Experiences What draws you to a group RP - and what makes you stick around?

[SkyGinge]

Hello fellow writers!

I'm currently in the process of planning out a few group RP scenarios, so I thought it would be worthwhile to mine wisdom from other RPers old and new. I'd like to ask two questions which will hopefully conjure up nostalgic feelings and good memories among all of you:

1. When looking for a new group RP, what convinces you that an RP pitch is going to be worth your while? Obviously we all have personal interests, fandoms and other narrative elements we're all drawn too, but is there anything else you look for in how an interest check is formatted, and what information the GM decides to include?
2. We all know that sadly 90% of group RPs die very quickly, sometimes before things have even properly started. What helps you to keep up the excitement and enthusiasm that first hooked you on the RP, and what stops you from growing disinterested and losing motivation to keep on posting?

I'd love to hear specific examples from your own experiences - this is a chance to praise those GMs who you've been impressed by, and the writers who have wowed you with their creativity and encouraged you with their reliability.

Thanks, and may all your players prove reliable!

 

[Sagey]

When looking for a new group RP, what convinces you that an RP pitch is going to be worth your while? Obviously we all have personal interests, fandoms and other narrative elements we're all drawn too, but is there anything else you look for in how an interest check is formatted, and what information the GM decides to include?

A premise and setting that is straight to the point. I am a very vividly imaginative person so I need to get an image in my head and what follows to keep me reading usually needs to give me something to fill that image.

Formatting does have an impact. Something messy like images too big and not formatted with the words immediately is a turn off. Coding is great and all but sometimes even that can be very annoying. More so for those who are using RPN on mobile. Not every coded pretty thing is mobile friendly and you just have to make a mobile version anyway. Then you get into fonts and font size and just... I get it, we like pretty things. But if it's annoyingly small or the font is anything but basic for it's entire post, it's very difficult and annoying to keep up with.

It does not have to be the prettiest post, but some effort goes a long way.

We all know that sadly 90% of group RPs die very quickly, sometimes before things have even properly started. What helps you to keep up the excitement and enthusiasm that first hooked you on the RP, and what stops you from growing disinterested and losing motivation to keep on posting?

I actually don't lose interest in group RPs so I probably can't say much for this. I don't mind waiting for posts, I can easily get back into the mindset for the scene by rereading the previous few posts. As long as I like the premise and story given to me, I can stick with an RP with no problems.

I've only done one actual group RP that's taken off and Lorsh is the GM. While I'm waiting atm, the OOC chatter is fun and he's a good GM, even if he's slowly killing my character (my character totally didn't make a bit of a rash decision to run through a bunch of zombies and die are never on my side).

 

[Jannah]

I think the biggest factor for me, aside from actual interest in the RP's premise, is having a small group. If the group get too large I just get overwhelmed and have trouble keeping up with everything. Small groups I feel are also more intimate, thus making plotting easier. When I say small group I mean like four or five players, no more than six if we're being generous.

 

[SkyGinge]

I think the biggest factor for me, aside from actual interest in the RP's premise, is having a small group. If the group get too large I just get overwhelmed and have trouble keeping up with everything. Small groups I feel are also more intimate, thus making plotting easier. When I say small group I mean like four or five players, no more than six if we're being generous.

I totally get this. There are ways of getting around a large group - splitting people up into smaller groups/settings, or having the opening scenario set up in a way where individual characters can meet up and do their own thing - but many of my favourite group moments have in interactions with a couple of other players. That said, I wonder whether smaller groups can be particularly vulnerable to being halted early if one of the few players dips or proves unreliable, especially as a lot of smaller group RPs have set 'roles' for people to apply to, roles which if suddenly vacated can grind an RP to a halt. I always used to start with a big group knowing that probably half of that group would inevitably drop out, leaving with a smaller group of like 6-8 who have at that stage proven their commitment to the story (and have probably grown friendly through OOC in that time too)

 

[chaotic cat cutie]

This question gets asked a lot and I just think some are a fluke. Some last a very long time because the right sort of people got together and really clicked.
I think what helps me stick around is when players are realistically moving the story along and the moderator is pretty understanding to that. I really like a moderator who doesn't play favorites. I get really weirded out when thing's feel unbalanced socially and it does impact my writing. I'm not certain if anyone else is like that but -
You have to also give some sort of incentive. So like, if you invest a lot of time into the role play then perhaps your more apt to be involved in a huge plot twist. Incentive could be checking in on everyone or even like acknowledging accomplishments.

I'm not certain if this helps at all but here is just a few points that click.

 

[Poppytalon]

I'm a very imaginative person, so something that draws me towards roleplays is something that is descriptive. But, I also have a somewhat short attention span, so something descriptive but gets straight to the point when describing the roleplay's plot is always helpful for me.

