Roleplay Success Poll [For Content Development]

[Gwazi Magnum]

You such a troll! xD

*Shit Poster

 

[Kagayours]

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.

I'm incredibly annoyed by silent drop-outs, too. But my solution to this particular problem is to always either A) don't create roleplays where the presence of one single character decides the fate of the RP, or B) always have a back-up plan in case an important character drops out.

Yes, it can be annoying, and often disappointing when certain plot threads die because an important character dropped out. But the way I see it, that's just something a GM has to be prepared for. I always seek to find a work-around when an important player drops out. And I feel that there are very few circumstances where nothing can be done to salvage the RP. There's always a way to take things in a different direction, if the GM is willing to take the necessary steps to get there.

OF COURSE, having the drop-out actually say something ahead of time makes things much easier, because then the RP doesn't have to remain frozen until you finally decide that they're not coming back and that something has to be done in order to move on. And by the time that you do move on, you might find that a lot of your players have gotten bored -- which, yeah, is why silent drop-outs are so annoying, and they can do some damage from an RP. I just don't think it's impossible to recover from. And I think that a GM who's prepared for drop-outs can help save their RP under such circumstances, so that it doesn't go under after one hit.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

B) always have a back-up plan in case an important character drops out.

 

[Kestrel]

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.

Just because I say fuck a lot doesn't mean I'm foaming from my mouth when I'm typing ;)

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.

This is exactly why players should never have a role that is required for the story to continue, though. Even if properly communicated and through no fault of their own, if someone with a character crucial to the continuity of the RP has to leave your RP will die unless you account for it otherwise. This is a design flaw because the general rule to RP's is that players are always at risk of dropping for reasons either foreseen or unforeseen, within their control or out of their control.

The second problem you bring up is something I like to dub chainquitting. Essentially, one person leaves which opens the floodgates. Typically, this is because not being the first one makes people feel less guilty about dropping, because it makes them feel less responsible. However, that this happens does mean there already were seeds of dissatisfaction. Which is again, something you can (partially) account for. As a general rule, people rarely speak up about their dissatisfaction until it is too late. Half the time they don't even realise they're dissatisfied until it's too late. Now you expect this in the beginning of your RP, however it can hit very hard later down the line so it's important you spot it before they do. If you have a good atmosphere in your OOC with people shooting shit together, it becomes easier to notice these things in advance because typically people start reacting slower and shorter. When this happens, you can sneakily give them a little spotlight. Or ask how they're doing, be it n the game or irl, cause the same symptoms will show when said person learns they have a sick family member or something.

Additionally, good atmosphere lends itself to more people taking initiative in group plotting. Too passive an atmosphere will likely make all of it depend on the GM. However, players are always more excited by the content they produce than the content the GM produces. So the more sense of impact they feel they have, the stronger their ties to the roleplay. This makes your game more resilient against chainquitting.

 

[Weisenhart]

The rate of success of a group RPs tend to be dramatically lower than one-on-one RPs due to the pressure and lack of control when dealing with more than two people. Collaborating with an individual pouring their interest in an RP is a bite of relief in comparison to collaborating with 5-10 people, especially when one of them ends up quitting due to lack of time on their hands. This hits especially hard when the character they are controlling is vital to the plot, or rather, contributes to the plot significantly. Though of course, said character can end up being controlled by others, the GM themselves, or abruptly "dying" in the story.

At least... that's what I've been seeing most of the time.

 

[Kagayours]

The rate of success of a group RPs tend to be dramatically lower than one-on-one RPs due to the pressure and lack of control when dealing with more than two people. Collaborating with an individual pouring their interest in an RP is a bite of relief in comparison to collaborating with 5-10 people, especially when one of them ends up quitting due to lack of time on their hands. This hits especially hard when the character they are controlling is vital to the plot, or rather, contributes to the plot significantly. Though of course, said character can end up being controlled by others, the GM themselves, or abruptly "dying" in the story.

At least... that's what I've been seeing most of the time.

Eh. I disagree. With 1x1's, you have to really click with that one other person -- and if you don't, then it's going to fall apart in no time. And if anyone drops out, then it's dead, and there's no way to salvage it.

But with groups, you don't have to only RP with one other person. You can interact with lots of different people and get a better flow of ideas going. If one player isn't giving you enough to work with, you can shift your attention to someone else. If one character becomes a wallflower, then it's not like the entire RP stagnates, because you still have lots of other players who are still actively moving the story forward. And if one person drops out, then it's still possible for everyone else to move forward.

That's why I prefer groups, anyway. One of the reasons I couldn't get into 1x1's was because I just couldn't find a partner that met all my needs -- and even when I did, the story still felt like it was stagnating after no time at all. I just need more ideas to work with than just what one person can offer. And when that one interaction fails, the whole RP dies. With groups, I have a lot more flexibility.

 

[DefinitelyNotGuns]

I really don't want to sound like a dick but- A lot of my rolepmays that fell off were people who were new to the site. I feel like an ass saying that but I'd say over half of the ones I started were with new people and within a week they were banned or just haven't logged on for months.

 

[Baddamobs]

I think all the above points are responsible for an RP dying in some ways, but I voted for what I thought was the biggest reasons in each 'category'

- Plot is slow/boring

Not as big a killer as others, since it can be rectified, but the trick is realizing when people in the RP are finding it too slow. Not a lot of people SAY when they're finding their interest drifting, which can cause a crap load of issues.

- GM communicating poorly

Uncertainty is the mind killer, and as someone who's more passive when it comes to writing, not knowing what the GM is thinking makes me really uncertain about where to go in a post at key moments.

