We started this project in October of 2009 with one goal in mind: providing a fun environment for players who enjoy role-playing their characters.

One of the first things we thought of when we began this server is that a good RP server should not have much that is out-of-character (OOC). If role-players become annoyed when others do not stay in character (IC), why should the server be like that? So we have eliminated OOC content as much as possible from the PW. What we have done is included extra content that is IC and helps the players learn more about the setting and the server itself. For instance, NPCs are spread around that tell the players about the lore. We included IC hints that help let your character know what may be before him. Instead of map notes, we have signboards that give direction, or NPCs that will point out landmarks and locate shops. Once a player logs on the server, everything should be enhancing RP, and that's what we've really tried to do, not only with the IC content, but with other features.

One of the keys to a good role-playing server is providing the players with reasons for doing something other than killing monsters. This means that there has to be interaction available through the server in other forms. While DMs are one good way to achieve this, they can never be there at all times, so this task fell to the developers. What we have done is made much of the world so that your character can interact with it. The NPCs talk, things change from day to night, food can be foraged, and supplies found in the wild. We encourage players to examine everything around them as we like to include content that has a purpose.

The NPCs themselves are fairly intricate. They all have something to say, whether it's helping the players learn more about lore, giving quests, or just giving odd tidbits of information. The NPCs are also dynamic. They do not always speak the same way to one character as they would another, and different events can alter their conversations or provide new options as well.

Offering varied quests is a good means of not only providing RP opportunities for parties, but also a source of XP as opposed to grinding. We want players to feel that their characters have a goal when they set out adventuring. Why are they going to that dungeon? Now the answer can be something besides "training". Quests are actually a major part of the concept of this server. We will eventually include all kinds of them from the fetch quests, to much more expansive quests that can have multiple results depending on your actions.

Skills are another part that play a major role in this server. We did not want most of those skills to go to waste, so have found (and are finding more!) ways to implement them. When creating a character, one needs to be conscious that the skills are not unnecessary here, but can decide what a character can or cannot do. Powerbuilding for sheer ability to kills spawns is still doable, but the person who creates his characters with that mindset will find that he may be missing out on other content. Essentially, on this server, combat prowess does not equal one's ability to survive. Hunting, foraging, retrieving ammunition, and conversations are just a few of the ways skills come in handy. Stats are important as well.

Party play is also a focus here. While soloing is possible, especially since we know that it is not always possible to find other players, partying is definitely the best method of achieving success, whatever that may be. Monsters CRs are set based upon a party. The need to carry equipment also encourages parties, as not everyone can carry much. The usage of all the skills, monsters that require different methods to defeat them, and ambush systems all are in place to encourage more parties, and thus, more RP.

And finally, while Sea of Dragons allows characters to level up to 30, we are by no means trying to provide balanced content for the whole range of levels. This is a near impossibility for a group of hobbyist staff and we are not going to attempt it. Instead, content on the server is mainly set up for level ranges 5 - 15 and based upon parties. Because of this narrower focus, we will be able to create much more and better content for the majority of players.