Advice/Help At what point do you consider an RP dead?

[Corn Orc Vandal]

Hi all,

Currently a co-GM for an RP with a total of 8 people and it feels like it is going nowhere. One month in, two weeks since the last post. One player hasn’t posted yet but says they’re not dropping (heck, no one has officially dropped). People keep saying they’re too busy or they’re working on a post, and I keep encouraging them to get something up, but it feels like I’m trying to squeeze water from a stone.

What’s even more frustrating is that two players have started NEW games as GMs, and pretty much everyone is active in other RPs.

So my question is, at what point do I stop fretting about this and just close up shop? Is there any way to motivate players to post? Are some RPs just slower moving than others? Am I overreacting? Was really looking forward to this RP and I’m really bummed out at the prospect of it ending before it ever really started. But at the same time, do I want to be constantly dragging these people along for something they don’t seem particularly enthusiastic about?

I’ll take my answer off the air. Thanks!

 

[nerdy tangents]

So one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was “Online does not mean available.”

The idea that just because someone is responding to Roleplay A doesn’t mean they have the time or energy to respond to Roleplay B.

That doesn’t mean they like Roleplay A more then B. It just means that A and B have different requirements for their time.

Now the first thing I do with groups specifically is set a specific guideline for replies.

Ex. You must post one IC reply a week.

I will then double that time before putting their character on reserve and continuing without them.

So if it’s been two weeks their character is removed from the action and I continue the story without them.

Now if no one is responding that indicates to me that you need to adjust the posting frequency for the roleplay.

So maybe instead of an IC reply once a week it’s one every two weeks or whatever.

I would ask my players :: hey what is a good post frequency for you when it comes to roleplay?

 

[GrumpySwallow]

Once in a while I ask my players how they're doing in regards to the RP, and if there's any issues or concerns they want to share with me.

If a player is inactive for over two weeks without warning, I give them a friendly poke in PMs. If there is still no response after another week, my players have my full permission to continue the scene without the absent player.

If things are really slow and no one is posting, then I make a post myself just to keep things going. If I still get no response a few weeks after that, and all attempts at contacting players fails, then I'd consider the RP dead.

 

[Carnelian]

For me, since I primarily deal in onexones;

During plotting: A week without response and no prior notice of being busy/no muse whilst the other person is visibly active/online and responding to everything else/actively searching. I honestly won't bite a persons head off if they change their mind during plotting, but at least... say... something...?

During roleplay: I'm patient as all hell if fairly kept in the loop, so I'm willing to wait however long for a reply if a person's notice is genuine and not a blatant lie. However without prior notice I'll give it a month of no IC posts before considering it dead/ghosted.

I'm aware I might sound a strict stick in the mud on the outside but I'm honestly tired and jaded after all these years or being given the run around and false hopes. I've been roleplaying since the *actions* of the old BBS-style Neopets boards, then the golden age of GaiaOnline, then years of Tumblr. Ha.

 

[.quietus]

To add to what nerdy tangents said, it's also over whenever you feel that it's over. You don't really have to sit and wait for your players if you're unhappy with the pacing. I think that that is the sort of thing that probably should have been worked out before the roleplay itself started, but it's valid not to want to continue when it feels like everyone is dragging their feet. Your comfort matters, too.

 

[Steve Jobs]

Formally, an RP is dead once everyone stops posting ICly and OOCly. As a player, if I see there has been no OOC or IC activity for a few weeks then I'll poke the thread/server to see if people are still around. If not then I'll mentally archive it.

As a GM, I read the room and if it seems like I can't get the players enthused or if too many players leave then I'll close shop. This is especially the case if nobody has posted in double the amount of time as the requirement.

Looking at your situation, I think you should reach out individually to players that either haven't posted or seem like they're not interested anymore. Depending on how people respond you can either adjust frequency or close/reboot the roleplay entirely.

