Why do RPs fail?

[Circus]

I've been RPing for many years now and time and time again every RP has failed. People stop posting and the RP dies, lost in the pages and pages of other forgotten RPs.


Why do RPs fail?


How many of you stop playing an RP or have had RPs die on you?

 

[Akibahara]

Ehhh, I GM my shit, and I tend to complete it. However, I was in an RP that failed... two days ago. :/

 

[GreenSea]

If you want to be blunt


Fail in attracting people because:


-they lack of appeal


-the rules are too bossy (by mean bossy, they really like a dictator)


-too complex to be understand


-their plot wasn't good or clear enough


-you're plot are too mainstream (rarely happens)


-there's isn't much people interested


(there's a lot more)


1 or less month RP-ing:


-As GM communicate with your players! don't go ignore them, do whatever it takes to annoy them (well no really)


-Move the story and don't go rushing or go really slow


(that's all I have since I'm still quite new to RP-ing T^T)

 

[DeusExAlice]

Usually time is the best murderer of games. Waiting for a player to respond, waiting for the storyteller to advance stuff. Life comes up and someones gone for a week or more, the next person is sluggish to reply, it all accumulates until someone loses interest and causes more delays. I've also seen the reverse where people reply at such speeds that not being around for a few hours merits notifying they'd be gone for that length of time. Those seem to burn themselves out faster than the slow death of strangulation.


So I guess, commitment?

 

[Elle Joyner]

In my experience, RPs fail because of inconsistency in the writers to actually remain ACTIVE. People get excited about a concept, they join the RP, then they up and disappear (or else take AGES to write a response to someone).


I absolutely -detest- when people join an RP, go to the lengths of making a characters, maybe even post a few times and then drop out without so much as a word. It is rude, it is inconsiderate and it is, quite frankly, silly. You've wasted your time, you've wasted the GM and other player's time... I will -never- fathom it. Not ever.


If you join an RP, follow through. If you, for ANY reason, decide not to continue... do everyone a favor and -write yourself out-... You wouldn't go to a party, eat the food, have a few drinks and then walk out without saying goodbye to the host, and leaving an RP without warning is pretty much the same thing.


Another thing I've witnessed is the GM waiting too long to engage the players with something to do. A lot of GMs are too afraid of "godmoding", so they have a tendency to let things flow without guidance, but what you end up with is a boat load of people, all trying to "guess" where the storyline is going, and having no idea what to write next. This is when you wind up with splits in the "cast", and people going in the wrong direction, as well as Mary/Garys and Snowflakes popping up -- Why? Because they're trying to get things moving, and the only way they know how (in a project that doesn't belong to them), is by causing uberdrama. When you control the storyline, you aren't Godmoding... You are GMing. There is a difference... and if your players object to that, well... that's what 1X1 and novel writing is for.


As a GM it is your responsibility to lead... If the story has gone stagnant, pick it up, dust it off and MOVE IT SOMEWHERE. If you see people have stopped posting, -engage- them... Interact with them. Heck... I have ten characters in one RP, simply because I wanted everyone involved to have someone to interact with. Why? Because as GM, that is my job. If you aren't prepared to do this, or if you were expecting other people to control your story for you, well... it's probably not a great idea to create an RP, then.


Be tough... be firm with your story -- I realize not everyone likes this, but you can't RP with everyone anyway, and if you -lead-, MOST people will follow.


And don't be afraid to PM people plot ideas that they, particularly, can work on themselves. Give people 'roles' to fill... They made a character, but it is your job to give that character a place in your story. You wouldn't hire someone at a job and then wait for them to figure out what their job requirements are, right?


That's just my 2 cents, really... xD  
OH! And I totally agree, Alice, about the super fast-paced RPs. I was in an RP recently that was an AMAZING concept, but the pace moved so fast and was largely comprised of three people posting one-lines (X_X) while everyone else tried to keep up. I spent over 45 minutes on my introduction, only to find after posting it, it was completely irrelevant, because those three posters (including the GM) had moved things along SO fast, we were already in another scene by the time I posted.


The RP, consequently, died within two days of being posted, because there was no clear direction and those of us who were taking the time to put out good, quality posts were getting left behind in the shrapnel of one-liners.