As for keeping interest in the roleplay, I think the best thing for me is to have a somewhat small group, as well as a plot that moves at a storybook pace- not too fast, not too slow. It also helps if I've become friends with some of the roleplayers OOC, but that's not required.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

1. What makes me actually consider an interest check besides an interest in the premise?
   • The GM has laid out a social contract (or "rules" if you prefer) and have covered the basics so that there is no guessing as to what their expectations are.
   • In general, that all the basic details have been established. I can understand wanting to wait on fleshing out lore until enough interest has been shown, but if there has been very minimal effort on the GM's part to pitch their idea, I'm not going to trust that their heart is set on running the game.
   • An indication that the GM will guide the plot or otherwise be the leader that they need to be. There's some leeway for sandboxes, but in general, I don't think a GM can take a backseat in any game. I'm not as critical of this in an interest check, but assurance does go a long way for me.
   • If the GM seems active, based on how long the interest check has been up. If it's been like a week with a lot of interest, and the GM still hasn't created a character thread or whatever else, and there hasn't been any communication from them as to why, I'm going to be suspicious of their commitment to their own game. Similarly, if the GM is interacting with people in the interest check, particularly people they don't already seem to be friends with, that'll also be a huge plus in my book.
   • If characters have already been submitted, whether or not I think I can tolerate being in a group with them, depending on the size and format of the game. It's not always about the characters themselves. Sometimes a sheet makes it clear what a player most wants in a game. I like drama, IC conflict, and characters behaving imperfectly, and if most players are going for fantasy fulfillment or social interactions, I know I won't be a good fit. In terms of actual characters, I'm not that picky, but everyone has those concepts they know they will dread playing against. Groups are a team sport, and if I don't think I can properly be inclusive, or at least coexist with enough of the characters, then I won't waste the group's time by joining.
   • The content is accessible and easy to follow. I'm not a fan of most post codes because they contain accessibility issues (not just mobile-friendliness), and it's a big enough pet peeve that I'll nope out, unless maybe the GM has included a plaintext version. Pretty formatting, even if its accessible, is nice and I'll appreciate it, but it's not going to be what sells me.
2. What makes me stick around?
   • Everyone's posting regularly. If I lose the habit of posting in a game, then it becomes much harder to post there again. Not saying I won't stick around if half the group is going through crap creek IRL, but the regular activity does help, and one person shouldn't be holding up the entire group, unless it's the GM, since it is their game.
   • The GM is responsible. Needing time away to deal with life is one thing, but a general inconsistency in posting ain't great. A lot of people in the RP community don't like to hear it because they think a hobby should be pure fun, but GMing is a job. It requires effort, dedication, and cat-herding if you actually care about the group and want it to be successful.
   • I'm meshing with the players and their characters. I don't have to like everyone, but if I can't coexist with most of them without feeling miserable, then I have no business staying in the group. I don't need an active OOC, but everyone being friendly, when there is interaction, does go a long way.

 

[BuggaBoo]

Hello fellow writers!

1. When looking for a new group RP, what convinces you that an RP pitch is going to be worth your while? Obviously we all have personal interests, fandoms and other narrative elements we're all drawn too, but is there anything else you look for in how an interest check is formatted, and what information the GM decides to include?
2. We all know that sadly 90% of group RPs die very quickly, sometimes before things have even properly started. What helps you to keep up the excitement and enthusiasm that first hooked you on the RP, and what stops you from growing disinterested and losing motivation to keep on posting?[/FONT
   

Hi!!

1 - Organized interest checks with a SMALL blurb to showcase the setting and the GMs writing style. Lore should be small and digestible as possible and not feel like its a vanity stroke piece i'm joining. Well laid out rules and expectation fr tho i wanna know what i'm getting into. And prolly the most telling is that their code works on mobile and if not there is a plain text version; its all about making it accessible without the headache. Oh and like i think listing tags at the top is nice 'at a glance' info. The CS should be moderately simple to fill out too. I don't think that providing 2 textbooks worth of charrie info really is desirable on a CS. But fr tho? Its cuz i get annoyed by filling it all in lol. Right but if you force me to use all that fancy-assed coding for a CS its a HARD PASS. I'm sick of code breaking on me and not being able to figure out where i went wrong.

2 - tbh i like the angry jaded GM approach: you ghost you ded lol. The biggest enabler of RP death rot is player detatchment and disinterest. Fr fr tho irl will screw up your best RP intentions to post but there comes a time when delay after delay of promising to post starts to stall rp progression and just kill the vibe. ESP when you in the middle of a scene that involves everyone's input/interaction. I really appreciate the GMs that handwave and push the narrative forward in a timely manner. Momentum is soooooooooo huuuuuuuuge to capitalize on when in a group RP. When i did 1x1 exclusively it was soooooo much easier to take a hiatus cuz it was only 2 people that depended on the shelf life of the rp. Soooooo much trickier and annoying to stop and stall a group rp and then like try and restart it again after momentum has dwindled. Strangely enough rps with a post order have been the most successful rps i ever been in. Something about knowing when its your turn is comforting to me, but yeah thats just me.




