call for purely player-driven. The rules of heirarchy and ascension have to be set in place first before players can do anything with it.

I have agrued this idea with many others that say "players should make their own content and police themselves", when the fact of the matter is  - they don't. You even said it yourself, a select few gamers will take charge and organize, and they always tend to have prior experience with it. To make it [work] in a broad spectrum, the ruleset must be laid to defined mechanics, with incentives to succeed in politics that actually deal with things in-game.

The thing is that there is only so much room for people to 'put their name'.    So I feel that the most important mechanic to discuss would be how you are going to avoid running out of room.

No in the case of lore especially if it's automatically generated.   When people get to 'put their name' on it you'll see stuff like "the great army lead by suxbag9000 lead the great army of the pantyhose imperium to conquer the great goon empire".

________

If people placing their name on the world was my only concern I would take a queue from the amber series.   Having quite a few smaller worlds where people can declare their home and affect a few aspects of it like encouraging NPCs to build here or there, teach NPCs about X(make their culture become magical, scientific, past, present).    And then make it so people can somewhat freely move between the worlds, but can always move home with minimal/no effort.

I would also toss in other mechanics to give benefits to people who move between worlds.

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Linkrealms would be something to look at, while I haven't played it.   It does sound close to the above.

The emphasis is about players who have evolved to the point that they can enjoy playing these roles and volunteering for GM helpers without needing the fame, fortune, glory and recognition that the average hack n slasher would want for it..but giving them some reward and room for expansion. Much like GTwander says like a counsel or a even guild of sorts. A group of players that are able to aid the developers and GM..not power mongers out to glorify their own name, though they have their place, I feel those who are humble about their involvement are the most noble and powerful game pieces in such a system.

I have a system for moving between worlds:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=228442601&blogId=479864964