I fully agree. Which is why Shadowbane was so disappointing to so many people. War economies and weekend sieges do not a great mmorpg make
I have played all manner of playstyles from a cowardly alchemist who never fought through to a rampant playerkiller and many others.
Even when I am playing a peaceful character whose main interests are crafting, adventuring and congregating in oldy worldy taverns, I find the world I play in has more vibrancy if there are player killers roaming the land. Yah you have to put up with some ofthe less pleasant aspects of that crowd ( u s0xx0r , pwned, griefing etc) But I always found that it added spice to my game.
What I seek most in an mmorpg is actually the virtual world aspect of it, and as such I seek as much realism in there as possible within the context of good game mechanics. Hence I prefer it if people are able to engage in the kind of power plays and political relationships that are born of the potential for violence and the fragility of law. ....Thats whyI liked the UO method. You could if you wished attack any player you liked....but there were consequences to that . If you became a murderer the world became more hostile to you and your characters life became much more difficult. The result was that ( particularly on the veteran shard) players began to police their own shards and communities.
With a few safe places to run to theres no need to disable our ability to be the worst kind of character