The roleplaying evolved over the years, but that doesn't mean there was no roleplaying back in the early years. It was just more lightweight, less serious, more humoristic or ridicule. It was stuff like giant wooden badgers and vikings in tutus riding humans instead of horses. It was light years away from the "Serious Medieval Atmosphere" kind of RP, especially as it was when Dwilight first opened. But that doesn't mean there wasn't RP. Nor does the additional hardcore strategy philosophy that was present undermine this.
To be fair, there was a lot more players, too. Maybe not when the game first opened, but it increased in membership relatively quickly. When realms easily had over a hundred nobles, it was easy to have some people be pure strategists while a bunch of lower-ranking nobles could easily write up a lot of roleplays. I certainly saw a lot more narrative roleplays back when I joined up than I do now. It was somewhat more distinct back then, people would act as per strategy and write as per roleplay, whereas now it is somewhat more combined, but it was there nonetheless.
Was a lot easier to RP before characters became nobility and the SMA straightjacket leaking out.
