Other RP Ideas that never work out

[Aron the Aron]

We all have that one idea, that one plot that we desperately want to find a partner/group for. For whatever reason, you just cannot seem to find any success getting an RP up and running, and through no fault of your own!

Maybe you find willing partners who disappear off the face of the earth after one or two posts. Maybe your idea never gets any attention or interest out of anybody no matter how many times you advertise it. Maybe it's some reason else entirely!

What is that idea you desperately want to do, but can't for whatever reason?

 

[Jannah]

I've had quite a few ideas over the years that never really took off, mostly dystopian and post-apocalyptic type settings. That sort of thing just doesn't seem to be super in demand unless it's zombies or Fallout-esque. My ideas were neither.

 

[nerdy tangents]

So a few reoccurring ones.

1. A magical murder mystery where the plot is figuring out what caused strange disappearance at a garden party. Folks always seem interested then bounce in the brainstorming portion.

2. Harry Potter plots : specifically I can’t get anyone interested in doing a teacher centric plot.

3. Magical girls just as a general concept, same as the murder mystery. I get some initial interest but it always falls through before we get to the posting stage,

 

[FaddedFox]

Usually a post apocalyptical rp seems to die after a post or two or in the planning stage XP. Always get ghosted for whatever reason. Makes me super sad. And anxious whenever the plot is discussed XD Actually almost all the time now since ghosting happens so frequently lately....

 

[GojiBean]

I really, really want to do a long Group RP set in a world which I've been developing since 2009.

The core of the original story concept revolves around a man who was raised in an oppressive organization where he was tortured, isolated, and indoctrinated into becoming the perfect human weapon. Ruthlessly efficient, emotionally closed off, and obedient to a fault. Additionally, his body is the vessel for the fragment of a demonic spirit (not "possession," per se, just bodily occupation) which causes his irises to glow with an otherworldly red light. Fittingly, he's earned the moniker of the "Red-Eyed Demon," and is now known across the entire continent upon which the story takes place as "the" assassin of this nasty organization, and unquestionably (at least in terms of public opinion thanks to how his legend and reputation have been played up in the public eye) the most dangerous man alive.

Over the years, and with this character as my main, I've attempted to create numerous types of roleplay storylines within the world this character inhabits to share with other people. Some of the ideas I've tested include, but are not limited to:

* A bloody revolution in a dilapidated country ruled by a tyrannical and self-destructive dictator
* A classic slice of life adventure with no real "goal" in mind, per se, where the focus is on the relationships between all the characters
* An oversea adventure to neighboring continents to assist with international issues and political intrigue
* The quashing of a hostile takeover of the monarchy in one of the five nations on the central continent
* And more...

Sadly, as the years have gone by and the story becomes deeper and the world more detailed, the interest in such a concept seems to have greatly diminished. As recently as 2018-2020, I could get upwards of 10-15 people interested in the idea (though the final number of people who stuck around was always in flux). But nowadays I don't even get one hit of interest on an Interest Check thread, no matter what kind of storyline I try to present everyone with.

The revolution is my favorite storyline idea (and not just because it's the most developed of the bunch, lol). And I really want to RP it. But I can never find people interested in it. If I do, it's usually just one person. And they ghost me before the RP starts in most cases after I give them the full rundown of details about it. Am I giving them too much detail, maybe?

Anyway, thank you for coming to my mini-vent response!

Cheers!

 

[Len Auphydas]

I wouldn't say never but its definitely a real struggle finding people to RP cute sibling relationships. Even consistently posting them to several different sites (of which this is my newest, hullo everyone), I never get more than one or maybe two hits, and then 90% of those dont go anywhere before it starts, and then of the ones where I manage to get out a starter, 90% disappear within a day or two. Its currently been about a year or two since I had any luck, and not for lack of trying. I've been told by some people I should broaden my horizons but... I mean, its what I wanna do, ya know? What would be the point of doing something else I'm not interested in?

