A Seriously Confused Newbie GM

[That Lass Over There]

Even before I knew roleplay existed, probably because I had the sudden realization that different psyches lead to different writing styles and ideas in books, I had a dream - "What if I were to bring many people together to tell a story, where everyone was blind to the future and quite a bit of the past?" From that dream, that wish, my thoughts expanded. "Not every group of characters will make it through alive. But, instead of a 'next generation', what about new characters, slightly different players, and different circumstances, but occurring at the same time?" "What if these different but linear stories could interact, interfere with, and change each other?"


And so an irremovable ambition, maybe even a wish, has been placed in my heart, possibly for the rest of my life, maybe even into the next if reincarnation exists.


"I don't have to be involved.


I just, for once in my life where moderate intelligence is lunacy, want to see everything and everyone click, into something more that surpasses this plane of existence. I want to see everyone of all walks of life, intelligent and not so, wise and foolish, optimistic and pessimistic, short post lengths and long ones, busy and free as a bird, unite and tell a grand story, of humanity's noble and not so struggles in a new world. In doing so, I feel as if I would truly understand the feeling of being inexplicably delighted."


Well... As you can imagine, that's heavily abridged, mostly because I don't want to fully document on the internet just how deep into this abyss of blinding green light called 'insanity' I've delved, but I will tell you it's my fair share. No extras involved in the journey, just an INFP's despair.


*Ahem* Well, now I've done my newly customary fancy intro, so to the real stuff, eh?






I know it's generic, bleak, and overall haphazard, but it's the lovechild of three or four years of knowing there was the slimmest chance my wish was plausible and my obsession love of this idea. It's here, and I'm going to Frankenstein it as much as I need to for it to bloom.


Up to this point of time, only about ~40ish people with accounts on RPN know what actually is the driving idea, setting, and base of this roleplay. Well, they think they do. The whole entire idea is to flip people on their heads and truly insert them in the roles of their character(s), so why should they put it above me to make everything look like one thing while it's actually another?


Or maybe I put that little ramble there on purpose to throw them off?


Well, after 5.0, that's been reduced to a grand total of four people that know and are active; myself, a family member, and two awesome friends that this idea has brought to me. After I realized this, along with the fact that my public posting of the original overview is almost impossible to find now, I decided it was time to strike, to make my dream real so early in my life.


I got a grand total of six people that mentioned interest, two of them being previously mentioned friends, in a matter of hours while I was sleeping. To put it quite frankly, I was overjoyed - I had the chance to build off of a small group, learn all the adjustments this needed, get comfortable with the GM process, and turn it worthy of the title hosted project. All I can do ever since then is rave like a fanatic about hopes and dreams that I can no longer contain in my little pink safe.


Sadly, only two people actually have responded about the project since mentioning interest, the aforementioned friends. One of them (understandably) is adjusting to school again from what I gather, so replies have been a bit cut short or nonexistent from them.


So, we come here to why I'm here, with this poor first try looking for suggestions. What did I do wrong? What did I do right? What, as a player, would attract you into such a roleplay where the GM and people with background knowledge keeps a tight lid on almost everything? What can I possibly do to resurrect this, and where might I look for players other than the not always reliable interest checks?


Or am I just better off making a school/academy version of this? Because that trend on RPN disgusts me and I'd rather eat the raw entrails of a still living chicken hyped on super-growth drugs and food.


P.S I know this is quite hasty and I've skipped a few steps (like repeatedly tagging people until I get an answer, redoing the interest check and bumping it a few times, but I'm honestly not sure if that'll work. I actually have something on the level of PTSD with group roleplays, all of the grand ideas that stopped just because of a ripple from a pebble. It's the reason why this idea first took shape in 1x1 - I was scared to offer it anywhere else, for fear that someone would find themselves incapable of continuing beyond a tough spot, and the ripple effect would begin. I'm just not sure, so I'd really appreciate the advice of veterans.

 

[Grey]

Good grief, what a pretentious and borderline incoherent introduction - both to this post and the RP. You should definitely work on that, for starters.


