Arelith, TSM, and Ravenloft are all superb. I can't speak to any of the rest with any authority.
Arelith is the sort of server that you'll enjoy if the concept of running factions, towns, owning your own business, home and guildhouse (oh and your very own npc-crewed boat too now!) all while engaging in political rp and pvp with the playerbase appeals to you Yes there are dungeons and monsters and loot galore, including the Abyss and Baator, the Underdark and the Shadow Plane but a good chunk of people spend little time doing those things because there's so much to do otherwise. You can (and I have) leveled from 3-10 in just two weeks from rp xp alone.The DMs have a very hands-off approach and as such most plots and stories are nearly entirely player-created. I admit, Arelith's system isn't for everyone, and the community can be very intense about their rp and the standards there, which is why I need to take a break every few months. It's also one of the few rp servers that doesn't require ANY haks to play but has literally hundreds of custom crafting options. Want to make a bastard sword from scratch and personalize it with a unique description? Sure. How about painting a portrait that will be seen for years to come. Or have your PC immortalized in statue form by other players? One of mine was, and I'm proud to say it's still there. Check out their forums. Arelith, nominally an FR server, deviates a lot from FR canon, so if that's not your thing then be forewarned. There's still a lot of people who bring as much FR canon into it as possible in their own rp however.
http://arelith.com/Tales of the Silver Marches I admit I didn't play as long as Arelith but I really enjoyed the few months I spent as a regular there. TSMDude/Junkie and others put a lot of work into it, and it shows. It's very canonical, which is important for FR servers for me, but there's a lot of helpful advice and hints along the way.
A few months ago there was a server-shattering event there that, while very innovative and exciting at first had an adverse effect in the longterm. Silverymoon got pulverized by raging dragons, and this coupled with technical difficulties led to a decline in the playerbase. I can't speak for the current playerbase, but I am glad to see that some folks are breathing life back into what can be a very vibrant and exciting place to be.
www.talesofthesilvermarches.comRavenloft is a grand place to be if you're of a mind for supernatural horror with player-driven storylines assisted by DMs. It's one I tend to visit every so often, so I can't speak in-depth but I've nothing bad to say about it either.
www.nwnravenloft.com/In the recent past a new server has sprung up, Shadows of Tilverton. After checking it out for a few hours, I am impressed by the scripting, hak implementation, and the way that they've managed to breathe new life into the NWN engine. The staff I've interacted with has been helpful and friendly, and the playerbase seems to be a good amalgam as well. It might seem daunting because even though it's a new server many of the regulars know each other from CDL and Cormanthor, but it's still a good atmosphere.
shadowsoftilverton.com/viewforum.phpPS: SoT has radically changed a lot of aspects of 3.X NWN. For one thing, alignment matters a lot less, and classes are up for grabs. Want to play a halfling 'dwarven defender' with an NG alignment? You can, but it must be supported by roleplay. Now, SoT seems to put a lot of faith in the type of people who check out their server which can be either naive or hopeful. I'll call myself cautiously optimistic and say that I like it.It's still FR 3.X canon, and it's still an rp-driven server but it's also still in 'beta' mode. I think it's got a bright future.
Modifié par Metaldwarf, 20 janvier 2012 - 11:37 .
