Roleplay Success Poll [For Content Development]

[Sir Salty]

I know double post, but I needed to make something else clear;

Also you seem to have not all excuses are the same excuses.

There are Reasonable Excuses Versus Unreasonable Excuses

I'll give you an example

"I have ADHD and sometimes its hard for me to sit down and write a post in a reasonable time" <-------that's a reasonable excuse and I try to work with it

But, this happened to me at work one day that I think is unreasonable to ask of me

"Can you take over my shift, I am going to a birthday party" at 12 noon?

"I mean I guess"

"Thanks"

In RP context, I had this one member in one of my RPs who literally told me

"I didn't post because I was hanging with my friends"

"Can you post today?"

"No, I am going to hang out my friend so and so"

"These are people you see everyday?"

"I do have a social life!" <----snaps at me at this point

"Okay, but you haven't posted in 3 weeks, and I need you to get a post going. Because members are getting antsy"

"I RP for fun. I'll post when I went to"

"Then you can leave the RP"

To me that's an unreasonable excuse. This happened on another site long ago. But its one of the reasons why I get so on the case of posting speed.

Because I have dealt with people like that.

 

[Silent]

Skill and Dictation: I can't tell you how many RP's I've seen fail because not all players were on the same skill level. Players need to feel like they are on the same level. Too easy and they get bored. Too difficult, they get frustrated. There's also styles of writing sometimes just don't mix-- they clash. Often results in people dropping out of the RP. Just something that can't be fixed.

One or More Players Have Too Many Characters: This most often is the one biggest issues I've ran into. You have that 1-3 players that have just tons and tons of characters, all bidding for an integral part of the group plot. This becomes an issue when trying to get new blood into an RP or leaves players feeling like they have no place in the RP.

DM/GM's Fail To Offer Predefined Roles: When you're in a group Dynamic, every character has to have their role. Any character that doesn't have one, will get left out and drop. Don't allow one player to fill tons and tons of roles. For a few reasons: They're monopolizing the roles and if they drop the RP-- Well there just went half of your character roaster with them. Don't wait to start an RP until after all the roles are filled, START ANYWAY and improvise until new players can fill those rolls.

A Group within a Group: You might know this better as the Clique . You know, that group Roleplayers that only joined the RP because all of their little RP 'buddies' joined? This is most often the number one reason why I see group RP's fail. You have a few players that only joined an RP because all of the people they RP with joined. They often had zero interest in RP'ing with anyone else. So what happens? Players that aren't in that Clique bail. A player from the Clique bails-- Their friends follow suit. RP is now dead.

OOC Drama/Behavior: Drama, on any level is just daunting and frustrating. And there's nothing worse than the Drama coming from a GM/DM. Singularly the number one reason I stopped participating in Group RP's. It derails the In Character and demoralizes the players.

GM/DM's Playing Favorites or Failing To Enforce Their Own Rules: To the GM/DM's-- you can't play favorites, you have to enforce your own rules. They have to apply to everyone.

Over-The-Top-Character Sheets/Pretty Post That Require Two hours of Coding: I get it. Some players love 'pretty' post/Character Sheets. But for a lot of players, it's distracting. When you require these things, you already eliminated a huge group from being able to apply for your RP.

Plots/Arc That Take Too Long/Too Short To Play Out: This one is the most complicated. So many variables come into the time it takes the play out a story arc. Players that aren't posting on time, GM/DM's that aren't posting on time. Plots that are too complicated or too easy. The variables depend on the quality of the players and the quality of RP/Plot itself. Does the level of difficulty match the skills of your players? remember, if you're a Give-no-Fucks Skilled RP-- You don't want Advanced players as they would get bored and have a higher likelihood of dropping. Enforce the posting requirements.

Overall, there are somethings you just can't fix. It's a variable waiting game. It's getting the right players in the right group that an RP (of any kind) succeeds. If you start an RP, and Players drop. Don't look at it as it failed-- It just failed to find the right players. Keep searching.

