How to keep a roleplay from dying?

[Vortex]

I am a part of several rps and they all seem to be withering away. I however can stand to see this happen as I have grown attached to the characters. So I ask you: how on earth do I keep it from going to the Rp grave yard?

[TheLastRunaway]

Maybe try to get new people to join it. That's what I do, when people start to whither I try to advertise the RP as much as possible so I can continue to use my character but sometimes that doesn't end well either.

[Vortex]

Yeah... We tried that but the problem is we have run out of ideas. The plot line has died. We have no idea what to do next.

[Dervish]

I think a lot of problems stem from GMs not having a game planned out past the initial premise. You need to be able to plan the general plot ahead of time and know what you want to accomplish. Another thing that helps is being picky about who you accept in a game to make sure they're a good fit. I see way too many GMs accept anyone who applies, and it bites them because more often than not, people drop as soon as they get bored, lost, or they think a few days of inactivity means a game is dead.

[Ryver et Rhine]

This also depends on the type of RP in general I guess. =) Maybe we could help if you tell us which rp it is?

[Lennon79]

Sometimes it can be due to players losing interest in their characters or those of others. A few little OOC games or something silly like that can keep things going and sometimes lead to renewed interest or inspiration. The old give-me-one-secret-about-your-character often works a charm.
Or if you're in the same timezone, a good three+ person collab is like a defib to a dying RP's heart.

[Vortex]

Ryver et Rhine said
This also depends on the type of RP in general I guess. =) Maybe we could help if you tell us which rp it is?

It's a free roleplay. Yes I know. Now don't give me that look!

[Ryver et Rhine]

<.< Dang I need to work on my pokerface?

No wasn't implying anything. I totally understand being attached to your character. I think Lennon's idea is good.

[Vortex]

Hmm... Never seen or done any of those... Worth a try I guess

Any games that you suggest?

[Lennon79]

Anything that makes people think more about how their character acts really. Asking for one or two of the character's embarrassing secrets or secret obsessions can help to make them feel more relatable and help others to reply.
Another way is to have a OOC mini-RP, completely taking the piss out of the main plot. Only one liners or vague replies, but a good pissabout to drum up some amusement and from there, inspiration.

[Brovo]

RP's only die if you let them. LoR went on for four years. It had its ups and downs, but we kept pushing, and made it to the end, and now, to the sequel. That's not being harsh or elitist: Sometimes I let RP's die. Without even meaning to, even.

That being said, here's a few solutions I'm shotgunning out to help as a veteran GM.

Rebirth: A drastic measure, you reset the RP's timeline to a previous point, perhaps all the way to the beginning, and explore a different path. If you want to intersect back to the main path, create multiverse theory. This can very well by itself become very complex to keep track of though.

Autoresolve: Just like how strategy games often have autoresolve tools, you can autoresolve a plot and move forward to a new plot with the same characters. Especially effective if the characters are the element you want to save above all else, but can feel jarring.

New Goal: If you don't want to rebirth or autoresolve and move to a different plot, then drop the characters into a new "zone". Maybe they were kidnapped, crash landed, got lost, etc, but put them in a new area with a subplot that you can tie into the main plot at some point. During this time you can adjust the main plot, making minor retcons here and there until it becomes interesting again.

Carbonite Bath: Hibernate your RP for a month or two and come back to it. You may want to retcon a few pieces of it once you come back, but sometimes a break is simply all that's needed to give an old idea life again.

[Ariamis]

Here's a tip to any GM's out there: always specify in your rules when or how often people should post, and set a limit to how long they can stay idle. I made the mistake of not making a rule like this, and after waiting for a week for one person to post I realized he was gone, along with the rest after nobody responded to the next IC post; a death sentence to my RP.

[TheEvanCat]

No, limits are bad. Very bad. PoW has survived for two and a half years and many times we post every like, two months. Last post was 6 days ago. It's still alive and well, breathing and thriving. If you find the right people, they will post. They'll be busy with jobs and school but they'll post. And all of you should be friends. For example, most people in PoW are Steam friends. We play vidya gaems together. We chat and socialize outside the thread. So we have all of these connections that ties people to the RP (and, in our case, we do other RPs together.) So even if nobody posts in two months, the RP is alive.

[The Book Thief]

Limits aren't exactly bad. In some cases, they keep a RP going. Personally, I agree with Ariamis. A GM should state their rules and expectations regarding posting, then enforce those rules. I've been in two RPs that have lasted for quite sometime, one has been alive for more than a year and the other almost a year, and both have strict posting rules. Those who were inactive, or those who slowed the RP down were kicked out. Lack of posting can lead to a lack of motivation and sometimes when things go quiet people lose inspiration. I've seen several RPs go to their grave because of a lack of posting. Things went quiet and people assumed it was dead and left. If the IC is going to be quiet or slow for sometime, it would help to keep the OOC active and show the players that the RP is still alive and kicking.

