Other Delving Deeper than the Typical Threads

[ReverseTex]

Hey y’all I’m a weathered member on this site, almost 3-4 years now I think, and I’ve noticed a pattern. The same topics pop up in all interest threads! Harry Potter, Zombie Apocalypse, Gangs of Teenagers, the list is endless!! And to be frank I’m sick of the loop RPN has fallen into. Very rarely are there original ideas nowadays. I want to change that.

I want (and have) a plot idea in the works that could possibly execute lots of area interest on this site. I want a RP that has developing and growing characters, mystery that only the author of the character they write know, compelling plot lines, action, love, drama, exc...

Now how does that sound...?

 

[rae2nerdy]

Well remember this isn't only a site of veterans who have been here for three to four years and have seen the same idea done a thousand times. Nor is this only a site for people who like original ideas and variety. If 99% of this site only wants to roleplay the same three ideas over and over again well that's their right. As long as they follow the rules there is nothing to stop them from enjoying themselves however they see fit.

And if you want to make a mystery roleplay you're welcome to do so. I'd need a good deal more information before I could tell you if I was interested in checking it out but I'm not opposed to the idea of a mystery roleplay.

I do however only do 1x1s as I don't have the time to devote to groups. So if your talking groups I can help you set up maybe some of the mechanics but I can't participate in the roleplay itself.

 

[ReverseTex]

No of course I’m just throwing a idea out for everyone you know? Just something fresh.

 

[apolla]

I've been on RPN since 2013, so that's what, five years? Five wonderful years, yay! But anyway. I didn't start doing group RP's until I think last year or the year before. And while I see your point about seeing the same RP's over and over, I really don't mind that. No RP goes the same way, which is why I don't mind doing the same plot (say in 1x1's) with different people. Plus, with the rate that RP's die on here, I like trying plots a couple/few different times to see if I can get people who will stick around. That's a separate issue, though. I know one of my favorite types of rps are like summer/vacation/group of people in a house type rps, just because they're usually pretty casual and super fun. So I would definitely dive into a few different rps like that, even if the plots were similar.

As far as you making a roleplay like you mentioned, I say go for it! There's always room for another interest check. ^^

 

[smallnscrappy]

Wow! Some veterans! I have only been a member here for a few days, but I have been lurking around other forums for a very long time and I can tell you that on many other sites, it is very much the same.

I am very bored and very frustrated. I have a lot of ideas and a lot of desire to participate in bigger, original stories, but no one with that same interest!

I posted an interest check on a roaring 20's fantasy Prohibition plotline that recieved little feedback. Any takers? It needs some fleshing out.

 

[Tove]

I think those are some of the current cravings these days but if you have the itch to break from the norm have at it. A change can bring about new things you never know.

 

[smallnscrappy]

Ideas/prompts

-20000 leagues under the sea theme
-Modern day gang war?
-The bank is about to take the family farm
-A small town has been overrun by a gang
-The modern world has ended, how do you deliver the mail?
-Something in the river demands a sacrifice every year, this tear its your sister

 

[uhh]

I actually joined RPN because of this trend on my current RP site.

I think it's a typical revolving door of RP. The same plots are recycled...

But, honestly, and just in my opinion:

The same roleplay topic can fail horribly between person A and person B; however, when A + C recreate the topic it can span months.

Topics and ideas depend on the players.

Either way, I agree 100% that the same things become tiring, especially when you want something new.

 

[Idea]

Alright, let's get something out of the way first: There are a LOT of really great original ideas on RPN. They are vastly outnumbered by the same repetitive ideas, but to claim they aren't here is just plain wrong.

I would also argue you can make something really great out of an idea that doesn't seem very "original", but I'll leave that topic for another time.

Here is a very simple explanation why there aren't as many "original" ideas around: there isn't a guaranteed prebuilt audience. Firstly, the topics that tend to be most repetitive are the ones which are either trending or are already very popular in general. This not only serves as a basis for the craving, but it's also a reason why people may have an easier time making roleplays for them: they will get interest almost right away.