 

[gator]

Here's the rule I've started using in all new games I run : First, there's no post order. Each new round, anyone can post as soon as they want. Each time someone posts, I start a 24 hour timer, resetting with each post. If no one posts in this time, I'll ping each player who hasn't yet posted on the current page and start another 24 hour timer. At the end of that period, if there are still no posts, I remove the player with the least recent post, and begin again. This continues until someone posts or I've removed everyone who hasn't posted in the current round.

I also don't implement a minimum post length requirement.

 

[GojiBean]

Hi all,

Currently a co-GM for an RP with a total of 8 people and it feels like it is going nowhere. One month in, two weeks since the last post. One player hasn’t posted yet but says they’re not dropping (heck, no one has officially dropped). People keep saying they’re too busy or they’re working on a post, and I keep encouraging them to get something up, but it feels like I’m trying to squeeze water from a stone.

What’s even more frustrating is that two players have started NEW games as GMs, and pretty much everyone is active in other RPs.

So my question is, at what point do I stop fretting about this and just close up shop? Is there any way to motivate players to post? Are some RPs just slower moving than others? Am I overreacting? Was really looking forward to this RP and I’m really bummed out at the prospect of it ending before it ever really started. But at the same time, do I want to be constantly dragging these people along for something they don’t seem particularly enthusiastic about?

I’ll take my answer off the air. Thanks!

If I, as GM, were able to verify that participants in my RP were active in other RP's but not in my own, despite insisting on remaining a part of it, I would kick them. Plain and simple.

The average post in a role play is between a few sentences to two paragraphs. Two paragraphs will take, at worst, 10 minutes to type. 10 minutes is 0.69% (nice) of the 24 hour day. If someone claims they're "too busy" to spare 0.69% of their day to type a paragraph to help move your RP along, but they obviously can spare it for other RP's on a regular basis, they're either lying to you about how busy they are, or they just don't care how their willful neglect of your RP harms you and the other participants.

In either case, you owe them nothing.

Either ask the GM to kick them, or kick them yourself. As Co-GM I doubt anyone would have an issue with you doing so except maybe those being kicked.

Trust me when I say your RP will not suffer for their departure. RP's will suffer when a GM or Co-GM are too timid to kick problematic, lazy, or toxic users whose actions, whether intentional or not, are harming the overall experience for everyone else. Don't let your RP and the active participants suffer any longer than they have to.

As far as when RP's are officially dead? It's dead when posting activity comes to a complete halt and there's no agreement or communication about ever starting up again between users.

 

[nerdy tangents]

GojiBean hard disagree on a few points.

1. People write at different paces and so assuming that just because you can write something quickly does not mean that everyone else can do the same.

2. It can take time to figure out what to write for a specific scene, especially if there is no forward momentum in the current posts and the GM isn’t progressing the narrative for the players.

3: Trying to control how other people budget their time is kind of an asshole move. You (general you) are not their boss and they aren’t getting paid by the hour to be here.

Which is why post requirements are so great. The GM isn’t putting value judgements on how other people spend their time and they still have a specific guideline for when to boot someone out.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Also something I forgot to mention that might help is to use a time skip.

When I was a GM I would use time skips to help give people writing prompts. Because sometimes the current scene is just stuck in limbo so it’s time to move past it to help give your players something to reply too.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

3: Trying to control how other people budget their time is kind of an asshole move. You (general you) are not their boss and they aren’t getting paid by the hour to be here.

To be fair, I believe Goji's point was specifically in regards to the OP's scenario. There's a difference between domineering someone's time and asking players to exercise basic responsibility for the group they signed up for.

 

[nerdy tangents]

To be fair, I believe Goji's point was specifically in regards to the OP's scenario. There's a difference between domineering someone's time and asking players to exercise basic responsibility for the group they signed up for.

my point was twofold

1. There is never any excuse to call people liars just because they aren’t meeting some arbitrary rule of post speed you have in your head. Unless the OP stated in the sign up for their group that players have to post every ten minutes then it’s real shitty to say “Well I can write a paragraph in ten minutes so anyone who claims they can’t do the same is a liar.”

