Geeze, I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with you Lib. I feel like MD has lost its community feel, people are so cellular, hididng in far flung corners in small groups. All of this stuff Mur is working on with the player list and such has be sort of nostalgic for the days when the player list actually looked like that. Last night I tried to get people to come to the GOE and just be together and it sort of worked, I felt a lot of people came out of "hiding". But I want more.
I think the mentality is now that things need to happen on the forum to be considered "real" in game. But look back a long time ago, it was the AL that made things "real" and I hate to think that the Forums are the AL of today. And YIM has replaced in game interaction, as well, I think. Pample, in game, has been trying to get people interested in some aspects of the Windmill at the Fields of Abandonment, but it is difficult to get people to be engaged in any kind of RP that isn't about fighting these days. Frankly, I am going to continue anyway, regardless of how excited people are, I find it entertaining to have a story plot and work within the confines of the game to make something happen. (If you are interested in knowing more, PM Pample, in game
One of the things that has kept me, and I suspect a lot of others, in MD is extactly that sense of mystery as well as the idea that we, a community, can shape that mystery. I don't really have a solution, maybe we should all just work more on establishing that community feel again, exploring and discussing ideas and engaging in fun role play withouth the expectation of spells, tags, special recognition or some kind of elevated status. And I would LOVE to see the AL return as a vehicle to galvanize a more community feel in MD.