Viewpoint What makes a roleplay good?

[Literary Revenant]

So, I've been making attempts and roleplays for years at this point. Looking to join some, making my own, it's been an exciting journey, albeit a little stagnant.

When I join roleplays, sometimes I'm unsure as how to roleplay. I've got no experience with any tabletop games and therefore I don't have tools to use on that front. I often find it hard to follow the authors ambition, and don't know how they want me to play, nor how to respond to other players in a way that sparks a good interaction. In the past, I've had great interactions with players/characters, other times it's like a struggle to make anything happen. So ultimately all the roleplays I have joined don't get too far.

Past attempts of hosting roleplays has been very VERY difficult as I start off with full motivation and am ready to go, then I lose that said motivation before I manage to get the story where I wanted it to be. Thinking of an idea is easy, but fleshing it out is often obnoxiously hard. Plus with so many ideas, it's hard to make something that catches a viewers eye and makes them want to play. Some of my interest checks sparked off well with over 10 potential players. Other times, the idea gets one or 2 likes and it fizzles out. Following that, I think that either I post interest checks at bad times, or that I haven't given ideas enough thought and they don't captivate.

So I figured I'd ask, what makes a Roleplay good? Level of activity, amount of interest, quality of content, lots of cookies?

 

[Jannah]

Firstly, I feel like this is a pretty subjective question. Different people are looking for different things from the RP experience. Not just genre-wise, either.

What do I personally think makes a RP good? Well, speaking from a 1x1 perspective (my experience with groups is much more limited) I think it can be a number of things. I'm a very character driven writer. For me, it's all about the characters and the different challenges they're forced to endure. That's not to say plot is not important because it definitely is, but I do tend to lose interest in RP's quickly that have bland or one-dimensional characters. I like to see complex characters thrown into situations that truly challenge them and everything they uphold. It allows for significant development.

Additionally, RP's need a number of different elements to be good. At least, imo. If a RP is purely fluff or purely angst then that can bore me quickly. Just like real life isn't completely one of those things RP's should not be either. I'm not saying every RP needs to have dark and gritty elements to be good, but there should be something to change up the usual pace. It could be something as basic as relationship drama, things like that. I know romance is popular in 1x1's so this is especially important here. All relationships have problems occasionally so if you're doing a fluffy romantic RP then having some sort of relationship drama would not be out of place. It would also be a more realistic experience of how people actually react.

This one is sort of obvious to most, but a good RP should not have elements of metagaming, godmodding, Mary Suing, etc. Those should be watched out for, particularly in the character creation process. To the experienced eye most are usually pretty easy to spot.

 

[Literary Revenant]

Firstly, I feel like this is a pretty subjective question. Different people are looking for different things from the RP experience. Not just genre-wise, either.

What do I personally think makes a RP good? Well, speaking from a 1x1 perspective (my experience with groups is much more limited) I think it can be a number of things. I'm a very character driven writer. For me, it's all about the characters and the different challenges they're forced to endure. That's not to say plot is not important because it definitely is, but I do tend to lose interest in RP's quickly that have bland or one-dimensional characters. I like to see complex characters thrown into situations that truly challenge them and everything they uphold. It allows for significant development.

Additionally, RP's need a number of different elements to be good. At least, imo. If a RP is purely fluff or purely angst then that can bore me quickly. Just like real life isn't completely one of those things RP's should not be either. I'm not saying every RP needs to have dark and gritty elements to be good, but there should be something to change up the usual pace. It could be something as basic as relationship drama, things like that. I know romance is popular in 1x1's so this is especially important here. All relationships have problems occasionally so if you're doing a fluffy romantic RP then having some sort of relationship drama would not be out of place. It would also be a more realistic experience of how people actually react.

This one is sort of obvious to most, but a good RP should not have elements of metagaming, godmodding, Mary Suing, etc. Those should be watched out for, particularly in the character creation process. To the experienced eye most are usually pretty easy to spot.

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it!

When I see an idea that makes me excited, usually it's something involving group stuff. My preferred style of RP is groups facing challenges together, with their strengths covering eachother's weaknesses. I've never really done a successful 1x1 rp, so I cannot attest to that. I love making complex characters, usually with their own dark sides that I make obvious but still suppressed to hopefully reveal later. I find that overly gritty rps tend to feel monotonous without some level of joy to care or aim to protect get bland, or if someone has lost everything, that they need to have something to aim for. The hard part I've had with Roleplays is usually coming from fleshing out thoughts and actions in a way that's interesting, but light enough to not feel like a big novel. That's always what usually causes me to lose motivation, when I write too much too fast and get burnt out.

