English

I'm going to call it the Arispotle Syndrome. It is a condition and an expression of a condition.

I agree with much of what Gilgameesh said, especially about the simple "cool factor" of the high end gear. The fun (for some of us) is simply in the owning of that gear and swanking about in it. For others of us, it's the process of tracking down the perfect combination of materials and tools to make the perfect 100% amps.

In my world, beating competition to get materials does not make the materials more valuable. Either the materials have inherent value or they do not. The "labor theory of value" is not a defensible theory in the long term. Getting the goodies in cooperation with others (to make it easier to beat up the vorax, for instance) makes sense to me, especially if everyone gets some materials.

There are many types of role-play. I have read the teachings of the Karavan and the Kami both. Neither of them says that you are to kill homins of the opposite faction willy-nilly. In fact both of them say that you should attempt to convert other homins to the "true way of worship". The true enemies of the Kami followers are the Karavan themselves, not the followers of Jena. The true enemies of the followers of Jena are the Kami, not the worshipers of Ma-Duk. (That's my interpretation: ymmv.)

There are many types of role-play, and many of them are compatible with the Arispotle Syndrome. Bittty is, as you all know, an aspirant to Ranger status. But I role play by posting my observations in public places, raising alarms and viewing the world of Atys. Other people role-play by writing interesting stories into the RP forums. Some roleplay by attending meetings of the governments. Some people play Kami/Kara/Mara for PvP, then harvest season change with their friends whom they were fighting the day before. Some people play fundamentalist Kami/Karavan/Marauder personae and won't treat with anyone who is of the "opposite" faction.

What I see as the advantage that the Arispotle Syndrome has over other (less tolerant) methods of role-play is that everyone has a chance to get the neat stuff -- thereby making the playing more fun (at least for me).

As for working with "the enemy" -- there is an old saying, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Machiavelli would probably have made that, "the enemy of my enemy is not my friend; but he may be useful."

Anyway, those are my thoughts. They are in opposition to yours, Exodus, since I am a product of the Arispotle Syndrome and no one has been able to convince me that doing my role-play another way would give me more pleasure.

In the end, the way to convince people to play the way you want to play is not to discuss things at length in the Forums (though that might be part of it), but to show them that it is *more fun* to play that way.

-- With Respect,
-- Mac'Od Bittty