Secondly, from what I understand of your pitch the basic formula is essentially what traditional GMs do all of the time. 80% of my RPs operate on incredibly similar principles. 


It seems to me that you're dramatically overthinking it and overselling it, where a subtler hand would be more effective. That, and a more engaging pitch than post-apocalyptic earth with possibly magic and maybe gods would serve you well. 


I see plenty of ambition and enthusiasm here, but it seems some perspective and research are called for. 

 

[That Lass Over There]

Good grief, what a pretentious and borderline incoherent introduction - both to this post and the RP. You should definitely work on that, for starters.


Secondly, from what I understand of your pitch the basic formula is essentially what traditional GMs do all of the time. 80% of my RPs operate on incredibly similar principles. 


It seems to me that you're dramatically overthinking it and overselling it, where a subtler hand would be more effective. That, and a more engaging pitch than post-apocalyptic earth with possibly magic and maybe gods would serve you well. 


I see plenty of ambition and enthusiasm here, but it seems some perspective and research are called for. 

So... Basically I already know what I need to work on. Gotcha. 


Well, thank you for the input. Honestly, it's kind of hard to make anything I do 100% neat due to various mental issues. I agree that perspective and research are needed, but that's a personal issue most likely rooted in this - I just don't understand other people to the very base nature, I lack the experience as a GM to make up for that (which is exactly what I was hoping for some insight on), and I kind of assumed since everyone I told the actual idea was very interested, it would grab attention. Probably, that was just me being a very hopeful, naive person at the moment of doing this. I simply don't know what grabs attention, interests people, and makes them realize 'there's something beyond the darkest moments of dawn'. At the rate I've been going with failures I had in the past that just didn't happen, I don't think I'll ever get roleplay experience as a GM beyond 1x1's, where the idea I'm so used to of 'let's do a little, see if we like it, and if not change some things' rules, and people are much more open to these failures of introductions I have - perhaps out of desperation and hope for something finally interesting and substantial. 


For me, it's normally just brought down to whim and charisma of the GM for my initial interest, and from there I grab at shadows, look for hints in the GM's quirks for twists that I hope are there to make the experience 3D. That's why I don't get what people are looking for in a description other than a guarantee that the roleplay has elements that they enjoy; I don't even look at the description, I more look at the GM's past posts, how they carry themselves, and ideas that they've thrown about.


"That, and a more engaging pitch than post-apocalyptic earth with possibly magic and maybe gods would serve you well." I think this is most certainly good advice, since you don't have any background knowledge or the concept of the roleplay's bait and hook from what I wrote. While a post-apocalyptic setting isn't all that engaging, mostly due to it's overuse, the habitual sigh at it's mention accompanied with bitter memories, and magic and gods aren't anything new, my purpose was to throw in the roleplayers into a situation where the only thing they 'know' is that their character has to live and use that sudden jolt to kick in their realization of 'this is actually happening to my character'. From there, they would notice the puzzle they had so easily built in the name of stereotypes wasn't exactly right - this piece doesn't match the color tone here, that piece is crooked. From there, the roleplayers engage themselves through my telling of the world around them, trying to rectify their puzzle for the self-satisfaction of being right. The reward if they fix a part of the puzzle, their character has a better chance of living and they gain insight to another part that was wrong. As they go, without me doing anything the number of puzzles would increase - masterfully played characters would come into light as the story went on, even though nobody but the creator and the GM would know the character's motives and origins beyond what the character themselves let on. As life turned easier with each functionally successful fix of the puzzle, the characters could turn inwards on themselves; it's one of the major reasons I insist on character sheets being private, even in a group roleplay where that seems to be either taboo or just not thought of. People's personalities and quirks would be called to question, other characters would fall into suspicion, the chances at least one of the group have been psychologically messed up by now is high, and cabin fever sets in with winter, depending on the starting area. It breeds into one entire mess, one of the most fun and developing arcs of the idea in my opinion. If they manage to pass this tribulation, they begin to see the blossoming of a new world, suspected truths, and the repeat of the beginning of civilization. An age of kings, religion, and self question is born before them, and they might just try to change things from the set course.


