Experiences What made your favorite RP successful? And why was it your favorite?

[Akweia]

Hi guys,

Fairly new here but not new to writing, and I can tell just from my first few moments here as a newborn (awh), that my passion and excitement for writing is shared by a lot of folks. So I'm genuinely curious! What was your best RP? It can be one you participated in or one you moderated/ started. What made it great? Why'd it end the way it did? What genre was it? Were you new to written RPs when you started or were you a pro?

I must know.

 

[Dr Laudanum]

Hi guys,

Fairly new here but not new to writing, and I can tell just from my first few moments here as a newborn (awh), that my passion and excitement for writing is shared by a lot of folks. So I'm genuinely curious! What was your best RP? It can be one you participated in or one you moderated/ started. What made it great? Why'd it end the way it did? What genre was it? Were you new to written RPs when you started or were you a pro?

I must know.

Hello, same here!

I have been roleplaying on and off for 5 years now. I haven't had lots of roleplays, but from the few ones that I participated in my absolute favourite was a steampunk roleplay about a cult. The whole plot was really generic and, honestly, I don't think that it was anything original/special.

However, the other roleplayer and I put a lot of effort into our characters and we established a solid OOC communication. So much that we started talking a lot about our characters and plotting several different situations to put them into. It was simply so fun! We'd even do art of them and we'd also link videos and funny memes that were related to them as well. Despite the fact that the plot wasn't that special, we were able to enjoy it in the best way possible, roleplaying very casually and in a dynamic way. I think that what made it successful was the fact that we were so invested on the characters and that our OOC communication was simply perfect: we were hyped about it lol.

Unfortunately, it came to an end due to the friendship I developed with the other roleplayer. It is a rather personal issue, but I can say that we established a solid friendship as well, that ended almost a year after we started roleplaying. Our friendship was so entangled with the roleplay that I just couldn't keep up with it, sadly. It's ironic, because it takes time for me to develop friendships in an OOC context, which didn't happen.

 

[Akweia]

Hello, same here!

I have been roleplaying on and off for 5 years now. I haven't had lots of roleplays, but from the few ones that I participated in my absolute favourite was a steampunk roleplay about a cult. The whole plot was really generic and, honestly, I don't think that it was anything original/special.

However, the other roleplayer and I put a lot of effort into our characters and we established a solid OOC communication. So much that we started talking a lot about our characters and plotting several different situations to put them into. It was simply so fun! We'd even do art of them and we'd also link videos and funny memes that were related to them as well. Despite the fact that the plot wasn't that special, we were able to enjoy it in the best way possible, roleplaying very casually and in a dynamic way. I think that what made it successful was the fact that we were so invested on the characters and that our OOC communication was simply perfect: we were hyped about it lol.

Unfortunately, it came to an end due to the friendship I developed with the other roleplayer. It is a rather personal issue, but I can say that we established a solid friendship as well, that ended almost a year after we started roleplaying. Our friendship was so entangled with the roleplay that I just couldn't keep up with it, sadly. It's ironic, because it takes time for me to develop friendships in an OOC context, which didn't happen.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for responding! Honestly, I agree with you! Some of my favorite RPs were great because I did them with GREAT people.

 

[Akweia]

Oh, I guess I should answer my own question. I'll do two one serious, one silly.

My favorite silly RP was a very random one. Slice of life. The setting was a beach party for the group's favorite OCs. Story was all over the place, but I've never laughed so much while writing in my life. My favorite serious RP was a fantasy/ magic setting. There was a complicated society and a magic council. It was a lot of work but I had a lot of fun. There were even a couple of vampires. Everyone participating put so much effort into it and though the story never truly finished it's an epic memory.

 

[Life.]

First off, welcome to Rpnation!

So when I think of successful, I think more of roleplay that I've participated in that lasted for over a month and had an active out of character chat. Unfortunately, the trend for most roleplay here go through a huge excitement burst for the first few weeks but gradually die off. But that does not mean all fall victim to this. As it is with different people and interests interacting, the pace and development of roleplays will differ from one to the other. However, one that I definitely felt was successful in terms of leaving a mark on the players that used to participate in it was a simple, slice-of-life, small town roleplay. There was no general plot binding us to what we could do with our characters. Rather the dynamics between characters and users were very active and entertaining that we all nearly talked every day. We all looked forward to each other's posts and we would hype each other up. Our interests for the roleplay were similar and we had fun discussing future scenarios for our characters. Sadly, this roleplay came to an end as we all had to part ways. I still talk to a few users who had participated in it and we say from time to time how we miss the roleplay and that it was one of the most fun roleplays we've been in.

Long story short. Sometimes a successful roleplay may not be a completed one, rather one that you remember from time to time.

 

[FoolsErin]

Definitely this one roleplay I was in about almost a year ago where King Dedede sang a parody of a Queen song. I’m not going to go into further detail because I would need to describe basically the entire roleplay to explain why that happened, but it was rad as hell.

