Roleplay Room Discussion Thread

[Click This]

Really, this thread is more about discussion now, so it might as well be changed to that.

Edited February 5, 2012 by Lute

[Falzar]

I've honestly been working on a little something-something. If you'd like, I can send you a rough draft, and we could work on it to create an epic, or I find out it's crap and hide in a cave or something.

[Ellibereth]

freestyle

[Click This]

I already know all your opinions.

 

I'm trying to get the thoughts of all the non-oldies.

 

@ Falzar: Sure.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Lute

[Plasma]

I've only RP'd once before and it wasn't on Sals, so I'm not very experienced. For genre I voted for fantasy and slice of life, and for what makes me want to join, I voted for story and community.

[delred]

We need a roleplay that is easy for new people to join and that has a story that is really captivating.

 

My favorite genre is Fantasy but I join any of them.

[Click This]

Incidentally, the best idea becomes the worst idea.

Many older people prefer not to roleplay with newer members. I've found that there's no other resolution short of a divide; old members reel in most of the activity on here, or at least used to.

 

What we need is a story that is really captivating, is easy for new members to join, and has an incentive for old and old(er) members to join. Not just the 2006 crew. (Elli :( )

[Silavor]

What we need is a story that is really captivating, is easy for new members to join, and has an incentive for old and old(er) members to join. Not just the 2006 crew. (Elli :( )

We tried that summer of 09. It was called Don't Fall Off! and it was probably the most epic thing that's ever been made.

 

Then it collapsed under the weight of its own epicness and died within 10 pages.

[Rune_Warrior]

How about an RP that has everything like 'You play as a dragon [Fantasy] and you go to military school [Military/War]. Then you have to go on a big adventure [Adventure] where you have to survive [survive] on a desert island by trading with the locals [Merchanting/Barter] who happen to be female dragon lovers [Romance].'

Edited September 2, 2011 by Rune_Warrior

[Click This]

DFO wasn't captivating in my eyes.

 

@Rune: When I put in all the options, it's not 'choose all'. Seriously. That's not a very good story. <_<

Edited September 2, 2011 by Lute

[Leo]

I think the RP room really needs RP's that allows players to do their own thing and expand the storyline while following the main plot at the same time. The lack of activity is probably why Habok is extremely slow nowadays.

[Ubermorph]

I'd rather not have something with an epic overarching plot around which everything must be based, and with a million little nooks and crannies to memorize just so you won't screw up walking into a forest.

 

Small and simple is fine for me, personally. Or at least, letting people do their own little mini-plots with little significance to the overall story. Not every shiny gem has to be a mystical orb needed to power the Atlas Cardinal, after all :\ Sometimes a shiny gem just needs to be a shiny gem (that can then be sold for a large sum in order to purchase equipment to go and retrieve the mystical orb needed to power the Atlas Cardinal). I know this is a lot to ask since RPs tend to get a bit hectic when everybody is doing their own shizzle, but it's really fun up until the point that other mini-plots start trying to tie into yours.

EDIT: And maybe letting the characters be realistic. Being a dude who is easily sidetracked and has temper issues is much more fun than a gruff military dude with a passion for poetry instead of ftfo'ing when some ticks him off.

Edited September 2, 2011 by Ubermorph

[Falzar]

What we need is a story that is really captivating, is easy for new members to join, and has an incentive for old and old(er) members to join. Not just the 2006 crew. (Elli :( )

We tried that summer of 09. It was called Don't Fall Off! and it was probably the most epic thing that's ever been made.

 

Then it collapsed under the weight of its own epicness and died within 10 pages.

The problem with that was that it was stickied, and it required a three-paragraph in character essay to get in. No newbie wants to write that much, and all the oldies ignored the stickies, instead looking for their own RP.

I say a better way to get to the new guy crowds is to use something familiar to be inspired by, like Pokemon or Naruto (as much as I hate to say it)

[Snowskeeper]

Look at Experiment.

 

This is what I like. An RP that isn't completely controlled by the DM, where everyone can input their own touches on the world and where everyone has a huge impact on the story, regardless of how experienced an RPer they are.

 

Unfortunately, I get the idea that roleplays like that daunt newcomers quite a bit.

[Rune_Warrior]

Look at Experiment.

 

This is what I like. An RP that isn't completely controlled by the DM, where everyone can input their own touches on the world and where everyone has a huge impact on the story, regardless of how experienced an RPer they are.

 

Unfortunately, I get the idea that roleplays like that daunt newcomers quite a bit.

