Experiences The Trouble With Group RPs

[Walliver]

Okay, look
I used to love group rps, they were my thing and I was joining another one every other week
But now....it seems like there’s just nothing around for me to enjoy
Even topics that I used to absolutely adore, such as high school slice of life rps, or high fantasy medieval rps, they just don’t appeal to me anymore
I’m not a big fan of joining them, and I usually despise running them
This happen to anyone else?

 

[TheGrimOne]

Take a hiatus. Even things we love become dull after constant experience. Almost like when eating too much of your favorite food; the taste eventually becomes bland. Nothing wrong with it, we just need a break even from the things we adore every now and then.

 

[Jannah]

I rarely join group RP's because you're absolutely right about them mostly being school based stuff or generic high fantasy journey type stuff. Plus when I do join them they rarely make it beyond a couple pages before dying.

 

[zippy]

It’s the pervasive cliques for me if I’m being honest. I used to be able to ignore but it’s really grinding my gears now.

 

[Trektek]

I prefer Group threads mainly because the game doesn't come to a grinding halt if you lose a few players which is inevitable over the course of the first few posts. I however have found that when I am running them, they last much longer. My older nation builder threads lasted three months and the last one I ran, went on for six months with my current ones geared up to last at least that long.

 

[Pokeking]

The first group storyline I ever participated in lasted a couple years but it was hectic because my character was paired with another who dropped off for a month so other characters were able to continue but I was stuck so I told myself to just leave the other character and return to the inn/tavern which was the hub.



There was another member who was new and dropped after a couple posts and the last one they did was interacting with another character.



PS If I had to do it all over again, I would have used another character in that storyline. However, I only had that one character in my roster at that time.

 

[Onmyoji]

When I started roleplaying years ago I started with Group rps and enjoyed them. Now I can't stand them.
Maybe trying 1x1 will work for you. It certainly did for me and I only do 1x1 now and no intention to go back to groups.
Or yes, take a break. Maybe later you'll find something new that will motivate you or see a group that sparks your interest enough

 

[Murdergurl]

Group RPs are my mainstay. They are THE reason I get into RP sites. The rare 1x1 is kind of an aside that sometimes happens. But my driving interest will always be group RP. It differs from site to site, but there is always a predominant theme/trend/meta regarding groups. On RPN, there are a TON of anime fandom RPs and school/academy RPs, and Superhero styled RPs. It's just what the majority of people here are into. Personally, I'm not an anime fan, and neither do I care for the other two settings. Nothing wrong with them, just not my cup of tea. But stuff does occasionally pop up that I try to get myself into. I also am no longer interested in GMing settings. So I just gotta wait until something "good" pops up. That's just the nature of the beast.

 

[TheGrimOne]

My problem with group RP is the plotting. Everyone gets all their euphoria and excitement as they plot with others so that when it comes time to actually do the RP the serotonin that they would have gotten had already been spent so the players fall off before the RP really even takes off. It's sad because a lot of the group RPs that I see on here have a ton of potential

 

[Jannah]

My problem with group RP is the plotting. Everyone gets all their euphoria and excitement as they plot with others so that when it comes time to actually do the RP the serotonin that they would have gotten had already been spent so the players fall off before the RP really even takes off. It's sad because a lot of the group RPs that I see on here have a ton of potential

This is so true. In one that I joined (and was super excited about) we spent so much time planning and plotting, but then the actual RP fell apart within a few posts. I think one major problem, though, was that the GM opened with a scene that was sort of difficult for the players to work with. Having an experienced GM can often make a difference since a good set up can often make a difference between whether a RP flops or not.

 

[Murdergurl]

My problem with group RP is the plotting. Everyone gets all their euphoria and excitement as they plot with others so that when it comes time to actually do the RP the serotonin that they would have gotten had already been spent so the players fall off before the RP really even takes off. It's sad because a lot of the group RPs that I see on here have a ton of potential

This is so true. In one that I joined (and was super excited about) we spent so much time planning and plotting, but then the actual RP fell apart within a few posts. I think one major problem, though, was that the GM opened with a scene that was sort of difficult for the players to work with. Having an experienced GM can often make a difference since a good set up can often make a difference between whether a RP flops or not.

Here's the thing, a good group RP should already have a concrete direction as to what the players are going to do before anyone has even signed up. At the very least, it should have a solid beginning. I mean, there should always be room for divergence, but the whole point of a GM creating a group is that they have a plot to lead the group through. There really shouldn't be all this preplanning by the other members besides maybe discussing interrelationships between their characters that could exist before the RP starts. And oftentimes, all the pre-planning takes the characters away from the main story, and they get lost in their own tangent. This effectively ostracizes them from the main group.