Personally, I'm all for limits, but perhaps that's because I don't want to wait an entire month for a single reply. However, it depends since other RPs do fine with a more relaxed pace. Still, I agree with Ariamis, post down your rules and expectations, that way you'll find a group of people who meet your RPing needs. Some people prefer faster RPs and some people are more patient than others, so it's a matter of finding players who are looking for the same things that you're looking for.

And Evan is definitely right, being friends with your fellow RPers helps a ton. It's easier to RP with them and iron out the kinks when you feel comfortable with them. Get to know them, have a laugh with them, and remember communicate with them. If there's something you don't like or something that needs to be discussed then talk about it on the OOC. Also, if someone drops off the face of the planet don't be afraid to give them a little kick through PM. Communication does a RP wonders.

[TheEvanCat]

However, a lot of times if you develop a core member and something happens, you can't kick them out for not posting in a week. For example, if my ROTC application goes through and I end up doing it, there's a few weeks of initial training in the summer. No way I can do anything with the Internet. Other guys have big boy jobs and school, and are often exhausted yet still influential to the story. This isn't necessarily a loss of interest: and we have had people die off. Their stuff was just turned into NPCs for if they came back.

That's my argument against limits, but to each their own.

[The Book Thief]

I didn't mean kicking them out if they were busy with real life, sorry if it sounded that way. However, I do believe a person should mention it on the OOC if they will be gone for sometime. That way, the GM can usher their character along or place them somewhere where they won't hinder the story. If they're going to be busy and say so, then they shouldn't be booted out of the RP, but players who are constantly inconsistent for no reason at all, those who miss several posting cycles with no warning, and those who simply vanish off the face of RPG, they're the ones who need to go.

[Ellri]

Another tip that we've found helps (if you're the GM)... Get a co-GM who you truly can cooperate with. Someone you can easily understand and be understood by. Doesn't hurt at all if (s)he is in an entirely different timezone. If anything, that means there are more hours in the day people can get hold of a GM.

[Maiden]

I agree with the idea of games for building interest. On OldGuild, I used private Groups as playgrounds for my RP's. We had a group discussion for music and our characters' theme songs, short stories about days from our characters' pasts (Most embarrassing day, happiest day, etc.), a neat thread where we listed all the tropes our characters fit into, collaborations that would later be edited into the main IC, all sorts of neat stuff. (Please, O Great and Powerful Mahz, I need my Groups back!) Those are all great interest/activity builders, as well as nice character development exercises.

Yes, if you are a GM it is mandatory that you be active in the IC and OOC. Without you, the players are lost. I'm currently struggling with Twisted because I wasn't posting much for a couple weeks while I changed jobs. It nearly cost me the roleplay, but thankfully I'm getting some players coming in on the recruiting thread... and I actually designed the game to operate around the fact that during its run, we'd have players come and go. It is what it is: people's lives change, they don't have as much time as they thought they would.

I also agree that you have to outline your post expectations and stick to them. You just have to keep in mind that you'll set the pace for your RP with your post limits. If you have your players posting every day, you'll eat up your whole storyline in four months, and your game is done. If you post once every couple months, your RP will take forever to get anywhere and many years to complete. I'm not saying either is bad, it's just something you want to be aware of. Twisted is long-term, so my post expectation there is once every two weeks. I've been in roleplays with shorter and longer limits... but there pretty much always is one. It's important for players to know upfront what the consequences will be if they don't post. Will you wait two weeks to replace them, or two months?

Begin with the end in mind. When you write a roleplay, have a resolution for your plot and at least a vague outline of how you want to get there. Be flexible, because your players can and will throw curveballs at you sometimes, but if you don't know where you're going there's no telling where you'll end up! If you get lost as the GM, your players usually won't find a way on their own. They'll give up and move on to a new game.

One thing I can think of that I didn't see mentioned previously is to be mindful of the seasons. I've been on RPG for four years now, and it's always busier around here when school is out for the summer. I'm not trying to be derogatory to students in any way, but the simple fact of life is that when they return to school their studies often leave them too busy for roleplays. Recruit whenever you have to, but I would advise starting your RP in fall or spring.

Another piece of advice that has served me well is to recruit more players than you actually need when you start the game. If you need eight, start with ten. That way you can lose two players and be right where you wanted to be three months down the road.

Even with all those tips and tricks, sometimes your RP's will still die. Hope some of this helps someone... somewhere. XD

[Erebus]

Try changing the way you play. As an old fool, my games are people around a table, with figures and scenics. Rather than suspend a campaign, or let it die of disinterest, get up from the table and only play by conversation in the pub(Referee has the right to correct anything said whilst blazing drunk). Try resting the campaign, with players writing to you, then moderate their actions. Sometimes a players personal desires can trigger a plot line. Other ideas may fit more with your life, but the idea is the same, try a change, then get back to it.

[AlteredTundra]

Usually what I do is either put up an recruiting thread or godmod the other characters to make shit happen. It just depends on how much people are really willing to put into their rps and to keep it going.