Happy Rp'ing!!

 

[Sir Salty]

Over-The-Top-Character Sheets/Pretty Post That Require Two hours of Coding: I get it. Some players love 'pretty' post/Character Sheets. But for a lot of players, it's distracting. When you require these things, you already eliminated a huge group from being able to apply for your RP.

This is one of the reasons why I don't join some RPs. Because I'm like "I won't be able to do that". Iwaku can get frustrating on normal BBcode, then trying any of the fancy stuff. I'm like nah don't want to fight Iwaku.

But also I actually find those sheets "easy to organize" with the tabs, harder to read. I am a very old school player the Ctrl F feature is my friend. So it gets harder when something a certain sentence or line is neatly tied up in a tab and I cannot quickly scan through the sheets when the IC goes up.

 

[Ravenfrost]

I know I'm gonna get hollered at here, but ya know, what the heck.

Honesty is the worst policy?

I have a Group RP I want to run someday (currently life is in major upheaval, so timing is bad and it can't be started), that can contain a lot of players coming and going. My final draft of it contains a clause that if someone doesn't post IC within a certain generous amount of time--that I will do what I like with that character (without totally destroying it, him or her).

It's kind of like "General Hospital" or some soap opera thing (not that I know much about either, but I know OF them). You'll bail for a month or two and come back to find your character in a coma or imprisoned and made a plaything of vampires or some such thing. And have to claw your way back. MWAH HAH HAH

I am unrepentant. Revile me all you like.

P.S. I learned from my masters.
P.P.S. And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna let the other (active) players torment the hostage character. Depending on their natures (dark side vs. ... )

 

[Kestrel]

I know I'm gonna get hollered at here, but ya know, what the heck.

I did this.

Extended absence without communication or rulebreaking was an excuse for me to write gory death scenes. It was great. The players favourite was where one abandoned character's head burst into flame and burned down to it's skull. These kinds of cruel deaths were used to reinforce the danger that came with the jobs the players were taking on. One player made such excellent use of it, her character became more afraid to get close to others because they could all die so easily, which played strongly into her interactions.

I also plainly took over abandoned characters. One group on a mission entirely bailed, so one of the following missions was one to search for the group that hadn't communicated back to the headquarter IC. there they found out these characters I had now rewritten to be antagonists after a change of heart were in fact, quite alive. Similarly, I had another character turn into an undead on a zombie mission (more like parasites controlling corpses) and had players encounter her as an obstacle in the same mission. It was received well 'cause it gave the characters and actions significance (and closure) past their abandonment versus "Let's pretend this never happened."

From the people whose characters I killed, I actually got very little backlash, if any at all. Most people who eventually came back actually it shrugged off as "Well I guess I deserved that." Just clearly communicate you're not doing it with the intention to spite people (somewhere in your OP or rules section if you have it) and you're good to go.

That said, it might also have to do with my personality as a GM that I didn't get much backlash. I don't deal with a lot of the same horror stories others do, because generally people who pull that shit don't like me from the get-go and don't join my RP's or leave very quickly.

 

[Ananfal]

As a prime example of new players feeling awkward when joining something that already exists, I'm going to stick my proverbial neck out here and try to say something. (I feel like a lot of it has been said before but what the heck, might as well do it or I'll regret it later, right?)

I agree with what a lot of you have been saying. Let me just get that out there. I read through the pages and I found myself nodding a bunch of times, and I almost never shook my head in disagreement. The problem with this is that I felt like there was a lot of argument in the thread anyway, and it confused me. If I agree with what both sides are saying, then why are they fighting? And I think that's the problem with having a poll in this way - it becomes a competition as to which problem is more important or causes more RPs to fail, and that's not the right way to go about it (in my opinion). That caused a lot of tension, but something else that also caused tension were the different methods used to try and 'solve' these problems. Once again it was set up like a competition, which 'solution' is the best one, the one that can 'save' the most RPs, and that set us up for a lot of disagreement.