But the direction of the group narrative is the responsibility of the GM. I feel that all too often, GMs either did not have more than a setting in mind, or otherwise lose control of the direction of their roleplays to the bumbling of the players. I'm not saying that a GM shouldn't be open to the player's suggestions and input. But they should always retain sovereignty of the RP. I see all too often where a GM will relinquish way too much of their authority over to the players in determining plot of the RP. And then it flounders, and fails. A lot of this is also because I feel a lot of GMs just don't know what to do with their group once they have it.

Anyone can fail at being a GM. And (imo) most people have no business at it. They just waste everyone's time when the whole thing falls on the floor. It takes a special person to actually be a successful GM. And when you find them, you know.

That's not to say that being a good GM is a fool proof way to have a successful RP. Flakey player recruitment can stumble even the best GM, and sometimes you just get a bad draw of participants.

 

[idiot]

ooo this is an interesting topic! as someone who has never done a 1x1 and always done groups, I must say, even I find myself exhausted at the constant stream of fresh and interesting ideas that are quickly burnt out after a few posts.

I find it to be a collective of issues but the biggest one is the GM's and player's interest being more in their characters than the actual story/plot. these characters quickly become disjointed from the plot and more of a separate entity which just makes it difficult to reply to. this is usually why I try to always make a new character every roleplay and never/rarely re-use prior characters to make sure they fit into the plot. yet, this doesn't eliminate the problem as some roleplay's make it feel as though the story is merely a backdrop with the character's being the main star of the show which just doesn't translate well.

the over-plotting is also another huge issue! pre-established relationships should definitely be explored prior but future relationships should be rather vague. there is no telling what will happen throughout the roleplay that could influence the character's relationships!

I've only GM'ed a handful of roleplays and understand it is no easy feat trying to keep both player's and yourself interested, plus the story streamlined yet flexible enough to allow player choice and agency.

In the end, I understand the burn out you're feeling Walliver and a hiatus might freshen your mind!

 

[GojiBean]

Okay, look
I used to love group rps, they were my thing and I was joining another one every other week
But now....it seems like there’s just nothing around for me to enjoy
Even topics that I used to absolutely adore, such as high school slice of life rps, or high fantasy medieval rps, they just don’t appeal to me anymore
I’m not a big fan of joining them, and I usually despise running them
This happen to anyone else?

I'll be perfectly honest... Based on your words it doesn't sound like group RP's are the issue here.

To the best I can see, you're burnt out on role-playing in general. You state that genres and topics you used to enjoy aren't appealing anymore. This has nothing whatsoever to do with what kind of RP it is. You're burnt out on stories and ideas. Not RP categories.

My honest advice is to take some time for yourself and step away from role-playing for a while and do other things you enjoy. Give yourself time to miss the role-playing environment and come back in a month or two with a fresh and more open mind and see if the genres you used to like excite you again. If they do, then great! You can get back to RPing. If they don't, then you're still burnt out and likely need more time.

Cheers!

 

[Jannah]

I'll be perfectly honest... Based on your words it doesn't sound like group RP's are the issue here.

To the best I can see, you're burnt out on role-playing in general. You state that genres and topics you used to enjoy aren't appealing anymore. This has nothing whatsoever to do with what kind of RP it is. You're burnt out on stories and ideas. Not RP categories.

My honest advice is to take some time for yourself and step away from role-playing for a while and do other things you enjoy. Give yourself time to miss the role-playing environment and come back in a month or two with a fresh and more open mind and see if the genres you used to like excite you again. If they do, then great! You can get back to RPing. If they don't, then you're still burnt out and likely need more time.

Cheers!

Then of course there's the opposite problem: having lots of RP ideas but nobody to play them with. Maybe I need to find other sites since most of my ideas don't seem to appeal to most people here.

 

[Lurker]

The problem with group RPs is it only takes one person to fuck it all up.

Person A interacts with person B. Now A is stuck waiting on B. If B takes a while to reply A can either keep waiting or just move on. The problem gets worse when multiple people become involved because then even more people get hung up. Muse A B and C are all roleplaying together when A stops replying for a week. They swear they're going to reply eventually and then a couple days later drop. Muse B and C were stuck waiting the entire time and now have to decide how to keep going.

Also some group RP's are very...Very cliquey. You can usually tell these from the interest check. I'm glad you have friends on this website that like joining your RPs but when I join at least TRY to act like you care about the randoms.

