Why Do RPs Die?

[Contra Fates]

This is a list I've been working on to further detail the causes for RPs dying.

1.) Too Much Effort Required.
This isn't meant to be an insult by any means, it simply just means that the effort required to remain in the RP would outweigh the fun factor of being in it. Role playing is meant to be fun, not a chore. So, if an Advanced RP you joined suddenly has 5 pages in one day filled with posts, it can be a daunting task to read it all, and keep up.

2.) Lack of Interaction.
I believe this is actually one of the most important reasons. I've heard people talk about feeling left out of RPs, or feeling as though their character has nothing to do, because no other characters are interacting with their own. Keeping a team together and making sure all players are engaged is incredibly vital to keeping players interested. RPing is interactive, after all, and if we're not interacting...then we're just writing by ourselves.

3.) Change of Interests.
Lets face it, people's interests change. A fantasy RP might have sounded awesome at the time, but now you really just want to get into a futuristic cyberpunk RP. This really can't be helped, it just goes with the whims of the players.

4.) Too Little Time.
This is a legitimate excuse. Unfortunately we can't always control life, and especially not with school, work, and other responsibilities that may keep us tied down. This ties in a bit with my first idea, because really...if you get left behind in an RP, and have to play catch up...it almost always ends up in a person dropping from the RP. It's just not fun reading through tons of posts, and figuring out how you're going to magically re-enter your character and explain why they haven't been around, or haven't been interacting.

5.) Not Motivated.
I've had days where I've been able to pump out post after post, and then I've had days where I've just stared at my monitor, typed a sentence, deleted it, typed another sentence, deleted that too...and got nothing done. Motivation is really something worth trying to figure out in and of itself, but I know how people feel when they say: "I'm just not feeling it," or "I've got writer's block," etc. You can't help it sometimes.

6.) Too slow.
I've seen some people lose interest in RPs just because it wasn't going fast enough for them. Sometimes speed is necessary to keep people interested and 'in the moment.' When an RP starts feeling stale, people can just lose interest in the RP entirely. Unfortunately, this is caused by the players, and sometimes it can be just one player's inactivity that can drag the rest of an RP down...especially if that player was an important character.

7.) Rule-breakers.
I use that term to not be a jerk. You know who I'm referring to; the god-modders and power-players. But, this can also just refer to people who just don't...read other people's posts. I've seen players completely -ignore- posts that had characters interact with them, and have watched them do something entirely contradictory to the other person's post. It can be extremely frustrating when you have a good team of RPers, but one person who just ends up being a thorn in the side of everyone playing.

8.) Inactive GM.
GMs absolutely have to be active in an RP in order for it to go far. Sure, there are a few exceptions to this rule, but an RP with an absentee GM is never a good recipe for success. I've seen many good RPs die because the GM just vanished, or they suddenly became too busy to really check on the RP and insure it was going the way it should. On that note, GMs should always have a vision in their mind for their RP, because giving players too much authority of the storyline can sometimes yield stagnant results as well.

9.) Everyone Wants to be a Star.
One common theme I've found in a lot, but not all RPs, are people who want to be the 'lead' characters of the storyline. Having players that strive to be noticed isn't a bad thing, but when the cast ends up being comprised of laconic bad asses, and people don't get their way, things can turn ugly. RPs need a balance of supporting roles, and leading roles, not a power struggle.

10.) Too Much Activity.
This is something that I think should be given some consideration. On an active forum, it can be quite the daunting task to keep up with RP threads, especially when they get buried so quickly below other threads. Unless everyone participating subscribes to the thread, it can be a bit time consuming just trying to find the proper threads. I think it'd be good practice for everyone to subscribe to all of their RP and RP OOC threads, but I know a lot of people don't.

11.) Can't Everyone Get Along?
Unfortunately, people butt heads, and it can be the quickest way for an RP to drop off the face of the internet. Striving to keep the peace and to promote some friendliness amongst players is definitely recommended, but I've seen cliques and certain friendships end up giving other 'outsider' players a hard time, which can inevitably end up in an outburst from the neglected party. Make everyone feel welcome, you're all interacting in a story together...just because your characters might hate one another doesn't mean the players should.

