Viewpoint Growing Challenges in RP Recruitment

Jon-the-Archivist

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I can’t be the only one who feels like finding people to join a group narrative adventure has gotten to be unreasonably difficult.

Far too few are willing to step up, and fewer still are adaptable or skilled enough. On many sites, there’s way too much addiction to… less savory forms of roleplay.

I’m shocked by how the last four years have gone for the roleplay community. Is there anyone else out there who shares these sentiments?
 
Welcome to group rp. Where someone asks if we want to rp in x universe and then have no plan. xD I've been roleplaying for nearly 20 years now off and on. Whether it was 2010 or 2025, there is always going to be volatility because people have different life schedules and obligations.

That being said, it's not hard to get a group going. You just have to be the glue that keeps it going and if you can't do that. It may be speaking more to your skill and adaptability more than others.
 
I was wondering about this recently. Has roleplay gotten less popular over the years..? I used to see group roleplays everywhere, I feel like they've gotten rarer and I have to wonder if that's just because less people are roleplaying or something else. I've always preferred 1 on 1 roleplaying over roleplaying in groups, just because I find it less overwhelming but I wanted to give it another shot again recently.
 
I was wondering about this recently. Has roleplay gotten less popular over the years..? I used to see group roleplays everywhere, I feel like they've gotten rarer and I have to wonder if that's just because less people are roleplaying or something else. I've always preferred 1 on 1 roleplaying over roleplaying in groups, just because I find it less overwhelming but I wanted to give it another shot again recently.
You aren’t just imagining things. Four or five years ago, I couldve slapped a group together in a matter of days!

It was a wonderful thing. New stories around each corner!

Nowadays…. I guess everyone is too busy keeping up with the economic downturn….
 
I think it’s an age and experience thing.

As a kid you have more free time so roleplaying is less of a commitment.

I’m entering my late thirties. I don’t have the time or emotional energy to put up with shenanigans anymore.

So if I’m gonna do a roleplay it’s gonna be a proper commitment versus the fun little lark it used to be when I had hours of free time and no responsibilities.
 
I think it’s an age and experience thing.

As a kid you have more free time so roleplaying is less of a commitment.

I’m entering my late thirties. I don’t have the time or emotional energy to put up with shenanigans anymore.

So if I’m gonna do a roleplay it’s gonna be a proper commitment versus the fun little lark it used to be when I had hours of free time and no responsibilities.
I don’t know about you, but for the past ten years, I sought that degree of commitment to serious storytelling on a regular basis.

I found young adults who were just like me that treated it as an art form, and it was much easier to find them back them. We had jobs, but we made it work, and we enjoyed it a lot.

It’s undeniably harder now to get those same results now than it was five years ago.
 
I've had luck in searching for anyone wanting to RP OCs in the universe my group is in, and messaging people even if what they requested was 1x1. Some really want 1x1 specifically, others just want to RP one character and aren't up for starting their own group so they make it a 1x1 search.

If you're in a fandom and open to teaching people how RP works, you can sometimes find players by posting in non-RP-focused fandom spaces about what your group is/will be like and seeing who's interested.

I probably have an advantage that the round of recruiting I did was for an RP that's already been going for a few months, and includes people who've written together for years, so there's less worry about ghosting. I imagine it must be harder for a brand new site, especially if you don't have a somewhat-niche fandom or subgenre you can search for to find people who want to RP in a world like yours.
 
I've had luck in searching for anyone wanting to RP OCs in the universe my group is in, and messaging people even if what they requested was 1x1. Some really want 1x1 specifically, others just want to RP one character and aren't up for starting their own group so they make it a 1x1 search.

If you're in a fandom and open to teaching people how RP works, you can sometimes find players by posting in non-RP-focused fandom spaces about what your group is/will be like and seeing who's interested.

I probably have an advantage that the round of recruiting I did was for an RP that's already been going for a few months, and includes people who've written together for years, so there's less worry about ghosting. I imagine it must be harder for a brand new site, especially if you don't have a somewhat-niche fandom or subgenre you can search for to find people who want to RP in a world like yours.
My premise is set in an AU of SAO.

It’s definitely upped the challenge…

Finding SERIOUS roleplayers who are about real narrative, real worldbuilding, and real character development can be a struggle even at the best of times.

My premise makes it even more difficult because it’s ambitious, integrating modern inspiration from real-world stories about hidden technologies and conspiracies for elements of intrigue, and thematic and archetypal inspiration from timeless works like Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkein) and Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis).

And it sets all this in a near-future, technological espionage thriller, in an anime universe that already grapples with the theme of ethics in technology.

Considering aaaall of that! Yeah, I’ve had to search long and hard for the people I have found.
 
