Alright, for this week's discussion it's actually something that I do think about a lot, so here goes nothing! 

	When it comes to getting that first core group of roleplayers, it has a lot to do with your GMing style. There will be some roleplayers who mesh well with you, some who can tolerate you, and some that will find just about everything you do to be infuriating - and that's perfectly fine! There's a roleplayer for every GM out there, so as long as you are upfront and honest about how you're going to GM, you will end up with roleplayers who can thrive with your unique style in the end. But if you try to be something you're not - i.e. if I tried to be a super super laid back and easy going GM - then it won't work out. You'll end up frustrated and your players will too, so be yourself. You'll make friends and if you host more than one roleplay, odds are if they like the concept, they'll show up for the next one as well.

	Once you have your player base, I find that there are three ideas to keep in mind: [i]challenge, encourage, and correct.[/i] I'll elaborate a little bit on each of these: 

	[u]Challenge [/u]- It's super easy as a GM to go 'well, I've got this awesome group, now I can just coast.' Hell, I'm a lazy person by nature so I totally get that urge. However, if you aren't challenging your roleplayers to grow as players and writers, then they aren't going to enjoy things. It's like if you let them easily overcome every obstacle - no one wants to read a story like that! So maybe for you, the answer is to come up with more complex problems as the storyline goes on and maybe allow your roleplayers to take a little more control. In my the Gifted RP, I actually am letting roleplayers portray the villains in the story and it's been amazing so far. It certainly has challenged them and I know it's challenging me as a GM.

	[u]Encourage[/u] - I do drop [i]likes[/i] on posts, especially if I know someone is having a rough patch in real life or on the guild, as I know seeing a notification that I got a [i]like[/i] or something puts a little spring in my step. I'll make comments in our discord chat saying things like "omg Max [the character] is a dumpster fire but damn it, he gives me life. Loved the post!!" I try my best to encourage other people to do things as well. If a post makes you feel, say something! It encourages everyone to keep on writing, as well as lets you know when you've done something well. 

	Now, I've also developed a system of well.... blatant bribery at times. Blue and I will give out rewards for noticing little easter eggs or posting quickly, such as reroll cards (if they ask for a dice roll and don't like the result, we'll reroll it for them) or extension cards (to give them more time to post). I've recently been making trading cards of [b]all of the active characters[/b] and I've been giving them out to people as roleplays reach milestones (i.e. 100, 200, 300, 400 posts and arc completions). I'm working on developing a game that can be played with the cards, but people love collecting the cards of their own characters and it definitely encourages them. Here's one of the cards based on Blue's character, Angstrom, in the Uncanny X-Factor: 
	[center][img]https://i.postimg.cc/XqjDNKCL/image.png[/img][/center]

	[u]Correct[/u] - This isn't the fun one. You have to apply the rules to your longstanding members just as harshly as you would for a newcomer. Everyone has to be treated equally and even if they've been playing with you for a while, people will make mistakes. It's your job as the GM to make sure that no one is above the rules - not even yourself - as otherwise, it's easy for a culture of favoritism to spawn. 

	Okay, and now onto enticing newcomers to join - honestly, it has a lot to do with the culture of your roleplay. If it's a longstanding roleplay, people are going to be intimidated about joining. Blue and I discussed this in our guide which was helpfully linked in this issue of RPGN. Beyond what we discussed in the guide, I think that it is important to have [u]opportunities[/u] for new players. If all of the slots and roles in your story are filled, then why would someone want to join? No one wants to join a roleplay if there just isn't room for them. You need to make sure that roles are open and the newcomers are made to feel welcome, ensuring that you value their contributions and don't just see them as a number. I think a lot of times, people look at recruiting as just boosting the numbers in the roleplay - and they forget to look at the fact that you are essentially trying to bring in a new cast member (to use the analogy of a show). If they can't throw wrenches into the plot or end up just as important as the original characters, if not potentially even more so, then why should they bother? Why shouldn't they just wait for the next RP interest check to come around that's pitching a similar idea?