What keeps you posting in an RP?

[Pseudosyne]

A question for everyone. Note that this doesn't mean what draws you into the RP in the first place, although your answers may be the same for both questions.

I want to know what keeps you writing those posts day after day, week after week. Is it an attentive and persistent GM? Is it a constantly evolving story? Is it a list of rules that seems to make continued posting easier (maybe the required post length is short)? Is it character interactions that you can't seem to tear yourself away from?

It can be as something small and specific as "All the characters had nicknames in this RP, and I love nicknames, so I kept posting" or something bigger like "The storyline really grabbed me here." I want to hear whatever reasons you can think of.

So, what keeps you posting in an RP?

[Wudgeous]

I would also like to know this!


For me, it's
I) how much I love the character I've submitted--which is correlated to how in-depth the character skeleton was, since I push forward stronger characters for more demanding sheets.

II) how cool the people are in the OOC. I like folks (GM included) who are willing to goof off and humor me goofing off, while having the self-control to not throw the IC into a crackpot in the process. (OOC crack? Fair fucking game, yessss). Keep it fun and intense, you know?

III) How developed other people's characters are. If the majority of people are consistently absolute crap at making IC decisions (making their character behave unrealistically (suddenly having great feelings for a dude just 'cause the roleplayer has a crush on him), constantly needing/demanding attention (such as severely injuring their character as soon as the spotlight shifts), etc), I... find it nothing short of repulsive, not even kidding.

IV) Character interaction and bonds. Yes. Can't resist it. Not just romantic--friendship! Rivalry! Enemies! Awkward neutrality! Grudging respect! Roleplays/Characters that focus entirely on the romantic aspect, in fact, I don't care for at all. I love rps that just outright say "Romance is cool, but never shove it in our faces kthnx; your character should be deep enough to care for more than Tru Wuv."

V) I'd say a constantly evolving story, but none of the ones I've been in have gotten far enough to even introduce the plot proper. :( So... I guess other people who would stick around, in turn get me to stick around. Dedication, in other words!

[Mr_Doomed]

For me, I think the most important thing for the begining of an RP is the GM. You need one who is wholeheartedly invested in their RP and that will do as much in their power to not let it die. From there, the GM typically breads good players who will be just as invested in the RP as the GM.
After you get past the slow "hump" part of the RP that most RPs die at, character becomes an important part. The characters need to be developed enough so that the direction they take doesn't seem as forced.
In the middle, plot becomes the key to an RPs success. If the characters become strong enough, they can almost create the plot themselves. Hopefully they do anyways.
By the end, people are too invested to let go. Bottom line!

As someone who is a part of an on going series of RPs that has lasted for almost a year now, I think I should know. Right now we are in the third and final instalment of the series, so I've gone through an entire RP twice before. From that experience, the above seems to be the pattern.

[Kurokiku]

This is an interesting question; I'm glad you asked it, actually.

I think in my own case, it can be any number of things, though combinations are always preferred.

1. Characters that present something different, something I've never seen before or a twist on something I have. After a while, even someone as patient as I try to be gets a little sick of seeing generically beautiful women and stereotypically masculine guys. And gender tropes aren't the only ones that get tired fast; the big-as-an-ox-dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks warrior and the smart-mouthed rogue come to mind as well. There's nothing wrong with any of these things categorically, it's just that they tend to fall into the realm of the generic and stale very quickly, especially when you've seen seventy of them. Show me something interesting. It doesn't have to be weird or creepy (the psychopathic serial killer can get old, too), but when you mix things in unexpected ways, when I feel like your character, however fantastic, could be an actual person, that's when things are interesting to me.

2. A plot that fits snugly without strangling you. This is a surprisingly difficult balance to strike, and I struggle with it too. It's important for a plot to have some kind of direction. Sandboxes are hard to translate into text-based RP. Not to say that you have to herd your players along one specified path. Give people choices, let those decisions tangibly affect the story, but nudge them towards those crossroads, unfold their implications with deliberateness and purpose, let the characters interacting with the world mean something.

3. A dedicated, prepared GM. Absolutely indispensable. Sometimes, people disappear. They drop out, or don't post for a while, and you might even be waiting for them to do something important before you move the story along. Don't wait until everyone else is bored and has completely forgotten how much they enjoy the story. A GM with discretion and the ability to balance patience with their control of the story can be more important to the RP experience than just about anything.

4. Players who don't take themselves too seriously. Look, this is a hobby. I'm not a published fiction author, and highly doubt I ever will be. There is nothing hanging on this experience for me but the joy of it, and I think sometimes people forget that RP is supposed to be fun. I could care less about the petty details, and I certainly dislike it when people use their characters as blatant mouthpieces or the vehicles for power-trips: what does it mean that your fictional creation could beat my fictional creation in a fight? Not much, when it comes down to it, so why argue so vehemently over it? If everyone just stepped back from these sorts of arguments (and by no means am I placing any exclusive blame on fight scenarios) and chilled out, we might all end up having a great deal more fun. Be fair, take your hits where you have to, showcase a character's weaknesses where appropriate and remember that in the end, it's a game.