 

[Jannah]

Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it!

When I see an idea that makes me excited, usually it's something involving group stuff. My preferred style of RP is groups facing challenges together, with their strengths covering eachother's weaknesses. I've never really done a successful 1x1 rp, so I cannot attest to that. I love making complex characters, usually with their own dark sides that I make obvious but still suppressed to hopefully reveal later. I find that overly gritty rps tend to feel monotonous without some level of joy to care or aim to protect get bland, or if someone has lost everything, that they need to have something to aim for. The hard part I've had with Roleplays is usually coming from fleshing out thoughts and actions in a way that's interesting, but light enough to not feel like a big novel. That's always what usually causes me to lose motivation, when I write too much too fast and get burnt out.

I mean, don't get me wrong. I love dark and gritty RP's, thus the vast majority of mine tend to be along those lines. However, even in the face of hardship there's moments of joy to be found. This should be reflected in RP as well. Even if it's just taking joy in the little things it absolutely still counts!

 

[Literary Revenant]

I mean, don't get me wrong. I love dark and gritty RP's, thus the vast majority of mine tend to be along those lines. However, even in the face of hardship there's moments of joy to be found. This should be reflected in RP as well. Even if it's just taking joy in the little things it absolutely still counts!

I think that's because we are excited about the 'dark side' of things, since we experience a near utopia of sorts, or because we are curious to see how dark it's become and why it's dark and gritty. A story I've been fleshing out for a while is that of a Mercenary company looking to move to a different continent as industry has caused heavy polution and is slowly killing the land itself. Essentially the struggle of a captain looking to move to greener pastures, literally. XD

 

[nerdy tangents]

So for me personally my main focus has always been world building. The roleplays I have been the most excited about have always focused on fleshing out a world with my partner.

I don’t really do plot focused roleplays so the world is usually fleshed out through low stakes exploration.


To paraphrase a favorite author : I find magic in the every day. I don’t care about fighting or questing or solving some large scale problem. I like to take a simple premise and find the soothing magic within it.

So a lot of my premises are basically : run a farm, work at a cafe, train dogs, etc.

Stuff that is low stakes but also can be given a bit of pizazz with magic.

 

[Literary Revenant]

So for me personally my main focus has always been world building. The roleplays I have been the most excited about have always focused on fleshing out a world with my partner.

I don’t really do plot focused roleplays so the world is usually fleshed out through low stakes exploration.


To paraphrase a favorite author : I find magic in the every day. I don’t care about fighting or questing or solving some large scale problem. I like to take a simple premise and find the soothing magic within it.

So a lot of my premises are basically : run a farm, work at a cafe, train dogs, etc.

Stuff that is low stakes but also can be given a bit of pizazz with magic.

Interesting, when you say World Building in this scenario, I assume you mean actually building the world with the characters without it being written prior to the scene being established? Essentially discovering what's cool about the world WHILE it's happening in the Roleplay? Or do I have that wrong?

When you say you don't do "plot focused" roleplays, how would you define "plot focused"? Things like "We must defeat the Dark Lord!" I'd guess.

My preference has me lean on the side of "Story must have plot!" as if it were a low stakes endeavor of just playing a character living, it'd be like playing the Sims. (Which by itself can be fun for a time.) I worry that low stakes becomes stagnant, as what can happen when there's no major risk involved? Though I wouldn't mind playing that part for some scenes, I definitely wouldn't play something low stakes long term. That's the glory of writing though, we all like different styles.

 

[Jannah]

So for me personally my main focus has always been world building. The roleplays I have been the most excited about have always focused on fleshing out a world with my partner.

I don’t really do plot focused roleplays so the world is usually fleshed out through low stakes exploration.


To paraphrase a favorite author : I find magic in the every day. I don’t care about fighting or questing or solving some large scale problem. I like to take a simple premise and find the soothing magic within it.

So a lot of my premises are basically : run a farm, work at a cafe, train dogs, etc.

Stuff that is low stakes but also can be given a bit of pizazz with magic.

