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Comrade Duck

RP Topic Preferences (NCM RP Study)

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EDIT: Since this thread got a few replies I'm going to post more questions to further inquire about the state of NCM's RP section. I hope that you'll continue to join in the conversation so we can grow together.

What do you look for in an RP? What does it take to keep your interest and investment? Do you prefer original ideas or rps based off something you're familiar with?

Edited by Comrade Duck

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I more often than not prefer original ideas BUT I make an exception for Pokemon. Sucker for Pokemon RPs even though hardly ever works out it seems. Some day...

The main thing needed in an RP to keep my investment is usually mostly activity. And that there's things to do that doesn't feel like just going through the motions...it sounds simple but that's really the main things. If people keep posting in an RP I usually feel motivated to keep posting as well.

Interest is a bit trickier. In my "old age" I've found that consistency and that the host seems to have a solid idea of what they want to do is a big thing which I know isn't about the topic of the RP itself but that's important for me. Its why I am very picky about what I choose.

To be honest as far as subject of the RP itself goes as long as its not something I feel I really don't care to write for (usually based on something I don't know or don't think works as an RP) then there's plenty that I'd be willing to try out. Heck I've done a few ygo rps despite usually not being into them.

Another thing is that if I get an idea for a character I'll often join even if I wasn't sure about doing it (MHA comes to mind and also Villains RP from a while back).

It might sound odd or counterproductive but I actually get a bit turned away if I notice that a host is being TOO specific with things. Or giving so many details and seeming to expect something so specific that I'd feel I can't do what I want. (coughzaimecharpscough)

....I know this was a lot of words that didn't fully address the question I kind of just started rambling.

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What makes an RP attractive to me is a sort of "je ne sais quois" feeling and I haven't really interrogated, though I generally agree with Cow here, especially the "if a character idea comes to mind" part. I definitely wouldn't have joined a few different RPs if a character concept hadn't appeared before me as a good idea. To that end, some familiarity with the source material isn't necessary but it definitely helps -- it gives me more ideas to draw upon (I say this with full knowledge that my one (1) hosted rp isn't (directly) based on anything).

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In terms of preference, I'm down for both original and existing settings. Originals have that "open canvas" feeling that can be pretty refreshing, but existing settings allow for some fun experimentation with what you're familiar with. Though as Cow said, what it really comes down to for me is activity. An interesting idea will get me in the door, but if things start loosing traction, chances are I might lose interest, especially during the brainstorming phase. I also agree with Radio; a good idea for a character will definitely have me at least jump in to make it, cause once I have a character that I want to play, if the RP gains any ground, I'll stick with it for at least a little while. For how long? I can't say, cause commitment ain't exactly my forte, but that's another thing entirely.

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I think they serve very different purposes. Franchise RPs definitely cater to a "this is the character I would add to this" kind of mentality. They ride off of the hype for the source material 9/10 times. People participating are in there because they are familiar with the thing and liked it. Or at least, that's why I join these things.

Originals are definitely more open in what they can provide, and have the added advantage of the rules of the world being able to be shaped to the whims of the host, or with some arbitration, the players. I have made a fair chunk of originals. Emote, Aethertouched, Genome, Axon. I had another, Ærloom, that I had mostly finished but decided to shelf because I really wanted to do Axon, which is a big passion project of mine.

To answer the question, I think I personally prefer originals. I feel that if a person is running an original RP, they put a lot of thought and heart into the setting and concept, and that shows a lot for its quality overall. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my fair share of hopping on trends, but I think originals have a higher ceiling.

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It seems the general opinion of new rps and franchised rps are roughly the same. Something familiar is welcome and easy to get into. Something new is exciting and brings challenges. With that in mind, is the rp community at NCM so small that franchised and new rps die too quickly? Excluding my own, I've seen and have been apart of at least 3 franchised rps that have died a few weeks in with no real explanation. Posts just stop.

What can we do as a community to better keep the rps we have alive?

I have a few thoughts that I'd love your feedback on:

  • Suggestions for new rps (is it too complex or too simple? what is it missing that could draw you in?)
  • Suggestions for franchise rps when things feel slow or seem to dwindle (how to keep an rp sparked with life?)

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I don't really have anything on the first bulletpoint, but I've thought a bit about the second one.

My take is that it's the same problem that people run into with tabletop RPGs: It's really easy for one person, unintentionally or not, for quote-unquote "valid" reasons or not, to throw off the rhythm of a game. Maybe someone's busy at work. Maybe someone's got to help their cousin move. Collecting everything back together takes evergy, and that energy is a finite resource. That being said, it is a bit easier for play-by-post, since nobody has to break out the calendar apps when trying to find a way to reschedule, you just have to nudge someone a bit, so as long as you nudge quickly (I do it after a week) the energy loss generally isn't too great.

There's another problem that we share with tabletop, though: the host/GM generally has a higher stake in the game than the players. This is kind of symptomatic of how things work -- while GMless games are a thing, I'm not sure the same can be said for hostless RPs -- and can lead to a pretty big disconnect. People with more investment can help find things to do once the opening salvo has gone off and the RP has opened up, while people with less might not be bothered to. A solution I've found here is to have the higher-investment players -- including the host -- help both OOC and IC to make the "things to do" more obvious, reducing the energy loss (possibly even increasing engagement, though I don't have a good example of when that's happened) there as well.

I guess all this boils down to "talk more," which is admittedly trite, but the only other real advice I can offer besides that is "most RPs are going to stall out, might as well enjoy them while they last" thought that's probably (hopefully?) good too.

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On 5/14/2021 at 10:10 PM, radio414 said:

I don't really have anything on the first bulletpoint, but I've thought a bit about the second one.