 

[Ignitedstar]

I've been doing this roleplay thing for almost ten years. I can list them off. These aren't in any particular order, just what is coming to mind.


1. Impulse joining


2. Impulse creating


3. Timezone difference


4. Real life, schedule difference


5. Irregular commitment


6. Burn out


7. Plot moves in a direction player/s does not like


8. When one player leaves, others leave


9. GM does not lead the main plot enough to keep interest


11. Difference in ideas of entertainment


12. Difference in skill


We can discuss all of these.


Players that join in a the spur of moment will also leave just as quickly. Something I've heard before: "People gain interest quickly and lose it even faster." This is true in advertising where they say if you cannot get someone's attention in the first five seconds, you've already lost them. GMs that create their roleplays, get it started, and in most roleplays I've joined they simply stop caring a little bit after chapter 1. There are also a lot of people who GM and don't realize how much time it takes to make a good roleplay, then they just fall off the wayside.


As much as I feel it shouldn't, I cannot doubt that timezones affect the way people post. I've had to wait for people who live on the other side of the globe, which means I could only post once a day, even if I wanted to post more times... sometimes just to wait for one lined replies (which I hate with a burning passion).


Real life happens and peoples' schedules change. Someone who used to be available on a certain set of days of the week sometimes can no longer be there. It ruins a lot of 'flow' and the things have to settle again, sometimes for the worst. It's rather disheartening. And it sucks when you've got a good thing going and someone has to leave because something happened to them in the real world. Such is the age of the internet, where there is a greater chance of meeting people from every walk of life, because we all come to do one thing.


Some people simply stop caring.


This has happened to me as a GM and I've done it as a player: Someone or I comes up to the GM and says, "I'm sorry, this isn't really what I was expecting. I kind of don't want to be in the roleplay anymore. Is there a way I can leave?" Some players aren't this forgiving. Many will just leave without saying anything.


And of course, the crux of the loss. One person leaves and had a good thing going, others will feel that it's time to let go as well. Especially so if you were partnered with someone and this is the person who leaves.


This kind of ties in the impulse of creating RPs, because it's about commitment. If the GM doesn't spend enough time leading the players on what they should be doing or what happens next, players won't do anything except write filler posts. Usually badly written filler posts.


GMs need to provide entertainment for their readers, who are also their players. There are a handful of people who are good at providing their own action and humor to a story, but there are chock fulls of other people who can't do the same or in some cases, throw the plot way off (which I've heard is called 'off the rails' or something). Of course, players (as we should all know) have very different ideas of what we consider fun, which get filtered by character, and well... it's a mess.


Sometimes the difference in skill between players is way too obvious and very discouraging. I've been in plenty of roleplays where I get teamed up with someone who does an unprecented amount of one liners, when I'm spending hours writing paragraphs upon paragraphs. I do not want to roleplay with someone like that. I've even been a few 1x1s where the person who created the idea started off well for me to like, but they divulged into one-liners very early and they essentially handed me the plot to do on my own. Excuse me, but this is not my roleplay. I've also had that point where you get a whole slew of people doing one liners and you *literally* (literature, literally, get it? *bad joke is bad*) get left behind.


These are all reasons why I moved on and started doing fiction by myself. The only thing I have to worry about writing alone is #5. I've written a lot of stories by myself, and I can guarantee anyone that they've all stopped at different places. Some in the beginning chapters, some midway through the story, some near the end. But some of my fiction has gotten to the point no roleplay I've been in has ever gotten: Fin.

 

[Grey]

IgnitedStar is right about commitment. I've taken to accepting a rotating cast of players and confining them to their own threads. When two players demonstrate commitment I put them in a thread together.


I've got a couple of games dying because players stopped posting - but those same players have been posting in other games way more consistently. It's weird.

 

[Circus]

@Elle Joyner I agree with the GM controlling plot and pacing. Without direction and leadership, the whole thing falls apart. Not everyone can be a GM, I guess.

 

[TheRoleplayingDovah]

There are many reasons why a roleplay can fail and during my entire roleplaying experience on here and on another site, the number one cause of failure is a lack of activity. Sometimes the DM/GM has lost interest in their RP and just drops out. Sometimes all the players leave.