Hah~ that last paragraph ended up being beefy. Guess it shows the power of the instinct to protect what you make and own. Well, after all of that, I feel like a hypocrite. Preaching for secrecy, and then spewing out a partial timeline. Even if that order of events was obvious in such a setting. I guess my being a self-justifying b---- over why I don't want to change that aspect is done now? Sure, I can use other things the exact same way, but it's just my style speaking through and refusing to leave - if something is proclaimed not to work, or work less effectively, I use it and make it work well for the satisfaction of proving that nothing is impossible or less efficient to use.


I apologize for the headache this turned out to be for you and your sincere attempt, but my brain is really a pain for me, as my personality is almost purely based on the last person I interacted with. Right before I wrote both this and everything else related to the roleplay, I was talking to people that such a tone suits. When thinking back on it, it probably wasn't the best idea - but, hindsight 20/20. Have a good day~


By the gods, I hope this isn't as messy as I think it is. I'd hate to give anyone yet another headache, especially when I'm thanking you and trying to politely respond in a more controlled, less theatrical manner. 

 

[Greenbriar]

From the unpracticed eye of a cherry GM-to-be, it looks as though you've got plenty of meat in your roleplay - you know what you want to do, and you're fairly sure you know how you want to present it to the characters inside your story. You want them to puzzle and work to glean out the secrets and lies with which you've richly populated your setting, the thrill of the hunt building with each minor triumph until they're left holding a tapestry that bears an entirely different hue that the one with which they started. They're left informed, but also empowered to pull on the strings they've been uncovering and steer the world in a new direction if they see fit.


The problem, as I suspect you already know, will be getting that level of engagement from your players when in an ideal world you'd like to tell them as little as possible before they start. When a major facet of your gameplan is turning tired, overused stereotypes on their head it's hard to hook people without giving away that you're not telling the same old stories in the same old way. You may need to reveal more of what you're up to than you really want to.


You need to find a plan to help your story stand out more - if you don't want to disclose secrets, what other points of difference do you have to lure players into writing your story with you, and not someone else's?

 

[DarkLightHitomi]

I suspect autism or similar. If that is correct, tell those you expect to play with. It helps most of the time.


Also, playstyles. Most players understand one of two overly simplistic platstyle models, A, kick-in-the-door vs intrigue, or B, killer, explorer, socialite, achiever.


But playstyle is far more involved and complex. So basically, learn what the players want from the game, and try to get everyone on the same page. This is essential to get a good group cohesion.


For example, I joined a game with a group of what I call RP Boardgamers. For them, decisions are made first based on the metagame, and characters are made to conform. Thus me playing the reverse led to some disagreements and me leaving the game. Why? Because they were angry at me for doing what my character woukd do instead of doing the most effective thing from a metagame view. I.E. my character didn't trust these strangers she just met 5 minutes prior and she felt insulted when someone told to use a flask of acid to make acid spell more potent (which was actually the player telling me ooc like), or when we were walking through unknown and dangerous territory they wanted me to identify potions and got angry at me for being "not a teamplayer" and "not doing your job" when I said to wait till we set camp.


Such differences in expected playstyle can lead to much arguing and resentment. So watch for that and get everyone on the same page as to what to expect.
 

 

[Grey]

As DarkLightHitomi says, it's a good idea to communicate if you have an issue that makes these things difficult. I can see why you might not, but you're asking a lot of the players as it is - so don't be too afraid to trust them to help you out, too, by making certain things clearer as you might require, or offering feedback you can work with.


Now, as for the hook - have you considered using a scene to grab attention? I frequently write a piece of in-setting text (my favourite are religious texts), or a journal, or recorded conversation, and at other times I write a scene in the world that has nothing to do with the plot, really, but communicates the feel of the world, if that makes sense. 


Seriously, though - take a look at any of my work sometime. It's all icebergs.


I meant to link these last night, should be more useful.