I just want to get some opinions from other RPers on a matter. What separates an inactive RP from a truly dead one? And when is a RP well and truly dead in your book?

If a group RP: When the GM says it is dead.

If a 1x1 RP: When the other person tells me they don't want to continue.

For me that's all there is to it. Could go inactive for weeks or months and start right back up again so long as everyone's willing.

For me, it depends on a few factors.

If I barely know or talk to my partner, like either we have just gotten started or they're not that close with me, the RP is dead whenever I get tired of waiting. I decided a long time ago, I don't like to chase people down for replies. If you have stuff going on or you want me to expect delays, you gotta let me know to wait. I'm not going to pry into your business. I am only entitled to whatever my partner feels comfortable telling me.

If we have been going for several months/pages of content, or if my partner is a good friend, I will leave it open indefinitely just sorta wait for them to check back in with me. Usually if they're a good enough friend, I'll know what is going on or what to expect. But sometimes they don't have a chance to tell you. In any case, a deeper connection between partners warrants the benefit of the doubt.

I am eternal optimist; I have threads in my archive that have been there for 7 years waiting to breathe life back into them. I just restarted one after 4 years, but I am also very old school and have on and off again RP's with people I met on AOL 30 years ago.

So I guess it all depends on when you want to pull the plug.

I just want to get some opinions from other RPers on a matter. What separates an inactive RP from a truly dead one? And when is a RP well and truly dead in your book?

You know how you have a tendency to drop out of an RP without giving any warning to your partners? That RP is dead to you but inactive to your partner. See? It's all based on perspective.

In all seriousness, I believe that is one of those distinctions that can only be made with hindsight. A roleplay that sits dormant for 4 years before the GM or your partner open it back up again is inactive, while one that sits dormant forever is dead. Though if you ask me, people and their tastes tend to change over time, and so a long absence from an RP can change its intended trajectory. Say you and I started an RP with dinosaurs that was just some mindless body horror, but after a four year hiatus I decide I want all the carnage to mean something and start writing the dinos as allegories for my character's struggles. It's not really the same RP, yet is is.

I think a better question would be not asking if an RP is dead, but if it's something I could see myself picking up again. I'll never know what the other side thinks unless they tell me, which is a rarity in group or 1x1 RPs. Recently I took an RP that the GM shit canned and started running it with 75%-ish of the original players. It's far outlived the original RP, has a lot of the same characters, but I wouldn't say it's the same RP. It's all very abstract, kind of like how there's no material difference between a corpse and a living person. All the same materials are there, the only difference is that one rots and the other is sleeping.

Though perhaps instead of exploring the existential state of an RP, maybe you just want to know how long I wait on an RP before moving on. But I think that's had the hell answered out of it so I won't be redundant.

If a group RP: When the GM says it is dead.

Or when the majority of players have left and one cannot get any more; that's also an RP-killer.

<Snipped quote by Yankee>

Or when the majority of players have left and one cannot get any more; that's also an RP-killer.

I don't quite agree. I think the RP could transition to a small group or a 1x1 at that point. As long as someone is willing to 'run' it (or share the work running it), it wouldn't be dead dead.

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>
I don't quite agree. I think the RP could transition to a small group or a 1x1 at that point. As long as someone is willing to 'run' it (or share the work running it), it wouldn't be dead dead.

Huh, true. It depends on the setting and plot, though?

Pretty much just when the GM gives up. I've had games stand up and finish after years of no activity before (I punched Lucifer in the gut and created the other half of the universe in the process.) All depends on the group.

Based on some of my own failures, I'd say some surefire death knells are:

When it becomes clear the energy/enthusiasm is gone(in general)

When it becomes clear the GM has checked out