Oh and pssst... ya girl is allergic to Discord lol

 

[Jeane]

I'm very suspicious of group rps that don't have a plan. Like throwing 5-8 different characters into a lightly DM'd scenario, usually "Your character is in a room with all the other characters...!" and crossing your fingers that everything will just play itself out... not the move. I think I will need to see a semblance of structure to how and when people post before I jump into anything here.

 

[Solivagante]

Love and agree with most of the things posted here. Group RPs are my favorite kind, honestly, but I'm SO picky about them these days. Here are a few things that I want to emphasize/add:

• Legible formatting. Make it pretty with code, don't make it pretty, whatever, but your first priority should be making it readable. Some of us use light mode, so your white text just disappeared, thanks. Also, a giant wall of text with no paragraph breaks, especially if the font is already smaller? It's a no from me. Especially in an interest check, your priority should be communicating clearly with people, and if you haven't made that effort, I'm probably not going to gel with your style.
• Decent spelling/grammar. I used to be much more of a stickler about this and now I try to be more low-key, but I still need a basic level of coherence. With that said, if I get the vibe that the writer is not a native English speaker (or if they say so in the post!) this is much less important. I'm way too much of a coward to try to RP in French, so anyone writing in their second (or third, or fourth) language is admirable to me!
• OOC expectations up front. I am also allergic to Discord, as BuggaBoo said, and it's the first thing I look for in a group RP. More often than not, it rules the thread out for me before I even read the description.
• Plot hook. We're here to tell a story, right? So the interest check should tell me what the story's about (or at least what our characters will think it's about at the beginning, though they might be proven wrong). A setting is, to me, not a complete RP pitch, and makes it harder to build a cast which will actually interact with each other, since there's no central unifying thread.
• Lack of clique-y-ness. There are some interest check threads that go up and the first few comments are clearly from the GM's friends, who have known this was being developed and are excited that it's going live. That's cool, and I'm happy for them, but it generally doesn't feel like a space I can enter as an equal participant.

As far as what makes an RP last... I think a big part of it is actually being flexible. Fact is, online you can't go ring someone's doorbell (without being really creepy and possibly committing a crime) to find out why they aren't responding to you, so after the stage of finding the right group of committed people, I feel like an RP can only really last if everyone involved is okay with there being some lapses and lags. I had one back on GaiaOnline that ran for three years or so, very small group, and sometimes we'd have to pause because someone was on vacation or ill or whatever, but we kept coming back. If you're too inflexible, you become brittle and break.

That said, getting to the point of finding the right group IS pure luck. I don't think there's any consistent way around that factor. People will be motivated by different things and prioritize different aspects of their lives, and what drives one member of a group to keep posting won't work for another, so there's a bit of sheer alchemy involved.

 

[Paradox9]

1. The group can read, use tactical/cooperative play and if necessary, do math. Also if the DM pulls out a grid map I am going to stay long enough to see how they do.
2. The IC portion of the RP is entirely on forum. Discord is fine for bots and OOC.
3. The group isn't filled with people that tend to poof and they have good reputations.
4. Not too many meme rpers. People who would rather ruin or do stupid shit because they are bored rather than be immersed. Memes are ok when natural and not overdone.
5. A little shipping adds life but when it becomes overly driven by romance it grows dull.
6. It is a anime rp without real life faceclaims. The moment a real life faceclaim appears I want to move on.
7. Obvious passion from the DM and genuine interest in players for that rp's world and characters/NPC. People who only care about their own character and pay no attention/hold no interest in goings on beyond them are problematic in the stuff I enjoy doing.
8. At least a portion of the group understands and/or likes what a ARG, Wild Arms, Persona, Magical Girl, or a Ar Tonelico is. Good indication I will get along, the more of those are a part of the culture.
9. It allows canon adjacent characters, and even better if actual canons but I've never seen that involve all of the above. So a miracle if that happens and I'll start offering bribes or hiring hitmen to get in lol.

I could add more but a lot of those were already mentioned here.

 

[Jannah]

• Lack of clique-y-ness. There are some interest check threads that go up and the first few comments are clearly from the GM's friends, who have known this was being developed and are excited that it's going live. That's cool, and I'm happy for them, but it generally doesn't feel like a space I can enter as an equal participant.

This. So much this. I've stopped trying to participate in those. Constantly feeling like a third wheel got old after awhile.