Even if the OP does have a ten minute time limit and the players don’t make it they can just kick them out. It’s not necessary to name call.

2. What the OP described is two people creating their own groups and replying to other roleplays. We weren’t told what those other roleplays where about or even if they were in the other roleplays first and joined OPs roleplay last.

And frankly it’s none of OPs business. No one gets to police how other people budget their time on this site.

So if you are in a situation where people aren’t posting in your roleplay as often as you like then just let them know “hey if you don’t post by X I will remove you / close the roleplay.”

But what’s not helpful is making it a personal slight and using that to be shitty to people.

 

[GojiBean]

GojiBean hard disagree on a few points.

Understandable opinions. However, I feel compelled to point out a bit of an issue with your arguments.

Also, apologies for the wall of text.

... Trying to control how other people budget their time is kind of an asshole move. You (general you) are not their boss and they aren’t getting paid by the hour to be here.

... Which is why post requirements are so great. The GM isn’t putting value judgements on how other people spend their time and they still have a specific guideline for when to boot someone out.

These two statements create a fallacy based in hypocrisy.

Post requirements come in (generally) two forms: Post frequency requirements, and post length requirements.

What's a "requirement?"

It's a statement of necessity that a person performs to a minimum level of effort, or completes a specific condition of success in accordance with a given standard.

Please be able to write at least one paragraph per post" is a standard. "Please be able to post at least twice per week" is a standard. The expectation is that the participants who join have acknowledged these standards and agree to meet them.

Therefore, what are post length and frequency requirements if not a soft form of control?

No matter how nicely you word it on the surface, the subtext of those two phrases (post length requirement, post frequency requirement) translate to: "This is how often you must post, and this is how long your posts must be if you want to participate."

You do it this way, or you're out (or never "in" to begin with).

That's a controlling style of behavior. We do our best to be polite, respectful, and to word everything appropriately. And we also do our best to make sure it doesn't feel like we're being controlling of the way people behave or about what the conditions of participation in our roleplay are. Usually these efforts help everyone to forgive the underlying nature of the behavior...

But it's still control.

You could be the nicest GM in the world and give leeway out the wazoo to those who tell you they're struggling and need more time than your requirements normally allow for. But thanks to the mere existence of those requirements there will always be the subtext which says they need to get it together and put up a post soon or they're going to be kicked.

Most of the time we see post requirements as a "good" thing because it gives a guideline of behavior and the level of expected commitment so people can judge for themselves whether or not the RP will be good for them...

But it's still control.

RP Rules accomplish the same thing. "No God-Modding, Meta Gaming, or Power Playing." "Respect your fellow role players." "This is a no-drama zone." Etc.

All of these rules are methods or, rather, attempts to control behavior. However, we've come to accept most (if not all) of the above listed rules as being "good" because they're meant to create a positive atmosphere and environment for everyone by forcing everyone to avoid behaviors which are inherently toxic or degenerative to a roleplay experience. It may be intended to be good for everyone, and everyone may appreciate the rules being present...

But it's still control.

Additionally, the idea that we've all come to accept rules like those outlined above as "good" is the literal definition of a value judgement.

Speaking of...

I hate to say it, but you're dead wrong when you say post requirements don't constitute the GM placing a "value judgement" on how people spend their time. It's the exact opposite. Post requirements are a direct contributor to the GM making value judgements on how other people spend their time. Specifically with respect to how they spend it on/in the GM's RP.

Value Judgement: "An assessment of something as good or bad in terms of one's standards or priorities."

Who's standards and priorities are we talking about? The GM's. What are the standards and priorities? Whatever the "requirements" and rules are which the GM set for everyone. How does the GM determine whether or not someone's level of participation is "good" or "bad" and whether or not to kick them? By comparing their activity level to that of the other participants, as well as to the standards and requirements they've set for everyone, and using, say it with me now, their best judgement.

