Keeping an RPG Going

[Zodia195]

I've thought about this topic recently and I wanted to talk about.

How do you keep an RPG going? Every RPG I've been involved in has died off at some point, but some have been more successful then others. I've been roleplaying for a long time now, almost 20 years (started roleplaying in the fall of 2000) and I've learned a lot during this time.

Most successful RPG I was in was way back in the early 2000s on Yahoo! Clubs initially (before that became Groups). We finished one arc and almost completed another. I think if the GM of that time had honestly shared all the plot twists with other co-GMs (like me) at the time we would have been able to keep the RPG going. So here's some tips I have for keeping an RPG going. I'll be referring to that RPG I was apart of. It was called A Universe of Wonders (cheesy I know lol), but I'll be referring to it by it's acronym, AUoW.

1. Stay committed- All RPGs have their slow spots or breaks, but that doesn't mean it's died off. Don't be afraid to ask a GM if the roleplay is still on. Same thing goes for the GM, it's okay to ask your players if they're still around. In AUoW there was a time when the RPG was hardly active for months, one reason being I had completely lost the internet (my family couldn't afford it at the time). However once I was back, things took off again. It was also around that time Clubs became Groups and it was causing issues for those who posted. We had a nickname for Yahoo back then, Yahell lol, when it would act up like that.

2. Player Interaction- My fav RPGs had one thing in common, OOC interaction. If you don't enjoy playing with other players, then it can become dull pretty quickly. In AUoW, there was a core group of us players and we would bounce ideas off of each other for what would happen in the RPG. Sure, our lead GM, Val, came up with most of the plot, but she took some of our ideas, like I had a char whose dreams would show future locations the chars would go to, and she implemented that idea. I also got inspired to create fan art of all the chars and that helped me stay a part of the RPG. I had to get permission to draw all of the chars first though. So yeah I would say that interacting with fellow players is like the foundation of any RPG.

3. Volunteer to Pick Up chars- It always happens, but some players do leave an RPG. I think one should be ready to pick up another char if they're able to. Keep in mind you don't always have to play the char if they're not needed. In AUoW during the 2nd arc, I ended up playing well over 10 chars, but I didn't always post for them because they weren't always needed in certain scenes. Now it helped that in that RPG our posts weren't very long lol (all of us were still young, me being the oldest because I was the only one in college at first). But yeah if you join an RPG with Char slots, and if one of them is needed to keep an RPG going, I say try to fill that role if you can.

That's really all I can think of for now. Yeah it's not a lot, but I do know it was these things that helped AUoW stay afloat for so long (it was active for 5 years at least). So does anyone else want to give some pointers? I have noticed that the activity of this site has dropped dramatically, so I want to find a way to see if we can find away to make it active like it was back in the early 2010s. I can remember a time when there was like 5 or 6 new RPGs a day. My guess is people got tired of RPGs dying and lost interest in RPGing in general. Hopefully by giving these tips we can help change that.

[Remæus]

This is a tough one that I'm bumping for other ideas from successful GMs! Keeping players engaged can be a challenge, but at least in the Multiverse I've found that steady, consistent responses is usually the best way to keep people engaged, including replying as soon as you're able to any posts in your locations.

Other RPG worldbuilders: what're your best tips?

[partially-stars]

I’ve had a 1x1 running for over a year now and have had two roleplays running for over six months at this point, and one of the biggest things I’ve found is that building a good relationship between members definitely helps. I now consider the people I’ve been working with for that whole time to be my friends. It doesn’t have to go that far, but constant communication definitely helps. We’ve had stretches of weeks where people haven’t been able to post due to life circumstances, and they both felt comfortable communicating that with us and knew we were understanding enough that we were fine to wait. And because they were talking to us during that period, we knew they were still on board.

This might sound harsh, but waiting for stragglers can also slow posting down and lead to the death of an RP. As a GM, I usually try to make contact, and if I don’t receive a response, I instruct members to move on. I’m always happy to fill somebody in if they come back, and I’ll welcome them back with open arms, but I won’t hold up everyone for one or two people.

[lostamongtrees]

Absolutely love this thread and everything that has thus far been said; thank you Zodia and partially-stars for opening the conversation.

To further expand upon the topic of OOC in relation to the success of IC:

OOC Community
This is what I attribute most roleplay success to. Regardless of the rate of in character posting, cultivating OOC respect between the players is a priority and ensuring there is a consistent, welcoming, and pleasurable avenue of communication is often a key to success.

Players who aren't comfortable OOC aren't going to stick around IC. Likewise, some people prefer the full escapism of IC and never wish to engage OOC, but you'll catch them in OOC spaces breaking the 4th wall. These are all appropriate levels of engagement and should be actively encouraged. We are all here to, in a sense, have fun.

I absolutely love seeing this kind of thing, and am much the type of player to go out of my way to create sprites, maps, vidoes, memes, and other sorts of content when inspired by fellow writers. Inspired by their activity in character and even out of character. This, right here, is in my opinion goals:

I also got inspired to create fan art of all the chars and that helped me stay a part of the RPG. I had to get permission to draw all of the chars first though.

Another project I started based on in character activity (and constantly inspire others to join!) are news networks based on character activity.

The Intergalactic News Network &TERRACAST
Important to note TERRACAST was sort of an OOC meme back in the day,
14 writers have participated so far in the arc and more are always welcome!

