Dumb question: Just what is a RPI?

[Pheralan]

[Falconer]

Forever's End MUD - though I believe it is now extinct - was an RPI run by the talented Duke and based on the Harshlands' codebase.

[Falco]

The RPI MUDs I've run across are as follows:

Armageddon
Harshlands
Forever's End (FEM, based off of Harshlands' code)
Forever Ends (FE2, based off of Harshlands' via FEM of course)
Chronicles of Ritnarium (based off of Harshlands' via FEM)
Shadows of Isildur (based off of Harshlands' code)
Southlands
Northlands (never tried it but was told it existed)
Syrian Sands

Now, one thing that I think confuses people is the use of the word "intensive". Too many people think of that adjective as applying to the word "role-play" rather than the word "MUD". It's not "Intensive Role-Play MUD", it's "Role-Play Intensive MUD". That is, the word "intensive" means that the MUD is strengthened or emphasized by role-play. To this end, the code and features are designed around role-play of the character in the game world, not vice versa (such as justifying why players don't die due to lack of perma-death or why PCs level). It's confusing the way in which the word "intensive" applies that often leads people down the wrong path in understanding what RPI stands for.

That and every MUD owner who, throwing together stock code and making rule #1 "Thou shall role-play", refers to their MUD as "RPI".

Later,

Falco

[False Jesii]

While the differences do rise up in their feature sets, it's really just a different philosophy. Very much analog to the gamist/narrativist/simulationist split talked about with tabletop RPGs.

RPI MUDs intend to create a 'realistic' world with role-playing driven more by circumstance and how your character would react to given situations. For certain genres it is amazingly appropriate and lives up to its name. I believe the term does a good job from seperating such diku based MUDs from others sharing the same codebase but with more gamist intent.