Jolly Roger
Dreamer of Dreams
I just find it really interesting when an RP thread just halts out of nowhere for no apparent rhyme or reason. Yes, I myself have been guilty of ghosting in the past. I'm really determined never to do that again.
Other What causes an RP to shut down all of a sudden?
- Thread starter Jolly Roger
- Start date
Rabbit.
Carrot Hacker
I think it's a combination of availability change and lack of interest. People's lives are always changing so their priorities could change. It could be that they really don't have time to write. The latter is when someone picks an RP out of whim, but later decides that it's not for them anymore. So they change their mind, which is also normal.
For most people, it's not really a personal thing. Ghosting is fairly common. It's more that they forget to say good bye or are too timid and anxious about the reaction they'll get for ending an rp.
It's okay though. With all endings come new beginnings. So keep on writing!
For most people, it's not really a personal thing. Ghosting is fairly common. It's more that they forget to say good bye or are too timid and anxious about the reaction they'll get for ending an rp.
It's okay though. With all endings come new beginnings. So keep on writing!
Jannah
Barely holding on.
Usually it's either they're too busy to reply or they simply lose interest.
cloudyskies
monster energy-fueled
Usually when a RP I’m in ends, either I or the other person lost motivation for it, or they were busy or had other things going on in their life. I don’t see why some people wouldn’t want to start a different RP in the first case—I like writing with specific people and it’s pretty disappointing when we stop altogether.
Idea
The Pun Tyrant
The main causes I've seen are:
-Ghost Incidents that prevent forward motion (if enough or the right people ghost, a whole or majority of a group can be brought to a halt and unable to advance. if the GM doesn't something about it fast enough, the RP dies)
-Loss of motivation (includes things like death by the inevitable exhaustion of hype, death by not meetingfantasies expectations, distraction by side projects, and pure boredom.)
-Zombification by actionless scene (The number of players who seem to go inert at the first sign of a scene where they are explicitly told where to go or there isn't an obvious point of interaction is frankly worrisome)
-Zombification by dead OOC (RPs tend to fizzle out if there is no OOC connection between the players.)
-Irregular Pacing (a lot of RPs die because the players can't keep up with the initial pace of the RP, making any regular time it takes to post feel like ages by comparison)
Which is to name a few typical causes only.
-Ghost Incidents that prevent forward motion (if enough or the right people ghost, a whole or majority of a group can be brought to a halt and unable to advance. if the GM doesn't something about it fast enough, the RP dies)
-Loss of motivation (includes things like death by the inevitable exhaustion of hype, death by not meeting
-Zombification by actionless scene (The number of players who seem to go inert at the first sign of a scene where they are explicitly told where to go or there isn't an obvious point of interaction is frankly worrisome)
-Zombification by dead OOC (RPs tend to fizzle out if there is no OOC connection between the players.)
-Irregular Pacing (a lot of RPs die because the players can't keep up with the initial pace of the RP, making any regular time it takes to post feel like ages by comparison)
Which is to name a few typical causes only.
Kaihaku
The Once and Future Kai
Good reasons so far. Interpersonal dynamics and real life disruptions definitely top the list from what I've seen. I'll list one that's not the most common but is my favorite play by post group roleplaying killer - Doors.
Don't wait for every Player at a Door: I've seen a surprising number of games that have died because of Doors. Never wait for all of the characters to post going through a door unless each person deciding to pass through that door is critically important. Few things kill excitement faster than making eager players post mundane actions over and over and over again. Does it really matter that they all pass through the door? Okay, if it is of critical importance then okay but if not just "GM" them all walking through the door and, to keep things moving, describe the next area while you're at it. This also applies to getting into the car, going to that dungeon, etc. If the group agrees to go don't make every single person confirm unless the door is secretly a trap and you're waiting to see if someone checks... In which case you have another problem.
Don't wait for every Player at a Door: I've seen a surprising number of games that have died because of Doors. Never wait for all of the characters to post going through a door unless each person deciding to pass through that door is critically important. Few things kill excitement faster than making eager players post mundane actions over and over and over again. Does it really matter that they all pass through the door? Okay, if it is of critical importance then okay but if not just "GM" them all walking through the door and, to keep things moving, describe the next area while you're at it. This also applies to getting into the car, going to that dungeon, etc. If the group agrees to go don't make every single person confirm unless the door is secretly a trap and you're waiting to see if someone checks... In which case you have another problem.
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nerdy tangents
One Thousand Club
For 1x1s the overwhelming reason is IRL issues. I've had everything from deaths in the family to one partner who had to retake an entire semester of school due to a clerical mistake at their college (that one was kinda wild from the outside. they were PISSED, and rightly so.)
I've had partners lose their jobs, I've had them be hospitalized for extended periods of time, their internet/computer broke, etc.
Then there is the site errors portion too. Where they don't get notifications of PMs or posts to threads. Gaia was notorious for that ish. It's why I moved to google doc roleplays for a time. At least I could poke them on a chat or in an email to check it out.
I think the amount of people who left because we didn't jive or they lost interest (and were too shy to let me know that) is actually pretty small. Most of the time it's just some kind of IRL thing that makes them not reply for a period of time.