 

[Megilagor]

I've had quite a few ideas over the years that never really took off, mostly dystopian and post-apocalyptic type settings. That sort of thing just doesn't seem to be super in demand unless it's zombies or Fallout-esque. My ideas were neither.

yeah im sad about that. Like i like dystopian and post-apocalyptic type settings and sure i like zombies and Fallout-esque ones but they are overdone at this point. Like i am currently playing in Frostbite, which is frozen dystopian post-apocalyptic thing with no zombies. i just like post-apocalyptic settings. Metro, Falltout, Wasteland, Stalker, Days Gone, State of Decay, Frostpunk and many others [yes i mainly said game names and most of them have zombies but its only because i own them and played them, since i can't really say anything about things i haven't done]

I wouldn't say never but its definitely a real struggle finding people to RP cute sibling relationships. Even consistently posting them to several different sites (of which this is my newest, hullo everyone), I never get more than one or maybe two hits, and then 90% of those dont go anywhere before it starts, and then of the ones where I manage to get out a starter, 90% disappear within a day or two. Its currently been about a year or two since I had any luck, and not for lack of trying. I've been told by some people I should broaden my horizons but... I mean, its what I wanna do, ya know? What would be the point of doing something else I'm not interested in?

As for you, i assume its 1x1 rp, which doesn't have much traction with some folk here sadly. Personally i would take part in an RP like that, but i have ptsd about 1x1 rps cause of bad times with many of them. So sadly the only thing i can do is wish you luck with that.

 

[Len Auphydas]

As for you, i assume its 1x1 rp, which doesn't have much traction with some folk here sadly. Personally i would take part in an RP like that, but i have ptsd about 1x1 rps cause of bad times with many of them. So sadly the only thing i can do is wish you luck with that.

I just got here yesterday so I havent had time for it to not work here. I have been posting to other sites for months though. It'll work out one of these days..! ...Probably!

 

[Megilagor]

I mean i could try, it would be a big if though, since i usually associate 1x1 rps with really fast reply speeds and such which will get me overwhelmed easily. But i might as well try and break my ptsd of 1x1 rps. if you don't mind that, that is

 

[Len Auphydas]

Hecc, I wasnt planning to get any interest from here and I wouldnt want to make you uncomfortable if you dont like 1x1 Rp's- but I mean, if you wanna discuss it, alright, I'll send you a PM, no pressure or anything. Hopefully that goes both ways.

 

[Onmyoji]

i usually associate 1x1 rps with really fast reply speeds and such which will get me overwhelmed easily.

Interesting, that's how I see group roleplays. Basically, that was my experience with groups and I didn't enjoy it at all. While 1x1 were always at a very comfortable pace with replies ranging from once a day to a couple time per week or even once a month.
That's only to say how vastly different everyone's individual experiences are even within the same community

To get back on track, an idea that I could never pull off the ground was a xianxia story. I did have a few really good ones that started and lasted for some time but then stopped because rp partners got busy irl. I also had people claiming they want xianxia but when we actually started roleplaying it turned out they didn't even know what xianxia was and were trying to go in completely different direction. Of course, people that drop off after first post also happened...
I'm still craving for a good xianxia with all the overused genre tropes! But it's not a popular genre for roleplays... I assume it's because people who enjoy it are too busy watching the 40+ episode shows or reading the 2000+ chapters novels in the genre rather than roleplaying it ahahaha

 

[Edric Blight]

For some reason I see first hand and find that Harry Potter group roleplays never seem to pick up off of the ground. Idk why, it’s weird because I think it’s such a popular series.

 

[CrimsonDawn]

So a few reoccurring ones.

1. A magical murder mystery where the plot is figuring out what caused strange disappearance at a garden party. Folks always seem interested then bounce in the brainstorming portion.

2. Harry Potter plots : specifically I can’t get anyone interested in doing a teacher centric plot.

3. Magical girls just as a general concept, same as the murder mystery. I get some initial interest but it always falls through before we get to the posting stage,

I actually prefer plots centered around either later years in Hogwarts (6th & 7th), or teachers. Not big on playing fourteen-year-olds. But I prefer to do those in group roleplays, not private ones, and I like having my characters be based on characters from other verses but altered to fit the Harry Potter verse. Which sounds very specific and idk if people are fine with that, but it's what it is. I just like my canon darlings, they're my comfort charas and I like to play them or some variation of them, dammit! lol

I wouldn't say never but its definitely a real struggle finding people to RP cute sibling relationships. Even consistently posting them to several different sites (of which this is my newest, hullo everyone), I never get more than one or maybe two hits, and then 90% of those dont go anywhere before it starts, and then of the ones where I manage to get out a starter, 90% disappear within a day or two. Its currently been about a year or two since I had any luck, and not for lack of trying. I've been told by some people I should broaden my horizons but... I mean, its what I wanna do, ya know? What would be the point of doing something else I'm not interested in?