I do agree that GM/DMs should control the plot in a RP because it's their job to do and they should provide direction and leadership. Without either, the story focused RP will fall apart and it's not godmodding unless the GM posts something like "Greg the warrior looked at the wall and punched it repeatly." I do sometimes wish a GM/DM would take more control over the RP and set some rules about what's acceptable and what's not as i can not tell if i can make up generic NPCs or bring a room and so forth. For example, In this RP, you can create your own NPCs but please be aware that the NPCs will be a part of the RP and you will be responsible for any interactions with it.


If a RP is purely interaction, it doesn't matter if the DM/GM doesn't provide any story as it is usually enough for the players to carry the RP by themselves.


When a player drops out, they should try to let the GM/DM know as they do like to know about these things. All of my RPs(mainly 1x1 RPs) have failed as a result of either me being a poor GM/DM(which is likely) and not being told that it no longer interests them. I would have liked to have been told "Dovah, i don't find our RP interesting any more so i'm dropping out." instead of wondering when the next post will be and if i know i'm unable to post, i usually do try to let the DM/GM know along with everyone in the RP.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Wolf has been roleplaying for just about three years - and all of them on this site - but I understand the semantics of what's going on. Please allow me to share my opinions.


Role Playing Games Are Do or Die Attacks


I've witnessed far more RPs failing than seeing them complete, and most games that I were in myself died off as well. Out of the grand total of two that I hosted, one has died, and young. The other one is still ongoing and is now over two years old. So what's the deal with all this? For different reasons that I will discuss below, the vast majority of games die within the first few months from launch (optimistically). Your game will either die young or live to see old age, and that's just the way it is.


Most People Don't Know What They Want


They may think they do, but they don't. So when they see your game, it's very possible that it just seems like a good idea at the time, but soon after character creation the players might realize that this wasn't actually what they wanted. Tough luck, so they leave.


The Storyteller Is There For a Reason


When a game starts spiraling downwards, it's usually the Storyteller's fault. Unless we're talking about people who would have left your game anyway, it's your responsibility to maintain the game you've created. Your job is never truly over. You don't get to let go of the reins and watch things unfold. You need to make sure that the RP stays the same RP that the people signed up for. If one or more key aspects of the game change during play, how can you expect your players to remain in a game that they no longer find interesting? As the Storyteller you need to engage your players, and the best way to do so, aside from an interesting main story, is to take a look at their characters and work with what's there. Nothing engages a player like direct confrontation, so bring up a person from the character's background to make the player feel like the history of their character truly happened and has an effect on the story. Have someone bump them in the street if nothing else and pick a fight with them for not looking where they're going. Have someone ask them for help. That's what it means to engage your players. You need to make them feel like their characters are real, so that they would care about them. And if the players care about their characters, they will care about the game.


Inactivity Is Excusable, Inaction Is Not


Lots of things can happen that will take away players from the game. Reality affects us all every moment of the day, after all. A hectic schedule might not allow the player time necessary to post, or certain events might make it difficult to summon the will to write. And that's alright. It happens to everyone, but what matters is that you do not let things rest. Gently remind inactive players that they should post. Ask them what's up. Offer to help if you can. Maybe the current ingame situation is getting too complicated for them, in which case they might need you to clarify some things. Or perhaps the game is moving at a pace they're not comfortable with. You need to talk to your players and take adequate action. If you just wait indefinitely for someone to respond, chances are they won't, and you'll have contributed to your game's demise.


That's all the comes to mind right now, but you get the picture. Honestly the best thing you can do, like Grey pointed out, is to find a number of people who are good players, and then stick with them. Other than that, there's no real guarantee that things will work out, especially when dealing with people you don't know - regardless of the precautions you take. I've not created alot of games, but the last one is still standing after two years. Damnit, either I am doing something good or they're just putting up with me because we're friends by now *howl*

 

[Skid]

I'm a newbie to forum RPing, though I've hung around the outskirts of several role playing communities for years, dabbled in IRC and tabletop roleplay, and explored several forms of interactive fiction. It takes a lot to get me to actually invest in a story, and many RP creators focus too heavily on the world set up and very little on the story execution, imagining that stories will arise spontaneously if characters are put into their obviously fascinating world. This... doesn't always work out and is a leading cause of stillborn RPs. Let me explain (and also ramble and rant a bit):


Romeo And Juliet can be set in space, in New York, or in a jungle because it is the conflict and the passion that make the audience (and the players) invest themselves in the story, not the world. And yet the majority of RP threads that die in infancy here do the opposite. They expend pages establishing mythology and worlds, carelessly drop the characters into a lifeless room, and then gamble that one of the PCs is going to come up with a story on their own. And usually, without a clear reason to exist, the RP crumbles after a few intital posts.


