just another slob in Oblivion

[Poo Bear]

Impressed by this story of someone trying to play Sims3 'their own way' ...

http://www.moonpod.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=3965


I find another example for Elder Scrolls Oblivion - someone tries to play as an 'average joe', one of the npcs who is just trying to make a living, get a roof over his head and something to eat.

A few posts here explain what he is doing and the self imposed rules he must use to keep it 'real' - death is permanent, must eat, no taking quests, etc.
http://livinginoblivion.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/to-sum-it-up/

His first day in the world.
http://livinginoblivion.wordpress.com/2007/03/07/fresh-off-the-boat-anvil/

Fascinating stuff. It reminded me of playing Ultima Online right at the beginning. When death could come swiftly and the result was harsh and it wasn't about levels it was about buying a house keeping the peace with your neighbours.

Are there any mmorpgs still out there like that? player housing, player run communities, no levels, harsh death penalty, fair PvP ?

Where is the Sims of the single player rpg genre?

I think what makes these accounts special is the knowledge that they are not regurgitating a hackneyed pre-designed game plot, I mean even the good ones get a bit predictable. A young man awakes with no memory only to discover it's up to him to save the world from the ultimate evil...yadda yadda. But these player created stories appear to have the capacity (if not the reality) to tell something different and surprising, with the real risk that our hero might fail or even just get killed before achieving anything.