The Show Must Go On
Unfortunately, things happen. partially-stars hit the nail on the head when it comes to OOC communication in regards to IC engagement, ghosting, IRL happening, and making sure the overall story doesn't suffer:

...waiting for stragglers can also slow posting down and lead to the death of an RP. As a GM, I usually try to make contact, and if I don’t receive a response, I instruct members to move on. I’m always happy to fill somebody in if they come back, and I’ll welcome them back with open arms, but I won’t hold up everyone for one or two people.

As a GM, preparing for players to drop out (or switch from active to not) is something I make sure to do with any and all plots, with the concept of Ta'Veren. I'll elaborate more on that in a minute, but want to highlight what Zodia said in regards to abandoned characters crucial for the continuation of the story:

Volunteer to Pick Up chars- It always happens, but some players do leave an RPG. I think one should be ready to pick up another char if they're able to.

As for when you hit a lull in the plot, reach a point where everyone is just kind of staring at each other and you're not sure where to go or what to do? I'm going to have to agree with Rem on this one. Just post! If you've ever heard of free-writing (mombie has a thread going on it!) this is a great time to put that tool to use. You never know what might fly from your mind, inspired by your subconscious. So what if it's a little silly? Guaranteed your players will appreciate the story moving forward, versus...nothing.

Keeping players engaged can be a challenge, but at least in the Multiverse I've found that steady, consistent responses is usually the best way to keep people engaged, including replying as soon as you're able to any posts in your locations.

Which leads into...

Collaborative Spontaneity & Accepting Offers
Collaborative Spontaneity is something that happens both in character and out of character. In improvisational acting, it is described as an "offer". An "offer" can be presented by anyone at any time.

we would bounce ideas off of each other for what would happen in the RPG. Sure, our lead GM, Val, came up with most of the plot, but she took some of our ideas, like I had a char whose dreams would show future locations the chars would go to, and she implemented that idea.

By far one of the most successful roleplays i've participated in was the Vankoryth Detente, which ruled on the concept of accepting offers as well as the concept of Ta'Veren, which i'll explain in one minute. The idea here is that everyone does have input, and even if you're playing a table-top rules & dice style game, there's a chance someone has brought something to the table that you, the GM, have implemented.

This is the whole spirit of collaboration!

Ta'Veren
More on the spirit of collaboration - the concept of ta'veren. If you've hung around the Multiverse OOC long enough, and talked GM theory with me at all, you've probably heard me make mention of this concept being one of the most important concepts in regards to In Character collaboration and success for the player-character as well as the player.

Ta'veren (pronounced: tah-VEER-ehn) are people around whom the Wheel of Time specifically weaves the Pattern with all surrounding life-threads. No one is born ta'veren. The Pattern turns them to be one when there is a need and they are only ta'veren until they fulfill their purpose.

Translation: Everyone character should have the opportunity, and does have the opportunity, to be the main character at some point in time in the story. It doesn't matter who they are. If you've ever watched Game of Thrones, you know what I'm talking about. If you've ever read Harry Potter, you can think of a moment in which each character (Neville!) was kind of in the sidelines but then was the only one to be able to do the thing.

So yes, ridiculous plot armor in my eyes is completely acceptable for the good of the story, the players, and the overall everything. Hence the comic

When your players and player-characters step into the role of ta'veren, it's often too easy as a GM to want to pull the strings and reset the course - to railroad even in the slightest, "for the good of the story". RESIST THIS URGE and see, if for a moment, where the player takes you.

This ties directly back into the spirit of collaboration, and furthermore bleeds into OOC Community- let's give them something to talk about!

Escalation :Impact : Story
The Golden Ratio.As a GM, this is your map of the chaos of the Universe at hand.

Escalation = events that further drive the story, that further drive conflict
Impact = the changes made by these events, to the world and to the characters
Story = the reason for the events, the outcome of the impact.

If these parts are not equal, you have nonsense and the potential for burn out in some respect.

• Too much escalation, no impact or story? If you're going to build up to something, make that something happen! Make it mean something!
• No escalation, too much impact, no story? This is the formula for any "god mod" "god mode" move, and nobody likes that.
• No escalation, no impact, all story? Please save it for the character sheet.

This formula does not discount slow burn, MinMax , or other play styles, which make important use of the ratio in that one component is stressed and the others are supporting.

BURN OUT
I really want to touch on this and made it extra-big because it's important. Burnout is a thing. If you feel as if you are doing too much, you are likely doing too much. If it helps to develop a schedule, develop a schedule. If writing becomes a point of stress, an unhappy place, please communicate with your fellow players what's going on.


We're all here to create together, and we're all here to support each other.

As much as we want stories to continue, we are human.

The Aschen in The Multiverse has been going for 10 or more years, and it doesn't get attention every day. The main writer, barney_fife, has periods where he can't post. We understand and we work with each other to find solutions so those who want or need to continue their character's stories can, and players who aren't able to aren't left behind- including the GM.

As a GM I think it's important to make space for your players themselves to be able to wander and continue on if you ever need to take a break, even if it means dropping them into a low level town to hang out and keep it slice of life for a moment, or OOCly passing the torch for the time being, tying back into The Show Must Go On.

in conclusion

Get hype OOC about your IC & be kind to yourself and others!