I've been trying to get the same RP going for over a year now. I haven't had more than one person at a time express interest. That one person, then, just never responds back.
I'm committed, though. I'll keep trying until I get at least 2 people to show interest and follow through with, at least, starting it.
I'm of the understanding that people simply don't stumble over it and that it's mechanics are very different from the fandom. I think this is one of the reasons, but I think there are plenty of people out there that would be interested in it if they saw it.
How long have you waited for an RP to catch on? Do you believe there is a time when you should give up?
@Phoenix I've waited months for an RP to catch interest, at least on the Old Guild. I haven't in this one simply because I had a small group of friends that I knew would love to RP with me. That said, I also had a LOT of RPs peter out and die due to lack of interest after it starts. Couple people drop, then bam, everyone else starts to follow. It's like a freaking plague, a cancer. Once it take hold it is hard to fight.
I think if you have a great idea that just doesn't take off, keep trying. There was one RP I tried to get going 3 times before it finally garnered enough interest to get off the ground. It was going good for a bit too, but eventually died. Still, it made it a ways past the very start, and that's farther than a lot of RPs go these days. Just keep trying, maybe modify your ideas if you think there is something turning people away--unless you are adamant about that particular thing. In which case, just keep trying. Eventually it will take off, if you wait long enough.
Also consider what section you are posting in. Obviously an advanced level RP will be a harder sell than casual, simply because a lot more people play casual vs advanced.
I think there's a time when you should give up or re-evaluate. But then again: I'm a fan of the idea that you should plan to be a GM second and a participant first.
If you don't have a clique to be a member of and people to bounce ideas off of it can be difficult to really get anything moving. The best thing to do would be to join other RPs and acquaint yourself with others on a professional basis at least, or within a genre. Whenever you want to try and be a GM these people can help to get an RP off the ground (or even into the interest check phase if they like the idea) and can be the core of the first members.
I understand people want some semblance of power by being the big boy on the internet but it's truthfully not worth it when so many do and there's so many other RPs that might be doing that field much better.
@Dinh AaronMk But why is there a time to give up? It often is really just a matter of waiting for the right people to see the RP. Hell, go into the chat and see if there's anyone there that would be interested, or the Facebook page. If you really want to RP an idea, I don't see why you should give up eventually. Re-evaluate, certainly, but just decide you won't try? No, I flat disagree with this one.
I understand people want some semblance of power by being the big boy on the internet but it's truthfully not worth it when so many do and there's so many other RPs that might be doing that field much better.
Just because there are RPs in a field doing better than yours, doesn't mean you shouldn't try for a good successful RP. At some point, there just isn't an RP you REALLY want to join, or you feel passionate about. In these cases, it's time to step up and make one. I don't think one should let the fact that there are already highly successful threads stop people from trying to form their own. I DO agree that one should look at what makes the successful ones take off, but it shouldn't deter people from attempting.
@Phoenix I've waited months for an RP to catch interest, at least on the Old Guild. I haven't in this one simply because I had a small group of friends that I knew would love to RP with me. That said, I also had a LOT of RPs peter out and die due to lack of interest after it starts. Couple people drop, then bam, everyone else starts to follow. It's like a freaking plague, a cancer. Once it take hold it is hard to fight.
I think if you have a great idea that just doesn't take off, keep trying. There was one RP I tried to get going 3 times before it finally garnered enough interest to get off the ground. It was going good for a bit too, but eventually died. Still, it made it a ways past the very start, and that's farther than a lot of RPs go these days. Just keep trying, maybe modify your ideas if you think there is something turning people away--unless you are adamant about that particular thing. In which case, just keep trying. Eventually it will take off, if you wait long enough.
Also consider what section you are posting in. Obviously an advanced level RP will be a harder sell than casual, simply because a lot more people play casual vs advanced.
It seems like that's the only way to have a successful RP: to have friends or just those who enjoy RPing with you and have similar interest or vice-versa. Unfortunately, I have so such people. :(
I've just modified my rules after considering how harsh they sound. After lurking through this Forum, it seems there's a new batch of Advanced RPers that aren't used to the standards of "normal" Advanced (grammar, story-telling/plot-driving, ability to develop one's own character, etc.). Granted, I was harsh about those standards, but I've had such bad luck with people showing interest that don't really belong in Advanced to begin with (don't read entire OP and ask questions that have been answered, don't understand the mechanics and don't know they don't understand them, etc.). I have no problems with explaining things, but I can tell if someone read the OP and actually comprehended most of it (I'm not saying they have to memorize it).