- Inconsistent writing from players

Not really something that can be controlled or avoided wholly, it just matters how you react to it.

What I'm trying to get at this that communication is key: you need to talk to GM/players and be open to problems, since a lack of communication will only make any problems already present worse.

 

[The Mood is Write]

1x1 purist here!

My pitfalls are often these, in no particular order:

• Writing skills not as promised.
• No ability to support a plot or drive to pursue it.
• No communication or lackluster communication.
• Player acts like a robot (no displays of humor or excitement at all).
• I feel like I'm pulling the weight of the whole story.

I try to give people at least two pages before I decide, though lately it's gone up to giving five pages before I decide.

 

[Soulserenity20]

I just want to thank everyone for the feedback so far. As you can all see, there's a pretty obvious trend appearing and I think it'll provide a useful place to start with guides/workshops. Thank you!

 

[GingerSnap]

For me there's a few things that make me lose interest in a roleplay.

1. If the other characters are all in damsels/guys in distress who are constantly needing to be saved because they can't do a single thing for themselves.

2. my own self doubt and me second guessing my writing skills.

3. If I'm the only one driving the plot.

4. (And not trying to hurt feelings/step on toes) When my partners do not use proper punctuation or grammar. Spelling mistakes I can handle, because I myself am bad at spelling but if I can't tell where one sentence stops and another begins it's a huge turn off.

 

[PrincessofHeart]

I lose interest in a game for a few main reasons.

• The game moves at a snail's pace. Doesn't matter why, whether the game timeline is too slow, the people playing have constant hiatuses, or they just don't move anything along. If it takes five weeks to get through one day in game time, I'm going to get bored and leave.
• Lack of things to do. Frequently, if you join a game, the main parts of the plot have already been filled. Your only choice is to basically play a glorified NPC, especially if the game is long-established, or if it has a ton of players. Everyone wants to feel important, everyone wants to feel like they matter in the plot.
• GMs who don't write things for everyone to do. I too often come across a GM that says "we've got an event coming up for everyone!" Except for everyone doesn't mean for everyone. It means for the few people the GM is writing for. In the end, the even does nothing but give those people advancement in the story.
• Attitudes of players/GMs. This is probably my biggest one. If I don't feel welcome, if I'm not given any reason to stick around, I'm not going to. I get seeing if a player is going to stick around or not. But maybe your new players don't stick around because you make it feel like you don't need them. NOTE: The you here is nobody in particular, just a turn of phrase, don't anyone get all upset at me, please.

 

[Kagayours]

• If it takes five weeks to get through one day in game time, I'm going to get bored and leave.

...You mean you can get through a whole day in less than five weeks IRL time??

I'm lucky if I can get through a single day within five months... clearly we RP at very different paces, my friend...

 

[PrincessofHeart]

...You mean you can get through a whole day in less than five weeks IRL time??

I'm lucky if I can get through a single day within five months... clearly we RP at very different paces, my friend...

And that's cool if how the game is run. I just find it causes me to lose interest and I leave. Then again, the games I've been in, there never seems to be anything to do to fill that time.

 

[Kagayours]

And that's cool if how the game is run. I just find it causes me to lose interest and I leave. Then again, the games I've been in, there never seems to be anything to do to fill that time.

Oh. Well, I can at least say that that's not the reason why the days drag on so long in my RP's. Instead, we get one, ridiculously over-crowded day where a thousand different threats pop up all at once, and so there's never a convenient moment to do a time skip because there's always something that needs to be dealt with. And then, after the RP has been in existence for two years, you look back on it and think, "wait a minute, this all happened in just one day??" XD

 

[Shindo]

For myself, when the plot's not what you expect, though most you can read a brief overview and know if it's for you or not.

GM inflexibility when you try to contribute to the story and they just bat your character's actions away to the point where you might as well have never posted at all is very disheartening. This can be remedied if you have a sympathetic GM who at least communicates "I need to keep this NPC alive because of reasons".

What can kill it for me (Players - Other) that's happened before is when you finally find an RP worth doing, the plot's original and interesting and everything meets your criteria, and then it turns out that everyone besides you has made their character gay and they're trying to turn the RP into fire island.

But by far the most infuriating is people losing interest and thinking it's acceptable to leave after making a commitment to play.

 

[Sidhe]

But by far the most infuriating is people losing interest and thinking it's acceptable to leave after making a commitment to play.

Wait - do you expect people to keep playing in an RP they don't have interest in or enjoy...? I feel like that just wouldn't be fun for anyone involved.

 

[Kagayours]

Wait - do you expect people to keep playing in an RP they don't have interest in or enjoy...? I feel like that just wouldn't be fun for anyone involved.

^^^^^ Seriously.

People losing interest is just the nature of the beast. And while I admit I'm annoyed when people get themselves involved in an RP and leave as soon as the day after or something like that -- you can't expect people to keep playing if they're no longer interested. Are players obligated to see the RP through to completion, even after losing interest? I would hope not, given how long it can take for RP's to reach an ending. RPing shouldn't be a chore like that.

 

[The Mood is Write]

I usually give 3-5 pages, which can be several weeks. I DO make a point to alert my partners, though, as honestly and tactfully as possible.

But yeah, overall? RP shouldn't be a chore. I go on and on about 'owing' posts, but that's more to motivate myself because I love the stories, but life is putting me through some shit that's making it hard to concentrate, too.

 

[Shindo]

Wait - do you expect people to keep playing in an RP they don't have interest in or enjoy...? I feel like that just wouldn't be fun for anyone involved.

No, I expect people to try and reach an agreement with either their partners or the GM to work together with whatever is applicable to make it interesting for them again instead of simply disappearing on people and never giving any reply or explanation.