I'm the opposite. I hate worldbuilding in RP's. I just feel it's far too much commitment for something that will likely not even make it past the first few pages. Because of that I stick to real world or pseudo-real world settings.

 

[Literary Revenant]

I'm the opposite. I hate worldbuilding in RP's. I just feel it's far too much commitment for something that will likely not even make it past the first few pages. Because of that I stick to real world or pseudo-real world settings.

XD that just goes to show differences in preferred playstyles. I do agree that Worldbuilding is a huge commitment for what may be very little return. However, I've always been a daydreamer, imagining my life in different worlds and scenarios. I love the RPG genre of games where I can be something that I'm not. When I apply the same concept to real world subjects, it doesn't make me feel the same way. I do enjoy realistic notes, but for anything real world, I intend to go out to the real world to do.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Interesting, when you say World Building in this scenario, I assume you mean actually building the world with the characters without it being written prior to the scene being established? Essentially discovering what's cool about the world WHILE it's happening in the Roleplay? Or do I have that wrong?

When you say you don't do "plot focused" roleplays, how would you define "plot focused"? Things like "We must defeat the Dark Lord!" I'd guess.

My preference has me lean on the side of "Story must have plot!" as if it were a low stakes endeavor of just playing a character living, it'd be like playing the Sims. (Which by itself can be fun for a time.) I worry that low stakes becomes stagnant, as what can happen when there's no major risk involved? Though I wouldn't mind playing that part for some scenes, I definitely wouldn't play something low stakes long term. That's the glory of writing though, we all like different styles.

So for me world building comes in two different faces :

1. Is the set up phase where my partner and I work out the mechanics of the world. So let's say the roleplay is set in a cafe, we will flesh out what the cafe is, what it sells, a bit about the economics of the world (as relevant). There might be a bit of the races or magical beings that make up the world as I usually do superhero type stuff.

2. Unlocking through exposition. This part usually grows as the story progresses. So we'll add in character dynamics (using the cafe example we'll create regulars and different types of gossip that make the cafe setting interesting). We also add in more day to day aspects of the world building. So let's say the cafe gets a new special or idk they open another location. Stuff that sort of expands the world but doesn't necessarily need to worked out before hand.

 

[Literary Revenant]

So for me world building comes in two different faces :

1. Is the set up phase where my partner and I work out the mechanics of the world. So let's say the roleplay is set in a cafe, we will flesh out what the cafe is, what it sells, a bit about the economics of the world (as relevant). There might be a bit of the races or magical beings that make up the world as I usually do superhero type stuff.

2. Unlocking through exposition. This part usually grows as the story progresses. So we'll add in character dynamics (using the cafe example we'll create regulars and different types of gossip that make the cafe setting interesting). We also add in more day to day aspects of the world building. So let's say the cafe gets a new special or idk they open another location. Stuff that sort of expands the world but doesn't necessarily need to worked out before hand.

Your way of world building is not too dissimilar from my own.

1. I start off with the general idea of the plot I am working on and I'll establish the initial setting. For example, I have a story about a mercenary captain who is looking to escape an old world ravaged by pollution and constant political bickering to save her company from ruin. I flesh out the first setting, specifying how grim it is and why people want to get out. I'll establish what the world has accomplished and what these people are capable of so that the players will know what they can create.

2. Morph Setting as plot advances, again not too dissimilar as how you do it. Once our captain escapes the horrible first setting, we get to the new setting, where I add on bits of what the people have learned about the new world. I'll add in new threats while tying in old ones. For example, a new threat would be local kingdoms/species, an old threat would be the same industry which has nearly destroyed the old world. Since my way of writing is usually plot based, it does need to be worked out before hand, at least in part. I'll get the main idea of the setting down and do minor edits and addons until I am pleased with the result. As you can imagine, that takes up a LOT of time.

 

[GojiBean]

Everyone has a different idea of what makes an RP "good."

But there are a few common factors that everyone can agree on, if even only in basic understanding or concept:

1) Staying In The World

What I mean by this is that you never, and I mean never, let OOC knowledge or desire overcome the character's own desires. I've been in many RP's where one or more players wanted some characters to romance one another and then they awkwardly stumbled through and rushed the courtship and the fun of actually trying to get them together, and when they finally did end up together it wasn't believable because what they did flew in the face of how their characters naturally behaved and thought based on how they were presented all throughout the RP up until that point.

