Getting an RP off the ground.

[Krodin329]

So I'm trying to get an RP off the ground, I've made and attempted six different stories, and NO ONE is biting. What do I need to do to draw attention to an RP?

[Kaga]

That depends. Are these six different stores in one interest check thread or six separate threads?

If it's the former, then I think I just found your problem. You're much better off choosing one idea, then focusing on presentation in order to hook people with an interest check.

I can help you make a solid intchk if that's the case, but I'll wait for your response first.

[Lillian Thorne]

Also, this Guide is pretty darned invaluable. Take a peek.

[Krodin329]

No, I mean I've posted six times in interest check. Each time with a different story, and they all have failed. I think my issue is my ideas are a little... Odd. I'll take a look at the guide, and I have a friend who's assisting me with writing a more solid intro, thanks though :)

[Kaga]

Yeah, I still think the issue probably lies in presentation. If you link me to one of them I might be able to give you my thoughts, as well.

[Krodin329]

http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/34619/posts/ooc?page=1#post-1066093
Here's my most recent one, one person said they were interested today, but I don't know if any more will.

[Kaga]

Krodin329 said
http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/34619/posts/ooc?page=1#post-1066093 Here's my most recent one, one person said they were interested today, but I don't know if any more will.

I'd say it's the formatting. A giant block of text like that not only makes it seem like not enough effort was put into it, but is also more likely to result in a "tl;dr" response from readers. My advice is to break that into paragraphs - pretty it up a bit. That should make it easier on the eyes as well as make it look like you put a lot of time and care into it - and people love seeing a GM that looks like they know how to put effort into something. It'll make people more likely to trust that you know how to run an RP and therefore won't have to worry about a GM letting it fall apart on them just as they finally get their CS together.

[Krodin329]

So how would you suggest "breaking it up". Prettiness is my biggest issue, even my engineering teacher says so.

[Kaga]

Krodin329 said
So how would you suggest "breaking it up". Prettiness is my biggest issue, even my engineering teacher says so.

Oh you know, break it into a few paragraphs. Perhaps one that serves as an intro to the story, one that gets a bit more in-depth, and one that talks more about how the game will be played.

[Glitchy]

Krodin329 said
So how would you suggest "breaking it up". Prettiness is my biggest issue, even my engineering teacher says so.

Alternatively, you can also just click on some of the more successful RPs to see how they formatted their OCC. Success lies in imitation. Then innovation.

[Vanq]

I'm a fan of HeySeuss' int check/ooc structure.
Check it out.

[Krodin329]

Danka schön

[TheEvanCat]

As someone in an RP that's been around for two and half years and has survived at least two forum migrations, I think it's luck. Just be in the right place at the right time and pick up the right people who'll stay on forever. You develop a loyal core of people, and that keeps the RP going.

[Brovo]

Step 1: Understand the audience.
Grand Scale: Figure out what RPG likes and cater to it for a larger potential audience. (ex: RPG loves Fantasy stories, they've always been a popular choice, especially if you have no name as a GM yet.)
Local scale: Once you have players in whatever RP you decided to make, ensure they feel (and to a certain extent, are) involved in creating the world. Encourage them to tie their back stories into certain events you mention in the plot, or if it's total open world with no end goal, to mention friends, family, locations, personal goals and failures, etc. Then keep this momentum going, keep the OOC chatter alive or get everyone together on a messenger client so they can be chatty. Bonus points for IM's being that if they're even remotely active on them you can ask them in real time how their post is going, or when they can post.

Step 2: Momentum. I can't emphasize this point enough, so it gets its own step altogether. Keep pushing forward, keep making everyone feel important and useful, keep the creative juices flowing. It's like a wheel, a big wheel. When it's moving, the pace will blow your mind. When it slows down everything gets harder to keep it motion and when it stops it takes a lot of effort to get it going again. You don't have to move at the stupid-fast pace of the free section, but trying to keep at least one post a week is a good idea.

Step 3: The RP is never dead until everyone gives up on it. If there's been no post for over a month, and everyone still says they have interest, then keep posting in it anyway. There's no rule anywhere that says that after X amount of time your RP is dead. Do what you want and never feel pressured that if you've lost momentum, the RP is dead... Because it isn't. It's just very sluggish now.

Step 4: Use the information players provide in their sheets to your advantage. Character X has a sister? Introduce her into the story in some manner. This directly tells the player that yes, their character matters, their history matters, what they wrote matters and is part of your universe.

Step 5: Got momentum? Have the players directly involved? Writing an RP that caters to the overall collective interest of RPG in some way? Understand that an RP is never dead so long as people want to post in it? Congratulations, this, plus a couple of attempts to get an idea going with some consistent players in it, will pretty much guarantee that you will have a long lasting RP.

The only question is if you really want that.