Advice/Help Why does every game I attempt to run end horribly?

[floripher]

Hello!

Recently I've regained an interest in running games, but typically it doesn't go very well. If we even get enough players to start anything, I usually get overwhelmed and/or it just sort of dies from there on. I've been a part of so many successful games and I'm really not sure what I've been doing wrong!

I've been trying to implement the same things I've seen in successful games in mine but it never turns out quite right.

I do think it is partially because I have a tendency to rush into things, but other than not doing that, does anyone have any advice when it comes to 1. ) actually finding players to play your game and 2. ) being able to properly develop a world while keeping players engaged and entertained?

 

[Edric Blight]

Tbh it’s probably nothing you’re specifically doing wrong, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn’t get too down about it- it’s natural. Sometimes these things are successful sometimes they just sadly and naturally die out.

I’m sure anyone else responding to this after me will have some valid and helpful advice tho. Just thought I’d chime in and let you know it’s sort of a natural thing that some games work and some don’t. Try not to get too discouraged or down on yourself.

 

[mother of sorrows]

i've been gming for years and i like to think i have a decent understanding of how to run a roleplay at this point - i'm still learning, but i can give you some advice that works for me!

first of all, if you're getting overwhelmed, i'd def recc getting a co-gm you trust and maybe scaling your games down to less players. it's going to be less work and maybe even practice if you have any bigger plans. it might be a good idea to also start a game when you're expected to not be busy, such as during school holidays. another huge thing is, you can expect a grp to die and it probably will - don't let it get you down! i've had to restart a specific grp like 4 times before i found the right cast and the story actually went somewhere. if you're truly passionate about an idea you have, keep at it! i swear you can find players who will absolutely love it and dedicate time to getting it to work.

this is a mismatched list of advice, but i hope it helps a little bit!

• when writing lore, clear and concise is much more important than trying to make it like a novel. ofc it can absolutely work, but if you're not sure, just say it as it is! i've had the problem before of trying to make information flowery just for people to not understand what im actually getting at. v embarrassing.
• if your rp is not first come first serve and you'll look at people's cs first, stick to your deadline. somebody finishing their cs a day or two after it is okay, but waiting people to finish their cs is going to kill your rp before it even starts - they can just join at a later point.
• on a similar note, it would be a good idea to set your roleplay up in a way where you don't have to wait for a single person to post. again, nothing will kill a roleplay quicker than waiting for a post that might appear three weeks later. maybe throw in a npc saying something, time skip or just allow people to post as is!
• welcome the players when they join your rp! if your ooc is on discord, send them a small dm welcoming them, answering any questions - and genuinely telling them what you liked about their cs. i'm not saying to lie or compliment for compliment's sake. considering you accepted their character, there must have been something about it that caught your eye! i think making sure your players are actually noticed and that their characters matter is important - nobody wants to just float around, especially when you join a new grp and barely know anybody. whenever somebody actually pays attention to my character/posts it makes me really excited!
• help people plot!! talk to them oocly! if you see somebody is being ignored, include them! it's very intimidating to join a grp and then just... wait like for something to happen, especially when the gms just. kind of leave you to your own devices.
• getting the first post out as fast as possible would be good, because otherwise the ooc just. fizzles out eventually.

to answer your specific questions, though;
1. actually finding players to play your game - this is a huge luck factor. in one run you might have the most amazing cast, the best characters... and with others the roleplay dies within a week. you can probably expect at least one person to ghost, which happens; just work around it! if you restart a roleplay, you can re-invite the people who were active and kind the last run. :-) you'll probably run into a bad apple here and there too, unfortunately. i've meet people who were amazing in pm and then unleashed all hell once they joined.
2. being able to properly develop a world while keeping players engaged and entertained - you could maybe write down a general overview of where you'd like your rp to go, but with some wiggle room in case things change. again, your players characters actually being important in the world and not just a husk that could be replaced with any other is very important! i care about a roleplay way more when my character's appreciated and has an influence on the world.

 

[Jet]

What genres are you doing? There are certain genres that typically fail on this website.

Science fiction is the worst. It's my favorite genre, but the demographic isn't active on RPN.

Anime & fantasy are the premium genres here. Then there are school settings which also succeed. Outside of that? Well you're going to struggle. I've attempted many science fiction, modern realism, steampunk, zombie and mystery RPs, and they all failed within a couple pages. I've joined an equal number of them and saw the same failure, so it's not because of my GMing.

Otherwise, it's hard to give meaningful advice without more details, but here are some core tenets I think are necessary for success.

1. Lively OOCs are required. Use discord because it's simply better for chatting. If the chat is slow, force that shit and be super active.

2. You have to post quickly. If the GM is slow, it sets a bad example. You have to be one of the fastest people in your RP. It's hard to be the fastest given how cracked some people are, but try to be in the top 25%.

3. Give clear direction to the players. Sandbox RPs are doomed in advance. Most people aren't used to making their own fun in RPs. You have to set them up for success or the RP will feel directionless. This isn't always the case of course, but it usually holds true.

4. Big vouch for mother of sorrows when it comes to Co-GMs. Ask your most active members and see who's down. I advise against friendship picks and choosing before the RP begins, because you want quick helpers who get shit done. I've seen many GMs give their homie a CO-GM spot, only for them to do absolutely nothing with it.

