Because the dart is linked to the rope, most GM's would probably rule that you can either retrieve it as a free action and throw no further than 15' or 20' or you can throw it further and not be able to get it back because you had to let go of the rope.
Accordingly returning is a waste of time for this weapon unless you intend to throw it far and only once a round.
Distance is an interesting idea. Some GM's might be open to the rope magically extending and others would say distance just lets you throw it further (e.g. it gains magical loft)... but again, you're letting go of the rope attached to it so you can't use a free action to pull it back.
Remember the description is a metal spike attached to a 12' rope. Normally enchants don't actually change the physical structure of the weapon, (e.g. a distance arrow doesn't sudden extend 200' it just travels further)... that said some GM's might be open to it for the rope dart for flavor.
I would point out that if the range of a rope dart is indeed limited to the range of its rope, then shouldn't Lunge increase its range? What about Enlarge Person? It's not melee. Since you don't let go of the rope, does the weapon still shrink when thrown via Enlarge Person? Does the rope need to be 12 feet? That's strange for a game that works in 5 foot increments - can I attach a longer rope? How important is the rope length? If I, say, enchant my rope dart to be a +1 Anchoring rope dart, which part(s) or the weapon become immobile? Is there a 20 (12) foot immovable rod hanging in the air between me and my target? Which squares does the 12 foot rope take up in the four squares between me and my target? Or does the head of the rope dart anchor and I can skip around my foe holding the end of the rope?
Seriously, how is this not a melee weapon?
I realize my post does not help anything, but I take hope because the scorpion whip was FAQ'd recently. Maybe they'll get to the rope dart eventually.
Cheers.
UC: Rope Dart (Exotic; Ranged; 1d4 x2 P; 20ft; Blocking, Distracting, Monk)
I didn't find any specification if it's 1h or 2h.
As far as game mechanics go, the rope shouldn't make any difference, you just apply the magic ranged effects and spells as you would to any other ranged weapon, by RAW.
As RAI, It does feel weird, to me at least, the idea of someone fighting with 200ft of rope droping at their feet, some could even say thats difficult terrain, but I supose that, in a imaginary magical world, it all depends on your imagination. Maybe the magic on the weapon makes it work like Kratos's Chaos Blades in God of War, where the ropes stay coiled on your arm and you can throw them at any distance, and after the attack they will promptly return as a free action.
Even though the returning property specifically says the weapon returns just before your next turn, I would see no problem in making it return as a free action, in order to make it possible to complete a ranged thrown full-attack, just like you would with any other weapon.
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For those interested, rope dart demonstration
While that is a very skilled performance of a rope dart wushu form, it doesn't actually demonstrate it's effectiveness as a weapon in a real fight.
It's distracting, and can be used to block, but I don't know how much damage the thrown spike would actually do to an opponent when thrown via those movements.
I'd like to see someone throwing the dart into a target (preferably a human analogue) and then withdrawing the dart via the rope and throwing again.