I have probably played longer in the underdark than on the surface, so, evidently, I don't feel discouraged from playing there.
However, there are some offputting factors as an underdark player, or a hybrid player, to be more precise, most of which, if not all, have already been pointed out, but they nevertheless bear repeating in the name of getting the whole picture:
- the low population makes the place boring more often than the surface, not that the surface isn't also boring during American early mornings/European late mornings;
- the vastly inferior quality of the adventuring content relative to that of the surface can make it boring to take part in the main activity of Dungeons and Dragons games, that is, adventuring;
- so-called "drommon" makes me cringe whenever I see it, although I never pester people who use it, instead asking what the words I don't know, or don't remember, mean. Drommon is silly, illogical, confusing and increases the learning curve to roleplay, yes, but asking the meanings in a tell is quite easy to do and people will answer you. I do think the use of drommon should be discouraged by social pressure though - as opposed to OOC rules;
I think that's mostly it, from my perspective. I can see where the carebear argument comes from, and it's true that the environment created by our characters down in the underdark doesn't always reflect the brutal world of betrayal and intrigue that the drow live in - not that Sshamath is a typical drow city. However, the same thing happens on the surface, which is far more hospitable, tolerant and safe than the surface of Faerun from the rulebooks and novels, with the exception of a couple of groups like the Zhentarim and, I imagine, the Hellstorm crew (knowing Whistler, I doubt he'd tolerate such a thing as carebear atmosphere). Look at things on the bright side: at least there are no bake sales in the underdark (or in Darkhold).
Regarding the comments on excessive, perhaps ubiquitous, ERP, sexual fetishism, etc, I have no idea what that means. My personal experience, anecdotal as that may be, tells me that opportunities and propositions for ERP, both IC and OOC, both tactful and tasteless, are far more numerous on the surface than in the underdark. It's not even a fair comparison. At least I have never noticed anyone avoiding me and my characters in the underdark after I refused ERP, which very sadly I cannot say for the surface.
Also, while it doesn't bother me overmuch, the lack of a map in Rockrun may contribute to some people's frustrations. It's a very old school RPG thing being used in an age where people are used to being handheld by quest markers in AAA games, so I can see where the criticism is coming from.
And for all of you who can't make sense of the underdark's geography, here you have an outdated map that someone in this community made. The biggest difference is the absence of the Oghrann Ruins.
