I do sort of understand this point but it is hard to argue with the forum visitor numbers posted for all to see on the front page that has gone down considerably from what I consider the heyday of RPG (and other forums).

It's not as if I can't find RP's if I want to - rather, it is the opposite - but moreso that the amount of fresh blood is diminishing quite heavily.

Visitor numbers no longer reflect hidden users or even "guests." I've seen 500+ people roaming casual and that was just a month or so ago. And new people join the forum all the time. I think the bulk of them are less social because that's a lot more interesting on Discord.

Again I see your point, but I used to be a group-RPer only (and even looked down on the gooners in the 1x1 section) and the experience was only different because there was a million RP's back then (granted 50% of them were a variation of (Fandom) in Equestria, but soit). I'd kill for a group RP that works for me but my tastes are no longer satisfied by "Naruto: with a twist" so I do most of my writing on other forums now -- even there, though, the issue is persistent in that group RP's tend to die extremely quickly nowadays compared to before when a bunch of no-life kids sat around writing 5 posts a day. I don't think I look for a GM that has understandable rules, but I look for a GM that can just run the RP in a way where people stick around. It doesn't have to be super well constructed if it's fun and the GM is genuinely involved, which a lot of them don't seem to be (and never were! This is a problem as old as time, but back then you'd just replace it with a different one). That's more of a critique on the GMing styles that seem to be prevalent though, and less about the platform.

I feel like group RPs have gotten a lot more original, or at least they haven't diminished as much as the fandoms have. Again, there's no shortage of stuff for me to join here, so I can't relate to your experiences.

There is a general trend in the population around attention deficits for projects, due to which has been exploited a lot by social media, game companies, and so on, who want your eyes on their products in what is termed attention economy. They provide those hits via doom-scrolling, notifications, time limited offers, engagement algorithms, and gamification.

Hobbies like role-play and creative writing take work and time, it requires that investment and energy before you get the "pay-offs". So it is challenged by multiple avenues which offer that more immediately and provide that rush.

Have you ever been in a role-play where someone is very slow with their posts, or you are constantly waiting for them, whilst you can see their active status of playing Monster Hunter World for the last 8 hours every day for last week. It isn't a case of "I don't have time", it is a case of prioritisation. Why invest your time in something when you can get a more immediate payoff by comparison elsewhere. What harm would happen if they put MHW down for one hour a week, so the RP can progress its story.

So places like forums will have a role, and hobbies like this one will be a constant niche activity. We are the knitters and crocheters.

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So, with this in mind, how could this forum improve?

The thing is, the scaremongering and looking at the numbers leads to policies and judgements based on the goal of retention, as opposed to things like quality in the community which could decrease population decline.

What a forum offers is a medium which allows for long term and impactful role-playing. It is amazing just sometimes booting up a thread and just seeing all the art, pictures, formatting, and such great writing, for free. Seeing people enjoy themselves and have fun in their story telling communities. Mediums like Discord RP is typically more for cheap frills and temporary fun, and people who respond for a bit then finish their interest in it and bail, it doesn't produce or create anything meaningful.

Now, you might think "Quality? Do you mean get rid of the rubbish role players", and you would be wrong. We are humans, we have this great ability to learn, develop and grow. We were all terrible at some point, and with guidance, we can blossom and grow, and becomes future leaders of this place. What is important, however, is the quality of the community to enable such a fostering environment.

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I like to call a spade a spade, this account is new here, I get that. I was invited onto this forum from a friend, and I joined and stayed because I found a RP with a nice community. But the very sad news is, not everyone here has been welcoming. I don't even need to name names, but if it wasn't for the fact I found a good community here, I would have left. I remember shortly after my first post, my first private message on the forum was from a Not-nice user, with a cheery "Hello! Your avatar is so beautiful." I ignored their first PM, due to it being creep behaviour, and then I got the PM again, and I replied out of curiosity, and they shortly hit me with a "Can I sniff your laundry?" proving my first impression of them. This is the reception that new members get on the forum, and this user stalks those Welcome threads. This is why I have decided upon myself, to personally greet and welcome every new user to comes through that door, to show them, that yes, there are decent people here, and just not creeps.

If I feel like I would have left in these circumstances, what about all those who post there with wide eyes and hopes and dreams, but never find a good community and scared away due to having a creep message them? How many users have we just lost in the name of retention? What about all their stories and the great contributions they would have made here?

The golden age of the guild is over, we're in our mad max era where RPs are scarce like water. GMs are ruthless warlords and everyone is fighting for scraps and there is not enough to go around.

When it comes to keeping it alive, hold the line and keep posting. Never flake or give up as a GM or player, roleplay cliques die with complacency and history repeats itself.

You bring up an interesting point, and there is understandable concerns around the cliques and it’s an important topic in any community, especially roleplay groups. Fundamentally with this hobby, we are creating temporary close-knit communities whenever a GM makes a game. These can sometimes feel exclusionary or difficult enter, especially when it is a game in progress.

However, it is important to distinguish the difference between harmful exclusion, such as elitism or GM’s being ‘Warlords of their Domain’, with the balance of RP groups needing healthy boundaries. Communities thrive when everyone feels safe, respected, and free to express themselves. RP is an intimate experience both in-character and out-character, so trust is important.

Sometimes our decisions to exclude certain individuals from an role-play wasn’t about forming an elitist clique or being unkind to people. This can be making sure that people who join are a ‘Good Fit’ to enter the RP. These decisions can be around ensuring the safety and well-being of our members which has to be the foundation of any healthy community.