But, yeah, I, no longer, have interest in Casual. That's where I started, but those standards are just not enough for what I wish to accomplish or create (and I'm not going to go "High Casual" because that's a cop-out and even those standards don't bring what I want). I understand that this makes me picky and makes the window so much smaller, but I know there's at least a few people out there that can create a character, stick to it, read the OOC and IC and comprehend it, and can contribute to the world itself.
I think there's a time when you should give up or re-evaluate. But then again: I'm a fan of the idea that you should plan to be a GM second and a participant first.
If you don't have a clique to be a member of and people to bounce ideas off of it can be difficult to really get anything moving. The best thing to do would be to join other RPs and acquaint yourself with others on a professional basis at least, or within a genre. Whenever you want to try and be a GM these people can help to get an RP off the ground (or even into the interest check phase if they like the idea) and can be the core of the first members.
I understand people want some semblance of power by being the big boy on the internet but it's truthfully not worth it when so many do and there's so many other RPs that might be doing that field much better.
I agree with the sentiment that, even when you are GMing, it's important to be an RPer first and then a GM.
But that really seems to be the case. I have no one to bounce ideas off of because I haven't played the fandom a lot because it's never offered what I wanted.
And I've always been looking for RPs to join, but my tastes are so limited. Then, when I see the genre I like, I get turned away because I don't like how it's being run, the mechanics are off-putting, the GM's are rude, or I decided to be a b!tch that day. I've finally found one that I'm currently participating in that's been doing pretty well and I've already established pretty good relations with the GM and Co-GM, or, at least, I think I have.
And this goes into your last statement. I don't really care to have authority. If someone created an RP that's like mine, with the same mechanics, and even the same plot (though the plot is largely irrelevant), then I would be happy to join and not GM. But, again, the mechanics most utilize for that fandom are not what I like, desire, or care for. But I still want to RP that fandom in this general, though particular, manner.
@Dinh AaronMkJust because there are RPs in a field doing better than yours, doesn't mean you shouldn't try for a good successful RP. At some point, there just isn't an RP you REALLY want to join, or you feel passionate about. In these cases, it's time to step up and make one. I don't think one should let the fact that there are already highly successful threads stop people from trying to form their own. I DO agree that one should look at what makes the successful ones take off, but it shouldn't deter people from attempting.
Yes, I agree with this.
However, with the latter portion. I've looked through my fair share of the fandom and don't really see how mine lacks other than straying from the norm almost completely. I think it's because of this, and the fact that I don't care for the norm, itself, that there has been an utter lack of interest. However, I'm sure my rules strayed people away.
If you care to, in the hider below are my current list of "rules/notes" that I'm open to arguing about and hearing criticism of.
- No God-modding, power-playing, etc. etc. - CS’s need only contain Name, Age, and History/Background/Biography as well as a list of all their Pokemon. Additional sections will not be necessary and I may not read them. - CS's must be submitted to me through PM. I do not want to see WIPs in the OOC. - Characters must have their own goals. This is advanced and I will treat it as such. - You may create any number of PCs or NPCs as you wish. But if you overload yourself, you will be asked to cut down your list. - Spelling and grammar should be at an acceptable level. I will PM you if I believe more focus on grammar is necessary. - Constructive criticism, with thought-out opinion and researched facts, is always welcome. However, any kind of arrogance or bullying, implied or otherwise, will not be tolerated. - Three thoughtful and story-driven/driving paragraphs is the minimum post length. - I do not read prose, never mind purple prose. If that is how you enjoy to write, put the prose in a hider and type a short summary of what your post actually did for the story. - Characters (including my own) are always under revisement by anyone and everyone. - Be willing to participate in this RP for a long time. If you need to take breaks, let me know. - OOC activity should be once a week and I will keep games going to sustain activity. - A post every 3 days in the IC will be considered “quick.” - There is no posting order. Post only once after I make a post, unless I state otherwise. - I welcome the idea of side-arcs and mini-plots, flashbacks and time-skips. Please feel free to contribute to the story as much as you like. - I welcome input and ideas for technologies, landmarks, moves, mechanics, etc. This is as much your world as it is mine. - I am patient. As long as there is respect and cooperation with reasonable communication, time is not an issue. - Any and all sections of this RP are subject to editing, additions, or omissions by the GM.