As role-players, we need to be conscious of the fact that everything we think of needs to be looked at through the lens of our character's mind. Not our own.

The moment we force our own wants onto a character, they're no longer that character. They're us in the guise of a character. And that's not the same thing as role-playing. Role-playing, and storytelling in general, is all about stepping into the head of someone else. Not putting someone else in your head.

2) Worldbuilding Consistency/Coherency

Worldbuilding is something we role-players do subconsciously. Every time we envision a scene based on the GM's description, we're worldbuilding. We're creating visual images in our mind's eye to show us what the world looks like, what it sounds like, what it smells like, etc. Along with that is what we see around us.

For example, let's say the GM describes the world as follows: A medieval-fantasy world grounded in reality (so no mythical creatures) where the crossbow is still the pinnacle of weapon's tech (so no guns or black powder yet aside from basic explosive pouches), where steel clashes with steel and the laws of the land revolve around which kingdom maintains dominance!

The last thing you want to see in an RP world of this nature, given what the GM gave you to work with, is a mythical creature or a gun suddenly showing up out of nowhere. Especially if it's an antagonistic force because it not only breaks the GM's original worldbuilding rules and setup, but it's also straight up unfair to put you at such a disadvantage in technology or creatures when it was strictly forbidden on your end with no warning or hint that it would be used against you later.

Inexperienced GM's will often try to "surprise" their role-players with elements and ideas never introduced at the start of the RP. And if this is done well, which it often isn't, then it's not a huge deal unless it straight up breaks the worldbuilding they started with as given in the example above. When it's not done well, everyone feels it and the RP suddenly feels less genuine and the fun factor can drop off significantly.

So this is more a point for GM's to take to heart than players. But it's something players should be on the lookout for as well. If the worldbuilding and the "rules" of the world seem to be in a state of flux or inconsistently presented, it's either a sign of an inexperienced GM, or it's a sign that the GM isn't taking their role seriously and it's probably not going to end well for anyone.

3) Fun Factor

The fun factor affects everyone differently, and everyone has their own opinion about what this means. For one player, fun might mean being able to dominate the competition DBZ style and just own everyone in combat. To another player, the fun might come from always being weaker and on the backfoot fighting to overcome a great obstacle.

To each their own, as they say.

However, a single unifying point at the heart of everyone's "fun" experience is whether or not their character is truly living in the world. And what I mean by this is not simply the fact that role-playing them in the RP means they're in the world. It most certainly does not.

Living in the world means that your character (and you by proxy) feel every gentle breeze, see and hear every rustling leaf, feel the dirt beneath your boots, hear the sounds of combat and death, feel the impact of each sword clash or beam struggle, experience shortness of breath whenever cornered or in a claustrophobic environment, and the terror of that feeling slipping up your spine when walking down that next dark hallway.

Living in the world means exactly what it sounds like. When your character, and you by proxy, can truly experience the world together, that's arguably the most important part. If you're just going through the motions and posting for the character to move them along to the next post, you're not living the experience. You're just watching and blindly, perhaps even absent-mindedly, coasting through the whole thing. And that's going to get really old, really fast.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

So that's my two cents on this topic of what makes a good role-play!

Hope you enjoyed!

Cheers!

 

[nerdy tangents]

See I never understood the desire to feel strong emotions through roleplay. I am usually roleplaying to de-stress not cause additional stress. So anything that changes my emotional state is avoided at all cost, usually because that means I have stressed myself out in some way or another (or my body will interpret it as stress anyway).

I get being excited to talk to someone but I wouldn’t say that changes my emotional state, it just gets my brain engaged in something useful.

 

[nerdy tangents]

That's fair, I can relate to a degree. But I find it fairly boring if the characters are just cookie-cutter figurines that float through the story with no goals and conflicts. Well crafted, they induce an array of emotions one way or another. But thankfully me and my partner can decide what kind of emotions by adjusting the plot (I also tend to steer clear of anything too heavy or angst-centered).​

See I think we might mean different things when we say emotions. I basically mean I never saw the desire to have a physical reaction to roleplays.

So like if you are literally crying or your heart is racing.

