For me, this is how I tend to do it:

Free: Up to ten, though really as many as it catches my interests. They never last long and I just join them for quick, novelty characters.

Casual: Roughly five, give or take. Note this only counts for Casual RP's that actually has some IC activity going on; if we're still in the OOC start up phase, I don't really count them.

Advance: One or two. I hardly ever join Advances as I'm more of a "High Casual" person, though sometimes I might know a guy who needs an extra body and likes what I can do.

Currently in three. Two casual, one 1x1.

Free: None I've had too many bad experiences of people just not giving a shit there

Casual: up to 5 usually maybe 4 if they are more high casual.

Advanced: I've never really felt like writing a novel with other people as I do it by myself, rping casual is enough to get me going and motivated to write.

1X1s: Normally just one, maybe two as they are far easier to keep up and track with as it's just two people. Normally casual to high casual for me regarding them as well.

Darkraven said but it remains statistically sound that what I said is more or less a general rule.

Your stat being that most RPers who drop are in other RPs? Have you not heard the phrase correlation does not imply causation?

Darkraven said A roleplayer who's involved in like 6-7 roleplays at the same time or a more humble one who's in 1-2 roleplays?

You're obviously ignoring what kind of RPs these people may be involved in. What if they're in 2 free RPs, 1 casual and 3 1x1s?

Currently in four, I try to keep a maximum of five ^^

1- Advanced
1- Casual
2- 1x1's

The 1x1's move at a pretty lax pace so it isn't much of a struggle. Both group RPs are what keep me busy since the casual one has a daily posting rule and the advanced one a three day rule. (^w^)

jennifer lost the war said
Your stat being that most RPers who drop are in other RPs? Have you not heard the phrase correlation does not imply causation?

Which is why I prefer to say 'in general', not 100% and not 'without exception'. Have you not heard the phrase 'in general'? There are of course exceptions to every rule, like the super-model roleplayers who are rumoured to exist.

jennifer lost the war said
You're obviously ignoring what kind of RPs these people may be involved in. What if they're in 2 free RPs, 1 casual and 3 1x1s?

Free, Casual and 1x1 roleplays, based on my experience, tend to go faster, therefore categories are negligible Otherwise, scale accordingly with modifiers (like x1.2 or x1.5) :). The fact of the matter is, the more RPs they're involved in, the bigger the chance that they're going to bail on you.

Darkraven said
Which is why I prefer to say 'in general', not 100% and not 'without exception'. Have you not heard the phrase 'in general'? There are of course exceptions to every rule

Your rule implies causation. It also applies to so many people that it's meaningless.

You're misusing statistics for your argument. someone being in >n RPs does not equal that they will drop out. Or that they are more likely to drop out. If anything, the likelihood is just as high or higher for those with 0-2 RPs as for those with >5.

To give another nice example of real, proven statistics abused:
"80% of all car accidents happen while sober. We will not take that risk!"

jennifer lost the war said
Your rule implies causation. It also applies to so many people that it's meaningless.

So now I'm telling you that I'm not implying causation. I'm saying that it's a contributing factor, that it leads to overload and then quitting.

Okay. You know what? To each his own, just like what the other guy said. I still won't believe that you could join like 10 RPs without becoming more likely to quit than you are when you join just a few.

It's not like what happens in this thread is going to solve anything anyway, especially when proposed reasons for the phenomenon is being shot down before they are even being considered. Like in the previous incarnation of the RPguild, mountains upon mountains of dead RPs will stack up like American trash. Already, I think half the RPs in the advance section are dead.

Darkraven said I still won't believe that you could join like 10 RPs without becoming more likely to quit than you are when you join just a few.

If you have to use such an extreme example to back yourself up, there might be something wrong with the argument.

Darkraven said It's not like what happens in this thread is going to solve anything anyway, especially when proposed reasons for the phenomenon is being shot down before they are even being considered. Like in the previous incarnation of the RPguild, mountains upon mountains of dead RPs will stack up like American trash. Already, I think half the RPs in the advance section are dead.

I don't think the goal of the thread was to fix anything, it was just to have a discussion. I'm also not sure why you're under the impression that this problem is exclusive to this site. I'd be willing to put money that not a single public RP site has more completed RPs than dropped ones. This has been the nature of RPing for a long time. To pin it on the number of RPs people do at once is obviously over simplifying.

Jesus fuck. Just drop it and say how many roleplays you're in on average already. You've done nothing but carry on the argument that Sailor started in the first page, which missed the point of the thread anyway. I came here to know how many roleplays the roleplayers here average, not half a page of this BS.

