Starting up a bit of a conversational topic, but let's say you've got some time and you're looking for an RP to join. What is it that you look for in an interest check and what is it that guides your decision to apply for a roleplay? Expanding out a little more but after a roleplay transitions from Interest Check to OOC there are always a small chance that people may pull back and decide not to enter, so what would be some of the reasons that may change an applicant's enthusiasm?

Discuss and explain. Include your experiences as a GM and/or as a Player.

I don't join much roleplays these days since I have my hands full with GM-duty. That said...

Expanding out a little more but after a roleplay transitions from Interest Check to OOC there are always a small chance that people may pull back and decide not to enter, so what would be some of the reasons that may change an applicant's enthusiasm?

I think one of the main reasons is it's because the RP was not what one expected it to be. What one can see in the Interest Check may be different in the OOC or not how one thought it would be.

I normally see who the GM is and check out other roleplays they may have been involved in GMing. I have to admit I'm a little (or a lottle ^^;) spoiled and picky after being GM'd by the lovely @Dervish. If the person isn't someone I know, or I've been told to be a little wary, I'll probably scrutinize the details like an evil stepmother looking through Cinderalla's list of chores for a spec of something that was left unattended.

I like to see a little plot and premise even in the interest check so that I know the GM has a plan of what they want for the roleplay rather than just scoping for people to join when they only have an inkling of an idea. At the same time something that is just a lore dump will turn me off. I want to be interested and not feel like I'm reading up something for a history exam.

I don't think I've ever been turned off by an OOC after being enthusiastic about the Interest check. What is most important to me is the GM's dedication and enthusiasm, which you can normally gauge by how active they are, how they communicate with those interested, and the time and effort they've put in their work.

Joining an RP for me is something like this. I usually don't get a "craving" (ew) for something. Normally I'll see something floating on the forum, or will see people discussing something on one of the many discords that I am on. If I see a title enough times, or see that an idea has enough interest. I will check it out. I typically don't join an RP during the interest check phase, less its something I got invited too or something along those lines. From there I just look at the OOc and see if the GM has put the require amount of effort in, who else is joining, if the RP is promising me something I'm interested in, etc. I do not consider myself picky, and will join whatever interests me. The biggest deal makers/breakers are the people participating. I can enjoy various writing levels, genres, and GM styles, but people are the more irreplaceable and less malleable part of an RP. I'd rather collaborate with someone who uses English as their second language and has a great personality than an insufferable person with an English major.

Though I enjoy control, so I usually appoint myself GM of a RP instead of joining one. There's usually very little difference between my interest check and my OOC. I believe that people are more likely to stick with an RP if you let them know exactly what's in store. It's hard to be disappointed if you know what to expect. So far that's worked very well for me. As for how I get players interested in my projects, it's a mix of luck and research. If I want to make a particular type of RP, I read up about the genre so that I can insert all the appropriate tropes and know where I can let my freedom run wild. This goes for anything from fandom RPs to original content. Original content you want to be more focused on the genre and the sort of things that make it work. While you also want to do that with fandoms, you have to be a bit more focused on that particular media and really understand why people like it. The luck comes in with the crowd you attract. The characters that get made and the players that join play a big role in your RP.

Here's my perspective as a player and a signer-up, in sequential order:

1) Originality. I will read literally anything that isn't the same five genres we see on the Guild every damn day, even if I feel assured that I won't like it. This isn't necessary for the game to be good but it's the first opportunity any writer has to hook people. And of course, if your game is more derivative then you're competing with the other hacks in your genre, some of whom may have done said genre more favors than you. So ... be original. Own a monopoly over something. I promise at least one person on this shitty site is gonna read it, possibly even give it a shot.

Originality can be something as simple as a badass title which sounds intriguing without telling me exactly what the RP is about. I'm not going to click on the fifty-third "Welcome to [So-and-So] Academy" or "The Knights of [Place]" this week, but I might just click on (credit to @The Harbinger of Ferocity) The Twenty-Fifth Hour. I have no fucking clue what this RP is about just from reading the title and that's a good thing. I have to click it to find out and a click can easily become another player signing up purely if the hook is novel enough.

