I noticed that a lot of the role-play threads here are fairly inactive. Perhaps people are busy. Real-life can get hectic- I understand that.

But it appears that this isn't the only case. From what I see, the RPs here never last very long. It goes for only a few pages before a lot of people lose interest and simply disappear from the RP- although most of them still linger around this forum and posts other stuffs in other discussion boards. I've even seen some users post RP character in the Archive, but no RP threads to play them in.

So this thread is meant for the Role-players of AM to discuss RP preferences- what kind of RP stories/setting do they like to play their characters in, how the plot should progress so that it doesn't end, what could motivate the Roleplayers to keep on posting and what usually cause them to leave (aside from real-life issues).

(P.S. If this thread somehow violate the rules, or is posted in the wrong sub-forum, please move or delete accordingly)

It seems to me that the roleplays here always have a large number of people, at least at the start. What I've noticed (and I may be biased, because I like small-group/one-on-one roleplays) is the larger the group, the more often the RP seems to just...die. I've also noticed, at least on here, that whoever is running the RP seems to up and leave too, for whatever reason. And its hard to continue an RP if no one is running the plot. And then, sometimes, you're stuck not being able to do anything, really, because you are interacting with another persons chara and you can't move on until they respond and they just...don't. *shrugs*

As for what type of RPs I like...

I like Fantasy rps, as a general rule. Generally fantasy that is set in that 'somewhat vaguely middle-ages' period, though I'm up for a good urban fantasy now and again. And, like I said earlier, I'm a fan of a small number of RPers (like, four at most.) I find it a lot easier to keep up with, and make sure everyone is interacting with each other.

Yes, I noticed that as well.

RPs don't usually have a proper story line. It just have a basic plot that the players are free to exploit and expand. The problem with having a lot of players is that each RP-ers have different ideas on how to develop the plot, which often clash with the thread creator's and other players' ideas. That's why the story gets spammy easily, and it just... well, dies. Allowing a single player to have multiple characters is more or less okay, but if they control too much, or are simply not skilled in roleplaying, they would just interact with themselves, and that's not good for the flow of the RP either.

I myself prefer Fantasy RP- especially the Epic/Heroic fantasy type of setting. I don't mind modern setting too, though, because it allows me to write about technology and ramble about scientific stuffs.

Anyone else have any other opinions?

I used to RP a lot, but I've pretty much retired from it. Why? See below:

I struggled a lot to keep up with RPs with 10+ people where it's very easy to get lost in the dust unless you RP 24/7. Then there are the one on one posts that go on for pages meaning waddling through pages of stuff that has nothing to do with your character.

Next there were just bad rp-ers that got on my nerves. One short sentence cannot possibly describe everything your character is doing. Other players constantly took over my characters even when I complained. Still others just completely ignored my characters when I attempted to interact with them. Very frustrating.

Lastly, right now I just lack the attention span to RP for any long amounts of time. When I can't even get my muses to cooperate with me for drabble writing, I definitely don't have the attention span to stay with an RP.

RPs I like:
Fantasy hands down. Modern is too close to real life which I'm trying to take a break from and I never got into SciFi all that much.

TBH, I absolutely adore RPs. I try to participate as much as possible, but for the same reasons as above, when the RP starter just disappears... well, the whole RP dies. People leave one by one, usually thinking 'oh well, not my interaction right now, I'll come back later' and then their interaction never really comes at all. Even a whole RP forum was left in the dust after just a week. -_- I kind of gave up after that, and even though I periodically check the RP forum, no one revives existing RPs or makes new ones.

RPs I like:
Fantasy lover here as well. I just love fantasy, since you have sparkly powers in them. (*fake shiny eyes*) I don't mind Sci-fi - TBH, I love Zombie Apocalypse fanfiction alone and if I had a chance to take part in an RP, I'd probably be grinning ear to ear for two days straight. Still, Fantasy is my first favorite.

@diamondmist

Though from I observe, the main problem with RP dying is usually NOT due to the disappearance of the thread starters (real life issues aside). After a series of badly written paragraph and poor interactions, the role-players are simply too confused to continue posting, and the RP starter can't simply post everything- or it won't be an RP anymore.

I've been in RPs with a very loose plot, and one with a strict plot, and honestly, the one with the strict plot lasted...and finished. I think with too many people trying to control the plot, things unravel all that much quicker. I mean, yes, there has to be some flexibility with the plot, but I feel that any major revelations about the plot should come from the person who is running the RP.

I still think that part of the problem is having lots of RPers in an RP. I know, I'm biased, but...

Well, I don't participate in RP's but I've observed most of them here. More often than not, people wait for someone else who has real life issues to post. And by the time they get around to doing that, all interest among everyone is lost.
To be honest, I think if you're participating in an RP, you should know whether you're busy or not. And I don't mean emergencies but events which you know have a huge chance of happening

I also used to RP, but I stopped eventually. But I still am interested with RPing, though.

Like KTC, there were times when there're too many RPers, and I horribly cannot keep up with be-quick-and-post! atmosphere. I know I'm slow, but whether my character started to interact with others, they're practically just ignored me and continue with themselves(at least if their character didn't like mine, they could start a fight or something instead of ignoring, no?).