People also definitely do overplot. I have seen characters with multi paragraphs of relationships for every single character and all these headcanons and the RP hasn't even started yet. And often doesn't because people get stuck in plotting hell. I personally think there's very little reason for it to take longer than a week or 2 to start an RP. People are going to lose interest. The longer you wait the more likely the RP will crash and burn.

Group RPs as a concept are awesome but very hard and rare to actually succeed.

 

[Jannah]

The problem with group RPs is it only takes one person to fuck it all up.

Person A interacts with person B. Now A is stuck waiting on B. If B takes a while to reply A can either keep waiting or just move on. The problem gets worse when multiple people become involved because then even more people get hung up. Muse A B and C are all roleplaying together when A stops replying for a week. They swear they're going to reply eventually and then a couple days later drop. Muse B and C were stuck waiting the entire time and now have to decide how to keep going.

Also some group RP's are very...Very cliquey. You can usually tell these from the interest check. I'm glad you have friends on this website that like joining your RPs but when I join at least TRY to act like you care about the randoms.

People also definitely do overplot. I have seen characters with multi paragraphs of relationships for every single character and all these headcanons and the RP hasn't even started yet. And often doesn't because people get stuck in plotting hell. I personally think there's very little reason for it to take longer than a week or 2 to start an RP. People are going to lose interest. The longer you wait the more likely the RP will crash and burn.

Group RPs as a concept are awesome but very hard and rare to actually succeed.

I have definitely experienced this. There was this one group RP I tried to join and the GM's expected everyone to have detailed plotting and such before the RP even started. They wanted relationships, headcanons, and all sorts of other things I literally cannot figure out until I actually write my character in a story. Needless to say I bailed. I was having trouble keeping up anyway since it was during a busy time for me.

 

[BakaTheIdiot]

Group RPs are VERY hit or miss for me.

I usually find that the biggest hurdle for me is getting started. Once everything is set off and we're up and running, I honestly have a fantastic time. Additionally, I know boundaries are important, but sometimes having lots of rules can get a bit... excessive.

I also stay away from huge groups. 10 people is sort of my maximum, anything higher than that and I get a bit overshadowed by the rest.

But even understanding all of what I want out of a group RP, stuff goes wrong, and I still sometimes bail out. A while ago I dipped out of a 5 month RP endeavor because I had a major falling out with the GM (short version: I hated her guts, she was super entitled) which is a shame because I honestly really liked where everything was going.

 

[Kylesar1]

My issue is the amount of people that express interest who then don't join when you take all the time to make the thread, make the CS template, make and populate the lore page

 

[Murdergurl]

The problem with group RPs is it only takes one person to fuck it all up.

A good GM can usually salvage an RP from one person's bullshit. BUT I know what you mean, where a pivotal event falls on the floor by someone dropping out, etc.

... I personally think there's very little reason for it to take longer than a week or 2 to start an RP. People are going to lose interest. The longer you wait the more likely the RP will crash and burn.

2 weeks is way too long for me. And I have to agree wholeheartedly that waiting to actually get started is pretty much playing Russian Roulette with the RPs survivability. You gotta get that RP started ASAP while the interested parties are still interested. In the time y'all are taking to wait or put stuff together or... whatever the GM is doing on their end, the interested RPers are looking at other RPs (groups and 1x1s) that might get started first. At that point, your RP has now fallen to the backburner, and is less likely to keep the people that showed interest in the first place.

My issue is the amount of people that express interest who then don't join when you take all the time to make the thread, make the CS template, make and populate the lore page

This is, in part, because of the reason I mentioned above. But also, I feel like a GM should have all that stuff ready to go when they make the req. A good GM should already have the lore to their setting laid out. And a CS template doesn't take more than 5 minutes to write out. I mean, they are all pretty much the same 5 or six fields that everyone wants for character info. Give a little room for divergence, etc. But it shouldn't take an entire afternoon of free time, much less a week, to just get a CS out for your interested parties to work on. The longer you procrastinate on putting this out, the longer it will take them to complete it, ad infinitum. And then you get people lagging, and eventually withdrawing participation.