Gosh, now I'm feeling self-conscious for calling you all out, and I'm sorry if I offended you! But this is what I think based off of what I read here.

Now onto the actual point of the thread.

As previous people (and cats) have stated, I believe that lack of dedication is a key factor in many RP deaths. The reasons I think this are many, but the main reason I believe this to be a major problem is the fact that a lot of the poll options and a lot of the things people have been complaining about stem from lack of dedication or investment in the RP.

Now the fault for this doesn't lay solely with the GM or the players, but somewhere in the middle. The GM has to present an appealing image in order to make the players want to invest their time and effort into the RP. At the same time, the players have to be willing to invest their time and effort into the RP. If the GM disappears from the RP (excluding IRL circumstances), that means that they weren't invested enough to stick it through. If a player ups and leaves, that means that there wasn't enough there to hold them to that RP.

I'm not sure how to solve that problem, I'm just going to say that now. I'm not saying that GMs need to up their game or that players are lazy arseholes. I don't know what needs to be done in order to prompt change in this area or even if this is something that can be fixed.

All I know is that I love to write and RP, and as long as there is someone out there willing to do it with me, then I'm going to do it for the rest of my life.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Often what I do is start off my post in the IC

Note; On Phone, WIP IC

^I allow WIP IC post in my RPs, they allow me the GM to know they're working on a post.

In my own experience this tends to cause more problems than it solves, for a few reasons.

1) Alerts are something a lot of people rely on to know when to post. When you make a WIP you exhaust that, cause your edited post isn`t going to notify them. So instead of getting a timely respond immediately after the post, you now slowed down the RP by waiting for the others to notice when you made your edit.

2) You either forget to add "WIP" or the others miss it. Thus leading to confusion on the RP's current state, and people making replies that then also need to be backtracked and edited. And if this becomes a chain effect, you either now have a ton to backtrack on, or the person who tried making a WIP has to go with the flow, and can't do what they were planning to do.

3) The post may not flow well. Now instead of immersing yourself in one moment and making your reply it`s become scattered across several instances where you had varying degrees of attention, focus and creativity. Ultimately leading to a much more choppy looking post.

Like, sometimes life and/or particularly long posts do call for a WIP, but the use of them showed be minimized. And to prevent #1 and #2 from happening you should do it on a Word Document or something. But that then would also limit what devices you can even reach your post with.

"Well I don't know how to post on my phone, so I'll get home and do it"

"Well I worked a long day, so I'll do it tomorrow"

"Well I have to go to work and can't post on my phone, so I'll definitely do it when I get home"

1) If they don't know then they don't know. This sounds like something where you as the GM need to be able to help your players out and teach them a bit. If you meant this in a "I don't like to post on my phone" deal though? That's tackles a whole other list of reasons specific to the player in question. Maybe they can't focus, maybe their phone is just low quality, maybe the Iwaku UI messes up on their phone etc.

2) Roleplaying is a hobby/way to have fun. If you're not having fun making the post then it's legitimate to not make the post then, especially when that's going to impact your ability to passionately write. That being said, if this lasts for too long you do need to have a discussion where the player hopefully becomes willing to let go of some control for their character that the DM then proceeds to turn into a Cyberman.

3) Well... They're working. I'll be frank, if you're expecting people to put their professional lives in Jeopardy just so you can enjoy your hobbies more frequently, you probably have an unhealthy level of attachment to your Roleplays. Like, I'm positive that the Staff running this site aren't expected to compromise their work on behalf of Iwaku, and those are the people effectively responsible for every single RP hosted on this site.

If they don't know how to write on their phone. LEARN HOW. Simple as that.

It's easy to simply say "Figure it out" and then leave, putting all the burden/responsibility on other people. If you're going to putting such demands/expectations on people for what's supposed to be fun, the least you can do is also be willing to put in the effort to help them out when needed.

