I swear I'm going to go insane because of failed rps nowadays.

[Soul Stealer]

I don't do group rps barely ever. I often make some, but out of the 9 that I've done, they all died in a month, tops. It's horribly infuriating, so I went over to doing 100% 1x1s, but that proves to be barely more inconsistent. I've tried to start a total of about 19 rps, 12 of them the other person stopped replying before the rp started and practically insists on not replying, 3 of them where the other person left, and 2 of them where the other person barely replies. Only 2 of my total 19 rps are active, and only one of them is fairly old. If you feel this way too, please let out your frustration out here so I can empathize...

 

[Doomshroud]

I've had my share of failed roleplays, surprised I haven't gone mad yet, lol. Just keep at it, you'll catch your big break eventually. (:

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Hoo boy do I know this feeling. Granted, I'm also guilty of this myself.


In my experience, of the endless 1x1 threads I've done on and off this lovely website, it's all just part of the process. Most of my threads will drop within the month usually because of a lack of open communication which makes it hard for both sides to say what's wrong and discuss how to fix the issue and, less commonly, a lack of genuine plot. Characters have to have an end goal, something to fight for and against, and without that conflict things die really fast.


However I have had some lovely threads that have lasted 9+ months. Apex is right, it's really just about getting lucky and connecting with the right RP partner.

 

[call me rae]

I think one thing that might help is don't expect fast paced replies. If someone is replying multiple times a day chances are the roleplay won't last. Because sooner or later real life is going to come along and they'll get called away. Or the plot will go stale.


The one thing all my long lasting roleplays have had in common * well 2 * is communication & slow posting rates.


I had one that lasted several months where we both averaged about two posts a month. Yet we talked if not everyday than at least every other day.


The reason the posting was slow is due to either a lot of short term roleplays or just time constraints due to rl issues.


I know that might not be ideal but it might be a way to keep your roleplay going.


That and honestly people do hit and run posts all the time. They reply one time to an interest check and disappear. Or they reply a few time and then poof gone. It's super rude but sadly fairly common.

 

[Lord Bradorian]

Longest group roleplay I've been in was a couple of months. Longest 1X1 is one I'm doing rn with @Silas. Think we at like 13 pages now or suppm, started in December.

 

[Nada]

I think everyone's felt like this at least once. Over the years Ive spent role-playing, the RPs that lasted long enough to stad out are the noteworthy ones xD RPs that cash and burn quick are the norm ;_;

 

[xMellowmint]

I feel terrible for this but, I do 1x1 rps but it's honestly hard to find good people or get to roleplay with others. I understand if they're new but there's just so many one liners and so much detailed yoy can put into that to a point it pisses me off. I can't help but just abandon them... I feel terrible but it just irks me. It makes me upset too how the role plays I really like are not active. Plus, one of my roleplay has been disbanded because we were being too erotic. (Yet again I don't blame RpN) but it made a good friend of mine shun herself and now she's not on anymore.... She doesn't even talk to our group from the roleplay... It was the most active roleplay I've been in and it was actually good. We made it up to at least 153 pages or more.... I believe in a bout two weeks because that's how active we were and how much we enjoyed roleplaying with each other.. Now it's gone :c

 

[Soul Stealer]

I think one thing that might help is don't expect fast paced replies. If someone is replying multiple times a day chances are the roleplay won't last. Because sooner or later real life is going to come along and they'll get called away. Or the plot will go stale.
The one thing all my long lasting roleplays have had in common * well 2 * is communication & slow posting rates.


I had one that lasted several months where we both averaged about two posts a month. Yet we talked if not everyday than at least every other day.


The reason the posting was slow is due to either a lot of short term roleplays or just time constraints due to rl issues.


I know that might not be ideal but it might be a way to keep your roleplay going.


That and honestly people do hit and run posts all the time. They reply one time to an interest check and disappear. Or they reply a few time and then poof gone. It's super rude but sadly fairly common.