For example: If the GM has the requirements of at least 1 post per week and two paragraphs per post, and out of eight total participants only one is routinely not meeting those expectations and standards the GM has the option to kick them. Why? Not necessarily because they're a bad person or anything. But because their lack of ability or willingness to meet the standards everyone else is working hard to meet is "bad" for the RP. And that kicking them would be "better" for the RP long term since everyone who can and regularly do meet the GM's standards and post requirements will be able to move the entire experience forward more fluidly.

That's a value judgement which came as a direct result of the GM's post requirements.

Remember, post requirements don't end just because the RP started. The GM is constantly observing and holding people to them in order to ensure the RP runs smoothly. When someone violates or simply ignores them, the GM has to take some sort of action. Depending on how bad it gets with one or more people the GM may have to kick them for the betterment of the RP as a whole. And as long as "what's best for the RP" is at the heart of the GM's decision making, it's a value judgement.

Rule enforcement is, again, the same.

Let's say the GM says "no God Modding," but someone who has a history of borderline God Modding behavior finally crossed the line the GM has the choice to kick them because their previously borderline behavior has now crossed into full rule-violating territory. And the GM has determined their continued presence is "bad" for the RP.

That's a value judgement.


The reality of the situation is that GM's, by nature of our role as facilitators and creators of collaborative fantasy worlds, are always controlling our participants in (typically) small (and forgivable) ways and casting value judgements on both them and their content in order to ensure the best overall experience for everyone.

Given this, and given your previous statements, are all GM's assholes since we're constantly controlling and value judging our participants and their content?

I don't think so.

I'd argue it has more to do with the attitude and behavior of the GM which determines whether they're being "assholes" or not.

I'm a pretty laid back GM. When I run a Group RP I typically ask that 1-2 posts show up in my RP's main thread per week. Not at an individual level. Just overall, 1-2 posts per week in the main thread. So long as the RP's moving, I'm happy. If I'm in a 1x1 RP I don't have post requirements. It's whenever my partner has time.

On other sites in the past I've seen GM's have daily novella posting requirements upwards of 6-10 paragraphs with "no fewer" than 6-8 sentences each. And they would actually go out of their way to count the paragraphs and sentences and get uppity if even ONE of them had fewer than 6 sentences. If you tried arguing "the paragraph right after it has 12 sentences, though," they'd still say "Nope! EVERY paragraph needs to have 6-8 sentences minimum. Please go add at least one more sentence to that one paragraph."

THAT'S what I'd call being an asshole. And it's why I avoided their RP's like the plague on that site.

You (general you) are not their boss and they aren’t getting paid by the hour to be here.

Actually, GMs are in fact the "boss," so to speak, of the RP experience. We control every aspect of it outside of the main posting thread where the participants are free to exercise their creativity. But the RP doesn't start until we say it does. Nobody's allowed to join unless we approve them. We control the greater flow of events within the experience as a whole. If we see a problem arising in the posting threads we reserve the right to request (a nice way to say "order") the offending participant to change their content to remove the problem. And we control when the RP officially comes to an end, be it a natural end from the story concluding or the RP dying due to a lack of participation.

Having said that, it's true that just because we're the boss doesn't mean anybody's being paid to be there. Nor should anyone be forced to bend a knee to an unreasonable or obnoxious GM. If you come across such a GM, leave. You'll be better off for it.

However, the phrase "nobody's being paid to be there" works both ways. Nobody's being paid to remain in an RP which they can't keep pace with, are in a creative slump for and can't contribute productively, or for which they've simply lost interest. But neither is the GM being paid to give unearned leeway to participants who don't live up to their aforementioned requirements and standards for participation.


