[quote=Rare]
So, what would like to see in a NRP that could cause you to join?
[/quote]

I'm sure this question wasn't directed at me, but... :hehe

[b]#1:[/b] Diplomacy needs to have actual numerical value. As it stands, betraying your friends holds virtually zero consequences beyond how others might perceive you. Some economic penalties or something would be nice. As a bonus, nation traits could tweak this value, so warlike populaces hate alliances, emotionless races feel nothing, etc.

[b]#2:[/b] Run away from the Civilization model of shit and add morale in battles. In fact, give battles some tactical details. Considering a huge part of [url=http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070620055135/starwars/images/f/fe/EawPromoArt.jpg]EMPIREEEEEE[/url] is [i]warfare[/i], it's nonsensical to leave it to dice rolls or, worse still, [i]arbitrary GM decision[/i]. As it currently stands, if you're a warlike race, the chances of your success in conquest is entirely randumb or if the GM thinks you should win. Either result is... Unsatisfactory. (With the GM option either you'll always win, always lose, or never gain any real progress in wars due to the GM trying to equalize the battlefields. None of these are satisfactory.)

[b]#3:[/b] If you don't do so already, [i]give a defined map [u]with defined borders[/u][/i]. Nothing screams "pointless" like a galaxy in which you are a blind mole rat.

[b]#4:[/b] NPC factions. Don't need to be literal factions, but ones which the GM can use to balance shit out, like mercenaries, or something similar to this. That way if a warlike faction starts steamrolling everyone, an alliance in combination with the merc faction can beat them back rather than result in a one sided molestation.

[b]#5:[/b] This is probably the most important one, more important than the above four.

[b]Give me a fucking reason to interact with other people[/b]. And not something weak, like "oh you always have a resource deficit of X" (which makes no sense in the context of space empires, but eh,) but an actual reason to want to send diplomats, make treaties, spy on and infiltrate others governments, even to wage war. Because most of the time, there is utterly no incentive to do so, and if you're talking about nations, they operate very differently from individuals: [b]Nations need reasons[/b] to do shit. Why go to war with your neighbour if it would only cost you a pointless number of lives and ships? See what I mean here?

Beyond that, eh, it's icing on the cake, but I've yet to see an NRP pull all of these off to a satisfactory degree as to catch my attention.