"Can you take over my shift, I am going to a birthday party" at 12 noon?

"I mean I guess"

"Thanks"

I don't see the issue here. You had a co-worker, they had something going on in their personal lives, so they asked you for a favor, which you then agreed to. This is called being able to help and support one another, each person giving and taking for an overall benefical relationship.

In RP context, I had this one member in one of my RPs who literally told me

"I didn't post because I was hanging with my friends"

"Can you post today?"

"No, I am going to hang out my friend so and so"

"These are people you see everyday?"

"I do have a social life!" <----snaps at me at this point

"Okay, but you haven't posted in 3 weeks, and I need you to get a post going. Because members are getting antsy"

"I RP for fun. I'll post when I went to"

"Then you can leave the RP"

This sounds like a combination of communication issues and your own expectations. Instead of trying to calmly discuss the matter with them and come to a solution you immediately went on the attack, putting all the guilt and responsibility on the other person, virtually guaranteeing they'd get mad at you. This could of been worded a lot better about trying to explain the situation and understand their own predicament, rather than focusing on what that they were doing that day and implying they shouldn't be seeing their friends.
========================

Ok, now having responded to the individual points of this post, I'll give a more general impression I've gotten from what you've been saying that isn't specific to any one part of your post.

This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about when I mentioned that player community is so important with RPs, and if you're going into it with the mindset of players being your means to RP rather than friends to enjoy an experience with you've effectively put a timer on your roleplays. And I'll be frank, from the way you've described your expectations in RPs, I'd probably of left your RP shortly after joining. The impression I've gotten that if I were to join, I wouldn't be able to express personal problems going on, out of fear you'd be using it as a means to guilt me into posting, rather than be understanding and supportive. That me going to post in the RP would be less of a passion to create a story, but more a daily routine of punching in the clock, that I don't even get paid for.

And speaking personally as one of @Kagayours players? Her approach of not getting mad at players and trying to be understanding is ultimately what caused me to stick around with her own RP for so long, and be willing to give up stuff when it was necessary. Because at the end of the day, I know we're all trying to have fun and be friends, so I can afford to be open and honestly without fear of becoming vilified.

Additionally, I was recently made a Staff Member of a different forum RP site, and even there as Staff I don't get as much demands and expectations to 'post' or do things as you seem to be putting on your players. And do you know what the ultimate result of that is? I become even more willing to put my foot forward and handle some extra load or make compromises. Because I know my efforts are appreciated, and I become genuinely motivated to help out people who have shown a mutual willingness to help me out when needed, rather than be avoidant because I feel like no matter what I do I'll only be judged for being late, and not appreciated for what I do contribute.

 

[Sir Salty]

-snip-

I wholeheartedly disagree. People signed up to make at least a minimal commitment to a RP. It can be fun. But people have to treat it with some commitment in their life.

I'll repeat myself again

If you say you're going to do something Do it. Or don't bother to sign up for the RP because all they want "fun and so it doesn't matter how fast I post"

 

[Stray Shinku]

As a person that loves and enjoys creating Group Roleplays most of the times, I think I can answer this properly due to my big experience so far. Personally, the main reason for a roleplay to go to oblivion is the unwanted and fearful thing called "Goddamn Hiatus" (still, I feel that this is an over-used excuse most people use just to avoid be honest and say that they simply lost their interest in the roleplay because I've known people that have abandoned my roleplays, but still hang out around Iwaku. When I reach to them to see what happened, they have the balls to tell me they've been on a hiatus... That's so sad and makes me trigger like a demon).

Due to this reason, most of the times I've been forced to shut down my roleplays because of that particular person that drops out without letting me known or which posts are so inconsistent that drastically affects the speed of the roleplay plot and annoys others roleplays that are really into the story and have to wait for a lazy potato to do its work.