Let's talk about these two statements next:

1. People write at different paces and so assuming that just because you can write something quickly does not mean that everyone else can do the same.


... it’s real shitty to say “Well I can write a paragraph in ten minutes so anyone who claims they can’t do the same is a liar.”

First, I never said anything about how fast I can write. Nor did I say I was holding anyone to my own standards for writing speed. Try to keep things in full context moving forward, all right?

Second, personal writing speed is not a valid excuse to be completely unproductive in a collaborative environment where your participation (or lack thereof) can and will harm the experience for everyone else.

Not everyone will like it. But the math doesn't lie, and it was provided with a broad spectrum analysis of the average person in mind.

The average person can type between 30-40 words per minute. The average sentence is roughly (though often fewer than) 20 words in length. And lastly, the average paragraph is between 3-5 sentences in length.

20 words per sentence, and typing 40 words per minute gives us an average of two sentences per minute for the average person. If we're talking about 3-5 sentences per paragraph that's a 1.5-2.5 minute investment of the average person's time. If we double it for creative breathing room, 5 minutes of their time. For two paragraphs of 3-5 sentences in length it's around 5 minutes of their time. 10 minutes if we double it for creative breathing room. If we want to be really generous, let's quadruple it to 20 minutes.

Additionally, I did not specify what the post frequency expectation was because it's different for every GM and I didn't want to put words in people's mouths as to how often it "should" be. No such thing, after all. It's always up to the GM's personal taste and preference.

For the sake of argument, let's say a GM has a 1 post per week requirement from everyone as individuals. Asking for 10-20 minutes, or 0.69% to 0.139% of someone's 24 hour day only once per week (including weekends when most people tend to have more free time) to provide one to two paragraphs which are between 3-5 sentences in length is hardly unreasonable or an "asshole" move.

The post requirements were there from the beginning. And by joining the participant in question accepted an unwritten agreement and acknowledged that those requirements were the standard of participation. If the GM in this case asks them for 1-2 paragraphs of 3-5 sentence there really are no excuses why the participant can't allocate just one day during that 7-day week to set aside 0.69% to 0.139% of their time and write up a quick post (however long or short it may be) to help the RP remain in motion. They have their choice of which day. They have their choice of where and how they write. And they have the choice and freedom at any time to let the GM know it's too much and they need to drop out if they can't meet the standards and expectations anymore to set the RP free so it can continue at the pace everyone else is comfortable moving at.


As for time skips, I tend to avoid them unless absolutely necessary. In my own experience they more often than not turn out to be band aid solutions which create numerous unnecessary and sometimes jarring jumps in time and activity between moments which otherwise could have been salvaged simply by one character changing the topic of discussion, or pushing the group to move (literally) towards their next objective.


In closing: Context is everything.

Taking points out of their fuller context is a dangerous and often self-destructive move which can easily backfire, or simply stir up more trouble than necessary. Case in point is your getting more emotional and trying to label myself and the OP as "shitty" (in an indirect way, sure, but I caught that all the same).

Here's an example of you taking things out of context.

1. There is never any excuse to call people liars just because they aren’t meeting some arbitrary rule of post speed you have in your head. Unless the OP stated in the sign up for their group that players have to post every ten minutes then it’s real shitty to say “Well I can write a paragraph in ten minutes so anyone who claims they can’t do the same is a liar.”

You said earlier that "post requirements are great," but here you're bashing them. And then you take the OP's words and mine both out of context and mix them together to try and create a new argument against us.

Nobody ever said "Well I can write a paragraph in ten minutes so anyone who claims they can’t do the same is a liar." You wrote that yourself and are trying to use it against us.

Creating valid arguments doesn't work like that, Nerdy.

And frankly it’s none of OPs business. No one gets to police how other people budget their time on this site.

How the OP handles their own RP 100% is their business, including how to enforce the post requirements they've set as the standard for participation. And you have no right to suggest otherwise.

Kindly check yourself, and everything will be fine moving forward.