 

[N-On-E-Mus]

Tbh no RP I have ever been has been successful. I swear I got some kinda goddamn curse, but ALWAYS about a week after I join BAM it’s dead

 

[Crow]

Dedication and fun.

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

Dedication and fun.

same here.

 

[Akweia]

Definitely this one roleplay I was in about almost a year ago where King Dedede sang a parody of a Queen song. I’m not going to go into further detail because I would need to describe basically the entire roleplay to explain why that happened, but it was rad as hell.

That sounds like an excellent vibe. I love it when people get comfortable enough to go full chaotic random.

 

[Akweia]

Tbh no RP I have ever been has been successful. I swear I got some kinda goddamn curse, but ALWAYS about a week after I join BAM it’s dead

Oh my god I'm sorry to hear that. I've definitely experienced RPs where people get really excited about the RP first and then responses kinda die off. You might just be joining right as everyone's buzz is dying.

 

[Akweia]

First off, welcome to Rpnation!

So when I think of successful, I think more of roleplay that I've participated in that lasted for over a month and had an active out of character chat. Unfortunately, the trend for most roleplay here go through a huge excitement burst for the first few weeks but gradually die off. But that does not mean all fall victim to this. As it is with different people and interests interacting, the pace and development of roleplays will differ from one to the other. However, one that I definitely felt was successful in terms of leaving a mark on the players that used to participate in it was a simple, slice-of-life, small town roleplay. There was no general plot binding us to what we could do with our characters. Rather the dynamics between characters and users were very active and entertaining that we all nearly talked every day. We all looked forward to each other's posts and we would hype each other up. Our interests for the roleplay were similar and we had fun discussing future scenarios for our characters. Sadly, this roleplay came to an end as we all had to part ways. I still talk to a few users who had participated in it and we say from time to time how we miss the roleplay and that it was one of the most fun roleplays we've been in.

Long story short. Sometimes a successful roleplay may not be a completed one, rather one that you remember from time to time.

Thanks! It's funny how an RP can bind people long after it's done. just the memory of the fun times you had while writing it can be enough to keep people together. I miss one or two in my past as well. XD if I'm totally honest part of why I'm here is to make some fun new writing memories so I'm not so wistful for the old ones.

 

[N-On-E-Mus]

Oh my god I'm sorry to hear that. I've definitely experienced RPs where people get really excited about the RP first and then responses kinda die off. You might just be joining right as everyone's buzz is dying.

I’ve been on this site for a year, maybe longer. The longest RP i have been in lasted for like 2 months. The rest lasts about 1 week to one month

 

[Akweia]

I’ve been on this site for a year, maybe longer. The longest RP i have been in lasted for like 2 months. The rest lasts about 1 week to one month

Sounds about right . Wise words senpai.

 

[N-On-E-Mus]

Yeah. My old account was @N-onynous, but got hacked

 

[Crayons]

You know ... I have a good few RPs that I really enjoyed and that I'm proud of how they turned out, but my favourite one has got to be my Bleach AU RP. This RP was the first 1x1 I did where I was as much invested in my partner's character as my own - where I wasn't just looking at my partner's posts as a way to advance my own character's story, but genuinely excited to read them for their own sake. Re-reading the stories is super fun too and I go back from time to time to read bits whereas I rarely do that with any other RPs.

We had/have an amazing chemistry as RP partners, where we just bounce off each other really well, and while we've done other RPs, this was our first and our most hilarious one. The trash-talking was epic, the fights full of stupid failures and badass moments, the characters were perfect foils to one another. Not only that but the characters have a lot of depth to them, and the character development of these guys has just been amazing. My guy went from jerk who is angry at everything and revels in being hated to jerk who is only angry some of the time and is now a useful member of society with an adopted child, a duck, and the respect of his peers. In terms of power, they went from Shin-O academy nobodies to captain-class (and beyond) badasses. As of right now they are a captain (my partner's character) and vice-captain (mine).

I'm not even sure what tense I should be talking in as most of the RP took place between 2015-2017 and we recently picked it up again this year so that we could finish a major plotline that we left on hold to go and RP elsewhere.

This RP remains in my heart as one of my favourites of all time and my RP partner has become a great friend who is amazing, funny and badass.

 

[Amethyst Archive]

My best rps (yes, plural) exist out of patience and a lot of collaboration. All these rps happen to be with 1 person who I've rp'd with for 10 years.

Some people don't realize this, but it's OK to wait for a response, or to ask what could happen next, or discuss possible different outcomes. In my experience, a roleplay doesn't have to be on-going constantly, like, if you're not feeling well or lost inspiration, don't sweat it! Just let me know and we can chat about it. We can put it on-hold for a while, no problem.

Rps that have ended quickly are usually the ones with people who are too impatient to wait for a reply, so they either just leave without a word or keep spamming me to ask if I'm going to reply. The more you'll ask, the less interested I will be.