Another factor that makes a roleplay disappear like thin air is the lack of communication and disorganization. Personally, I'm a maniac that loves the organization and I know how to communicate with the players of my roleplays, so I don't have any problems with this so far, but I've seen ones that are just a never-ending train wreck of confusion and chaos. Nobody knows what is what, what to do, what the hell is going on, and I can make this list long, but I don't want to because I may not finish it.

If somebody ever asks me for an advice to the fellow roleplayers of Iwaku, here's a good one: PLEASE, DO NOT JOIN A ROLEPLAY IF YOU KNOW FOR SURE YOU WILL DROP OUT DAYS LATER. That freaking sucks and it's rude to just leave like you don't care. At least let everyone know, especially to us, the GMs, that worked hard on that roleplay. God damn, I've triggered again! I just wish to get these kinds of people, put them in a huge oven and watch them burn while tap-dancing on top of the thing.

*breathe deeply, thinking about cats and dog to find inner peace*

Good, I feel better now that I was allowed to release this rant. I just couldn't hold it any longer. Shinku's out and will see you in future roleplays. This 2017 will be awesome.

please don't be scared of me. I don't really bite...

 

[Ravenfrost]

please don't be scared of me. I don't really bite...

@Shinku⭐Kun -- my former mentor! Senpai!

::bows::

No biting!? Sad face, here.

I SAW that drunk rating you gave me, btw. XD It was very exciting. But ... sigh ... I guess that is all the attention I will get from you and I have retaliated in kind.

The only time I withdrew from a RP here (and it was before IC posting began), was when the GMs didn't like the picture I was using for my character and rejected it (wrong style--although the style was not specified before I applied). I spent hours, trying to find something they would like (and couldn't) and they kindly suggested a picture that was nothing like my character at all (wrong era, wrong personality, wrong physical appearance). Since a picture was absolutely required, I withdrew (having other things on my plate as well and the hours researching the picture was eating up time I didn't have to spare).

I didn't see that there would ever be a meeting of the minds in that instance. And I felt this failed connection would extend to other things as well. But the GMs were really sweet and I personally liked them.

 

[Stray Shinku]

@Shinku⭐Kun -- my former mentor! Senpai!

You almost make me blush with this! x3 I don't hear every day somebody calling me Senpai and I actually liked it! Also, no, I don't bite and that drunk rating was because I love you, kouhai.

Reason like that is why I'm so specific when creating rules for my roleplays. I know how hard it is to find a picture that can fit a character you create. At least the GMs were good ones and understood and you have the consideration of letting them know you would drop out.

So, yeah, glad to keep seeing you around. I heard you would leave Iwaku.

 

[Lusterine]

This sounds like a combination of communication issues and your own expectations. Instead of trying to calmly discuss the matter with them and come to a solution you immediately went on the attack, putting all the guilt and responsibility on the other person, virtually guaranteeing they'd get mad at you. This could of been worded a lot better about trying to explain the situation and understand their own predicament, rather than focusing on what that they were doing that day and implying they shouldn't be seeing their friends.

Of course it's the absent player's fault. If you commit to a roleplay with a once a week expectation and you go three weeks without posting, you should have a legitimate reason. I get it. We all lose our muse, but sometimes you have to work through it or drop it. Even a mediocre one paragraph post is better than not posting at all. People can respond to that, and who knows? Maybe the response is something that helps spark inspiration.

If that person said, "My friend is moving away, and I want to hang out with them before they go. I might be absent for a bit, because this is important to me. I'll do my best to maybe get in a paragraph or so in the mean time, but I know I'll be posting the minimum by x date," that's one thing. But when you offer no explanations, and argue "this is just for fun," that's incredibly rude and selfish. You're right, it is just for fun. Your fun isn't the only that matters here. You have other players who are waiting on you, ready to go and who have scheduled their time to meet the PRE-AGREED upon requirement. It's a total dick move to leave them high and dry. The GM probably put in a lot of work, and nothing kills an rp like waiting on that one person who isn't willing to drop but won't post. That's killed about 3 of the Group I have been in.