On the other hand, any original idea not only has the usual burden of needing to find compatible partners for 1x1 or typical GM burdens in groups, it also carries the risk of people just not liking ideas. It's easy to make the assertion "we need more original ideas" , it's not easy to actually put one in practice.

Setting that aside, there are a couple of roleplayers behaviors, beyond this market-like aspect i've already discussed, that greatly contribute to the issues that afflict the ratio in question. For one, roleplayers are very flimsy (in general). A lack of immediate motivation, minor boredom or anything like that are common causes that lead people to not post or even leave roleplays. Those sort of repetitive ideas tend to be the kind that doesn't require much thought or effort be put in, which in turn makes them less vulnerable to players suddenly going MIA or making lackluster content.

The other thing is that if you look at 1x1 search threads you often see in the same page two or more threads looking for the exact same things without there seeming to be any contact between the respective players. What this suggests is that some people simply don't read other people's search threads, which in turn helps to spam those unoriginal ideas, making them seem like an even bigger thing which in turn creates a bigger incentive for those who want to get an easy audience so to speak.

Overall, the point is that there are plenty of original ideas going around, but whether it's because they feel a little weirder or because they are overly ambitious or players are too flimsy, a number of reasons makes them too risky to be able to become a majority or even all that expansive. More serious support to the ideas of others needs to be given if one wants more original ideas to start spreading.

 

[Bone2pick]

Originality is such a trivial attractive quality imo. I'm much more interested in how much passion and effort one puts into their project.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

At the end of the day, people gravitate towards RPs they can predict will be fun for them, there has to some known quantity that they can base those predictions off of.

An interest check is one thing people can base those expectations off of, especially an articulate and detailed one, but a lot of people prefer to draw from their past experience or pre existing knowledge. So an rp that resembles other RPs they've been in; or has players they've worked with before; or is simply based in a canon they already like: all of those can be more reliable indicators that they will actually enjoy a particular RP.

So if you're trying to do something more creative and unconventional, then you are kind of removing a lot of those known quantities from the equation. All people have to go on is your interest check. that means your interest check needs to convey whatever information a player needs to decide your RP is at least worth investigating further.

I had a quick look at some of your interest checks and they're good starts but there are a lot of unanswered questions. Different people look for different things and different levels of information and I probably trend towards the denser side, but for me, before I decide to join an RP I want to know exactly what kind of...well, role you want me to play. What level will I be at, what kind of hurdles and opposition will my player have to overcome? what kind of scale the story will take place on and how much scope I'll have to influence the outcome of events. Beyond that, I'd like to know about my GM, what kind of expectations they have in terms of posting and behavior, what kind of goals and vision they have for the RP itself.

Not everyone needs to know all that and some people are looking for different things that I haven't mentioned. And even if you do all of this you might just not happen to run into the right people. But the less information you put out, the less people have to work with when deciding that your RP is for them.

 

[BackSet]

As a relatively new roleplayer I can't say much about this but I am noticing that lot's of roleplays are practically the same. Which means I largely lack interest in them.

I, myself, have occasionally fallen into that trap. However, I always try my hardest to add something new and interesting... which means I get very little interest. I commonly do realistic/modern roleplays and get almost no interest because, unlike most threads in the subforum, mine is not a "group of teenagers go to school. Group of teenagers start a band. Group of teenagers solve mysteries. etc etc." Instead I often make roleplays that star adults of about 20-30 yeaes in age (or much, much older in the case of some of my fantasy roleplays with dwarves and elves) due to the situations not working with children or teenagers. My very few rps that star teenagers are usually of a rather different kind with "magical slife of life story that focuses on the slice of life and not the magic because we all know the magic is what you're really here for." or "Let's parody magical girl animes while also shamelessly following all the tropes." Instead of the usual teenagers go to school or magic school or whatever and then get into an epic adventure.

I have often been told that my ideas are interesting and different and I try my best to live up to that. In the end I get very little interest and the threads that are pretty much clones of each other get interest instead.