Actually, the ones I said I haven't gotten a reply from, it hasn't been so for more than a month. I don't expect rapid replies, but once it gets to the point where I'm only getting one reply per week, I get a little restless. I'm a restless person at my best...

 

[call me rae]

[QUOTE="The Arrival]Actually, the ones I said I haven't gotten a reply from, it hasn't been so for more than a month. I don't expect rapid replies, but once it gets to the point where I'm only getting one reply per week, I get a little restless. I'm a restless person at my best...

[/QUOTE]
As I said sometimes people just leave without warning or notice. Is it rude? Yes. But it's also sadly very commonplace.


But yeah the more longlasting roleplays do tend to be the ones with a slower post rate so if your looking consistently for multiple replies a week you might want to accept that most of the roleplay are going to fall apart. Even when u get people who are willing to communicate they simply might not have the time to devote to a roleplay everyday or multiple times a week.


Shoot even at my most active I don't do more than two posts a,week because I have limited time online.


So if your restless you might want to do roleplays with a shorter premise or when searching simple tell your partners. I would like u to post this many times a weeke. Some people might also have a lighter schedule.


And them just make sure you keep the comunication open. Talk to them about their schedules, they're likes, they're lives in general. The more invested you seem in them the more,likely they'll at least let you know theyre leaving. After all your less likely to be rude to someone you see as a friend than a stranger.

 

[darth bunny]

The conditions you're describing are normal. Failed roleplays are to be expected. Easier for a group roleplay to fail because there's more than two people involved, which ups the chances of someone bailing out. One on ones are marginally better, but still it's impossible to control another person's interest level. They might have another plot going which interests them more. The might be having real-life commitments that take precedence. You name it and it's likely to be a reason for dropping out.


In the end, half of roleplaying involves searching for the right partners. Sometimes you're lucky and you strike gold, and you go on to have a wonderful story with a wonderful writer. I mean, took me ages to find the perfect partners, with whom I've been writing with for years.


Failed roleplays are the norm. Sad? Eh, maybe. But a hundred and one percent true. Just be chill, it's no biggie.

 

[TheDarkHour]

Bad leadership means poor groups.

 

[InfiniteChaos]

I've tried to create 2 or 3 big group RP's that literally fall through before the first post starts, it's infuriating. and I never can keep the interest to RP anymore because people always leave me behind nowadays. It's honestly bothering, like. If you're going to do the time to come up with a RP, please RP with that person and don't be a total wad about it and leave afterwards.

 

[redroseknight]

Unfortunately, life tends to get involved and interrupt many good roleplays that I have had in the past. Or, you know, Microsoft taking over msn, but that is a discussion for a completely different place. I'm sorry that you are feeling frustrated, but take the lesson of patience to heart. The most rewarding roleplays that I have had ended up developing some of the best friendships that I have had as well. If you roleplay one on one, I agree that you should get to know the other person a little. Find out their schedule, and who they are as a person. That will help you decide how much you, as well, wish to invest in the roleplay. Sometimes I have found myself learning to intentionally holding back from becoming attached to a roleplay due to an inkling from out of character interaction that it would fizzle out quite soon.

 

[Under the Bridge]

It just gets worse as you get older.

 

[Sesquipedalian]

I definitely understand. Personally, I've actually had more problems with 1x1s. A person claims to be interested, promises to be active, posts a few times, then disappears. What's perhaps even worse is when they reappear, apologize profusely, promise to let me know next time when rl gets hectic, post a few times in one day to make up for lost time, then disappear again.


With group rps, the problems come when the people playing key characters stop replying. Then the rest of us don't know what to do, and the rp dies.


I'm a very active person, who writes whenever I have time, so I can't stand waiting weeks for replies. In my experience, the rps with one post every week don't last long anyway. They might last longer time-wise, but the rp never really gets anywhere because it's hard to develop the story when replies are scarce. I'd rather have a fast-paced rp that dies after a month than a slow one that takes a year for anything to actually happen. By that time, I'll be bored, and I'll end up being the one who stops replying. At least in the fast one, interesting stuff happened before the death of the rp.