@T_T Salty Wasn't being rude at all. It's strange that you think that. The GM shouldn't have to bug anyone to post. If you are experiencing a problem, you talk to them and not wait for the issue to magically resolve it. If you're not going to use your five minute train ride to write a WIP IC post, maybe use it to shoot the GM a pm or make an OOC post? You could even offer ideas to help others and add your perspective. If posting becomes miserable or difficult to do, drop it.

 

[Kestrel]

Shouldn't. Sure. But then the RP's die. What victory is in that?

Sometimes it's not about whose fault it is, but about how we deal with the problem presented to us. This is why kaga is praised by gwazi. Not because she has found the secret set of foolproof counter measures, but because her personality and atmosphere work to keep projects alive. Meanwhile, most others get offended. Bitch. Set stupid arbitrary rules. Proceed to get fucked over by the same things over and over again.

 

[Lusterine]

The point I'm trying to make is- everyone knows life happens. But some GMs spend months or even longer developing ideas, and if the group is raring to go and are making the posting objectives, it is incredibly unkind to just blow it off. Of course, everyone should feel comfortable talking to the GM or letting their fellow cast know if there are any problems.

It's like you and your friends are having a party. You were asked to bring a movie. If you know you're not able to bring the movie, you would let your friends know, right? If you don't enjoy the party and don't want to go, you would let them know, right? Hopefully, you're not going to be late to the movie and purposefully not bring the movie without telling anyone. If you let people know, they can plan around you. It has nothing to do with arbitrary rules, and everything to do with respect for your GM and fellow cast.

The GM should not have to beg you for posts and force everyone to wait. Also, they don't magically know your life. Speak to them, prevent the problem from happening. Be open and honest.

also hope kestral isn't calling me a bitch?

 

[Kestrel]

Yes. You put a lot of work in your RP. If people bail or hold it up that sucks, but that doesn't mean you should get angry because no matter how much your anger is justified: it doesn't solve shit.

You don't have to beg players to stay, because then others will start trying to walk over you. However you do need to be understanding and able to accept things the way they are. If your party is ruined because someone didn't bring the movie, you'd say "Dude wtf." Sure. But then you'd throw on an old movie, get playing cards out or find another way to continue the party. Because if you keep bitching about the one guy who forgot the movie, you are ruining something that is still salvageable for everyone else.

People should communicate their issues. Yes. But they don't. The world should be fair. It isn't. Getting angry deters these players from any communication in the future. Either because they are offended or scared they don't want to deal with the reaction. Other GM's will have to deal with this fear you instilled also. Hell. Other players will be scared to risk an angry reaction. Positive feedback and understanding can give incentive to change. Negative feedback makes people put up walls. Is that stupid and unfair? Maybe. But it is the way it is.

Anger fucks the mood of your party hard. People make mistakes. That doesn't mean you should make yourself that mistake's bitch: that means you find a way around it. Most people are actually very understanding when you write their character out when they haven't posted for a long time. Or skip over them for a week. What is important is the way you conduct yourself doing it. Cause to control your emotions is your responsibility as much as it is someone else their responsibility to communicate.

Externalising fault is an excuse not to deal with reality and this is why people fail. You can't control others. You can only control yourself.

And no I'm not calling you a bitch. I use it as a verb. When I say bitching I mean complaining.

 

[Lusterine]

Yes. You put a lot of work in your RP. If people bail or hold it up that sucks, but that doesn't mean you should get angry because no matter how much your anger is justified: it doesn't solve shit.

You don't have to beg players to stay, because then others will start trying to walk over you. However you do need to be understanding and able to accept things the way they are. If your party is ruined because someone didn't bring the movie, you'd say "Dude wtf." Sure. But then you'd throw on an old movie, get playing cards out or find another way to continue the party. Because if you keep bitching about the one guy who forgot the movie, you are ruining something that is still salvageable for everyone else.

