Dealing with Inactive Rpers

[Lady Warlock]

Hello there!


I am currently working on improving my skills as a GM. I find a lot of joy in seeing people get excited for a story, for a roleplay, for an idea. However, I have quickly learned that a lot of people decide to disappear before stories can really take off to their full potential. I am more than willing to continue on without them in most situations but I am never quite sure how to handle an inactive player. How long should I wait? Should I PM them? Should I continue to tag them in posts applicable to them? At what point is it ok to eliminate the character from the rp?


I have had people say that they feel I am going to scare people away if I constantly bug people to post. However, if they don't tell me they are leaving, I don't feel I have any other choice but to at least warn them that they're going to be written out if they do not post. Are there any thoughts on this? Am I approaching this right?


Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Redshift]

A good way to combat this kind of uncertainty is to make a rule beforehand that gives a minimum post rule, so members know how accountable they have to be before they join AND you can move on without hesitation. Making sure people know to make their absences known is key, but sometimes even then you will get people who drop without a word. It's just the nature of RPing.


As for an acceptable time to push them out, it really depends on the length. In either situation, send them a PM first to see what has caused the inactivity. Some people just need a gentle reminder and they'll come right back, so be as understanding as possible. As for the time window, a shorter one-liner/one paragraph RP should probably only allow for a few days absence. Longer ones should probably wait about a week. Just be sure to shoot them a PM before you keep going. You could also take the pace a bit slower to see if they'll return and jump back in. You can definitely keep tagging them in posts, but after the RP can't go on any longer without their absence (give them max a couple days (short RPs) or another week (long RPs), probably less), they have to be dropped.


That's just my two cents, but I hope your RP keeps going!

 

[Lady Warlock]

@Redshift Thanks for that. The problem is I do give them a minimum posting rule and everyone has seen it for sure. I give everyone the rule that they must post once every two weeks because it is a detailed rp where a post does take bit more time and work. People still do not post yet they are still active in the OOC and whatnot so I know they did not forget.


And if someone keeps requiring the reminder through PM, I'm not sure if they are the kind I want in the rp to begin with. I dunno, though.


Thanks for the advice and I'll see what other people have to say on the matter as well.

 

[Redshift]

Oh they're still in the OOC?! If you know they're alive and well, that's a different story. And I agree, those aren't the best kind of people in the world... Sorry for that awkward position you're in!


If you value they're position in the RP enough to keep them, definitely send them a PM asking them to post. Feel free to be blunt, too. If they respond, you've got a player back. If not, eh, their loss not yours.

 

[TheAdept]

I would say, warn them in the OOC that if they don't post for a certain number of days, you will have a certain event or monster in the rp kill their character. Follow through with this. Not only will it cause the players to take it more seriously, it will also make the RP more interesting.

 

[Beckoncall]

Build s dynamic into your game that allows people to be pulled out or drop in built into it. If you're creative, you can come up with reasons for this to be a thing for most any genre... So if people flake they get benched indefinitely but you even have a mechanic for people to drop back in!

 

[Kloverdesu]

I have a problem where one of my 1x1 partners stopped replying over a month ago.she hasn't been seen on the site since then, and I didn't see any threads about her absence. It's a real shame that this happened, since this was hands down my favorite RP. Any ideas on what to do or should I just wait it out?