Long story short: Just have all that shit ready to go. Don't make players wait on you for it. Take the extra time to have it ready before you make the req so that when they express that initial interest they have all the resources available to them to make their character and keep their muse and interest going. Don't go half-cocked into the role of being a GM. And if you're worried about going through all the trouble of making all the setting lore and such for nothing because you dont get enough interests.... well, that's GMing for ya. Get used to it. lol

(btw, when I say "you", I'm speaking objectively. I don't mean you personally)

 

[Kylesar1]

This is, in part, because of the reason I mentioned above. But also, I feel like a GM should have all that stuff ready to go when they make the req. A good GM should already have the lore to their setting laid out. And a CS template doesn't take more than 5 minutes to write out. I mean, they are all pretty much the same 5 or six fields that everyone wants for character info. Give a little room for divergence, etc. But it shouldn't take an entire afternoon of free time, much less a week, to just get a CS out for your interested parties to work on. The longer you procrastinate on putting this out, the longer it will take them to complete it, ad infinitum. And then you get people lagging, and eventually withdrawing participation.

2 hours between telling them I'm putting up the thread and everything being ready. The issue is not solved. I guarantee you the issue (at least in my part) is not how long it takes to set things up. The issue is them telling you they're interested, then I guess them being raided by the feds shortly after

I don't even put up an interest check without having the material ready to copy/paste into the threads.

 

[Murdergurl]

2 hours between telling them I'm putting up the thread and everything being ready. The issue is not solved. I guarantee you the issue (at least in my part) is not how long it takes to set things up. The issue is them telling you they're interested, then I guess them being raided by the feds shortly after

I don't even put up an interest check without having the material ready to copy/paste into the threads.

yeah, thats def not on you. Dunno why they couldnt wait 2 hours. thats pretty reasonable

 

[Millfall]

oh god, this thread reminds me why I stopped roleplaying in the first place

 

[nerdy tangents]

I think my experience the problems are down to GM with no organization or unrealistic expectations of what a group entails.

Usually groups that last for months of years at a time have two major things in common

1. A GM who is a manager
2. A friend group that enjoys writing together.

Now the second point is just luck honestly, but having the first point does help with finding the second one.

The reason is that a GM who is good at managing others and keeping them on task is vital in making sure the story is structured enough to last but also fluid enough to adjust to player input.

Its incredibly difficult thing to do and honestly most people don’t have the talent for it.

Not saying it’s not a skill set people can learn but you got to go into it with the mentality that running a group roleplay is gonna be some degree of hard work. Which a lot of GMs don’t take into account. It’s just “oh I want a roleplay and I have an idea.”

That’s fine for 1x1, it’s not enough for groups. You need a plan not just for the story but for how you are going to manage your players as well.

 

[Murdergurl]

The reason is that a GM who is good at managing others and keeping them on task is vital in making sure the story is structured enough to last but also fluid enough to adjust to player input.

Its incredibly difficult thing to do and honestly most people don’t have the talent for it.

This. So much this

 

[Sarevok]

As someone who is fairly new to the site and only just found the courage to put up their own ad (although admittedly not having much luck generating interest so far), most of my experience has been with group RP’s on other site and it’s been something that I’ve had mixed results with.

Most of the group games advertised here appear to go on the first-come first-served premise and that is probably part of the reason that they don’t tend to go so well. From my experiences elsewhere the most successful games have the GM look for players that look for similar things and interests that they do, although that said it can be harder said than done since it’s incredibly difficult to judge on an online forum the measure of someone’s personality and willingness to contribute to a shared storyline.

First and foremost most people when putting up an ad I don’t think take into account the nature of online message board based roleplay. It’s an incredibly slow medium, in that its not unusual for a single scene to take a couple of weeks to navigate through. People need to be realistic in what they hope to achieve in a roleplay and not just go all guns blazing with the biggest and best thing they can think of. When I put up my Yama Kings ad, the very first thing I settled on was a duration for the game in my own mind, in this case I’m settled on it lasting 12-18 months to complete, and that’s something I won’t deviate from. Next thing I settle is the endpoint for the roleplay. Once I have the duration in mind and the point that the role-play ends the journey in getting there I can take a few more ad-hoc liberties with as long as I keep that overall destination in mind.

Once those basics are in place, the bit that I think gets missed is finding out a little bit more about the prospective players. I’ve got a basic questionnaire in mind that I ask any participants in the role-play, things like what are they looking to get out of the role-play, what they consider to be a good role-play, what they consider to be a bad role-play. Perhaps most importantly of all, what does a successful role-play look like to them.

Granted it’s not a perfect method by any means but at the very least it gives me a broad idea of what somebody is looking for and it gives me an idea of whether or not we will gel as personalities.

That said I think a lot of group role-plays miss these important points in favour of just getting something out there and started as quick as possible, they hit an idea and just fire it up without any forethought. Do your planning early and upfront to get the game off without a hitch.