I don’t mean “oh this roleplay makes me feel depressed”

I mean “this roleplay changes my bodies physical state”

 

[nerdy tangents]

Yeah and I have too many mental disorders in my family to want to have physical reactions paired to effectively my imagination.

Like my imagination effects my body enough already cuz I can’t afford my anxiety meds. So I really don’t need to do it to myself deliberately.

 

[free2bealways]

There are a few things I think factor into a good roleplay:

1. Awesome, real characters. Seriously, the more time you spend on that character sheet adding preferences and flaws and traits and their deepest fears/desires, the better.

2. The writer’s skill level. In general, what I’ve noticed is that I enjoy writing with people who are close to my skill level. Too low and I get frustrated and bored. Too high and it’s intimidating to the point where I almost can’t post.

3. A well thought out idea. Simple ideas like “a boarding school for the gifted” or “people stuck in an underground cavern” is vague enough that you’re left wondering what to do with that. I have enough trouble figuring out what to do with myself irl. Basically, spend as much time on your world and story concept as you did on your awesome, real character sheets. Bonus points if you come up with a list of plot points (as a team a team or at the very least, agreed on by all members) to work through.

4. Pick a world/story concept & characters you and your rp partner(s) are really excited about. It’s hard to keep up the momentum if you’re kind of medium on the story or the characters you’re playing with/against. For example, I’m totally obsessed Jase right now. If I get to be him in a story (main or side), I’m automatically way more interested. Also, I’m really feeling magic atm. And I know it’ll last because one of my favorite RPs for over a decade is this x-men style one. Plus, how cool is it when you get to have powers nobody in our world does?

5. Comparability & Synergy. Along with choosing a partner close to your skill level, finding one with similar interests is important too. I’m a total romantic, so if you’re not into love stories, we are gonna have a problem. Also, I don’t do super dark stuff. Real life is sordid and dark enough. Balance the shared interests with synergy. Find someone who shares your interests but is different from you in key ways. It’ll make the story more interesting because they’ll constantly surprise you. Also? If you’re bad with settings, for example and she’s great with them, it’s a lot easier than working with someone who is also bad at settings.

That’s all I got for now.

 

[Literary Revenant]

Everyone has a different idea of what makes an RP "good."

But there are a few common factors that everyone can agree on, if even only in basic understanding or concept:

1) Staying In The World

What I mean by this is that you never, and I mean never, let OOC knowledge or desire overcome the character's own desires. I've been in many RP's where one or more players wanted some characters to romance one another and then they awkwardly stumbled through and rushed the courtship and the fun of actually trying to get them together, and when they finally did end up together it wasn't believable because what they did flew in the face of how their characters naturally behaved and thought based on how they were presented all throughout the RP up until that point.

As role-players, we need to be conscious of the fact that everything we think of needs to be looked at through the lens of our character's mind. Not our own.

The moment we force our own wants onto a character, they're no longer that character. They're us in the guise of a character. And that's not the same thing as role-playing. Role-playing, and storytelling in general, is all about stepping into the head of someone else. Not putting someone else in your head.

2) Worldbuilding Consistency/Coherency

Worldbuilding is something we role-players do subconsciously. Every time we envision a scene based on the GM's description, we're worldbuilding. We're creating visual images in our mind's eye to show us what the world looks like, what it sounds like, what it smells like, etc. Along with that is what we see around us.

For example, let's say the GM describes the world as follows: A medieval-fantasy world grounded in reality (so no mythical creatures) where the crossbow is still the pinnacle of weapon's tech (so no guns or black powder yet aside from basic explosive pouches), where steel clashes with steel and the laws of the land revolve around which kingdom maintains dominance!

The last thing you want to see in an RP world of this nature, given what the GM gave you to work with, is a mythical creature or a gun suddenly showing up out of nowhere. Especially if it's an antagonistic force because it not only breaks the GM's original worldbuilding rules and setup, but it's also straight up unfair to put you at such a disadvantage in technology or creatures when it was strictly forbidden on your end with no warning or hint that it would be used against you later.

Inexperienced GM's will often try to "surprise" their role-players with elements and ideas never introduced at the start of the RP. And if this is done well, which it often isn't, then it's not a huge deal unless it straight up breaks the worldbuilding they started with as given in the example above. When it's not done well, everyone feels it and the RP suddenly feels less genuine and the fun factor can drop off significantly.