I actually low-key got traumatised over familial relationships rps, back when I compromised with someone, and we agreed that we'd do my pairing, but it'd also involve a family dynamic in that they'd be parents to their character (since they wanted to play a made up son of their own for the character I'd be playing). Instead of that happening, the pairing aspect got ignored completely and the person tried immediately controlling the character I was playing, making him act out of character. ''

I'd be fine with including a sibling relationship within a family or even found family roleplay, if it also involved the pairing I was looking for between the (possibly adoptive) parents, possibly even one they sort of fall into when trying to look after the kiddos. But alone? It doesn't have enough for me to remain interested.

 

[Shadow Rose]

So for my idea it was a Fallout 4 themed one that *mostly* went the route of the story but there were a couple of key differences.

My character was a female synth, a courser actually, who escaped and joined the Midwestern brotherhood (yeah yeah they're semi-canon at most but for the sake of the plot I had they were canon) 15 years before the start of Fallout 4. At first it was because they saved her life but they slowly become her family and is even adopted and gains parents and a brother.

During that time she joins this special op group that works for the Brotherhood as a whole instead of a specific chapter and is able to travel around to the various chapters when help is needed.

Well Fallout 4 happens and since she's a synth that never got the memory wipe done she's sent to help them out and tells them point blank who and what she is mostly to avoid questions on how she knows so much about the Institute to begin with.

The eastern chapter obviously hates her at first but after working together for several months or so they learn to trust her completely (or at least mostly). The one who changes the most is Maxson and the two grow to be quite close. Of course in my time of trying to get this off the ground in some cases they were just really good friends and in other cases they fell in love. I was of course perfectly happy with either.

I had to give up the idea though. It never worked out and I really wish it had. I was really proud of it but...well one of us either left or I was berated for it without proper criticism and after 5-6 years of looking without going anywhere past like 3 or 4 posts I just couldn't handle it anymore.

 

[RedArmyShogun]

I've been doing this for years, many, many, years. And I can tell you, its not often the setting alone, but a combination of factors that are akin to chemistry. I've seen RP's by great GM's tank, I've seen rp's by mediocre GM's last for a bit of time. I've been in, by this point, hundreds of rp's and only had 3 to have actual endings rather than having been abandoned. It all depends on your Audience, group/player count and expectations and how well those people mesh together. Personality differences, time zones, age, cultural background, how you see RP, and the like all hold significant sway.

I for example would never care to do *any* sort of 1 on 1 with few exceptions and I would hate to do an RP where one post taking greater than a week, with people a lot younger than me with time zones on the other side of the world, in fact I have, and it was miserable for me. The point I'm trying to make, you may be pitching to the wrong people, have the wrong expectations or may need more seasoning as a GM. Almost any idea can be made into an RP, but you should keep reasonable expectations, or goals at which the effort in costs becomes greater than what you are willing to maybe waste. I find this site is just very niche with some of what it wants to do, myself included.

I also find, and it happens way too rarely, but you can look at RP interest checks and find 3-4 of the same exact idea with a bit of spin, that is low effort or just has this or that different, and as a result never takes off. Roleplaying is a Collaborative hobby, there is no shame in pulling resources or ideas with other people and co-gming a setting, rather than just posting up the 4th iteration that is so and so slightly different. Also, this is worth mentioning, but there is such a thing as rep and cliques in the hobby. Some players will always and JUST rp with so and so player(s), some just don't want to be advertised to, and while there is no punishment for being a GM that abandons several projects back to back, players *are* watching for that, and when it becomes a habit its just not worth giving that GM the time of day for a one week to one month project.

So find players you mesh with. Will that solve your problems? Hell no. I've been doing this for years and I'm still learning who I mesh with.

Tl:dr, there isn't really a bad idea alone, short of it being very niche. However, there are other factors that do affect the game that goes beyond the idea, which takes a bit of self-reflection and being able to observe/understand others, which just comes to some people and to others it doesn't.

 

[nerdy tangents]

For some reason I see first hand and find that Harry Potter group roleplays never seem to pick up off of the ground. Idk why, it’s weird because I think it’s such a popular series.

Going based on my experience in 1x1 I think it’s two things ::

1. People like to focus a lot on pairings which are hard to do with a group.

2. Disagreements in how you treat canon. Some people only want to do a recreation of canon the way it’s written and some people want to do their own spin. And that’s very hard to balance with more then two people (heck it’s why a majority of my 1x1s fail, because of incompatible ideas about canon).

