Routine goals are the heart of roleplay. (Endgame focus)

[Olrane]

In my experience, good roleplay comes at the intersection of identity and drive.

What is that intersection? Goals and needs. The mundane, everyday requirements that a character has to meet in order to fulfill himself personally and professionally. When these make IC sense, roleplay flourishes.

Arguably, many characters and more importantly guilds have identity crises which need to be reconciled but which often are NOT reconciled because OOC desires or other considerations trump IC logic. Rangers often seem lost and dependent on others to create their driving conflicts. Thieves are fundamentally flawed because their driving conflicts are incredibly polarizing (theft is insignificant or extremely serious). Just about any craft related faction eventually crumbles when the drive to earn goes away because currency lacks value.

The factions that work on the other hand are the ones with very real everyday drives; they have attainable, measurable goals, and the achievement of them has real value to the faction. Clergies and the Crusade are the best examples. Ironically, the Druids (shoutout to Shalun) were one of the very best guilds in this regard, but they died out due to being IC alien, bug-ridden, and OOCly unfun (little combat interaction).

If anything is going to be done to improve the MUD, it should be to examine the core of roleplay and adjust in a way that will enhance the ability of people to play in whatever faction on a routine basis. A character/faction with routine goals that can be striven for in every single play session has the believable identity and drive that is at the heart of roleplay.

TL;DR: If your character isn't ever asking himself "What do I need to do today, and how am I going to do it?", then he is probably not believable.

[Orodreth]

This is extremely easy for clergies. "What am I going to do today? Oh, right, I'm going to please my god. Duh!"

I have thought about how other people/guilds would handle this, and I come to the same conclusion - there isn't one particular thing. Just do whatever! Chaotic neutral for life!

[per]

This is extremely easy for clergies. "What am I going to do today? Oh, right, I'm going to please my god. Duh!"

It ain't easy to please your god.

First, you gotta find ways to do that which contribute to the game!
But yes, clerics have plenty of routine goals in place, but that just makes it a wee bit harder to think of creative ways to please them and further roleplay.

Then there's also the faithful. And the heathens. And the minions, and the demons. And the foul karma of a thousand sins. And those pesky rules and vows. And the poverty. And the whining legion of supplicants. And the angry god that seems only occasionally to care about stuff, while the rest of the time he keeps just signing off on your requests like a good clerk, not paying much attention at all to what his best and most faithful followers are doing.

Alack, the troubles and woes of a cosmic attention span! Buzz my little flies!