So this is more a point for GM's to take to heart than players. But it's something players should be on the lookout for as well. If the worldbuilding and the "rules" of the world seem to be in a state of flux or inconsistently presented, it's either a sign of an inexperienced GM, or it's a sign that the GM isn't taking their role seriously and it's probably not going to end well for anyone.

3) Fun Factor

The fun factor affects everyone differently, and everyone has their own opinion about what this means. For one player, fun might mean being able to dominate the competition DBZ style and just own everyone in combat. To another player, the fun might come from always being weaker and on the backfoot fighting to overcome a great obstacle.

To each their own, as they say.

However, a single unifying point at the heart of everyone's "fun" experience is whether or not their character is truly living in the world. And what I mean by this is not simply the fact that role-playing them in the RP means they're in the world. It most certainly does not.

Living in the world means that your character (and you by proxy) feel every gentle breeze, see and hear every rustling leaf, feel the dirt beneath your boots, hear the sounds of combat and death, feel the impact of each sword clash or beam struggle, experience shortness of breath whenever cornered or in a claustrophobic environment, and the terror of that feeling slipping up your spine when walking down that next dark hallway.

Living in the world means exactly what it sounds like. When your character, and you by proxy, can truly experience the world together, that's arguably the most important part. If you're just going through the motions and posting for the character to move them along to the next post, you're not living the experience. You're just watching and blindly, perhaps even absent-mindedly, coasting through the whole thing. And that's going to get really old, really fast.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------​

So that's my two cents on this topic of what makes a good role-play!

Hope you enjoyed!

Cheers!

I absolutely enjoyed that, theres so much to say and I can't hardly react to it all. Overall, I am very exciting that you were willing to share that, it's invaluable advice and thought processes.

 

[Literary Revenant]

There are a few things I think factor into a good roleplay:

1. Awesome, real characters. Seriously, the more time you spend on that character sheet adding preferences and flaws and traits and their deepest fears/desires, the better.

2. The writer’s skill level. In general, what I’ve noticed is that I enjoy writing with people who are close to my skill level. Too low and I get frustrated and bored. Too high and it’s intimidating to the point where I almost can’t post.

3. A well thought out idea. Simple ideas like “a boarding school for the gifted” or “people stuck in an underground cavern” is vague enough that you’re left wondering what to do with that. I have enough trouble figuring out what to do with myself irl. Basically, spend as much time on your world and story concept as you did on your awesome, real character sheets. Bonus points if you come up with a list of plot points (as a team a team or at the very least, agreed on by all members) to work through.

4. Pick a world/story concept & characters you and your rp partner(s) are really excited about. It’s hard to keep up the momentum if you’re kind of medium on the story or the characters you’re playing with/against. For example, I’m totally obsessed Jase right now. If I get to be him in a story (main or side), I’m automatically way more interested. Also, I’m really feeling magic atm. And I know it’ll last because one of my favorite RPs for over a decade is this x-men style one. Plus, how cool is it when you get to have powers nobody in our world does?

5. Comparability & Synergy. Along with choosing a partner close to your skill level, finding one with similar interests is important too. I’m a total romantic, so if you’re not into love stories, we are gonna have a problem. Also, I don’t do super dark stuff. Real life is sordid and dark enough. Balance the shared interests with synergy. Find someone who shares your interests but is different from you in key ways. It’ll make the story more interesting because they’ll constantly surprise you. Also? If you’re bad with settings, for example and she’s great with them, it’s a lot easier than working with someone who is also bad at settings.

That’s all I got for now.

You have strong points here and I can relate to all of them. Good characters are some of the reasons why I like to (try) host roleplays. Sure, I have my characters, but seeing the creativity of other people sparks inspiration.

Skill level is a touchy thing for me. I don't want to value someone based on their ability to write a post but it is so much easier to interact when someone is interested/passionate about the story. Or that they put effort into posts and not just throwing little replies after I give them a couple paragraphs. What makes me touchy is when people set very high expectations for a player's writing ability. Often times these people have really cool ideas, but are super strict on who they allow in. (Atleast this was the case for me years ago. Just came back recently.) I don't want to be barred from a cool idea because I don't write glorious mini novels.
Continuing on this point, I consider myself amateur but enthusiastic. I love writing and reading stories, though playing in one that actually finishes is an aspiration of mine here. I only hope to have the skill to do that. XD

This is why I like World building and establishing a plot. It keeps players organized on what they working towards. The hard part with that though is that I am my own worst critic. I constantly ask "Is this good enough, do I need to do more, what do people like?" This ties into skill level as well.