12.) Uhm...Line?
Sometimes giving players too much freedom can lead to a stagnant story. Not all players are prepared to be the brain stormers, and when it is your turn to post and you have absolutely no clue what you're supposed to do, it's likely that you're not going to be sticking around much longer. GMs should definitely provide some groundwork for their players, or be willing to provide some in the event that players seem unsure of what to do.

Give me some of your own input! What do you think causes RPs to die?

[BlackJack]

7.) Rule-breakers.
I use that term to not be a jerk. You know who I'm referring to; the god-modders and power-players. But, this can also just refer to people who just don't...read other people's posts. I've seen players completely -ignore- posts that had characters interact with them, and have watched them do something entirely contradictory to the other person's post. It can be extremely frustrating when you have a good team of RPers, but one person who just ends up being a thorn in the side of everyone playing.

FUCKING THIS. Specifically, "It can be extremely frustrating when you have a good team of RPers, but one person who just ends up being a thorn in the side of everyone playing." Just ask Inu. When there's one player that is SICKENINGLY bad at RPing, it really takes away from the whole experience. Everybody else has to work around them and try to make up for their lack of input. Not to mention that it slows the RP down. And I don't mean the kind where you have to hold it up for a few hours to allow a person to post, but the kind where the story stalls for days because the person won't post and/or move the story along.

Case in point, there's actually an effort to get an RPer removed from an RP I'm involved in.

[Aleister Black]

Not to mention that it slows the RP down. And I don't mean the kind where you have to hold it up for a few hours to allow a person to post, but the kind where the story stalls for days because the person won't post and/or move the story along.

Which reminds me, Gro'thok has been awfully silent of late.






----

Great post Kendra. Definitely +rep.

I think you pretty much covered all possible causes for dying RPs. Another one that is probably included in one of your categories already is players sort of falling out of the RPing loop. Sometimes, I just don't feel like it. I might even be able to write a good post if I set down and started, and I have enough time to do so too, but for some reason I can't motivate myself to do it. If enough people have that for a sufficient amount of time, an RP stalls and is very likely to die.

However, a long stall does not necessarily mean the end of an RP. I've seen plenty of RPs successfully revived after a long time of inactivity.



Maybe another reason an RP might die is people not getting out of it what they expected. Maybe they went in there expecting a certain kind of story (or maybe a certain level of 'skill' [I don't like the word but I can't think of another one right now]) and the other players or the GM are unable to meet this criterion. This will cause interest to wane, especially if more people shared the same (unfullfilled) expectations.

[BlackJack]

Which reminds me, Gro'thok has been awfully silent of late.

DEW uses IRONIC COMMENT.
Critical hit!
It's super effective!
BLACKJACK was knocked out!
DEW gains 102 exp.

[Inu]

DEW uses IRONIC COMMENT.
Critical hit!
It's super effective!
BLACKJACK was knocked out!
DEW gains 102 exp.

lolwut.jpg

[BlackJack]

lolwut.jpg

Dew basically used a statement version of the Armor Piercing Question in regards to my statement on holding up RPs. :P

[Doaj]

1.) Too Much Effort Required.
This isn't meant to be an insult by any means, it simply just means that the effort required to remain in the RP would outweigh the fun factor of being in it. Role playing is meant to be fun, not a chore. So, if an Advanced RP you joined suddenly has 5 pages in one day filled with posts, it can be a daunting task to read it all, and keep up.

I find this to be a common problem among my RPs. I like to make them complicated and difficult to grasp, and people are put off by it. It just looks heavy.

4.) Too Little Time.
This is a legitimate excuse. Unfortunately we can't always control life, and especially not with school, work, and other responsibilities that may keep us tied down. This ties in a bit with my first idea, because really...if you get left behind in an RP, and have to play catch up...it almost always ends up in a person dropping from the RP. It's just not fun reading through tons of posts, and figuring out how you're going to magically re-enter your character and explain why they haven't been around, or haven't been interacting.

This one kills me. Unless I'm in several RPs, then the only time I tend to use this is if I'm not interested and I don't want to say so. However, I hear this a lot as an excuse not to join my RPs from others, and it makes me wonder if they're doing the same, or are actually to busy. lol.