So, when someone engages in behaviours like harassment or makes others feel unsafe, it just doesn’t work, and things fall apart. it undermines the trust and enjoyment that makes these roleplay communities so fulfilling. So, addressing those issues is necessary to maintain a positive environment for us all to thrive in.

I think it is good to be open to discussing ways we can make the community more welcoming for our members.

Yeah really good point silly, unfortunately the only community that has historically survived on the guild is The Recollections Universe. I really wish the mixtape ghost note would weigh on how the does it so GMs of today can learn and adapt their RPs because most will just drop dead especially after new years the cracks appear.

The Holiday Season is always difficult, because people prioritise their families and celebrating in the festivities. So most RPs take a break during this time. This unfortunately causes disruptions to schedules and routines, but they can recover.

The best way we can resolve this is by working together in our communities to overcome any nightmares durihg this season, and go far beyond the new year.

I'm excited for the summer when RP will return along with new GMs, players and ideas.

I too just got the dreaded "silly 1st post on" about my avatar I feel obligated to March forward holding hands with affects parties into introduction threads to protect the innocent and attack the cold callers of this forum.

Profile pic complimenters consider yourself on a red notice.

You bring up an interesting point, and there is understandable concerns around the cliques and it’s an important topic in any community, especially roleplay groups. Fundamentally with this hobby, we are creating temporary close-knit communities whenever a GM makes a game. These can sometimes feel exclusionary or difficult enter, especially when it is a game in progress.

However, it is important to distinguish the difference between harmful exclusion, such as elitism or GM’s being ‘Warlords of their Domain’, with the balance of RP groups needing healthy boundaries. Communities thrive when everyone feels safe, respected, and free to express themselves. RP is an intimate experience both in-character and out-character, so trust is important.

Sometimes our decisions to exclude certain individuals from an role-play wasn’t about forming an elitist clique or being unkind to people. This can be making sure that people who join are a ‘Good Fit’ to enter the RP. These decisions can be around ensuring the safety and well-being of our members which has to be the foundation of any healthy community.

So, when someone engages in behaviours like harassment or makes others feel unsafe, it just doesn’t work, and things fall apart. it undermines the trust and enjoyment that makes these roleplay communities so fulfilling. So, addressing those issues is necessary to maintain a positive environment for us all to thrive in.

I think it is good to be open to discussing ways we can make the community more welcoming for our members.

This is (relative in Internet terms) a long standing community, with equally long standing members comprising it; if we go back to the old vBulletin forum that was once the Guild, there's close to/over two decades that have lead it to where it is now.

Inevitably, a place that's been around a while, playing host to people that have been around a while will see the development of groups that are more tight-knit than the average one-off RP cast: people who have been in multiple RPs together, people that have migrated as collectives from one site to the next for whatever reasons, people who have established a sort of lore between their OCs or have collaborated extensively in the past. This is the territory wherein cliques start to lean into exclusionary behavior, I think moreso than people coming together for an RP of common interest.

Wanting to maintain the effiency and consistency of the creative group is one thing. But then, maybe don't open it for the RPing public? Or if if the intent is hold a higher level of skill as a standard, set up shop in the Advanced section wherein the talent sought is more likely to come around.

My personal experiences with cliques in RPing have been situations wherein a few people with history together seemed to relegate those not of the in-group to background noise, and their characters being kneecapped into irrelevance either from conception or through the collaboration and plotting; GMs at the core of it. Fundamentally a GM should bd able and willing to account for players and characters outside of the clique, especially in RPs not driven by an official central plot. When you try to iron out character relations with the GM and their adjacent circle and get told to instead work with the other newcomers... that is kind of a red flag; "you can play near us, but not with us." In essence, a clique within an RP.

This was in the Casual RP section.

If I were in any position to GM, I might well have taken a stab at running my own RP.

<Snipped quote by Silly>

This is (relative in Internet terms) a long standing community, with equally long standing members comprising it; if we go back to the old vBulletin forum that was once the Guild, there's close to/over two decades that have lead it to where it is now.

Inevitably, a place that's been around a while, playing host to people that have been around a while will see the development of groups that are more tight-knit than the average one-off RP cast: people who have been in multiple RPs together, people that have migrated as collectives from one site to the next for whatever reasons, people who have established a sort of lore between their OCs or have collaborated extensively in the past. This is the territory wherein cliques start to lean into exclusionary behavior, I think moreso than people coming together for an RP of common interest.

Wanting to maintain the effiency and consistency of the creative group is one thing. But then, maybe don't open it for the RPing public? Or if if the intent is hold a higher level of skill as a standard, set up shop in the Advanced section wherein the talent sought is more likely to come around.

My personal experiences with cliques in RPing have been situations wherein a few people with history together seemed to relegate those not of the in-group to background noise, and their characters being kneecapped into irrelevance either from conception or through the collaboration and plotting; GMs at the core of it. Fundamentally a GM should bd able and willing to account for players and characters outside of the clique, especially in RPs not driven by an official central plot. When you try to iron out character relations with the GM and their adjacent circle and get told to instead work with the other newcomers... that is kind of a red flag; "you can play near us, but not with us." In essence, a clique within an RP.

This was in the Casual RP section.

If I were in any position to GM, I might well have taken a stab at running my own RP.

Wow amazing post dude.