In this post we have begin to speak about the place of role play in a MMORPG and the way to support it.
http://www.gamesas.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=392&start=20

I have opened a specific thread to speak about RP.
I have also quoted the 3 post about RP in this section.

An other way to favorise the role play is to have some server, and one of them especialy used for the role play, having Game Master who will organise event on the server can help too.

For the job mentionned in some previous post, I think it's better if it's possible to steal the job to an other player for more interaction.

Since I have no MMO XP beside Fonline and webcomic, i may be speaking total nonsense, but

I think that before starting to implemant a job, or a role, you have to create the need for the player for this job to have a meaning.
There is no need for farmer if the players don't need to eat,
There is no need for bunty hunters/sherif if there is no law,
no need for traders if there is no real market AND unlimited free to access ressources,
no need for soldiers if there is no country,
and no real ennemy if the faction in front of you is a mere copy past of yours but with different graphic.

Game masters in the sense of PnP Game Master are a bad solution, they can't by themself make a world alive, and even if they are good, they will force their vision of the world to others, which is a mistake in a MMO with hundreds of individualities.

Server dedicated to rp are just a way for developper to get rid/ please a range of their consumer base. but i see no chance for them to really succeed without help.

I would be more in favor of a world whose game mechanic allow to the players to be part of the world, instead of "role-playing" it. (Speaking in old english ain't rp to me, it's bad poetry.)
I will try to explain with an exemple:
Let's say a player, Bombadile69 throught a quest or something, become a drug baron. He then gain control over 2,3 dealers NPC, who sells drugs for him in the city(given that drug are useful to player and not found on local general store). Of course, that's only for a limited amount of time, one or two week, then his title is on the market again
This player has now an interest that this three NPC stays alive, and that the npc of the others drug baron dies. Or he can ally themself with others barons, and instore a monopole (well a cartel in fact).
(and he don't need to speak like a dealer of brooklyn or where ever)

Personnaly I think in actual MMO, nothing matters. There are more single player game played online than anything else. Well, beside the fact that you are forced to play with Kevin, 13 years and that you pay monthly.
To create a real feeling of role-play, you first would have to emulate a "social contract" within the nation of players. Make the player belonging to an organisation (brotherhood or NCR), and not to his "guild".
One way to do that could be to localise the players in one place specificaly, give him the choice of joining a faction, putting him throught a quest where he must not transgress the value of the faction (no selling slaves if it's the NCR, letting a servant going away if it's Vault city...) so that all players of a faction share more or less the same game culture.
Then you must ensure that the players within a faction socialise with each other, with those quest that you need to be a definit number to complete, the leaders could gain some ranks, etc, etc
Then you would have a faction with soldiers and not just one color above you name.

Well,I could go on forever like this. And don't make me started on the economic. The guys who thought the concept of economic in actual MMO truly don't know anything about the law of the market. + i mean, you kill monsters and you get gold? That's fantasy. Hope we won't see that in an gamesas MMO...

Well, my two cent, anyway.

Once again let me state that concealing Class and Level is paramount to immersion. Doing so opens the door to role playing. - Only cowards hide behind monikers.

Karma chooses factions and speech options.

Depending on how you play, you get different results.

RP in eRPG has been done before. I think we should be favoured that V13 and Fallout IP are owned by companies that do believe in the idea of RP. RP isn't as hard to implement as lead to believe. The real problem is psychology. Most developers back and now subscribe to the D&D model of RPing. Which if you play isn't much of an RP game. The model used places RP as more of a kill stat ability with maybe some adventure skills(D&D). Talking, Gambling, Electronics... are not adventure skills, but abstracted skills for an adventure game.

Real RP comes requires 2 elements. An avatar that represents the player. This avater should have some growth based on the players play style. The other is choice and consequence. Let's make a scenario in the Wasteland.

A new vault dweller is searching for some piece of electronics. Being percieved as naive the local crimals ask the vault dweller to kill the sheriff. If the dweller attacks the sheriff now is an enemy. If the players tells the sheriff then he makes the criminals an enemy. If the player refuses the offer then he just walks and nothing happens. If we look at the 2 distinct outcomes kill/inform this can have a great impact on the future of the player. In an long running online game, MMO this creates a no change problem in static quests.
1. Kill the sheriff. Player goes back for reward. Is informed that the sheriff is not dead, but at least out of action. Sheriff puts out a warrant on the player to bring in/kos and jail if in the area. The player will not be able to enter the town.
2. Inform the sheriff. player recieves less of a reward. The gang can't attack the player anywhere but in only certain conditions.

How is this RP and how does this impact the game for the player. Well as I always say RP is not just what you are rewarded with, but how it affects those around you.

In the future that town will be off limits quest wise because of the warrant. You can try to sneak in, but if your caught you will lose some time in jail(if a jail system was in place over a death). If you are with a traveling party who can go it. You still can't. If you can and the rest of the part can't. Then they may ask you to get supplies for you. That choice that was really simple and only affected a faction now is causing RP elements to cascade further play.

Because of his faction leanings based on choices he will be offered different quests.

You can't force rp. You can't expect people to write a bio. You can however let them continue playing with consequences.

Hide class and level. - Only cowards hide behind monikers.