

In general however, roleplay servers share some similarities. I should first advise readers to treat “roleplay” as a descriptor for GMod servers as meaningful as “RPG” is for action games – that is to say, it only describes a superficial part of the experience.

Some six odd years ago, I started running my first DarkRP server out of sheer spite, and I’d like to put down some thoughts I have about roleplaying (and DarkRP), as well as what “designing” one entails. If it’s such a low-effort ordeal, why do people still flock to it and stick around? At the end of the day, these servers offer a social multiplayer experience that is hard to find elsewhere, and there are interesting elements of design that go into it. Roleplaying servers of all varieties take up the majority of active GMod servers, with some even claiming it’s what’s holding the game together.

And to that end, I find that assessment correct.īut it also isn’t that simple. Their pest-like prevalence choked out the diverse range of experiences in GMod and left a smoking ruin devoid of creativity. I am both.įor those who dislike DarkRP, the gamemode represents the worst part of the community: low effort, low skill server owners whose “””community””” is a front for money grabbing. Everybody either really enjoys DarkRP, or hate it with a burning passion.