I'm with Aaron on this one. You got to think about this tactically. If you are going to gather an RPing group, then join RP's with comparable fandoms and make a name for yourself. Until then, it is just simple mathematics that there has to to be more people joining RP's then there are making them.
So I did sneak into your posting history and I found one started a few months ago that I believe may be the one you are talking about, so I'll give a little review of what I can read and hopefully that will help to improve.
Firstly the Interest check should be treated like a billboard. A flyer goes up saying "People wanted here!" with a rough blurb of what to expect, the direction that the roleplay will go and the basic theme. Having an interest Check with next to no details does present the possibility that you don't know what you are after and that you may be too lazy to make a full interest check. "Bumping" it all the time also has that effect and can make you sound needy and sometimes produce the opposite effect by driving people away. Afterall, you are using the IntChk to check if people are interested and have them aware of your upcoming RP.
Now as for your OOC post... I'm sorry but that is WAY TOO MUCH information. People have a short attention span and reading through all those notes with standard formatting, no imagery, no map, and 18 rules is just too much for 80% of people. I'm also looking at your character and their childhood friends and all I am seeing is a massive wall of text that is describing everything from childhood friends to detailed notes about the character's life and their party. It does leave the question of "What will you Roleplay if your entire Roleplay is summarised within 1 character sheet?". You also need to keep in mind that other players will use your character as a rough example for how they are to set up their own characters; and when Mr Johnson's character sheet is 3,080 words (18,648 characters), how much time do you expect others to invest in order to simply enter the roleplay?
To be truthful, I am not surprised that you're having difficulty as I have seen other RPs in the same fandom that have been better designed and draw people in based on that boomWOW factor.
@NuttsnBoltsI appreciate the feedback, but the advice given is not on-topic. Someone PMed me with advice on how to fix it, which was helpful and pleasant, but posting it here isn't really appropriate. This thread wasn't about criticizing me or my role-plays (and I'm not against criticism). It was about sharing how long you've had to wait for your RP to gather interest.
I think there's a time when you should go back and look at what you're doing wrong if it takes a long time to get an RP going, especially if others in the same area are filling up.
Wait times for me have ranged from a day to just about forever.
@EllriIt's not that it was non-aggressive and, in my opinion, valid. It's that this is not the place for personal criticism. If that's what I wanted this thread to be, I would have stated as such. However, I did not state I wanted personal criticism on this thread so I, personally, felt it misplaced.
Not only that, my response was level and toward the point of kind, even (as is the case now). However, the way in which I naturally speak does not allow that to translate through text. That is neither my fault nor the interpreter's fault.
I will also clarify that I welcome any and all criticism, but not in a thread meant as a general discussion. This thread wasn't meant to only be about me and I don't believe I stated as such in the OP.
I'm sorry that you feel that way about my post. I was only trying to give you some advice to help.
I've been trying to get the same RP going for over a year now. I haven't had more than one person at a time express interest. That one person, then, just never responds back.
...
How long have you waited for an RP to catch on? Do you believe there is a time when you should give up?
When I read that, I naturally thought, "this guy has created a topic because he is having trouble, I'll see what's bothering him" and had a look for your ooc. I was going to be a bit more generic with my post, but when I saw your ooc I thought I would rather give some feedback in order to help another forum member. I even went through @Vilageidiotx and @Dinh AaronMk's NRP as well as @Ellri's Star wars RP, both of which have several thousand posts in total just to have a bit of a comparison.
Rigidity in a thread is what makes it difficult for others to get involved. Even in this thread we are having difficulty in a simple discussion because speech and topics are naturally fluid and will flow from one genre to another in order to discover what the route topic is about. So if we are talking about setting up interest checks, I spoke about layout, formatting, imagery and trimming the fat, but spoke to you as the OP by using your thread so that you would understand the topic more.
I remember once @Ellri spoke about using a simple map in rps as it can help so much with describing a scene. People can visually look at something and grasp a better understanding for the layout and design.
Like I said before, and this is aimed at everyone, go for that wow factor. There are thousands of Rps here and you need to catch the attention of a player in minutes. A good title, a quick to understand world, and a motive that engages people. Treat interest checks like the cover of a book.
I think that's all from me. Don't really have anything more to say on this topic.
Okay, I think I know where you're coming from @NuttsnBolts. I guess I'm just a little more sensitive than normal considering I'm very ill (not an excuse). Still, I appreciate your feedback. :)