Anyway, I usually do some sporadic one on oneing here and there, a tabletop group on the side, and maybe one group RP at any given time. I'd do more but there just isn't a lot that catches my interest it seems. Sometimes that one really good group RP is all you need for a while, though.

jennifer lost the war said
If you have to use such an extreme example to back yourself up, there might be something wrong with the argument.

Okay, fine. I still can't believe that you could do 5 RPs and still have the same chance of not quitting an RP as you do when you're doing 1 or 2. Better?

jennifer lost the war said
I don't think the goal of the thread was to fix anything, it was just to have a discussion. I'm also not sure why you're under the impression that this problem is exclusive to this site. I'd be willing to put money that not a single public RP site has more completed RPs than dropped ones. This has been the nature of RPing for a long time. To pin it on the number of RPs people do at once is obviously over simplifying.

I'm not under the impression that this problem is exclusive to this site. Weren't we talking about RPs in general? I'm just using RPguild as an example, because we're here aren't we? It's the most readily accessible. I know for a fact that it's also a problem in other sites. I've been to those sites before.

Right now?

1-2 & 1/2

All of which are really slow... The 1/2 is an RP that I'm about to make in either 1x1 or arena (depending which is better) for a major fight between my strongest and another character that's already in an RP with each other and that such... Most RPs I do are in casual or Highcasual.

I usually only do one roleplay at a time...and one that I've created and decided to host. This is largely due to my inability to focus on more than one thing at a time. There are exceptions, of course, as I can juggle the RP I'm GMing (which is always in advanced, due to the standard 'speed' of the threads and my own posting expectations) and something like a high-casual or low-advanced 1x1.

-snip-

*bows head in*

I'm actually in 10 active role plays on this forum and 3 on my own private forum. 1 of them is a 5 person group that I GM and the rest are casual-high casual to advanced 1x1. I do not have a problem keeping them updated and some may be slower than others. The only times people have to wait on me is when my illness gets worse.

And I'd be willing to join more! Between jobs because of my health and writing is all I have. I'd hope people would understand that there may be longer breaks between replies here and there when my illness flares up and sometimes my mind just breaks.

Well, with the RP style I'm used to, the number of RP's you were in was simultaneously ridiculously high and pathetically low.

So something like 8 and 1.

I only do casual, though I'm starting to look into nation too.

Even active roleplays are too slow for me. I like slow. It means you can take your time on a reply, but it also means you can wait for up to a whole day, or even several days, for a direct IC reply.

That's why I'm currently in 10 roleplays.

PerniciousIntent said
This is a question I've always had. I always stick to less then five, but I know some people who do like 10 at once (which is crazy).
What else effects it? Interest? Level(free, casual, advanced)?
Just like a poll thing, I guess. I've always wondered what others would say to the same question.

Once upon an era, in a forum far far away, at any given time and across all boards, the maximum RP count was four. Since I am prone to running off in all directions like a mad thing, it burdened me like running shoes that don't fit. There were no "I'll give this a try" or "Ooh, what does this button do?". There was only the Four. I came a long way thanks to that. The 'narrowed scope' helped me slow down and appreciate the stories already unfolding around me. It enabled me to achieve a higher level of planning, character development and storywriting. Often, these roleplays would survive half a year, and more, thanks to the shared circumstances . The OOC did grow exponentially, in some cases resembling IRC, and for it, we became a tighter, stronger, more effective unit. Nowadays, I am guilty of breaking that rule since straying from that forum, and often flit to and fro, bumping that count up to six at most. Any more and I'll rupture a vessel.

Various factors come into effect such as the standard, the cast, the setting and the pace, though all are ultimately dependent on the how I am performing IRL. I say 'standard' as a more generalised term in reference to the expected literacy level, story depth and detail, and the complexity of a roleplay's mechanics (PVP, nation-based, political campaigning, strategic war games, creation, etc.). Committed GMs that offer an abundance of detail in their story setting and writing, I tend to give all, if not ten times, that amount back in effort. If the cast are quite involved and open to embarking on side-projects - as I tend to be - then I usually put more time into communicating ideas and the developments that form from them. Right now, I am trying for roleplays that have a regulated turn system, or go at a pace I am confident in keeping up with. We all have our naughty moments, however. I'll usually forego any and all such inhibitions if I find a roleplay based on something I can get excited about

TL;DR It's all about knowing your own limits as a writer and having a clear, if not mature, respect for balance.

Silver Carrot said
I only do casual, though I'm starting to look into nation too.Even active roleplays are too slow for me. I like slow. It means you can take your time on a reply, but it also means you can wait for up to a whole day, or even several days, for a direct IC reply.That's why I'm currently in 10 roleplays.

I don't know if it was intended to, but the last line made me lol like a pro. Sorry if it wasn't meant to!