Maybe it is just me, but i feel that perhaps we should move away from writing length categories, and more towards genre. Split the groups up into things like SoL, Sci-fi, Fantasy etc. I think as a new user, that would make things alot easier to get into. You join the site, you want to do a fantasy RP, you check the fantasy section and find a RP that fits you. Hope that makes sense.

Maybe it is just me, but i feel that perhaps we should move away from writing length categories, and more towards genre. Split the groups up into things like SoL, Sci-fi, Fantasy etc. I think as a new user, that would make things alot easier to get into. You join the site, you want to do a fantasy RP, you check the fantasy section and find a RP that fits you. Hope that makes sense.

That's basically the tag system but in section form. Plus, we already have this nifty filter that lets you filter by tag, be that genre, writing level, group size, etc. Would be nice to have a filter for interest checks and a way to toggle on or off full roleplays in your search, though.

As a new user who's shopped around RPG forums a bit, my only issue with broad genre subsections is that it proved to waste a lot of my time, as I'd say go check a section such as Fantasy only to realize that most of the RPs were what people here would call Free level and that's not my preferred type of play-by-post.

Another balance is also just the number of subsections, too few and it's not specific enough, too many and it feels like you have to click forever to check if there are any new interesting games.

Ultimately, I have simply changed my approach to simply focus on the what the pitch is, the history of the DM/GM by checking what they've done before, and seeing how things pan out in terms of characters people submit as there is so much variability even within the same writing level subsections that the broad target for each subsection is fairly meaningless as an indicator of what to expect unless you are jumping up or down two levels.

Maybe it is just me, but i feel that perhaps we should move away from writing length categories, and more towards genre. Split the groups up into things like SoL, Sci-fi, Fantasy etc. I think as a new user, that would make things alot easier to get into. You join the site, you want to do a fantasy RP, you check the fantasy section and find a RP that fits you. Hope that makes sense.

Eh, nah. RPG's way of organizing things by audience (lets not pretend its writing level, really) is what makes RPG unique and what attracts people instead of places like RPA, RPN, etc. which sort by genre or style. Despite our tag system being pretty well made, our search system needs a lot of work and by extension a lot of people would not be able to find what they are looking for in terms of pacing, writing expectations, etc.

Keep RPG uniquely RPG.

I find it odd to complain about having to read on an internet forum.

I find it odd to complain about having to read on an internet forum.

I'll play devil's advocate for a second here.

Fact of the matter is, most of what's written on this site isn't very interesting and/or good. I'll be the first to admit my writing's absolute unreadable garbage, because we're a forum of hobbyists that all have conflicting styles and priorities.

The problem isn't reading a lot. A lot of people here do read books, or have at least voluntarily read a book in their life. People just don't like reading paragraphs upon paragraphs of boring setting dump for an idea that doesn't sound nearly as cool as it did in the author's head.

This isn't even a dig at anyone in specific; personally I read everything I can, but I admit it can often feel "in one ear, out the other" at times because I'm more "comprehending" than I am "consuming"

I spend hours of my life writing long posts in the casual section just to gatekeep it 😎

Also you're not necessarily expected to read full long posts, on a more serious note.

It was that way when I was last here regularly some three years ago. People flow to the activity and really, the system lends itself to it. It's flawed for balancing out activity between them, but at this point it works. We might as well look at making the still-defunct search and the somewhat clunky sorting system (tags and the like) more intuitive instead.

Personally, if the roleplay interest check doesn't go into extensive detail on the world it exists in, I'm not interested. I won't even read it, honestly. I think there's something to be said of a GM's commitment to an idea if they put enough work in on an interest check.

Personally, if the roleplay interest check doesn't go into extensive detail on the world it exists in, I'm not interested. I won't even read it, honestly. I think there's something to be said of a GM's commitment to an idea if they put enough work in on an interest check.

I agree with this. Seeing a detailed interest check makes me feel more confidence in the GM's ability.

I think I agree with what people were saying about the "vibes" in each section. I've participated in mostly Casual RP with some Advanced, and I'd say that there is a distinct feel to each of the categories, whether it be through their writing style or OOCs. GMs may not be looking for people of a certain caliber but rather those who carry a certain approach towards RPing.

I'd also like to bring up the fact that there are "cliques" (groups? friend circles?) of RPers that may have met in one section and just continued to have all of their RPs in that section, regardless of if that new RP fits the section. This isn't the primary reason why, but I do think it's a contributing factor.

I know it's a double post but I also think this image's point is somewhat relevant– just disregard the bit about different systems. Different people want different things and it's going to result in hella overlap n stuff.

If you ask me, maybe people are intepreting the stated conditions as a 'minimum', or maybe it's flexible to the point that people trudge into those territories.

If you ask me, 'Casual' generally refers to how long a player's post would be. Everything else, like the very first establishing post and even the plot, will inevitably be longer.

Casual has grown somewhat but mostly this is more a symptom of traffic i think. more people used casual so more people used it and casual has grown from 1-3 paragraphs to complicated and detailed RP with long posts and all in-between. There are RP in Casual that detail matching advanced and the growth of "high casual" which kind of hybrids. Just simple evolution.

It allowed the best chance of success.

'High Casual' has kind of always been a thing though, right? Even before guildfall you would see 'High Casual' tags for RPs in that section.

I've always viewed each section, at a basic level, as indicators for personal writing ability and progress. That's not to say that Free is solely intended for newer writers or those with less ability, but it's certainly easier for a newer member to view it that way at first. Which is why I think it's only right for the Casual section to have the most range/flexibility when it comes to writing length.

It's the best section for a writer to grow and improve because that's where you'll find writers of all ability levels ranging from Free to Advanced.

Casual has always been a middle ground for people where they can have fun without worrying about putting too much effort into it. The problem is when the casuals become better and better but are too scared to move onto advanced as such their skills have advanced but hesitation keeps them back. This ultimately leads to the conundrum. Casual becoming advanced. And this ends up setting a presidence for a skill cap unwarranted for that section.

It happens but I say don't let it bother you. If you feel the RP matches your interest and you are able to meet with the regulations and criteria set by the GM, go for it. If you feel uncomfortable, find another RP.

Like they say, many fishes in the sea.