Experiences rp tag (not good)

[caecgirl]

my games get 1-3 ppl at a time then someone leaves, then everyone else go mia while i find someone else cause 1 on 1 rps are less interesting. BTW, when posting here, more than one prefix would be good. this post qualifies as experience + advise, assuming it means aswking for.

 

[A Sparkling Zombie]

Hi, system gamer! So, I feel like that section of RPN gets less traction compared to others, especially if the system isn't 5e. Pathfinder's gained steam thanks to WotC's greed, but I dunno how commonplace it is yet. You might be able to find better luck on rpgcrossing. It's solely (or at least predominantly) for system play-by-post, and when I last perused it, a good chunk of its members are hobbyists and have explored quite a few of the different systems that are out there.

Also, I don't know how true this is for RPN's community at large, but I like to see details in a pitch. You provided the hook, but what kind of elements are you thinking of bringing into the story? There's a hint at horror there, or at least a spooky tone. Is that what you want the focus to be? Do you have a general plot in mind? At least hinting at it can clue players in to your vision, so that they can tailor their characters to that narrative, while also maybe giving them ideas on what kind of motives to give their characters. That said, my experience has suggested to me that players are often lazy and don't really think much about character goals, so sometimes the GM has to give them a strong nudge into doing that work and be willing to talk it out with them.

Further, what's Ereden like? You don't have to come up with all the lore or write up pages of details, but providing some thought can help put everyone on a similar page if not also tickle the muse. Or if this is a world from published material, is there a webpage you can link, so that those who are interested can access the information?

At the end of the day, though, there's only so much you can do as a GM. Many play-by-post players are whimsical creatures who are easily tempted into chasing the next thing, especially on sites like this where there's a full, active page or two of new-ish roleplays competing for attention. I have two 5e groups running elsewhere, both of which had people drop or ghost since they've begun. One has been subsisting on only three players for half of the, like, past half year. I quickly learned to just accept the loss and focus on those who were still active, and even if I did search, I still kept the game going. I think that's helped.

Understandably, only one or two players can be disheartening as a GM, but if you're both enjoying yourselves, there's not much harm in continuing while you search, even if it's at a slower pace, if that's what you feel you need while you try to attract new members.

Just my two cents! Hope this helps in some way!

 

[caecgirl]

first off, all forum games, including RPN are PBP. The only alternatives are living world and live play.. I bring up living world because it has aspects of both. secon d, the focus is first and foremost on the sea adventure part, then I will try and make it spooky, though i dont know how successful that will be. Thirdly, the plot and a bit of lore, as well as encounters are written up. i'm sharing some of it on discord. the rest i want to remain a suprise. 4thly i made it up. 5thly, Ereden isnt much different from other settings. what makes it different is its like 90% water. i really have no other info on what makes Ereden different. Hey, I just got an idea. I can say the continents i havent written for are unexplored. However, that means I need to explain why, after all this time, they are unexplored.