Hello all, you can call me Abby~

I am new here to the Guild and just as new to role play in general. I am currently building an interest check on a possible RP. While that is going as smooth as I expected it (roughly), I do have concerns that I have not read in other RP’s here.

Namely, the finer points in how to build and maintain a consistency in an active RP?

Like, I am a book reader and I understand the processes in plot progression in novels, but RP’s seem to have their own systematic progression system that I’m at a complete loss of.

In that, I would like to have some advice/protips in developing the RP through actual postings. Just some steps that needs to happen in order to maintain interest and dynamics in plot points.

To simplify this further,

I would like to know what do YOU do to keep your RP’s active and entertaining.

Thank you so much!

Ah, thank you so much, MissCapnCrunch! (I like the name, lol)

I think I was on the road for the over-planning so thank you. I will do my best with this RP, hopefully it goes well!

So, yes, again, thank you so much for the advice.

Always consider player interaction before anything else.

RP's are like webs of character connections with content and posting responsibility flowing from one member to the next - a whole slew of mixed metaphors, you see. If your RP isn't set up well, activity will get clogged up and the whole thing will start to crumble.

I realize that was probably pretty confusing, but what I'm trying to say is, just try to visualize in your mind how the posts from each member (and from yourself) affect everyone else in the RP. You should always make sure each post you write contains something for others to react to, and ensure that the rest of your players do the same. Additionally, avoid scenarios where the characters have nothing to do, where a single player is writing interactions between two or more of their own characters, or where you just have too many characters in one place, so it's hard for the players to know who moves next, causing everyone to just stop out of nowhere because they all think they're waiting for someone else. Which brings me to my next point - if a player, for any reason, becomes inactive and starts holding up the activity flow, act fast, or else their absence could hold up a bunch of other people and cause a huge chunk of your RP, if not all of it, to crumble.

There are a lot of potentially bad scenarios to look out for, but basically what I'm saying is, always think of things in terms of activity flow. You're right that planning a novel and planning an RP are two very different things, because when planning a novel, you only have the story to worry about. But with an RP, you not only have the story to keep an eye on, but you also have activity flow, which so many GM's seem to overlook despite it being the blood that flows through every RP's veins. Always look at every decision you make not only from a story standpoint, but perhaps more importantly, from an activity standpoint. Always try to go for what will keep things flowing the best.

The OOC.

While, yes, you should keep the IC engaging and whatnot.

A healthy, active OOC, will help just as much. People won't forget you, if they keep coming back to the OOC and having a good time.

Post once per day. Just once per *bleeping* day! That's all we ask for. *bleeping* *bleep*...

Wraithblade6 said
Post once per day. Just once per *bleeping* day! That's all we ask for. *bleeping* *bleep*...

<-- Kept an RP alive with a once a week rule.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Wraithblade6 said
Post once per day. Just once per *bleeping* day! That's all we ask for. *bleeping* *bleep*...

Rilla said
<-- Kept an RP alive with a once a week rule. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Yeah, recommending a strict posting rate to new GM's or even players really doesn't always work, just because every RP moves at a different speed and they all have different definitions as to what posting "regularly" means.

In some RP's, posting once a day is needed. In others, you might be "speed-posting" when compared to the rest of the player group, not giving enough people time to get their replies in.

I hate you Rilla. Hate you!!

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. ;D

Rilla said
<-- Kept an RP alive with a once a week rule. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Lightweights. Precipice has been alive for three years and we post once a month. If we're feeling productive.

Rilla said
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. ;D

"Hate me because I can wiggle my buttocks better than you."