 

[Jannah]

Going based on my experience in 1x1 I think it’s two things ::

1. People like to focus a lot on pairings which are hard to do with a group.

2. Disagreements in how you treat canon. Some people only want to do a recreation of canon the way it’s written and some people want to do their own spin. And that’s very hard to balance with more then two people (heck it’s why a majority of my 1x1s fail, because of incompatible ideas about canon).

Of course then there's the third group that includes me that wants no canon present at all and just wants to use the universe to create their own stories.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Of course then there's the third group that includes me that wants no canon present at all and just wants to use the universe to create their own stories.

No that falls under canon. I didn’t mean canon as in “the plot of the movies / book” I meant canon as in “the things Joanne has written about the universe as a whole.”

An example would be “I added more teachers to Hogwarts because I think the school is too larger for the number of faculty listed in canon.”

But the response would be “No Joanne only lists one teacher for each class.”

 

[Cresion Breezes]

Hmmm I dunno, I feel like both my "wtf is this super niche thing" type of RPs and "generic thing 101" type of RPs both die at a similar ratio, so I don't really think it's idea specific. Then again I been told (this is a quote) "wtf is more niche than this?" as a response to my (in my own opinion) most generic idea, so maybe it's my personal problem. Though I also been told some of my ideas are cool...but I guess those aren't mutually exclusive. I think I'm ranting on the nature of ideas again, shucks, so maybe I'll try to answer the question. Maybe most things that's "sandbox" style since I feel like most people are just at a loss with what to do with those and it never works out.

And well, I do have things I know probably won't take off that goes into the "not even gonna try" bin.

Like a Pokemon RP that pretty much recreates video game mechanics 1 to 1, I never even advertised it before because I know absolutely no one is into that since most people I've RPed Pokemon with starts treating me like a cryptid when I start mentioning number crunching.

Or that one idea I have about running a funeral home? I guess most people aren't into the idea of RPing that.

Or that one RP where the premise is your posts gets deleted after a certain amount of time due to some metaphysical in universe quantum fluctuations, because people don't like getting their work deleted.

Goldfishes in space RP, no further elaboration.

 

[mousecreant]

Goldfishes in space RP, no further elaboration.

hold on, this sounds interesting. I wanna know more about goldfishes in space.

 

[mousecreant]

to answer the post though, there's a magical girl/superhero RP involving going to different worlds & timelines i want to do, but i can't gather interest and it seems difficult to gm anyways. most of the people i ask about it aren't interested in world exploration.

 

[AniMANIA7983]

Theres been this idea ive had for a long time about a bunch of people put into a video game type thing. I think people havent shown interest/stuck around because of the complexity.

essentially, the rp is about the story of the characters as they stumble across unique monsters in a bunch of different environments. There are people of different levels, but they are only there for scaling purposes as pvp wasnt supposed to be a big thing. However, fighting the monsters was.

Everything is monster based material wise.

people spawn in the world in pairs.

people have their own accidentally set username made when they first introduce themselves once they are out in the world.

they can set their own gestures for attacks that are mana based.

the battle and inventory system is set according to their personality and gameplay style

I've tried to start it five times over the years and it never sticks

 

[Commander Rabbit]

Harem RPs. For 1x1 specifically. And mxm, also specifically. In a pre-established universe in a game or anime where you kinda have to do some character development so those characters can fit or write them very ooc'ly.

Could do with groups, but eh. Most people prefer to rp as their own character and not canon characters. So it just depends.

Usually these things would fit into a fanfiction, so Google docs I go

It's also hard finding someone to do one of these things who don't immediately try sexualizing it just because it kinda feels like a sausage party. I just want feel good stuff sometimes, man

 

[GammyWamzee]

Band rps (in 1x1)

Where we start a band or band based rp and then it never takes off.

That or in particular I will contact someone to do a band rp, and then either that person found someone, or I never get a message back.

So then I have this band rp craving that cannot be filled.

 

[Grim McGrath]

Everyone is talking about specifics but finding a roleplay in general is impossible. I haven't found a single RP partner in years. Most people don't even get through the planning process because 2 messages in they ghost you. Just never respond ever again. I try to find fandoms to do, mainly video games and cartoons or movies. Otherwise I do all genres of original RPs but people just don't want to do anything. They want to post and talk about RPing. I just don't understand.