8.) Inactive GM.
GMs absolutely have to be active in an RP in order for it to go far. Sure, there are a few exceptions to this rule, but an RP with an absentee GM is never a good recipe for success. I've seen many good RPs die because the GM just vanished, or they suddenly became too busy to really check on the RP and insure it was going the way it should. On that note, GMs should always have a vision in their mind for their RP, because giving players too much authority of the storyline can sometimes yield stagnant results as well.

I'm probably one of the biggest GM culprits. I'll start an RP, and then ditch town. You can ask pretty much anyone, too. Ain't that right Dew? You seem to be laying the (truth) smackdown over here, so you can deal me a helping for leaving The New Age for several months before being like, "You pussies still in this, right?"

9.) Everyone Wants to be a Star.
One common theme I've found in a lot, but not all RPs, are people who want to be the 'lead' characters of the storyline. Having players that strive to be noticed isn't a bad thing, but when the cast ends up being comprised of laconic bad asses, and people don't get their way, things can turn ugly. RPs need a balance of supporting roles, and leading roles, not a power struggle.

I've seen it a million times, and I always find it bizarre. I remember in an RP when my character was one of many. I was the GM, but as far as my character went, he really wasn't the party leader. In fact, he hardly should've been there. Then other peoples' characters started making comments about him being in charge, and I was like, "Dude? This guy. He's too wimpy to kill bears. Don't put him in charge." I thought it was hilarious.

To answer your question though, I think it's mostly just bad luck. I've seen bad writers start RPs with no intended plotline, but a bunch of pros join it and it flourishes (FFVIII RP that we had here? Just sayin'. Read that OCC thread and tell me how it was one of the most successful RPs on the site to date, if not the most successful.) If nobody has the time, then the coolest idea EVAR will be wasted. Sometimes, everyone has the time, and still things head south. There's a level of unpredictability that comes with every RP. That's why I like to give an RP a second chance if I feel it got ravaged unfairly. The New Age, ("Bret shut up about it, already!" "But I just wanna make this point!") for example, did horribly on FFF because a handful of shitty RPers joined it with dwarves and shit. I was baffled. I tried again on SEF, and it did so well that I tried again here. =D I feel the SEF run was more successful, but I've got a much closer and tight-knit bunch this time around that is irreplaceable.

I'll shut up now.

[moonpreston]

There's a level of unpredictability that comes with every RP. That's why I like to pay a RP a second chance if I feel it got ravaged unfairly. The New one, ("Bret shut up about it, already!" "But I just want to make this point!") e.g: did horribly on FFF because a handful of shitty RPers joined it with dwarves and shit.

[Doaj]

Don't you tell me to shut up, douchebot!

[Mellusia]

I think RPs that end up being too big with too many players may also fall victim to loss of interest. The problem is that with too many players, they have their own individual plans, and despite best efforts, it's hard to coordinate things nicely with other players. Not to mention that a discussion thread could end up over-run with only a few RPers planning and covnvo, and the smallest inquiry from someone else goes unnoticed. Not really as a snub-it honestly just passes people's notice. There's also people not keeping up with RP-wide events, so end up too early or too late in the RP's timeline, and that messes up the continuity a well.

I find myself personally more committed to RPs with only a handful of people. It's easier to plan things with other players. The amount of characters is never really an issue, but the players I think.

[Philosophy]

I'll be honest: I really love writing, but the first and favorite RPs I've ever been in had short-ass posts. And for some reason, I liked that. I didn't really wanna feel like I was writing chapters of a story, but rather be IN a story. Back when the actual Blootix existed, there were some RPs that had decent writers and not-so-good writers, but the main thing that kept it going was dialogue and interaction between characters without a lot of details, and the GM would always bring something up if something needed to be brought up to advance the plot. I miss those days, when shit was simple and the details were *mostly* left to the imagination. I don't wanna read a novel--I want to role-play. If I wanted to write a novel, I'd just do it.

[Doaj]

I have to agree with the sentiment, Grady. Too often, people expect huge posts, myself included. I love writing a deep, six-page post to a story, and I love getting responses to my RPs that are the same. But it's a fact that in those circumstances, those same people get home from work or school, and despite how interested they are, they think, "Man, I've got life forty-five minutes of reading to catch up on, and then another hour and a half of writing. I'm just gonna go to bed now and get to it later." It's a double-edged sword of a situation.