Cheers!

- GojiBean

 

[Kaerri]

Let's keep this civil and on topic, people.

 

[Purr]

So my question is, at what point do I stop fretting about this and just close up shop? Is there any way to motivate players to post? Are some RPs just slower moving than others? Am I overreacting? Was really looking forward to this RP and I’m really bummed out at the prospect of it ending before it ever really started. But at the same time, do I want to be constantly dragging these people along for something they don’t seem particularly enthusiastic about?

Corn Orc Vandal Corn Orc Vandal! What a cool name! Hi! I'm Dannigan. =)

Let me start off with an attempt at a joke. Your avatar says that you are "God's favorite roleplayer," right? So... if you are an orc, by "God" I take it you mean you are the favorite of... Gruumsh the one-eyed Orc God from Dungeons & Dragons? All these years, I never knew he "had an eye for corn!" Hah!

Onto your (really good) questions!

So my question is, at what point do I stop fretting about this and just close up shop?

1. I think it is wise of you to close up shop when you are not having fun anymore. That's when it is time to find your fun elsewhere.

Is there any way to motivate players to post?

2. Motivate? I think that depends on the player(s). Some players, myself among them, don't often require motivation. Instead we require opportunity, time, and in some cases our very brains to cooperate! For example, I live with a strong and incurable brain disorder. Sometimes, I really want to post, but my brain won't let me. And so, I post when I can all telling all of my fellow role players what's going on! I think they appreciate that. Communication is key to fun!

Your players might have a variety of reasons they're not posting, but if they are posting in other games, then (and forgive me if you already done this and I missed it), I recommend communicating with them. Share our feelings! If after that you don't feel good about continuing the game, maybe let it go and start fresh with new players?

Am I overreacting?

3. I feel only you can determine that. You and I are strangers so I don't know you well enough to answer. But that you are concerned this much shows me that you have heart - and heart is often a huge ingredient necessary to long times filled with wonderful gaming!

Are some RPs just slower moving than others?

4. Absolutely! My own games tend to run at a "slow and casual" pace while games I participate in tend to run faster.

I think the best speed is the rate that the Game Master and Players have agreed on together. =)

But at the same time, do I want to be constantly dragging these people along for something they don’t seem particularly enthusiastic about?

5. Never. Bruce Lee once said (and please pardon me paraphrasing here) if you love life then don't waste time. For time is what life is made up of.

The hours in which great gaming is spent seem to fly by like rockets through the sky! But boring games? Where no one is having fun? It is like dragging everything you own through a mud pit. Bleah, right?

Corn Orc Vandal, my best advice to you is to be on the lookout for fellow roleplayers that you genuinely like. I have learned that when I find the right people to play with, the game does not matter nearly as much as our togetherness does!

We can play any game we want and still have fun because the camaraderie, the good spirit, and the true desire for everyone at the table to have fun is there! A good group of people is solid gold and just as hard to find "in the wild."

But find it you can! As you search, you will find players that you're not comfortable with too. There is wisdom in knowing who to play with and who not to.

I say make sure you hang out with the kind of people you would like to hang out with in Real Life! RP Nation has no shortage of cool people and I just bet you are one of them! Best of luck to you!

Honor and fun,
Dannigan =)

 

[Consequences]

When the original reason you were so driven to start in the first place is gone. If there's no excitement AT ALLL to continue. There are going to be low moments of course, but those are still enjoyable as long as you still love the big picture.

 

[Minako]

I agree with Goji, Nerdy, and Dannigan here.