I don’t know about you, but for the past ten years, I sought that degree of commitment to serious storytelling on a regular basis.

I found young adults who were just like me that treated it as an art form, and it was much easier to find them back them. We had jobs, but we made it work, and we enjoyed it a lot.

It’s undeniably harder now to get those same results now than it was five years ago.

I think it’s that work becomes more draining the older you get.

I am quiet literally more tired (as in physically) than I was in my early twenties. I have more health issues, etc.

I think that contributes to it. Also I have better emotional boundaries and a clearer idea of what I like.
 
Are you sure you want to do it as an RP rather than a web novel or something like that? I think expectations can only go so high, before some amount of disappointment is inevitable. Maybe moreso in RP because we don't generally edit the story, it plays out how it plays out.

In a group you'll also inevitably be collaborating with people who aren't hoping to get exactly the same thing out of the story that you are. That's part of what makes RP awesome, you end up with a variety of characters and different people enjoying different aspects will keep the tone varied. But it also means working with people who don't 100% share your vision.
 
i always assumed that people who are still actively doing group things are now established and in closed groups
there was a fandom i used to write for a lot with no recruitment issues but now it’s noticeably harder to scrape a cast together
 
Whatever the case may be, it definitely feels like a lot of people have moved away from group RP, often not open or adaptable enough to take one on, even if presented with more than one story idea. Really sad to see.
 
Yeah, that's a shame. I'm really having a blast with it, and I think I feel more comfortable in groups. Maybe it's just that I've been with the same group all along and they happen to be very good, but also I feel more safe that no one will make it weird because everything's out in the open 😆 Although I've heard plenty of stories of people quitting group RP after a bad experience with drama.
 
Yeah, that's a shame. I'm really having a blast with it, and I think I feel more comfortable in groups. Maybe it's just that I've been with the same group all along and they happen to be very good, but also I feel more safe that no one will make it weird because everything's out in the open 😆 Although I've heard plenty of stories of people quitting group RP after a bad experience with drama.
That's typically the kind of story that people often cite as their reason for avoiding group RP.

If I could find people for my SAO premise (most critically right now, someone to take the role of Lisbeth), I'd be set to get the bigger narrative rolling! Right now though, the group is just taking auditions and focusing on smaller side narratives.

Because of the slow growth, we've been stuck at that stage for a good bit.

I'm thinking whatever happened to reduce interest in group RP, it's one of the main reasons we're struggling to get off the ground.
 
I don’t know about you, but for the past ten years, I sought that degree of commitment to serious storytelling on a regular basis.

I found young adults who were just like me that treated it as an art form, and it was much easier to find them back them. We had jobs, but we made it work, and we enjoyed it a lot.
Also
It’s undeniably harder now to get those same results now than it was five years ago.
It's pretty interesting that the time frame lines up with rise of TikTok, I wonder if peoples declining attention span has anything to do with it. Also, I've noticed people are much more socially anxious now.

Life is just generally harder nowadays though, so it could just be that. I'm definitely not as inspired as I was back then as well, I feel like after 2020 the world had it out for me and was just trampling my spark. XD I'm sure others experienced the same.
 
I can’t be the only one who feels like finding people to join a group narrative adventure has gotten to be unreasonably difficult.

Far too few are willing to step up, and fewer still are adaptable or skilled enough. On many sites, there’s way too much addiction to… less savory forms of roleplay.

I’m shocked by how the last four years have gone for the roleplay community. Is there anyone else out there who shares these sentiments?
I agree with all this, on the flip of that coin for myself anyway... I think having to many checks to often have turned people off to joining my shit. My assumption being people don't think I'd commit to a idea or they don't like what I do in general.

Im more annoyed at people who post on a check then never follow through with making a sheet. I understand interest can drop or real life happens but a heads up is always appreciated if you intend to play or leave.
 
It's pretty interesting that the time frame lines up with rise of TikTok, I wonder if peoples declining attention span has anything to do with it. Also, I've noticed people are much more socially anxious now.
I've noticed it, both with my nieces and nephews and with friends who are adults but substantially younger than me. I know an early 20s guy who grew up on 80s and 90s movies and is sad he can't share them with most of his friends because it doesn't hold their attention. Social media sure isn't helping, but in addition to that even the writing of long-form media has changed. I suspect it's being focused grouped or something, and if anybody looks away from the storyboard for a second or stops to think about what they're watching then it gets rewritten til it's all maximally attention grabbing.

I also wonder if informal LARPing (you know, "let's play house/Power Rangers/wolves/Lion King" on the playground) is any less of a thing than it used to be, and if so whether that's affected people's interest in text RP.
 