5. Respect and willingness to collaborate. This goes pretty much hand-in-hand with 4. Bluntly, it's more fun to create a story with chill, creative people who are willing to think outside the box than it is with close-minded folk who only want the story to go as they have it in their head, with their character at the center of it all. Sometimes, other people's ideas are great, and if the other people in a RP can acknowledge that and work together to make an awesome story, I am so there.

6. In the end, it all comes down to fun. If writing is ever to be a labor, it should be a labor of love. Yeah, that sounds cheesy as all get-out, but it's true. All of the above rules are really just about whether or not I will enjoy a plot and a RP environment. Sure, high-level writing is a major plus, but it's not the only thing that matters. Anyone can learn to write with more skill. Not everyone can learn cooperative spirit, sportsmanship, creativity and good sense.

[Wudgeous]

Oh man I forgot a big one: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! (The polar opposite of ignoring). Mainly I expect it in the IC--"it" being a loose mention of as many characters as possible, at best: "Though Sally had begun to zone out, Zack's sudden yelp snapped her out of her reverie, and she turned to see Gregory and Samantha giggling behind him. They must have been playing a prank on the poor guy."

Acceptably at worst would be posting only about characters that have made an effort to interact with yours: "Tim had budged next to Chad, so Chad punched him in the shoulder. 'Go away!'"

Unacceptable is ignoring a character completely even after they've approached yours, however vaguely they may have done so. Acknowledgement isn't that difficult!
"Charles noticed Sally was trying to talk to him about nachos, but said nothing because it was a silly and embarrassing topic, and instead only shook his head at the ground" counts as acknowledgement. "Charles didn't notice Sally run toward him and fall over, or else he would have thought about helping her up" also counts; even if the character fails to acknowledge the antics of other one, the narrating roleplayer still demonstrates she is aware of and accepts the events going on. Though responding to what other characters are doing can be a literary obstacle, it is never impossible to acknowledge it.

So, yeah. The act of ignoring someone is a big pet peeve for me, even if I'm not personally subject to it. Too much of that going on and I cannot stick around in a roleplay.
(I highlighted key words so's you could skim. Aren't I so nice?)

[Kestrel]

1.) If it remains fun.

"But Kestrel, that is a fucking stupid answer."

Yes, it is. Yet somehow a lot of people don't focus on keeping their RP's fun. Repetition isn't fun, for example, so one thing that keeps me hooked is variation. I mean sure it's fun to fight an army of ninja for no reason, but I do that in every single RP already. So instead of competing with every single other RP out there (which will inevitably become more interesting every time you put the ninja fight up AGAIN), make me fight a giant space-octopus, with a time-bomb on its head, shooting lasers from its eyes while it is trying to create a time-portal back to the time and place of my birth to prevent me from ever existing.

"But Kestrel, that is a fucking stupid example."

Not really, other me. See, weird and random as the whole set-up may seem; the fight will be different, the motivation will be different, I'm in space without gravity so every movement will be different; this is something that will keep me in your RP because I have to think differently. This doesn't just apply to fights, but to environments, atmospheres, missions (you can throw detective-work, fistfights, gunfights, romance and politics all in one RP.) Keep things varied. Don't make me do the same thing over and over and over again. If I wanted to do that, I'd just leave your RP and click on one of the many new shiny interest checks. So by all means be experimental and adaptable, but if something doesn't work; DROP IT! If nobody likes the mystery element you just introduced, don't be a stuck-up, stubborn ego-tripping GM that MUST and shall HAVE a mystery element. Don't drag out a sotry element just cause its important for the story; fast-forward through it to a point we'll like contributing to. Make sure every single post we write is fun to write.

2.) *blablabla cliché storyline answer blablabla cliché character development answer*

3.) If I, as a player, feel significant. You can have the most awesome fight scenes planned out and the greatest storyline ever integrated; if I don't feel like I am making a difference, I will start wondering why I am posting in the first place. So if I throw out a story about a villain killing my character's parents, use that villain! Let him escape from prison, get robot-cyborg implants and send him after the party! If my character makes a valid argument in a debate; let that important NPC consider this argument and help it influence the NPC's decision even if that means you as the GM have to change parts of your planned storyline. No, let me rephrase that; ESPECIALLY if it forces you as the GM to improvise and adapt. If that valid argument is in fact a fucking stupid remark, let the NPC get pissed off and send his guards after us or actually betray us later because he doesn't like my character. The game is, once it starts, no longer just the GM his/her game. It is also ours.

4.) If the atmosphere is good. You can have all the 3 above; but if I think everyone in the thread is a douchebag I will not continue playing. So communicate! Solve problems. Be generally cool and approachable and keep the OOC active. If I like you and my co-players, I am much more likely to stay, to post more and to have better writing. All in one! Just because I like you guys. The OOC can be used for so many things it's not even funny. Plotting stories, making people curious, motivation, off-topic chatter. etc.