 

I agree. Experiment was a great RP because no one was restricted completely from using their fullest imagination. We need more of those.

[Aliath]

Look at Experiment.

 

This is what I like. An RP that isn't completely controlled by the DM, where everyone can input their own touches on the world and where everyone has a huge impact on the story, regardless of how experienced an RPer they are.

 

Unfortunately, I get the idea that roleplays like that daunt newcomers quite a bit.

 

I agree. Experiment IS a great RP because no one was restricted completely from using their fullest imagination. We need more of those.

 

Fixed.

[Click This]

What we need is a story that is really captivating, is easy for new members to join, and has an incentive for old and old(er) members to join. Not just the 2006 crew. (Elli :( )

We tried that summer of 09. It was called Don't Fall Off! and it was probably the most epic thing that's ever been made.

 

Then it collapsed under the weight of its own epicness and died within 10 pages.

The problem with that was that it was stickied, and it required a three-paragraph in character essay to get in. No newbie wants to write that much, and all the oldies ignored the stickies, instead looking for their own RP.

I say a better way to get to the new guy crowds is to use something familiar to be inspired by, like Pokemon or Naruto (as much as I hate to say it)

 

Actually all the oldies got together and made DFO. They were the only ones active really.

I was the only one that didn't participate in it.

[Ellibereth]

freestyle

 

I agree.

[_life]

DFO was, quite frankly, an arrogant attempt at being the 'template' RP (I can't remember the tagline it used). It was overly ambitious. Now I'm not hating on the members who contributed to the project - but I'm criticizing the idea of such a RP.

 

The one thing I commend DFO for is the collaboration that went on behind the scenes. The past few pages of the RP Room are littered, really, with RP's which one person's created but then abandoned due to a lack of responses and/or loss of interest. If you want some activity - get together with some other members and start working on a RP. Straight off the bat, you have several active participants which can help create an attraction for others. Pursue interest instead of waiting for it with your own self-created RP.

 

Part of Experiment's success, honestly, can be attributed to Aliath's activity within the two Chatroll rooms where several of us RPers chat in. From there, he got our interest and we put our hands up for enrollment. Aliath had an audience that he could advertise to straight away. Half of the people who create RP's now don't have that opportunity or aren't utilizing it, and so it's much harder to get that interest going. The same applies for DFO.

 

I believe Aliath also contacted several RPers via PM's asking whether they'd be interested. I've seen John Adams do the same thing, too.

 

It's not entirely about the type of RP you've got going - but how you're feeding it to the general public and how you're taking initiative to gauge and create a response.

[Luna]

The main problem could be activity, and not the lack of it.

[Snowskeeper]

The main problem could be activity, and not the lack of it.

Elaborate, please? 'Cause... I'm pretty sure it's the lack of it. :(; But I'll listen...

[Luna]

I'm referring to the initial activity in the beginning stages of a role-play, but since I haven't been here for a while, I suppose there's no room for me to talk.

[Click This]

I'm referring to the initial activity in the beginning stages of a role-play, but since I haven't been here for a while, I suppose there's no room for me to talk.

 

That's true as well.

No matter how much work you do behind the scenes, recruit as much people behind the scenes and work with them, activity is gone before you know it.

[Snowskeeper]

Not really; often when recruitment goes on behind the scenes it's fairly stable.

 

Often, though, people get bored with static settings and objectives and slowly procrastinate their way into inactivity.

[Erebus]

DFO was, quite frankly, an arrogant attempt at being the 'template' RP (I can't remember the tagline it used). It was overly ambitious. Now I'm not hating on the members who contributed to the project - but I'm criticizing the idea of such a RP.

 

That part of DFO didn't even come around until it was posted really. The title "Model RP" was if I remember correctly added on by whatever mod stickied it. During the construction phase the idea was wholly centered around creating an epic world together. Even the movement to get it stickied stemmed more from our own joy of creating such a world together than it did from trying to be the "Model". Yes, the model title got added, but that wasn't the idea behind the creation of DFO.

 

 

 

In response to the main discussion, I think if people want to get an rp going and hold it together you're going to need a few things. A story worth writing into, player characters who are worthwhile and allow other people to interact with them (As much as I like the character type for my own works and despite all the times ive used it, the silent/quiet/gruff assassin really isn't suited for rping.) and an ability for a writer to add their own bit into the story (This also includes having writers take the initiative and start adding their own plots into the story, I know as a dm one of my frustrations was that people rarely if ever started adding their own elements to the story.) If you get those three elements there's a much better chance that people will stay active and that in the end is what makes or breaks an RP.