Coming from someone who, though I'm just a player, is in an RP where a fellow player and friend hasn't posted in over a year (and does still post in other RPs and places around) you DO have to draw the line. Now, you may be VERY lenient with that line, no doubt (I assure you all we ARE and HAVE BEEN extremely understanding of them) BUT, sadly, there MUST BE A LINE. Of course real life will always take precedence, I'm sure 90% of us here (might bump that up to 99% when specifying ADULT RPers here) can attest to the irritating thing life tends to do by demanding our attention like Cinderellla's stepsisters juuuuuust as we sat down to take a breather and only wish to write. HOWEVER, the LOVE of the RP has GOT to overpower the tiredness of the day. Say whatever you want (it's fine) but if you genuinely love an RP you WILL make time for it, no matter how busy and chaotic life gets (barring becoming homeless and losing your computer and internet access, naturally, but let's not go there D: ) and as much as it really does pain me to say it, that's that on that...

Now, personally, I take FOREVER to come up with and type up a post (Once took me six hours to type one up, had to add a flashback/dream sequence for a character reveal leading to a perma name-change and this is to say NOTHING of my Quest RP posts once taking me three weeks to type up and draw for) and it usually takes me an hour or so to post even a short bit (though my posts are never TOO short). The GM of one of my RP's (shout out to GrumpySwallow Love ya, Girl! ) can attest it takes me DAYS to get my posts in when I should because something simply came up (My S/O surprised me with movie tickets, wants to take me to their work socials, we had to save a kitty from going to an animal shelter, etc.) and I ALWAYS tell them when this happens. They, at this point, already know I take longer to post even if my post is only a few short paragraphs. I know some people CAN type up a quick response that's decent or even high quality in 10 min, and that's wonderful if they can, but that's certainly not the average (I just kinda assumed Goji spit out 10 min as a sample time/number ^^;;; )

I still love the RP just as much as those players.
I still love the character I play just as much as those players.

I just can't at that moment sit down and go through posts regarding my character and type up a proper response (heck, even NOW I am typing this to simply put my little voice here but I don't have it in me TONIGHT to read several posts and come up with an accurate portrayal of the character I play because I'm mentally exhausted from studying for an important exam that's tormented me for QUITE a while).

They already know to expect a post from me either tonight OR tomorrow (it's coming tomorrow) because I do, A BIT, treat them like a "boss". They went through the trouble of making up and typing the RP, they were kind enough to give me a chance and accept my CS, the least I could do is keep up the best I can and ALWAYS let them know ahead of time or when exactly hold ups happen. I'm sure not everyone does this, but a lot less ghosting problems might occur if more of us did, maybe? Who can say for sure?

(NOTE: This applies only to GOOD GM's. BAD GM'S who don't fulfill their promises and hold up their OWN RP's need not be respected when they grossly disrespect your time and investment.)


In short: Maybe the answer you seek lies somewhere in-between these viewpoints? I believe lines SHOULD BE DRAWN and some authority CAN AND POSSIBLY SHOULD be used (but not ABUSED) as a GM to... Er... The more neglectful players.

It DOES hurt the RP. It DOES ruin the experience (I love the player who hasn't posted in a year, but they made themselves so PLOT RELEVANT and then don't post and now my S/O, the GM, had to try to dance around how important his character was to move the story on without him...) for the others.

A balance in lenience must be achieved, though, because at the same time real life DOES come first and that MUST be taken into account.


And I 100% agree with Goji when he says its best to kick them (we haven't and didn't and our RP is essentially dead because of it) if they are clearly posting in OTHER RP's regularly or even GMing their own RP's and ignoring yours. It's rude to string someone along and letting them seems to kill RP's from what I'm seeing happening in mine.

I wish you nothing but the best of luck and I agree that you owe these people nothing. If you MUST a simple "I'm sorry, but I think you are giving me empty promises so we are going to move on without you. Actually post in the RP and we can talk."

P.S: Dannigan is totally right and your username RULES!

 

[Purr]

P.S: Dannigan is totally right and your username RULES!

Minako Why, thank you! I enjoyed your post too! =)

 

[Minako]

Minako Why, thank you! I enjoyed your post too! =)

Anytime, man! Thanks to you and Kaerri for being so awesome!