People should communicate their issues. Yes. But they don't. The world should be fair. It isn't. Getting angry deters these players from any communication in the future. Either because they are offended or scared they don't want to deal with the reaction. Other GM's will have to deal with this fear you instilled also. Hell. Other players will be scared to risk an angry reaction. Positive feedback and understanding can give incentive to change. Negative feedback makes people put up walls. Is that stupid and unfair? Maybe. But it is the way it is.

Anger fucks the mood of your party hard. People make mistakes. That doesn't mean you should make yourself that mistake's bitch: that means you find a way around it. Most people are actually very understanding when you write their character out when they haven't posted for a long time. Or skip over them for a week. What is important is the way you conduct yourself doing it. Cause to control your emotions is your responsibility as much as it is someone else their responsibility to communicate.

Externalising fault is an excuse not to deal with reality and this is why people fail. You can't control others. You can only control yourself.

And no I'm not calling you a bitch. I use it as a verb. When I say bitching I mean complaining.

I'm actually really confused what you're saying. When did anger come into this? I'm not angry, and I wouldn't be angry with someone who didn't respond. Irritated and Annoyed? Yes, but I would say, "Well, the group needs to move on so this is what will happen...". Or, if it happening multiple times, I think that person should be cut. I am not advocating for the GM to harass the player into posting. I'm saying how uncool it is to be the person who holds everyone up, and that is it. It's disrespectful and unchill. No where did I advocate for controlling anyone nor getting angry. I don't think anyone is getting angry.

I think we're agreeing, then? Because I don't think anger solves anything. I believe in building a community where we are accountable and honest with each other, because hopefully, we all want to have fun and see the plot succeed.

 

[Kestrel]

I would say, "Well, the group needs to move on so this is what will happen...". Or, if it happening multiple times, I think that person should be cut

Then yeah, we're pretty much in agreement. I often see people not take responsibility for dealing with a situation and instead shuffle it around because they feel it's not their fault, but when nobody takes action that inevitably ends up killing an RP. If you're someone who does try to take action or acknowledges you can take action, I don't see any point of conflict between us.

 

[Stray Shinku]

@Kestrel @Luster
Thank God I decided to keep reading your discussion because at the beginning, I thought you guys were arguing violently and somebody would flip some shit around here xD.

Anyways, yes, both of you have different, but great opinions of one issue. Personally, I incline more toward Luster opinion because as a GM that loves creating Group Roleplays (which I work really, really hard building them), I know how unfair and annoying is seeing somebody that decides to join a roleplay suddenly disappears without saying a word. For some people that may be not a big deal, the roleplay can simply move on, but that's a really wrong thought. That person that decides to leave without saying it to everyone involved beforehand will affect in a bad way the roleplay sooner or later. For example, let's say that the character of that roleplayer is an important character necessary for the story plot to move on. If the roleplayer for a reason or another decides to drop out or just leave WITHOUT TELLING THE GM BEFOREHAND, everything will be fucked. The remaining roleplayers will lose interest as they wait in hopes for that rude person to come back, nothing will going to be the same, etc. (I can make a list of the consequences this can bring). And the end result? The roleplay will sadly die.

As a serious GM, that's a big hit for me and I'll be pissed for a while and if that person decides to come back and want to join another of my roleplays, I will absolutely be a bitch and never accept him/her again because fuck it. I don't want him/her fuck one of my roleplays again because I fucking work hard on them to see them die in less than a week. But, of course, this can change if he/she explains to me what the hell just happened and apologize. I'm not a monster and I know that real life can be a fucking bitch and attack you when you less expect it, but goddammit, at least fucking have the balls or ovaries to reach to me and tell me you're going to leave or drop out so I can come with a backup plan and fix everything. I can even pause the roleplay if you explain you will come back later. YOU JUST NEED TO FUCKING SPEAK. IS NOT THAT HARD AND I DON'T BITE.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

somebody would flip some shit

Spoke too soon.

 

[Stray Shinku]

Spoke too soon.

You such a troll! xD