5. Post orders are really helpful. I use a system where post groups are listed, and an asterisk is placed next to the one who's up next. The order isn't law of course, writers can be skipped depending on content, but it serves as a reminder. It also keeps groups organized.

6. On the topic of groups, capping group sizes is a good idea. I don't let post circles exceed 5 player characters, because the more characters, the harder it is to write. You have to either ignore dialogue or cover massive amounts of it, which is difficult to navigate. I've been in post circles of 9 characters and it's miserable. It killed the RP as nobody wanted to post, simply because of how confusing the scene was.

So definitely cap group sizes. Split your players into multiple scenes and you're good.

7. Don't be afraid to skip people who won't post. The RP surviving > someone getting skipped.

8. To continue that thought, set clear rules for skipping in advance. My rules are listed in my interest checks, and are as follows

You receive a post reminder after 5 days. It's just a simple poke like "Hey, do you plan on posting soon?"

At seven days I send another reminder.

At ten days I permit the group to skip that person. They can always jump back into the post circle, because I don't kick for inactivity, but I won't kill a group because one person can't/won't post.

My timeline works for my RPs, as we have a quick to moderate pace. You can adjust depending on your members. However, you should definitely account for those who won't post. It's inevitable and you can either deal with it, or let it tank your project.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

3. Give clear direction to the players. Sandbox RPs are doomed in advance. Most people aren't used to making their own fun in RPs. You have to set them up for success or the RP will feel directionless. This isn't always the case of course, but it usually holds true.

It's true. I have had only 3 sandboxes go pretty well out of the many that I have tried. Without specific direction, a GM really has to get lucky and score players who work well together, or who are all proactive in plotting substance ("omg they can be besties" doesn't carry either character far) and connecting their characters.

I also feel like multi threads and fuzzy time work best. It gives players freedom to do what they want while accommodating the paces/lengths of different scenes. Sometimes a sandbox premise might catch my interest on RPN, but rarely will I join them because I dislike the thought of returning to a single-thread approach.

5. Post orders are really helpful. I use a system where post groups are listed, and an asterisk is placed next to the one who's up next. The order isn't law of course, writers can be skipped depending on content, but it serves as a reminder. It also keeps groups organized.

For what it may be worth to anyone, I have a friend who runs a (mostly guided) sandbox game where a scene's GM (when applicable) sets a deadline of when they will post next to move the plot forward. Players can post in any order within that round and as many times within that round - they just need to be sure to post before the deadline if they want to react. The game is on its second year and still going strong.

I've used a similar approach but instead have restricted people to one post/round, except to deliver punchlines and other short, trivial remarks. If I feel the need to post sooner - for example, because the party is gathering information from an NPC and I want to keep the dialogue flowing - I'll do so and ask the group to wait for the rest of the players to post before the next round "officially" begins. The game is still going after 10 months.

Posting structure isn't the only factor for longevity - not trying to imply that - but these other methods can work. I haven't had the chance to try them on here, though, where the attitudes are different, so YMMV, but I imagine it would be alright as long as the expectation is set upfront.

---

Haven't seen your threads, starjunk, so I dunno what you're already doing and not doing, but to piggyback off of Jet: be sure to write up expectations in general - some people call them rules, though "expectations" is more accurate for what I mean. How often do you expect people to post? Like Jet said, also establish what will happen when someone is inevitably silent for a period of time. How long do you want posts to be? How many characters can a player have? Are there certain archetypes you won't allow? Are you as the GM going to lead the plot/provide events for the characters to respond to, or should players be prepared for a lot of plotting?

Tone is also important to consider. Polite-but-firm, or firm with a little humor, can get respect whereas coming off as judgmental or as a spoiled prince/ss will deter people.

But anywho, having set expectations can at least improve the chances of finding like-minded players and give a GM something concrete to point to if they do have to correct a player or explain the call they made. I won't join a game if there are no expectations present in the interest check, especially in regards to activity and post length, because I'm skeptical a game will last long when everyone joins operating under different assumptions.

Gonna third the co-GM advice. Like Jet said, make sure to pick someone who will actually carry their weight, but also you might want someone who will be communicative and act as your teammate in every situation. You don't wanna look like mommy and daddy when the kid asks for a cookie, lol. Maybe take the time to talk with them about co-GMing and what the partnership will look like - figure out the expectations that you both wanna operate under. If conflicting mindsets arise during the discussion, then at least you've figured out that they won't be a good fit for you before it's been made official, lol.

 

[Pretty Little Creature]

Hello!

Recently I've regained an interest in running games, but typically it doesn't go very well. If we even get enough players to start anything, I usually get overwhelmed and/or it just sort of dies from there on. I've been a part of so many successful games and I'm really not sure what I've been doing wrong!

I've been trying to implement the same things I've seen in successful games in mine but it never turns out quite right.

I do think it is partially because I have a tendency to rush into things, but other than not doing that, does anyone have any advice when it comes to 1. ) actually finding players to play your game and 2. ) being able to properly develop a world while keeping players engaged and entertained?

Aw, your feelings are so incredibly relatible and valid. We often think we are not running into things when we do. Try pre planning more and sometimes the moto try try again is just the case. Some things just have bad timing