We finally have some resolution on the Persistent World RP sub-forum:

Expanding Horizons will move to a regular RP thread. While we're still not entirely sure how the mechanics behind this one will work, if you're involved in Expanding Horizons, now is a good time to go in and save your content from it--just in case not every thread gets moved over. I've spoken with Mahz a few times about it in the last week, so this outcome is just a matter of time.

Many people still seemed interested in the Persistent World idea, and were hoping site staff would try the concept again with a different idea, and a different crew behind the idea. Took us some time to get user feedback, and discuss among ourselves but in the end we decided that the Persistent World idea should be tried again, not simply folded after the decision to move Expanding Horizons to regular RP sub-forums.

The two most common requests we heard; site staff should be involved somehow, and the next Persistent World RP should be a popular fandom.

Took us a little while to firm up ideas and get the ball rolling (not that anyone noticed while the site was down), but now that it's up we feel ready to announce that the next Persistent World roleplay, well, it might even be more accurate to call it a Persistent Galaxy roleplay...



The details as of now:

Expect the Star Wars PW roleplay to launch shortly after the Expanding Horizons PW roleplay is moved. (Likely two to three weeks.)

The Star Wars PW roleplay will be ran by a group of GMs. (Yes, if you GM and are a Star Wars fanatic, contact me on the site or in Discord about helping to run/plot the game. Still accepting GMs for the game.)

No, the group of GMs hasn't yet finalized a decision on which era the game will take place in.

The idea for this game is to allow most people to jump in and go if they want. For example: want to play a Jedi Padawan? Grab your lightsaber and go. Make a character sheet, post it--it wouldn't need approval for your Jedi Padawan to begin play. Want to play a Jedi Knight? Well now, that one would be powerful enough at the start to need character approval.

In the next few weeks we'll illustrate just where the line between characters needing approval, and those not needing approval, will be.

The game will be open to any RPer on the Guild: Free, Casual, or Advanced.

More details as they come. For now, direct questions to those GMs for the Star Wars Persistent World roleplay already selected: @Ezekiel, @Sep, @Heat. Likewise you're more than welcome to simply direct your questions to me.

Or come find us on the RPGuild Discord server in the Star Wars PW chat channel.

Thanks!

Wow! A star wars roleplay - color me epic I wanna play!!!

Hmm. Not entirely certain picking a fandom for the site's "official" RP - or at least a RP that is more prominent than any other - is a good idea.

On the contrary. Picking a fandom everyone is familiar with might help with the consistency and ease of access in the persistent world. I've avoided Expanding Horizons because it became such a hodgepodge mess. The characters can be literally anything. A demonic dragon, a literal god, a talking hat. It was absurd. Absolute chaos.

It's been more or less proven that an original world can't work on here. Trying something old like Star Wars is the best shot at trying something new.

With the right management and guidance, a Star Wars PW will be a lot easier for everyone to manage and get on board. I'm not a big Star Wars fan, but I am familiar with the setting, so I'm pleased to hear about this.

Hmm. Not entirely certain picking a fandom for the site's "official" RP - or at least a RP that is more prominent than any other - is a good idea.

Except Expanding Horizons was never supposed to be a more prominent RP. It was a failed experiment that Mahz stuck at the top of the forum — at the request of the EH mods — in order to give it more exposure and help it gain popularity, but that idea didn't really work, did it?

Honestly, I'm willing to try anything to rid myself of a dead eyesore on my homepage. Fandom RPs get a bad rap, but that's because very few are executed correctly. They can also be seen as pretty childish, but that might just be my view of them. However, Star Wars RPs (and the Star Wars franchise itself, save maybe the Disney films and the prequels) tend to be a lot more mature and well-polished than others, at least in my experience. The GMs listed so far are ones I know to be consistent in their quality, I believe they can pull it off. Good luck with the Star Wars edition, you guys.

I was not fond of EH, either - as pointed out, things like that tend to not be too manageable. My problem with a fandom RP in its stead (as opposed to just returning to old form) is twofolf - on one hand, it may not necessarily be more manageable (so it'd be better off as 4-5 "normal" RPs with little interaction between them), on the other, it might set the tone for whoever visits the site (as fandom site, as opposed to general roleplaying site).

Curiously, I've briefly been a SW roleplay forum, though I'm hardly familiar with the setting (it was before when I finally as much as saw the main movies).

I was not fond of EH, either - as pointed out, things like that tend to not be too manageable. My problem with a fandom RP in its stead (as opposed to just returning to old form) is twofolf - on one hand, it may not necessarily be more manageable (so it'd be better off as 4-5 "normal" RPs with little interaction between them), on the other, it might set the tone for whoever visits the site (as fandom site, as opposed to general roleplaying site).

Curiously, I've briefly been a SW roleplay forum, though I'm hardly familiar with the setting (it was before when I finally as much as saw the main movies).

You might be right, but we'll have to see. I'm pleased that they're doing anything about it at all (and as @Mara stated, EH was an eyesore). If this fails to catch on, and it just might, they might just scrap Persistent Worlds altogether. But I see no reason not to give it another shot with something more familiar to people.

Then again, we might have issues with the old expanded universe (which was a bloody mess all by itself) vs. the Disney expanded universe (SPIDER DARTH MAUL) so I mean, it's anyone's guess.

@Mara

It was a failed experiment that Mahz stuck at the top of the forum

That's a pretty harsh phrasing. Define failed? I saw RPG didn't have a PW. Some had been tried, but as far as staff seemed concerned nobody wanted one. EH not only has a following of people who enjoy the worlds therein, but enjoy the game they're playing.

And is the only reason anyone on Guild even began talking about any kind of PW, and is kind of the reason you have this one you seem happy to have on the way.

— at the request of the EH mods —

Incorrect. I'm not sure where you're getting your information from, but my request from Mahz was a subforum inside of Nation RP, or Advanced. A subforum within a subforum, so as to not be something extra on people's homepage.

in order to give it more exposure and help it gain popularity,

That may be why Mahz chose to put it where he did on the board. I never asked, his site he can do what he wants. < Shrug. >

but that idea didn't really work, did it?

I don't know, there's quite a few dedicated players in EH - with more than a handful of them only on Guild to play in the EH. So...did it?

@Life In Stasis

I've avoided Expanding Horizons because it became such a hodgepodge mess.

???

The characters can be literally anything. A demonic dragon, a literal god, a talking hat. It was absurd. Absolute chaos.

Because everything in the universe would all be the same general archetype of creature? If we encounter aliens, they'll look just like us, and be just like us?

It's an entire universe, and you're going to have a hodgepodge mess of different species and sentient things out there. To say you avoided it because it exists in such a way as to be OPEN AND WELCOMING TO EVERY TYPE OF PLAYER THAT COULD PLAY THE GAME is kind of elitist, buddy.

I do not think we should have a discussion about the former PW in here, it would be more productive looking forward not back.

I do not think we should have a discussion about the former PW in here, it would be more productive looking forward not back.

Very much this.