That's always the hardest part. I know what I like, but I don't know what everyone else likes. I haven't done a group idea collab ever. This ties into what I said previously, where I worry about whether my ideas are good enough for players to become enthralled and want to see what's next.

I am unsure whether you mean a partner in the story or simply another player here. If it's a partner with your project, then yeah I understand everything of what you're saying. If it's just another player, then well... I'd hope that we'd have good synergy.

 

[Literary Revenant]

Ultimately my reason for making this thread is because I am tired of trying to host story ideas that either die off early or cause loss of motivation in myself or players. I'm looking for advice as to what can keep an audience interested. So far all the points I have seen are fabulous and incredibly helpful, it's getting my creativity sparked again. I've been rebranding an idea as you all have been sharing your points and I wanted to say thank you all so very much.

 

[free2bealways]

You have strong points here and I can relate to all of them. Good characters are some of the reasons why I like to (try) host roleplays. Sure, I have my characters, but seeing the creativity of other people sparks inspiration.

Thanks!

Skill level is a touchy thing for me. I don't want to value someone based on their ability to write a post but it is so much easier to interact when someone is interested/passionate about the story. Or that they put effort into posts and not just throwing little replies after I give them a couple paragraphs. What makes me touchy is when people set very high expectations for a player's writing ability. Often times these people have really cool ideas, but are super strict on who they allow in. (Atleast this was the case for me years ago. Just came back recently.) I don't want to be barred from a cool idea because I don't write glorious mini novels.
Continuing on this point, I consider myself amateur but enthusiastic. I love writing and reading stories, though playing in one that actually finishes is an aspiration of mine here. I only hope to have the skill to do that. XD

I honestly feel bad sometimes because I don’t want to come off as arrogant, but when you’ve been practicing writing and taking classes and actively pursuing/working on improving your writing for 25+ years, that tends to have an impact. I find less experienced writers make a lot of the same mistakes, mistakes I used to make too. So it can get frustrating/boring for me.

Because it’s as much about how you tell the story as it is about the story itself. (Not exactly like perfect craft, but the way something is told. Murderbot Diaries is told from the POV of someone whose “education module” wasn’t very good. So the MC uses words incorrectly sometimes. But in a way that doesn’t detract from the story and that reinforces his background. Beginning writers (generally speaking) tend to have a little harder time submersing themselves in the character and/or world. I can totally admit that until the past couple years, this was something I struggled with too. (I’m not saying I’m perfect at it, just loads better than I used to be.)

And I’m not really looking for someone to write a novella. It’s not about length for me. I’ve written a few posts that were mere sentences. (Though admittedly many of my posts are much longer than that.) It’s about the quality of the writing.

I’m actually not even looking for someone on the same level as me. I’m looking for someone on a compatible level.

This is why I like World building and establishing a plot. It keeps players organized on what they working towards. The hard part with that though is that I am my own worst critic. I constantly ask "Is this good enough, do I need to do more, what do people like?" This ties into skill level as well.

YES! World building!! It’s hard sometimes, but necessary.

I am honestly also my own worst critic. I have to think that’s really common among people in general, regardless of your passion. I’ll bet you’re a lot better writer than you think you are!

That's always the hardest part. I know what I like, but I don't know what everyone else likes. I haven't done a group idea collab ever. This ties into what I said previously, where I worry about whether my ideas are good enough for players to become enthralled and want to see what's next.

I‘ve done an rp with…2? 3? other writers before, but that was a long time ago. Most of my experience is one-on-one. My old partner and I really grew a lot as writers together.

I totally agree with you. You can worry about whether ideas are good enough or right or whatever. Just be excited about them and put them out there. If it’s not what someone else is into, you can always do something else, or it’s possible that person isn’t a good fit for you.

I am unsure whether you mean a partner in the story or simply another player here. If it's a partner with your project, then yeah I understand everything of what you're saying. If it's just another player, then well... I'd hope that we'd have good synergy.