Sure, you can say it's a "fantasy adventure with elemental powers", but that's merely bland categorization. Characters can stand around in the inn forever and all they have to fear is suspended animation when the RP dies. "Elementals pursued by corrupted wizard" contains the same number of words, conveys all of the information from the old description, and also introduces a conflict. Now the players characters must act as soon as they are born. Actions have consequences. Failure to escape is death. There is a story. There is also a game.


Many RP creators forget about the game element of roleplaying. Clearly defined win and loss definitions couched within the context of character motives go a long ways towards giving a story structure. In the case of our Elementals, defeating the wizard is obviously a win. It provides the story arc with a visible and attainable end, helping stave off player fatigue. In turn, the wizard must inflict losses on the heroes for inaction and incompetence. Loved ones should be lost, dreams shattered, and hometowns destroyed, all to give the players a reason to stick around and inflict retribution on the agent of their character's suffering.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Well said, Skid. Damn well said *bark*


Those are some of my missing points right there

 

[Thorn Darkblade]

I'll be honest, as a GM, I give back what the players give me. I have a lot of real life commitments, so, I'm not on at every moment, but, if I have a fantastic group of players, I will make time for them, somehow, probably at the cost of sleep or food to myself.


However, the opposite is true as well. If I only have one or two good/constant players, and the rest don't care or haven't posted in a few weeks, it gets shelved. I'll make the occasional post to keep it alive, but, in the end, and it's happened to several of my games, if there's no fuel to keep my creative fire burning, I'll apologize to my remaining players and close the game.


I've had this happen to a few games that were honestly really great concepts, and I would like to reboot again with a few of the original cast and new players that I trust.


So, players, part of what can make an RP fail is on your shoulders as well as the GM. Make your GM -want- to keep it running, alive and well, and they'll give it back tenfold.

 

[SkyGinge]

Oh my, so many good points!


I've been RPing for just over two years now. That's probably not too much compared to some people, but it means I've had my lion's share of experience and the like. Here are the main reasons I think RP's fail:


1. Plot


Or lack thereof. As a general, I find that plots and how they are managed are the main killers of RPs. Here follows a number of different points:


-First, the most obvious one: you should have a plot in mind before you create the RP. It's all very well coming up with a fantastic, original world for people to explore, but you have to have something to guide and lead players. Otherwise, they're likely to be swamped out by the overwhelming freedom/lack of explanations you have provided. Occasionally you do get people who are uber excited about your idea and want to throw in manic sub-plots and dedicate themselves fully to your idea, but these are largely rare (unless you're a boffin), and even if they do occur, it's wise to at least present some kind of plot direction in your overview so that these people can't go haywire and ruin your ideas.


-There's another thing to note, and that is that some plots simply don't work as RPs. For example, there are certain ideas that are either too wide, or that allow for easy Godmodding, and they tend to fall apart relatively quickly. Some ideas make great novels, or plays, or whatever, but due to story or contextual reasons just don't work in an RPing environment. If that lacks specificity, then see what I mean in the posts below.


-It may seem a bit obvious, but RPing is about a group of writers writing together. Therefore, it's normally a bad idea to leave writers in circumstances where they are unlikely to interact with other characters: I've seen fantastic world ideas crumble in a few pages simply from how secluded all the characters have been from eachother. Make sure that characters can work together and interact.


-Plots that revolve around a central character (namely your protagonist) are a no go. Characters should feel largely equal, and as if they are all important. If the story revolves too much around your protagonist then you will likely alienate others through the over-powerness of your character. There are very few people out there who will willingly play second fiddle, and even if they say they will, from my experience they lose interest sooner or later.


