[Geezer]

I understand your points. I think where we differ is in the experience that we want to get from playing an RPG. I'll admit I am more of an adventure game enthusiast which is why I value the story aspect very highly. I am not typically playing an RPG for the thrill of battle and victory although that is part of it. What I like about RPGs over adventure games is there is often more interaction with NPCs than a lot of adventure games have. To me dialog and story should be (but are not always) interrelated.

What I don't like in an RPG is where the dialogue is simply a tool to set up a bunch of meaningless and non-related quests. A good story will start out with what may appear to be unrelated quests and then bring them together or have them be part of the same whole to begin with. To have an RPG force me to trapse all over the game world simply to force me to take on new species of foes and to lengthen the game is the biggest cop out that a designer can make. In fact it really pisses me off when RPGs are artificially lengthened by senseless battles and meaningless quests that are there to do nothing more than to increase your stats.

On the other hand if I know that I am furthering an interesting plot I will be willing to take on whatever foe gets in my way or spend an hour traveling through repetitive dungeons.

Bottom line. I understand and respect what you are saying about game play. We just have a slightly different emphasis on what experience we enjoy more.