For me (you knew I had to chime in, dint you Deirdre?) it's not the quantity of the role play, it's the quality. I -like- the drama, I -want- the problems, and I -thrive- on the need to make my character's life as troubled as possible.
But, I enjoy the flip-side of that as well. I also like being the antagonist. My problem is that I can't (and won't) play a god character, or a character that falls outside the D&D 3e system, so that necessarily limits some of my potential story lines. Not that I won't interact with those characters, but I try and limit that interaction to conversations and a couple of drinks. But to each their own.
Which is sort of the point I was trying to get to. If you're not happy with the way your role play or your character is turning out, you're the only one that can fix it. Invent some complications in your character's life...and then role play out the consequences. But the key here is, don't make them A) so trivial that they can fixed by a minor invocation of magic, and B) so unreal that they're laughable. I mean let's be real, if your largest problem is that you have a splinter in your big toe - go see a cleric. On the other hand, if the gods themselves are hurling lightning bolts in your direction, don't be surprised when people start avoiding you. -I- don't particularly need any divine retribution, thanks, drive through.
I guess the point to my rambling diatribe is that if you don't like the role play you're involved in, give some serious thought to why. And remember - at it's very core, role play is about entertaining -yourself- not depending on other people to entertain you.
One thing I like to do (and something I encourage my players in table top games to do) is come up with a background for your characters, and then go beyond that to develop an actual personality matrix for them (Jea has another word for this and I disremember it at the moment). Even if it's nothing more than jotting down a note about their prejudices and preconceptions, and -why- they have them. And the why is really the important part. Writing down..."Mortonia is deathly afraid of her older brother" - meh. Who cares. I mean yes, it's enough to get by on, but it's not all that interesting. However, when you know that her older brother used to beat her up regularly and do various other nasty things to her that their father did nothing to prevent you begin to understand why she's so afraid of him, and as a sideline, why she has very little trust for men, and fell in love with a woman. So now, from understanding the why, we've discovered several other important facts that affect the way Toni acts.
In the end, how much you like your role play, and your characters, is entirely in your hands. I have had characters that I couldn't stand, and I quit playing them after two or three attempts. I have had other characters that I play constantly and cannot get enough of. Invariably, the former are ones I didn't put enough thought into, and the latter are the ones that were so well documented all they really needed was a birth certificate and they could have gotten a job.
Anyway, enough ranting - happy gaming!
