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

[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.

Okay, I definitely didn't answer the question with this reply, sorry about that. The thing that made this roleplay so fun was that it had a great GM ( thatguyinthestore ) who managed to balance the plot with player freedom alongside keeping up with the extremely active group. He worked his ass off with this roleplay, the ones that have come after, and the one that is currently still going.

 

[Grey]

Dumb luck was responsible for my best RP on RPN. That and having a few IRL friends playing.
it was a slightly weird fantasy setting where the players were the very diverse crew of an airship, trying to just focus on mercantilism and some personal goals while getting swept up in bigger conflicts and an attempted coup. just sort of fizzled after two years, but we had a good time. I know my depression contributed to my waning engagement, and I think everyone else just got overwhelmed with work or moving or something.
The whole thing is still on here, somewhere. I'd been roleplaying on forums like this once for at least six years the time.
If I knew exactly what made it work, you wouldn't see me in here every week passive-aggressively complaining about the lack of signups.

My best IRL RPs succeed because of research, consideration, and dumb luck. Also some great GMs handling the extra tables. Possibly also my willingness to challenge the players.

 

[zulidy]

Definitely chemistry for me. How well the rp'er and I worked together to create an engaging plot, and even becoming close friends afterwards. It's amazing that often the people you think are the best roleplayers can have so many things in common with yourself!

 

[CecilDMMasters]

First just to start I've RPed for years. Younger days offline. Now I do 1x1 online and at this point in my life rare occasion RP small group offline. Online group RPs don't do well with me for varied reasons.

So for getting a good several month RP I find a number of things help.

Communication is the main big thing. Discussing plot and listening when someone says they aren't comfortable with something or even that they are not enjoying something is key. The point of RPing is fun. If one person is running rough shod over the other person to get 'their' interest in then things will fall apart as the ignored person's interests wanes. My longest RPs are always the ones with open communication and discussion on story.

This is going to sound odd, but I've quit a few RPs for this including two long term ones due to people thinking I was so nice they could troll me. Don't troll your partner in OR out of RP. Don't start blowing off issues with laughy emojis or making the RP uncomfortable with meta knowledge because you start to feel like your partner is too nice and you think you're funny. Or you are trying to teach them a lesson for not agreeing to some plot you want. Also, don't feel you need to stick with a partner that does this to you.

Talking outside of RP about things other than RP is great! But don't let it effect the RP if you get told someone is not into something you like out of RP. Their is literally ALOT of topics to discuss out their. Even people with different interests can find things to talk about.

Respect the other person's schedule. I work full time. And as I stopped RPing with people under 18 most partners either have jobs or school. So their are stints of the RP being slow. If you can't handle not having replies on a set schedule then be up front about it. Coming home and sitting down to relax to be guilt tripped is not my idea of creative mood setting.

Respect your partners rules and triggers. Pretty obvious one. Also, don't be afraid to mention if you have a taboo or trigger. This is both for RP and OOC BTW.

 

[Skawly]

How do you do, fellow newbie?
Sometime around like 2014, I joined a Naruto RP on Gaiaonline. I was just getting back into RPing after a few years and wanted something nostalgic.
Most RPs I was in before and after lasted maybe only a few months if I was lucky, but this one lasted about a full year straight. Maybe that's not a super long time, but shit, it was for me.
There were actual plot developments and character arcs happening, which is something I can't say for most I've joined after.

I'm honestly not sure what made it work, but I'm beginning to think luck can have a lot to do with it as much as anything else. There was always some kind of activity going on; we had an OOC thread and a PiratePad chat that were always active. It seems like whenever an RP is going into its death throws, the OOC is one of the firsts to go. There were so many people and characters all spread out, so there was always someone to interact with anywhere. There were two mods that started it and a few co-mods, so there were multiple people managing it, which probably helped keep things running. I made a lot of good RP friends there that I still talk to and write with when we can. It was the best start back into the RP community I could've asked for.

It ended because of OOC drama that I didn't know about until after it shut down. I just kind noticed it getting slow and slower, then one of the mods quit. Only me and like two others were the only ones who stuck around until the very end. We eventually made a spin-off of it with just the three of us and our own plot that kinda branched off the old one. That one also lasted for about a year, but it was a lot slower.

 

[Grey]

Luck is basically everything.
Source: I have been here since 2008

 

[Akweia]

How do you do, fellow newbie?
Sometime around like 2014, I joined a Naruto RP on Gaiaonline. I was just getting back into RPing after a few years and wanted something nostalgic.
Most RPs I was in before and after lasted maybe only a few months if I was lucky, but this one lasted about a full year straight. Maybe that's not a super long time, but shit, it was for me.
There were actual plot developments and character arcs happening, which is something I can't say for most I've joined after.

I'm honestly not sure what made it work, but I'm beginning to think luck can have a lot to do with it as much as anything else. There was always some kind of activity going on; we had an OOC thread and a PiratePad chat that were always active. It seems like whenever an RP is going into its death throws, the OOC is one of the firsts to go. There were so many people and characters all spread out, so there was always someone to interact with anywhere. There were two mods that started it and a few co-mods, so there were multiple people managing it, which probably helped keep things running. I made a lot of good RP friends there that I still talk to and write with when we can. It was the best start back into the RP community I could've asked for.

It ended because of OOC drama that I didn't know about until after it shut down. I just kind noticed it getting slow and slower, then one of the mods quit. Only me and like two others were the only ones who stuck around until the very end. We eventually made a spin-off of it with just the three of us and our own plot that kinda branched off the old one. That one also lasted for about a year, but it was a lot slower.

I guess sometimes the stars just align for some stories more so than others. I've had some RPs die even with planning and with a good group of people XD. Sometimes people just get exhausted.

 

[Skawly]

I guess sometimes the stars just align for some stories more so than others. I've had some RPs die even with planning and with a good group of people XD. Sometimes people just get exhausted.

That's 100% true in my experience too.
There's so many factors, but just having people be able to keep at it is one of the most important things, but it's also the most volatile.
It's become a waiting game for me most of the time now, which is fine, but sometimes people lose interest during the wait.