I also wonder if informal LARPing (you know, "let's play house/Power Rangers/wolves/Lion King" on the playground) is any less of a thing than it used to be, and if so whether that's affected people's interest in text RP.
You made me remember when I was a kid in primary school. Some kids were playing "titanic" on the equipment, but as a socially awkward cool kid i ruined it because I was playing Batman and i would say "im batman"

this was twenty years before the dark knight trilogy camout and made a meme of batman saying he's batman. I was ahead of my time in a way
 
Im going.to come out and say it I think its lack of schooling. School aged individuals are still playing catch up after the pandemic and it has a ripple effect. Ive seen on the news and read articles stating literature studies are at a all time low. Lower than mathmatics which I think is a first. Attention spans are becoming smaller. Its science. This is a challanging and stressful time. It adds up and roleplay required skill and dicilplin.


It is no ones fault because a pandemic is unique but it might take ten years for things to feel normal
 
Im going.to come out and say it I think its lack of schooling. School aged individuals are still playing catch up after the pandemic and it has a ripple effect. Ive seen on the news and read articles stating literature studies are at a all time low. Lower than mathmatics which I think is a first. Attention spans are becoming smaller. Its science. This is a challanging and stressful time. It adds up and roleplay required skill and dicilplin.


It is no ones fault because a pandemic is unique but it might take ten years for things to feel normal
That’s…. a very frightening thought. That hadn’t crossed my mind at all before.
 
I’m shocked by how the last four years have gone for the roleplay community. Is there anyone else out there who shares these sentiments?
Hi!!

Sooooo like I got lucky and im in a position with a hella lot more free time. But I feel ya. 10 yrs ago, RP was rampant and like fandoms filled up like mfers in a couple days easy. But like all the old conventions, tropes and expectations good or bad seem to have like dwindled.

Thinkin it's cuz we all grew up. We no longer teens or just outta high school. 10 yrs later, Free time is at a premium and like all those rabid RPers found out that adulting is fr now and moved on to doing adulting things.

But like thinkin you gotta roll with it and try again later? I just closed down an Int CHK and fledgling RP. Like yeah there was a bunch of non committal rpers BUT then again the RP was super niche AND super demanding lol. So like yeah all good to let it go.

Like i also notice during school breaks RP interest always picks up so like maybe time it to match?
 
Hi!!

Sooooo like I got lucky and im in a position with a hella lot more free time. But I feel ya. 10 yrs ago, RP was rampant and like fandoms filled up like mfers in a couple days easy. But like all the old conventions, tropes and expectations good or bad seem to have like dwindled.

Thinkin it's cuz we all grew up. We no longer teens or just outta high school. 10 yrs later, Free time is at a premium and like all those rabid RPers found out that adulting is fr now and moved on to doing adulting things.

But like thinkin you gotta roll with it and try again later? I just closed down an Int CHK and fledgling RP. Like yeah there was a bunch of non committal rpers BUT then again the RP was super niche AND super demanding lol. So like yeah all good to let it go.

Like i also notice during school breaks RP interest always picks up so like maybe time it to match?
Yeeeeah I'm not letting this premise go. SAO based, ambitious, but there has been enthusiastic interest from the few people I have found. The premise sets a hell of a stage. It's my best one so far, and I refuse to give up easy.
 
I think with time I've gotten a lot pickier with what RP with. I pick RPs that I feel show signs of lasting a while as I mostly get tired of drifting from place to place and commiting a lot of effort to something that doesn't really go anywhere for at least a decent amount of time.

Once I found a good place, I stuck around for four years. Which I consider a good amount of time. Then I left. I found another good place for four or so years -- then I left. I stopped RPing for some monthes aside from on off interactions then I started up again here.

Then I came here and started roleplaying. And here it was like most RPs would crash. Some in their conception. Some part way through or first page. And I had maybe one that lasted a few monthes ago. It was probably around this time I felt really demotivated when it came to RPing in general. At it's best, RPing tends to feel akin to a video game where it kinda just plays itself as I have free time available. As long as it's fun. But I feel I've become way pickier in my years.

Seems to me as though a cool and interesting idea isn't necessarily enough. Someone has to know about the dynamics of roleplay itself. Both when it comes to how the roleplay itself is structured and the social dynamics of people within it. I've seen cool ideas even my subconscious seems to tell to not really feel hype or motivated about them in particular cause I believe the inevitable will happen.

Successful RPs to me seem like the ones that look poised to buck trends like that and have both a cool idea and seem like they'll be fun to play for whoever-the-hell the intended audience for the play is. Where the person at the helm seems like they know what they're doing.
 

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