I've had partners lose their jobs, I've had them be hospitalized for extended periods of time, their internet/computer broke, etc.
Then there is the site errors portion too. Where they don't get notifications of PMs or posts to threads. Gaia was notorious for that ish. It's why I moved to google doc roleplays for a time. At least I could poke them on a chat or in an email to check it out.
I think the amount of people who left because we didn't jive or they lost interest (and were too shy to let me know that) is actually pretty small. Most of the time it's just some kind of IRL thing that makes them not reply for a period of time.
AndPeggy
New Member
When the GM loses interest and stops showing up, the RP might as well be dead.
When everyone is slow posting, meaning they post once a month and won't do anything more frequently than that, the RP is dead.
When everyone is slow posting, meaning they post once a month and won't do anything more frequently than that, the RP is dead.
Archie
Not even my final form
The single biggest thing in my experience is dull cast chemistry. None of the characters really become friends (not to mention entering relationships) and they all "go around in a circle", travelling as one big group and obeying posting orders until some links in this circular chain drop out, causing the rest to be demoralized.
Sometimes, this is just bad luck. I've been in RPs before where I wasn't interested at all in any of the other characters, but pushed through for a while just so I wasn't accused of being a flake.
More often, however, dull chemistry is unknowingly created by the GM and players, through something I call "committee syndrome".
Have you ever been to a party where everyone just stands in a circle and talks in order? Of course not. People float between smaller groups. Every successful RP I've played has worked the same way. Instead of having everyone together all the time, they often break off into smaller groups and only come together for very important encounters. Every character gets a few friends early on, even if they don't know the rest of the cast that well. Committee syndrome is very bad in RPs that rush between group encounters for obvious reasons. This is why "down time" is so important.
The good news is that this is easy to fix as long as you're aware of it. Have your characters act like you would. Interact mainly with 1-2 people at a time.
I haven't seen a long-running RP where parts of the initial cast didn't drop off. Strong ones have "many small chains" and not one big one for this reason. Small groups of characters that interact well press forward even if some characters quit. RPs with one big chain are only as strong as their "weakest" link.
Sometimes, this is just bad luck. I've been in RPs before where I wasn't interested at all in any of the other characters, but pushed through for a while just so I wasn't accused of being a flake.
More often, however, dull chemistry is unknowingly created by the GM and players, through something I call "committee syndrome".
Have you ever been to a party where everyone just stands in a circle and talks in order? Of course not. People float between smaller groups. Every successful RP I've played has worked the same way. Instead of having everyone together all the time, they often break off into smaller groups and only come together for very important encounters. Every character gets a few friends early on, even if they don't know the rest of the cast that well. Committee syndrome is very bad in RPs that rush between group encounters for obvious reasons. This is why "down time" is so important.
The good news is that this is easy to fix as long as you're aware of it. Have your characters act like you would. Interact mainly with 1-2 people at a time.
I haven't seen a long-running RP where parts of the initial cast didn't drop off. Strong ones have "many small chains" and not one big one for this reason. Small groups of characters that interact well press forward even if some characters quit. RPs with one big chain are only as strong as their "weakest" link.
Phantom Phoenix
New Member
Out of character drama.
Miscommunications.
Unrealistic posting schedules.
One player does all the work of moving the plot forward and playing multiple characters while the other player sits by watching.
Ghosting.
In a group setting there's a case of everyone's characters wanting to be the hero in the spotlight which overtakes the entire plot and becomes just a game to one up each other.
Miscommunications.
Unrealistic posting schedules.
One player does all the work of moving the plot forward and playing multiple characters while the other player sits by watching.
Ghosting.
In a group setting there's a case of everyone's characters wanting to be the hero in the spotlight which overtakes the entire plot and becomes just a game to one up each other.
nyanunix
Bust :(
Not being understanding about someone's posting schedule (for a 1x1/small group RP) will cause a lot more problems than it's worth. I have a friend who is also a RP partner who will tell me regularly about people constantly badgering them for replies/being angry about them not replying, and it causes them feel super shitty about even opening messages from some people, so they just ghost. Like, if someone isn't posting as much as you'd like, either adjust your expectations or let them know in a kind way that you don't think things are gonna work out.
FoolsErin
when you at the when you you when the
I mean, basically what everyone on the thread has already said. Most of the time when a roleplay dies, it goes out with a whimper. Lack of communication, inactivity in either OOC or in the roleplay itself, lack of interest, business, that sort of thing.
Once in a great while, you’ll get a roleplay with so much OOC drama in a few month period, that the entire group is in constant recovery from it, until finally one drama tips the GM over the edge, causing the whole thing to implode.
If that sounds specific, that’s because it is. A roleplay that lasted nearly a year, down the drain. Hot tip, keep your beef with certain people out of something that involves parties that aren‘t just said specific people.
Once in a great while, you’ll get a roleplay with so much OOC drama in a few month period, that the entire group is in constant recovery from it, until finally one drama tips the GM over the edge, causing the whole thing to implode.
If that sounds specific, that’s because it is. A roleplay that lasted nearly a year, down the drain. Hot tip, keep your beef with certain people out of something that involves parties that aren‘t just said specific people.
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