[quote=gorgenmast]
I think you'll find that shorter openings on the order of 1k words are more successful because nobody wants to read of wall of text that they're not invested in. You can't just dump a boatload of prose on someone and expect them to read it just 'cause. Interest has to be husbanded. When you've got them hooked, then you can ramp up the word count.
[/quote]

Well, I feel like the proof is in the pudding here. I've labored to keep the opening posts shorter and have had better luck with it. I can't always keep it way down, but I try my best to abbreviate it as much as possible.

[quote=Kidd]
It can just straight up be laziness: "I don't want to have to read all that." I'm guilty of this sometimes. Though, I agree, it's also the fear of "Shit, what if I can't write that much to match?"

And I mean, regardless, it depends on the RP and the people and there are a lot of factors here to consider. Basically, long intros are sometimes better and shorter intros are sometimes better. Just gotta take it case by case, I think.
[/quote]

Well, except that I've used longer intros for a long time. As indicated, the evidence from my small experiment seems to have borne fruit and others have made interesting suggestions like "put stuff in hiders" which, honestly, I've tried. I've attempted summaries of the action and other gimmicks and they don't seem to work as well as "shorten the intro."