-From my experience, ideas that are both interesting yet simple work the best. Ideas that, whilst providing enough new elements to be exciting and individual, also have a sense of familiarity that people can draw from. Ideas that are more purely inevitive do work sometimes, but familiarity is usually a surefire way of getting people interested at least for a little longer than usual.


-People are less likely to be scared away by plot changes and the like if they have some kind of an idea of where things are going. People also tend to write more prolifically if they have some kind of a goal to aim towards, and I mean more specifically than just 'Defeat Lord Evilface III'. A technique I myself use is something I call the objectives system, where I essentially split the plot up into mini story arcs. At the start of each arc, I make a post with is sort of a preview of things that might come, housing goals and helpful information.


-Another things that helps I find is flexibility. Like others have said, you don't want to make rules so strict that your RP turns into a communist nation. Allow writers some creative freedom, and don't be afraid to deviate from ideas. Listen to your fellow writers and take ideas from them. That way, they'll feel wanted and involved in the action.


-Normally in roleplay, prospective players are hooked in by the idea/world you've presented in the overview. But to get an RP to continue and thrive, you have to keep them hooked. Even if your idea is absolutely amazing, you can't rely solely on that first idea, and you also can't rely on others to stay interested forever just on that one idea. For example, imagine you've only just discovered toast. At first taste, you're like "Man, toast is great!" But after a while of having toast, the novelty wears off, and you want to try new potential breakfast confectionaries.


Thus as a GM you have to add new jams, butters and spread to your literary toast. This leads onto another biggee...


2. Pacing (and management)


These big subheadings seem slightly pointless now I've ended up doing so many sub-points for plotting, but oh well...


Pacing, yes! This is the main predator of RPs. As a GM, it's your job to control the pace of an RP, and finding the right pace to suit your RP is important for your RP's long term prospects. If you more too slow, then people will lose interest and fade away. But go too fast, and you can scare people off from over-activity. It's all about striking the right balance between action and interaction. You've gotta convince your writers that the plot is moving at a decent enough pace to make things worthwhile, but you must also allow time for people to cool down after big events and go about character development. It's a tricky skill to master, and with distractions and RL ever looming, it's quite easy to lose control of too.


3. RL and other unavoidable things


Sadly there is a real life aside from these boards, and people are always affected by it. Sometimes in spite of your efforts, people will still leave for aparently no reason. Sometimes people sign up but then realise they're actually not interested after all, or they simply get too busy and cannot post in spite of the steps you have taken. These things are sad, but are ultimately out of your control, but if you follow the advice presented here and by other users, you are likely to still have people left and keeping the RP living and breathing.


I hope this is useful!

 

[The Doorman]

There are people who choose only to focus on one person.


I'm considering dropping an RP for that reason.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Yep. Most of the points above are true, not only that, but half of the rp's are plotless and purely there for MxF with no story whatsoever, it's just 'arrive here and get some and keep going until it all goes quiet' and personally that infuriates me, straight up rp's like that aren't original, hold no purpose, and seem to only be a way for people to carry out their fantasies. I like rp's driven by stories and character development, now don't get me wrong, within rp's I don't mind the intimate action, but rp's based purely on that? There is no purpose. With my rp's I like to try and get everyone involved and rp'ing while I work on the plot development to keep everyone interested.


I think that if authors were more engaged with the story and the people partaking in it, then we'd have rp's dying after a much longer period of time. I'm a writer outside of rpnation, and would you want to read my books if I wrote 500 pages of kissing, hugging, and god knows what else? Unless I'm E.L James, no you would not. People need to think about those sorts of things before they create an rp so they can realise that that sort of thing doesn't appeal to everyone.

 

[Everett]

All of my RP'a fail and I tend to see that it is the fact that people post one liners that nobody else can go off if in any way.

 

[Vudukudu]

I'd write a lot more, but it'd just be a lot of repetition of what has already been said.


The one thing I think needs to be said still is a kind of harsh truth. A lot of people aren't dedicated, aren't what I'd consider very skilled writers, and value character creation over the actual roleplay. When you throw these three things together, you get Mary/Gary Stu characters in a 4 page roleplay of one-line posts that will never be seen again after a week of activity.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

We all know that roleplays die. I have been in so many roleplays, ones that never even made it to the first post, ones that went on for a long time and just plain stopped.


