Explaining EFU

[SkillFocuspwn]

I've explained it to quite a few friends and other people, almost entirely people who have no idea about games. I tend to describe it as an interactive story, where you act as the characters in it and make a fantasy novel together!

[Box]

I tried to get my previous woman into it, explaining the concept breifly and told her to read the forums to get a bit more info.

Her response "Wow, the people you play with are assholes, how is this fun?"

My quest after that became to explain the subtleties of internet trolling to her. It ended badly, and seven people died.

[Meldread]

It is the equivalent of improvisational acting over the internet.  To keep things from getting too crazy, there are simple rules governing what can and can't be done.  So it is like a large story in which you and others play a role, and see the world from your character's prospective.  It is the ultimate combination of imagination and escapism.

[TheBluePrince]

Rpgs as others stated are in essence a story. A story you take the place of a character in.
 
In a single player you are the center of the attention. In a mmo many people are the center of attention.
 
Example: In Kotor you are a jedi (for sake of argument.) The story focuses around your jedi. In a mmo many of you can be jedis and the story focuses on each of you.
 
In nwn player worlds. It is a world in which you are the center of attention in essence that you can affect your world, though not as much a center as SRPG, but more then a MMO.
 
In EFU, there are many players who can affect the world. You log in, and you can affect world. Where as many nwn pws you log in and everyone is already lvl 40 (it is a old game.)

[Coldburn]

The server is like a book, and there's hundreds of people writing. Anything that you want to do is possible, you can shape your own story while all the other writers interact with your character and fabricate their own.

[Semli]

I just tell people I do drugs in my free time. It's just more socially acceptable.

[Relinquish]

It's like eating pure cinnamon.

[Listen in Silence]

Me too, CE old chap. Me too.

[FleetingHeart]

I tried once to explain it....

The person was polite enough, but the -look- in their eyes said it all.

I'll just keep it secret.

[sylvyrdragon]

I've explained it to both adults and kids.  Most know me, so understand my love and passion for these kinds of games.  I have found the easiest way to explain these things is to tell them that it is a lot like a play, thou we have no scripts.

Each player takes on the role of a character, each character has a part to play in this world.  Each part effects the world in some manner, even if it is a simple conversation with another player.

Thou the 'races and classes' are limited, here you will find limitless personalities and persona's of those simple things.  It is the people that play EFU that makes the world so different, we have as many points of view and ideas in this small corner of the web as you can find in any major city in the World.

So kick back, find your groove, and watch the world around you change as you grow and learn from those around you.

[wcsherry]

I use youtube videos of LARP'ing, but then explain that on EFU we engage our fellow players through the medium of neverwinter nights instead. This goes over well enough.

[Equinox]

I tried to explain it to a friend once. But as all my friends are thugs (according to everyone here) I just gave up trying.

[Lulzebub]

"Efu is like a never ending story book. The DMs play as the narrators and story tellers. You the player are the character in the story. Other players will go and influence your story as it is being told by the narrators."

This is almost word for word how I describe it to others.

[Dagam]

I would start by telling them about the setting, like what is Sanctuary, about the factions and memorable characters, then if they are interested answer general questions like why was Sanctuary abandoned, why don't you escape etc. Problematic to this approach, EFU:A's setting didn't grab me as the original EFU did but then I only played 8 hours of EFU:A. I might mention the various character arcs like how it's interesting to see a level two guy with intentions of ruling a piece of the city go on to actually do it. Granted that person had privileged access to the server and it is not as easy as it would look like but it might be a good hook in some people. Oh I'd let them watch me play. A friend to this day associates this server as "that game where you have to walk around everywhere" and extrapolates from there to "LOL SHOOT A FIREBALL AT HIM oh wait that's not good roleplaying." But I digress.

[Staring Death]

I tell them I do nothing. I wonder how many of my friends think I just sit on the couch staring at the wall.