This is a somewhat radical approach and does have to be emphasised to new players, but applause for Aristotle, that he makes the point that perhaps there are things you cannot say and questions you cannot ask in a virtual world. At first it is frustrating, as this is one of those MUDs where you need to introduce yourself to others, so, although there may be 70 players on line, as a newbie your chances of knowing any of them are slight. However, they are interested in you and conversation initiation is relatively fast, particularly if the characters are of the same guild or race. Just listening to them, which they don't seem to mind, lets you get a fair idea of the strength of community in Threshold. Roleplay is a fundamental aspect of Threshold and is of a high standard.
Players stay in role and there are plenty of plots and storylines going down.
There is inevitably some player killing, but this is in role. All the high level characters I met were relatively helpful. There is a way of getting your own personal helper, through going to the Tourist Office. This is a combat-based MUD with some focus on level. This seemed to give an atmosphere of a sense of purpose and players seemed well rounded.