Partner = the person you’re writing with. My old rp partner and I had a lot of shared interests: YA, love stories, writing, etc. But we also had synergy. She was good at things I wasn’t and vice versa. It helped me grow a lot as a writer and I like to think it helped her too. But also, it was helpful to have someone pick up my slack (my weak areas) and vice versa.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Literary Revenant So you actually bring up a very common misconception with roleplaying. People think that if they get an idea / presentation perfect then that will get people more motivated to stay in their roleplay. To be perfectly honest your presentation / idea has very little do with roleplay longevity. It also is a fairly small part of getting people interested in the initial stages too.

How you get new players is usually down to luck and timing. You find someone who has free time and compatible interests to yourself. Yes how you present your ideas might help but only a little bit tbh. Mostly it's just down to finding people at the right time, or people actively seeking ideas similar to yours.

I tell people on average I get maybe one or two people who contact me based on any specific interest check. Most of my partners I get because I search through filters for ideas similar to my own and contact the person directly. Even then I get maybe one or two responses that actually lead to a roleplay.

That has nothing to do with the content of the roleplay or the presentation of the ideas. It is entirely down to whether the other person and I have compatible schedules and whether I fit what they are looking for at the moment.

Now once the roleplay starts yeah your gonna want to keep people engaged. The most proven way to do that is actually just make friends. It is one of the first lessons I learned as a group roleplayer and it carries over into 1x1s. The more invested your partner is in you as a person the more effort they're gonna put into keeping the roleplay alive.

But again that's just down to luck more than anything. You can't force people to be friends with you and just being friendly and chatty isn't going to guarantee other people reciprocate (trust me I get my fair share of blocks of wood in my own searches)

 

[BloomingScribe]

I think what makes a roleplay or any form of collaborative writing good is the ability to identify with characters. If you're able to relate to your character and feel his/her emotions, that's where great stories are born. I also think that communication is key to building these bonds—and without communication, it's impossible for anyone to be emotionally invested in a story. It is always good to bear in mind the person you are writing with and make compromises that help the story evolve.

 

[Katya]

Honestly, it's all about the people. You can role-play a ridiculous storyline but still if the people you role-playing with are respectful, fun-loving, forgiving and involved. It works. I've only been in two role plays I would consider in the good to great category and it wasn't the literacy ability or the storyline. It was the people I was role-playing with who were really connected to the story and flow. Rather than a self-centred plotline that brought no one together. See, this is what frustrates me about role-playing. You get a lot of main character syndrome dramatics. Everyone wants to be the main character and that is just not possible. A story can only handle at max 8 main storylines. All novelists know this. Really that's a stretch. So when a see a role play with like twenty-four roles I know it's doomed to failure. More does not mean better. It overwhelms the overall story arch and often creates tension.
I actually think that having clear characters. Like a core five created character specifically for the storyline. This generally brings a lot of success to a role play but it gets a lot of judgment. However, if you have a story. The characters should be made to support that arch and if they don't. If you have some random weird character out of place in the storyline. Yeah, it just crumbles it because people need direction for something to survive. Even if it's just a small bit.

 

[Big Brother Jack]

It is subjective but I think having a good relationship in a role play makes it fun. Like when you and your partner have a male and a female get together organically and the story does not focus on you, like for example Hydra is not going to just come for ya'll. But yeah I get being the third wheel fucking blows and I have been there believe me....but I would say the relationship part will work better in 1 X 1 settings so no one feels like a useless piece of shit. I also think you need a good villain for a role-play to succeed just like in Movies, comics, Manga, tv, games, ETC because the villain is usually the main conflict that pushes you guys to join forces and defeat him/her.

 

[Jannah]

It is subjective but I think having a good relationship in a role play makes it fun. Like when you and your partner have a male and a female get together organically and the story does not focus on you, like for example Hydra is not going to just come for ya'll. But yeah I get being the third wheel fucking blows and I have been there believe me....but I would say the relationship part will work better in 1 X 1 settings so no one feels like a useless piece of shit. I also think you need a good villain for a role-play to succeed just like in Movies, comics, Manga, tv, games, ETC because the villain is usually the main conflict that pushes you guys to join forces and defeat him/her.

On that it should be noted that the villain does not necessarily have to be a physical force either. It could be something as simple as societal rules (this is especially effective in forbidden romance plots) or the character's personal mental illness.