 

[Onmyoji]

My favorite 1x1 rp were all with people who we clicked with. Two of these people were my irl friends, we just decided to try rp for fun. I met the others through those rp.
What was common for all of them, we shared passion and excitement, talked OOC a lot, even made up AU for the rp lol.
Another thing, we had plans. Big plans. PLANS. Some roleplays were planned up till the ending. Either way, we planned ahead. Doesn't mean we planned every move but a few steps ahead in general direction, certainly. In my experience, rp without any planning tend to die out much faster. So a big part of success for me is planning ahead.

For groups the best that worked for me was when it was very organized. There was a fixed post order, there were summaries provided for people who missed something, which I found incredible. I've never seen anything like that before. Naturally, players were motivated too. Discussed ideas OOC and all that. It's not much different from 1x1.

 

[Crayons]

For groups the best that worked for me was when it was very organized. There was a fixed post order, there were summaries provided for people who missed something, which I found incredible. I've never seen anything like that before. Naturally, players were motivated too. Discussed ideas OOC and all that. It's not much different from 1x1.

I feel like all group RPs should do this.

 

[Onmyoji]

I feel like all group RPs should do this.

It worked amazing and made people feel they're still included even if they miss something. But it also was a huge strain on our GMs because they were the ones providing the summaries.

 

[Crayons]

It worked amazing and made people feel they're still included even if they miss something. But it also was a huge strain on our GMs because they were the ones providing the summaries.

They aren't hard to do if you write them as you go along. I think I'm one of those weird people who enjoy writing summaries. XD

 

[Onmyoji]

They aren't hard to do if you write them as you go along. I think I'm one of those weird people who enjoy writing summaries. XD

You're a blessing to groups then XD

 

[Akweia]

They aren't hard to do if you write them as you go along. I think I'm one of those weird people who enjoy writing summaries. XD

That's so considerate of you. Summaries are a great idea! I saw them very rarely in RP groups of the past, usually, they were an informal/ a casual message to someone and not usually that detailed lol.

 

[Crayons]

That's so considerate of you. Summaries are a great idea! I saw them very rarely in RP groups of the past, usually, they were an informal/ a casual message to someone and not usually that detailed lol.

I've done both - either a thread that lists all the happenings in the RP (with links to other threads on a forum) or casually summarised on a one to one basis in OOC with new players or people out of the loop. Casual messages can be good as then the person can ask any questions they need. It's often really hard to know where to jump into an RP if it's been going for a while, so it's just doing as you would be done by really. XD

 

[Akweia]

My best group was one I ran about 13 years ago. It was a 4 player small group with a set post order a linear story and we went scene by scene. Thankfully the site we were on allowed us to organize scenes very nearly (loved it). We discussed each scene prior to start, settled on; start point, end point, and 2 - 3 mid points so everyone knew what story beats we were working towards. Basically every player know what we were writing about and no one spent to much time writing nonsense/filler posts.

Shortly before a scene would end / immediately after we'd do our discussion, settle details and continue RPing.

Everyone played multiple characters. We certainly each had 1 - 2 "MAIN" characters, but no one was shy about adding characters as needed (shelving "mains" who weren't needed during a scene - bringing them back later); and NO ONE was shy about making sure to add NPCs.

We used journals for documenting everything, all our notes, character communications (like emails/texts or at least our worlds version of it). We used an inworld explanation for use of journals by the characters; basically in space digital shit can get fired during a solar flare or other anomalies, so to make sure you had documents safe you'd keep paper logs.

Since it was such a tight knit group we didn't need recaps (like someone else mentioned), but I agree its a cool and useful tool. I use to do them in openworld / sandbox RPs for anyone new coming into the game since there was a bit of turnaround in a setting like that. But it did take its toll on me, its a lot to track and if, for example, you are in a open sandbox style world you sometimes weren't part of a scene so summarizing other players content got difficult. I would try to limit it to main events mostly and allow others to fill in the gaps as needed outside of the main story.

I think a big thing about the success of my own RP was everyone involved was as dedicated to it as I was. It makes the process easier to handle if everyone pitches in. Its nearly impossible, insanely FRUSTRATING to do it on your own it feels futile and fruitless a lot of the time.

EDIT
The roleplay ended because one of our players had cancer, she didn't die but chemo was rough so she had to leave. We didn't want to continue without her so we just stopped and never really went back to it. We did other RPs together.

As for what made the RP great, it was the success. The fact that I wanted to run the RP different from any other RP I had done before and it worked out THAT is what made the whole thing great. I had a dedicated group who were passionate, worked well together, WAY more creative than me, and were all willing to put in the effort . . . honestly, best group of ladies I have ever RP'd with.

That is too cool. Y'all had journals? THE DEDICATION. Do you ever go back and reread them sometimes? I really like the idea of a discussion after each major event to make sure everyone's still on point.