I like to be creative with my roleplay ideas. I do unique story lines and enjoy trying new things. I create a roleplay where five people, experienced role players, post sign-up sheets that are incredibly detailed and amazing, and they're all so excited, and we start the roleplay, and two pages in...


POOF.


All gone.


Why?


Everyone was excited, into it, they were people that don't do one-liners, and then they were gone. Was it because they stopped roleplaying compeltely? Was my roleplay not fun enough? We weren't at a spot where there was nothing to do. Or maybe we were. We were *almost* at that spot, that spot where no one knows what to do.


I once joined a roleplay where all people that were in it posted at least one paragraph for post, we talked a ton in the OOC, we had a blast with our unique and magical characters. We get to a point in the RP where they're all on their way to somewhere, right after a battle, and it stops. Now, this makes sense to me. We were at a spot where everyone was struggling too continue, because we didn't know what would happen next. And so no one posts for a week, and then we all sit in the OOC and say, 'what the heck happened?'


This amuses me. Because we were actually all there, and no one posted. Because no one knew how. Now we're trying to get it back up again, but it's not really working, sadly. It just really confuses me, the fact that everyone gets into it, posts great forms, and then nothing. Like, how the heck did that happen?


The two main things that kill roleplays are inactivity and 'The Spot'. That spot where everything slows down and no one knows what to do. There it ends. I blame The Spot.

 

[AlskaNoelle]

I see a lot has been said about lack of plot, and while I completely agree that this does lead to a roleplay dying, I also feel that over plotting can ruin a roleplay. Yes, establishing a plot for use as a guide is important, but I feel that it's also important to allow the players to add to the story as apposed to just mindlessly following along.


Admittedly, I have killed some of my own roleplays by over plotting. When creating a roleplay, it's crucial to strike a balance.

 

[hellrazoromega]

Sometime styles clash. I tend to be a "hands-off-basic-framework-let-the-players-decide-where-they-want-to-take-the-game" type of GM. So I just act a guide and moderator of the action a fun. To my chagrin I have found that there are more players than I thought who can't handle that and want things thrown at them all the time, I can do that but it requires more time that I currently have. Most of my RP's here have died but another game I run on another site with that style is almost a year old and going strong (albeit with a a few cast changes as a couple of players had to drop)---go figure. No matter how good a GM is sometimes your vision and the players vision of how the game (story) should go just don't match up.


EDIT: I suppose I should add that there can be a huge disconnect for some between tabletop (meatspace) GMing and forum/chat games. I have found that some of the talent I have in the former does not translate well into the latter.

 

[TheRoleplayingDovah]

Pacing. I have notice in the past 6 months that all group RPs i have been a part of have died due to pacing issues. Players would post too quickly which resulted in the RP burning out or busy players being left behind then having no chance to catch up or weeks go by without any posts. It is crucial to have the pacing to be balanced and i have started to develop a minor peeve of people posting too quickly. It's also resulted in me giving up on group RPs on here.

 

[hellrazoromega]

Pacing. I have notice in the past 6 months that all group RPs i have been a part of have died due to pacing issues. Players would post too quickly which resulted in the RP burning out or busy players being left behind then having no chance to catch up or weeks go by without any posts. It is crucial to have the pacing to be balanced and i have started to develop a minor peeve of people posting too quickly. It's also resulted in me giving up on group RPs on here.

Most STs set minimum post requirements but many don't set a maximum. The sad fact is with RL it is hard to get schedules to meet, it is one of the reasons forum RPs are popular, because people just don't have time.

 

[Teh Frixz]

The longest running games I've been in are in accordance with what has been stated above. Forum games where minute details can be added at a players convenience, real passion for the story and a good give and take with the GM can happen, and of course pacing/timezone issues are nil because it is a forum RP where you can setup a decent posting order.


Like the others said, I think a big part of RP's on here dying are the one line responses. It's an indicator of little care for the story, plot, or other players as well as a slap in the face for anyone taking time to create an actual storyline. It's the domain of cheap cliched drama. The potato chip of the RP world. Little sustenance but oh they taste good to that group. A good long term RP has to appeal to those that look at RP like art and try to write a collective novel!

 

[Circus]

This thread is as relevant today as the day I made it. I'm oddly calmed by reading all the posts here.