My take is that it's the same problem that people run into with tabletop RPGs: It's really easy for one person, unintentionally or not, for quote-unquote "valid" reasons or not, to throw off the rhythm of a game. Maybe someone's busy at work. Maybe someone's got to help their cousin move. Collecting everything back together takes evergy, and that energy is a finite resource. That being said, it is a bit easier for play-by-post, since nobody has to break out the calendar apps when trying to find a way to reschedule, you just have to nudge someone a bit, so as long as you nudge quickly (I do it after a week) the energy loss generally isn't too great.

There's another problem that we share with tabletop, though: the host/GM generally has a higher stake in the game than the players. This is kind of symptomatic of how things work -- while GMless games are a thing, I'm not sure the same can be said for hostless RPs -- and can lead to a pretty big disconnect. People with more investment can help find things to do once the opening salvo has gone off and the RP has opened up, while people with less might not be bothered to. A solution I've found here is to have the higher-investment players -- including the host -- help both OOC and IC to make the "things to do" more obvious, reducing the energy loss (possibly even increasing engagement, though I don't have a good example of when that's happened) there as well.

I guess all this boils down to "talk more," which is admittedly trite, but the only other real advice I can offer besides that is "most RPs are going to stall out, might as well enjoy them while they last" thought that's probably (hopefully?) good too.

Now that I've had time to digest your thoughts, I have to admit its accurate, if disappointing. Especially the last lines where we would have to basically accept that nothing will last. But I don't find comfort in accepting that as an inevitability. While our options are limited, I do feel like there is something that can be done, and that we shouldn't just sit idly by and let rp after rp die.

Take yours, for example. You weren't strict and you work with players (I can attest to that personally). But after a week, you would ping us and let us know, "hey, get on your stuff". Not in those words obviously, but it keeps Sonic and I going. And to be honest, I think its an effective tactic. It reminds players, "you've made a commitment". Obviously it won't work on everyone. Some people could get that ping and just be like, "I've lost interest, sorry" and dip. But with that in mind, I think its an option.

You also hit the nail on the head when it comes to communication. I think that players (including myself since I know I'm guilty of it) need to explain when they're losing interest before its long gone. Approach the host ahead of time and just be forward about it.

"Hey, I'm losing the interest I first had in the rp."
"Can you tell me why?"
"I think it's because of (A, B, C)."
"Well let's address it and see if we can't keep you interested."

Simple things like that I think would go a long way to increase the longevity of RPs at NCM and I think we need to try harder. Players and hosts alike.

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Communication is big yes. I literally cannot begin to count how often I've asked people what they want from one of my RPs and what they need to post. To mixed results.

Gijinka, which is an RP that actually finished, I would host post almost every week regardless of what was happening, even if just a short thing to try and give a bit of help to those behind on posting, and try and poke people about what's going on and if we need to work things out.

I admit lately I've been a little more burned out on that for my current RPs. Doing it for so long and getting less and less results lately has been...tough, mentally, for me. But I do think that as long as you keep going things can work out. That said sometimes you won't have enough interest and things will crawl to too much of a slow pace to keep going and you need to know when to stop. But it's good to try first before just throwing in the towel. Basically, at some point it needs to be let go for everyone's sake but it's not the second that things slow down.

For instance Mind and Soul, I only really needed a few interested, but over time even that was difficult and there was a constant feeling of forcing it, which is when I realized it had to stop.

Conversely Chosen, which is currently longest running RP (not counting gcorp which is an exception in many ways) has had many drops but there are 3 who stuck with it and we're still chugging along fine with the occasional stall that gets worked out.

Honestly something I've learned is that sometimes it's better to continue with a small group rather than waiting for a bunch who aren't interested anymore. Leaving an opening for returns is good but as long as you have a few who want to keep going it's only fair to them to, well, keep going.

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I think it's difficult to hold out hope for a severely lessened cast. With a few obvious exceptions, some rps require their full cast for success.

 

And I think that's where the problem lies. Taking my own failures for example, I could've left things open. But due to the nature of the rp, without a full cast it fell apart and unraveled the overarching plot. But with that in mind, maybe it's safer in this community to make smaller scale rps that don't require more than 3 - 4 total players including the host in order to keep things going in the long term.

Larger rps that do succeed seem to be an outlier, which makes them more appealing overall (in my opinion) but more difficult to maintain.

I guess what I'm thinking is, do you wanna take the risk and put it all out there for everyone to play or do you want something small and dedicated that has a higher chance of succeeding?

And what appeals to you more? Large or small  rps?

Thanks for all your insight.

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Define large or small RP?

Because Chosen is a huge scope but there's only a few characters. Maybe I'm being ignorant but I'm not sure how there would be an issue making RPs that can work for either.

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1 hour ago, LordCowCow said:

Define large or small RP?

Because Chosen is a huge scope but there's only a few characters. Maybe I'm being ignorant but I'm not sure how there would be an issue making RPs that can work for either.

 

I guess, in my opinion, a large rp consists of more than five players, and a small rp would consist of three to four players max, including the host. You're right in that either works, I was just wondering what your personal preference was.

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If it's matter of preference, in a perfect world, I like more people. But given what I've seen I prefer smaller because they work out better more often.

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On 5/17/2021 at 6:48 PM, Comrade Duck said:

"hey, get on your stuff". Not in those words obviously...

not in those words yet you mean


Size isn't going to deter me from joining an RP, I don't think, but as both a host and as a player I prefer smaller, like, 3-5 players and a host level. Frequent posts -- especially host posts -- help keep the overall energy up in my experience, and it also means my contributions are a bigger chunk of the story, which is maybe selfish of me but still not nothing. Larger games will have a more active chat, though, which is also important and I don't want to discount that either.

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