RPs I like:
Fantasy, classic stories.

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Very true.

Of course, and then there are some times a person is only away for part of the day/only a day and they come back and there have been 10+ posts. Which is something that, I'll admit, is kinda annoying and, I'm sure, makes that RPer feel left out and want to quit. Which I've seen happen as well.

It seems that we have a dilemma here.

Halting an RP because one person is "temporarily leaving" is not really fair for the other players- especially when it is not clear how long that particular player is going to stay inactive. There are also chance that the thread becomes dead and/or buried when that person comes back.

On the other hand, if everyone is allowed to continue the flow as they like, the busy player -and probably others in the middle of an interaction with him/her- will be left out, and that's not fair for them either.

At the same time, having too much players makes the flow of the story chaotic- but limiting the number would cause a larger hole in the plot when one person inevitably leaves.

So, how do you people, as RPers suggest to make roleplays longer-lasting?

Low amounts of people or if there must be a lot of people, make sure they know the rules and that one sentence posts is not role playing. Oh, and someone needs to have some type of plot in the works as I've played no plot rps and they tend to go no where.

Though, I can't really talk as I think the longest one I was on lasted for a couple of months. *thinks back* ugh, my newbie RP days were horrible writing.

I think people who participate should have it made clear to them that they are sure that other than unanticipated stuff, they are likely to have time and are not expected to be buried under school/work.

That would be one thing that would help

Same here actually. First time I ever joined an RP (which was around 5 years ago), most of my post entries were one-liners. But then again, that particular RP I joined didn't really have a storyline either, so it didn't matter much.

Well... RP nowadays seem to have at least a background information or plot overview; but again, the story is not too detailed so players can expand it more freely. It would still go nowhere if everyone adds in strange complications that clash with one another, though.

I think that maybe only one person (two people, if its a bigger RP, I guess...) should be in charge of any 'major' plot developments. They'd have to be able to work them in the direction the story was going, but... And then the RPers themselves are in charged of the secondary plot-lines. You can do that, and with the same plot, have a very different RP if you do it with different RPers. And, hopefully, make it to 'the end' of an RP.

Here are the things I think made the RPs last like... not that long. I might introduce new things to you in the process.

1. Most of the stories are like Aveyond. It could be a fan-based RP of the game, or it is something like the game. My preferences are wide (and it becomes wider year after year) but it seems that in my observation, about 60%(?) are limited to the fantasy genre.

2. Since role-plays ARE technically social in nature, there should be a lot of socialization involved not only with the characters but with the role players themselves. Try using the chat to make immediate conversations with each other, or chat programs like Skype, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, etc. We get to discuss, fantasize, and make fun of characters... including our own!

3. If there are many role players, I think the DM should find someone to be his/her co-DM.

4. I notice that there are many instances that there are long conversations (like in boss fights, long love scenes, and the like). Instead of having one post per member, try using Google Docs. There really is interaction that way! Everybody involved in that scene can draft up one big post that will be posted by just one member.

There are more I'd like to say, but I think I'll lay that out next time.

I participate in Persona RP (in the Tales Series Forums) and we have been doing this RP for about 3 years now. Most of what I say come from this.

Discussion Page: http://tales.namco.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=76755

About your first point... well, it's unfair to equate all fantasy to Aveyond. Yes, Aveyond does have a fantasy setting, but doesn't mean that all RP with fantasy element is somehow a rip-off or hijacking the game's series. Most RPs in Amaranth are fantasy because, frankly, that's the RP preference of the roleplayers here.

It just seems to me that not many people in this forum have the time or motivation to commit to a single RP for too long. I, too, have joined a long-running RP with 4 seasons- each season containing 50 or so pages.

Whoops, I think I hastily generalized on the first statement; but my observation is that most are inclined towards fantasy. It is also inclined, though, towards adventure-types. I did not say that all of fantasy = Aveyond, too. Most are, if not all.

If the fantasy genre is the primary (for a lack of a better word) preference of role players here, then it is quite surprising why many do not last long. It is probably a matter of getting in touch - someone leaving the forums for either a definite or an indefinite time span should inform other RPers beforehand. I think that is rather a responsibility.

I think there should be at least simpler plots, with an ample number of characters that the DM can handle.

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So is that supposed to be a good or bad thing? Fantasy genre, especially one with high/epic fantasy setting, seems to be closely related to adventure, and the storyline goes like "hero and party goes adventuring to defeat Big Bad" yadda yadda. I personally prefer RPs dealing with warfare and conflicts and rivalries, though.

"So is that supposed to be a good or bad thing? Fantasy genre, especially one with high/epic fantasy setting, seems to be closely related to adventure, and the storyline goes like "hero and party goes adventuring to defeat Big Bad" yadda yadda."

^ I don't think it as either bad or good thing. Depends on the RPers and how the plot goes, any kind of story will get through.

Same goes with beat-the-bad-guy kind of story. If the thread starter can lead the story into some twist or complication, it would mostly be very interesting. Since I'd always prefer simple but intriguing stories/adventures, afterall XD
So in the practice, the person that will effectively give the tension would be the thread starter or someone who leads the RP, or so I think.