2) Quality of prose. Once I've clicked the thread I'm checking that the GM knows the rules of style and has worked to develop a style of his own. It makes the mandatory reading of his thread far more interesting if I would also be happy reading it on my own time; and he will probably tend toward choosing better player apps for the game as well.

3) If the game has passed #2's criterion then I head over to the Char tab, or the posts responding to the IntChk, to see who else the game has attracted. It's unfortunately all too easy for the players to bury a talented GM; they may be misunderstanding the themes, motifs, & imagery he wants for the story; they may be getting out of control with technology, magic, or other character powers; they may simply be introducing an aesthetic to the RP which will stand out against the GM's. No fault of his own, but there are certain kinds of players who I'd simply rather not fuck with IG, either because I know them to cause problems and drama or because their ideas clash too hard with the GM's vision. I know that's an inherent fact of RP ... that it's not just one person's vision, and you need to be able to collaborate with others to make it work ... but I've been RPing long enough and made these mistakes myself enough times to know when a sheet is a dealbreaker for me and when not.

4) So the GM and characters both seem promising. The next question is: how much effort will I have to put forth in order to join? Sounds lazy, I know, but there are two facets to this. One is knowing I can handle the responsibilities of the RP and keep up with its expectations, in other words, that I won't fuck over the GM. Two is that the GM expects reasonable things from me. If he's very rigid on how many times I have to post per week, and that number is higher than, say, two, well, this is a GM who doesn't understand that RP is a hobby and not a salaried full-time job. Moreover I don't want to fill out a character sheet with requisite details which fundamentally damage a story when they are known upfront; for example personality sections, like/dislike lists, and relationship sheets, the contents of which firmly belong in IC; you showing-not-telling, your partners inferring from and reacting to the subtexts of your posts.

There may be more that I have not thought to reflect on, but between these three big points (and one minor point) I'll already tend to have a good understanding of how compatible I am with the GM, how long his game will last, and whether I am capable of upholding all expected obligations for the entirety of that duration.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

P.S. @BrokenPromise is right. I'd say "cravings" are cancer except cancer lasts more than two weeks.

The name of the RP is, of course, the first catch. If the name sets off warning bells in the reptilian part of my brain then I stay the fuck away from it. If it seems to mesh with my interests or tickles my curiosity then I check it out. Often, as long as the title doesn't sicken me, I tend to give things a look just for fun. No-brainer so far. For the record, I prefer a micro-summery of the game in the title but this is more of a nit-pick.

If the introduction post is, for whatever reason, difficult to read then I move on. There are some rare exceptions to this @pugbutter. For the most part, my eyes are more important to me than your concept.

If a game requires the beautification of one's post, then you can fuck right off. As a personal rule of thumb, if it took longer to make the post template than it did to write the post itself, then the template is too fucking complicated. I don't even want "pretty" posts in my own games. Also, if you have a character sheet section and still require a picture for every post, then you can fuck right off.

If a game's character sheet is too complicated and arbitrary, then you can fuck right off. If it visibly took more effort to create the character sheet than it did to create the plot for your game, then your priorities are fucked.

I give zero fucks about "face claims". The game should not be about how people look. If a picture is more important to you than the player then your priorities are fucked.

Of course, the content of the game needs to mesh with what I want to play. That should go without saying but it is technically something that could turn me off toward a game. I'm trying to stay away from defining the content I prefer since it doesn't seem relevant.

Something that can make me lose interest at any point in the process are the other people who seem interested in the story. I do my damnedest to not give GMs the wrong impression toward my intentions. If I decide the people are not tolerable then I will gently let the GM know that it is time for me to depart.

If the GM doesn't live up to something they advertised then I might depart. This, sadly, has happened more than a few times.

I might take my leave if I feel like my personality will clash too much with other players. If I'm going to become the thorn in their side then I find it easier to just go somewhere else rather than risk ruining the fun for everybody else.

As far as I can tell, the majority of people who respond to an interest check will never make a second comment once the game goes live. I can accept that. I don't like it. Oh well.

This is less of a thing that scares me off and more of a gripe. I dislike when a potential GM finds a decent group and then just fades away. Depressing stuff, that.