 

[Soul Stealer]

Oh my god, I just created a 24/7 thread...

 

[Deadkool]

It helps to outline before the RP begins. Don't inform the RPERS of the outline, but just have a series of events planned out to keep things fresh.

 

[torenia]

i am struggling with this right now. i actually, in some accounts, am thriving because i have 4 long-term buddies (that i've known for 5+ years) whom i occasionally still roleplay with but the thing is, i'm always more active than my rp-buddy and i've learned to accept inactivity to retain my actual friendships with these people, whom i'm extremely close to.


in my opinion, it's very hard to sustain a rp's momentum if you personally just don't click with that person. if i find that someone just doesn't seem to enjoy talking to me, i know that's a bad sign for our rp. it really is an almost impossible formula to get a successful rp because you and that person could click and they could be a great writer and collaborator and just like my rp buddies, they just get inactive for whatever reason. it really does suck and i try to distract myself through the very long periods of inactivity and it's during this time when i'm trying to find a new partner, i relearn how difficult it is to find a rp buddy that will just stick. so, i don't have anything to say except that i completely understand you.

 

[Soul Stealer]

It helps to outline before the RP begins. Don't inform the RPERS of the outline, but just have a series of events planned out to keep things fresh.

I don't see how that would help, in my case(s)... It's not a problem of lack of ideas and a planned plot (since I basically do that anyways), it's just getting the plot started in the first place >.>

i am struggling with this right now. i actually, in some accounts, am thriving because i have 4 long-term buddies (that i've known for 5+ years) whom i occasionally still roleplay with but the thing is, i'm always more active than my rp-buddy and i've learned to accept inactivity to retain my actual friendships with these people, whom i'm extremely close to.
in my opinion, it's very hard to sustain a rp's momentum if you personally just don't click with that person. if i find that someone just doesn't seem to enjoy talking to me, i know that's a bad sign for our rp. it really is an almost impossible formula to get a successful rp because you and that person could click and they could be a great writer and collaborator and just like my rp buddies, they just get inactive for whatever reason. it really does suck and i try to distract myself through the very long periods of inactivity and it's during this time when i'm trying to find a new partner, i relearn how difficult it is to find a rp buddy that will just stick. so, i don't have anything to say except that i completely understand you.

It's hard to find long-term buddies because, for me, even a couple of my long-term rp buddies kinda stop posting eventually... I feel ya man.

 

[Kai Mi]

I don't think I should complain considering my average 1on1 role-plays span at least twenty or thirty pages but, I agree that it is very frustrating. My longest achievement is 5+ years and 800 pages (I tend to prattle sometimes and have grown more concise over the years.)


In most cases however I have tried to recontact my partners and failed. To that end I have around six failed role-plays saved in case I ever bump into them again (or to inspire me to try over ). I can only think of one time where things got a little too awkward and the blame is purely my fault. There are also times when I have to put a role-play on pause or hiatus because of silly things like writers block so I could probably be a bit more communicative about that as well. Also, I completely agree that sometimes the longest held stories take time to reply to and are worth waiting a couple days, weeks or a month for especially if they are a pivotal part of the story or character.


I think long-term roleplays can be very magical and relaxing, a sort of detoxication from stress so even when you're busy with life at least you have someone to talk to. Making friends with the other writer seems to be a big part of it too.


Anyway, I came to this site with this very goal in mind so I hope I can find someone to connect with.


I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors~!

 

[torenia]

yeah, i totally feel you when your long-term buddies stop posting. what i've learned is that i kind of just allow it to happen and then start focusing on the friendship because most of the time (even if it takes 2 years) they'll come back and post. the trick is to really focus your conversations on the friendship and to have an existent rapport where you guys easily talk about things OOC. trust me, i have had like 2-3 year hiatuses with my long-term buddies and it's just a matter of patience because if people feel safe in their relationship with you, they know that time won't break you and them apart. it is a very hard thing to do because i do have very selfish interests in wanting to rp still but i also remember that these people may have been my rp partners but they're mainly (now) my friends.