Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AxeEcliptica
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Am I the only one who's noticed that it seems like most roleplays are series-based? I mean, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with it. But what about those of us who don't fell comfortable roleplaying in series-based roleplays or don't like any of the topics these roleplays are inspired by?

I'm mainly just ranting because I can't find anything that isn't series-based or cliche. I feel like a seed of creativity floating in a sea of fandoms: no originality. It's so difficult to find something unique and interesting here...
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by nautilusmp
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We share that feeling. But we have to be aware that original plots don't just come straight into our head.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Kaga
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Firstly, if you don't like the roleplays that are out there, make your own. Plain and simple.

Secondly, I'd hardly say fandom-roleplays show "no originality". I can't speak for all fandom roleplays, sure, but many of them go above and beyond simply taking a pre-made concept and doing nothing to it. Many create their own plots given the world they're working with, their own antagonists, and so much more. For example, a friend and I have a nearly-finished Pokemon RP that's been months in the making. And by that, I don't mean it's been running for months, I mean we've spent months making it, just to have enough for an OOC. We created our own region, our own evil teams, our own plot, our own gym leaders, decided what Pokemon you find where - or rather, actually, we still need to finalize that bit, but you get the gist. A lot of work went into it, and I'm sure much more will once it actually starts and we sit down to fine-tune the plot that our players will journey through. I'd hardly call all fandom roleplays unoriginal, especially when most non-fandom roleplays are still guilty of rather unoriginal and recycled ideas like high school, wolf pack, medieval fantasy and zombie apocalypse RP's.

Thirdly, there's a good reason why fandom RP's thrive, and the reason is this; the more original something is, the harder it is to understand. Fandom RP's use a pre-existing world and concept, and advertise to players who already know and understand these worlds/concepts, and that makes making, and joining RP's easier on the GM's/players than more original concepts. Say, for example, a GM creates a world containing 700+ different species of monsters that the players will expect to encounter in the form of NPC's. That's a LOT of information to take in, and a lot for the GM to manage. Odds are, almost no one will join, and the GM either has no life or will destroy theirs spending all their time to manage that RP and keep all the information straight. Meanwhile, a GM starting a Pokemon RP will be wildly more successful - because both the GM and the players are already all quite familiar with their 700+ monsters. Same goes for an original game based on a video game made to destroy the universe while simultaneously creating a new one all while dealing with an extremely complex in-game plot along with time-travel shenanigans, aliens, and a mess of player stats to keep straight - as opposed to joining a Homestuck RP, where all this knowledge would be common amongst players and easily understood. Hell, this is the same logic that keeps common RP setups such as high schools and zombie apocalypses widespread - they're something we're familiar with and easy to understand, thus it's easier for GM's to run, easier for players to join in on, and the whole thing requires so much less effort to get started. The more original the idea, unfortunately, the more you're asking for from your player base, and that's not always something you'll get, especially if your RP seems to contain too much new information for players to digest.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Rilla
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Kaga said
Firstly, if you don't like the roleplays that are out there, make your own. Plain and simple.


/thread
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jorick
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Everything, huh? Let's take a look at the front page of the interest check sections for Free, Casual, and Advanced. For the record, I don't count mentions of "inspired by X" as a fandom RP unless it's actually using the world or characters from that inspirational work. The first page of each section has 30 threads listed, so let's see how the breakdown goes for fandom stuff versus original world/plot RPs.

Free: 17 original, 13 fandom.
Casual: 16 original, 14 fandom.
Advanced: 19 original, 11 fandom.

Oh look, less than half of them are fandom games. That's pretty far from everything, I think.

Snark aside, if you're dissatisfied by the current RP fare then you have three options. Option one: complain about it; this is the wholly unproductive option which you are currently engaged in. Option two: wait and see if something decent comes up later. Option three: make your own RP that fits what you want from one.

I suggest going the route of option three and planting that seed of creativity. It's better to add something of quality to the vast field of roleplays than to stand around talking about the lack of quality, after all. Option two is also acceptable if you're lazy or uncomfortable with being a GM. Option one is just not productive and ends up with people telling you to make your own RP if you don't like what's available, as happened in this thread already while I was typing this up.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Jannah
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I had an original idea I tried to start awhile ago that nobody joined. I think that's a problem, many original ideas don't gather much interest.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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Crap, this again?

Everything that needs to be said was covered by the others. But basically, it boils down to existing fandoms =/= devoid of creativity. Many of the "original" RPs use concepts that are frequently used, and as Kaga said, if you make up too much stuff for an original game, it may make sense in your head, but keep in mind that nobody else was working for however long to bring that world to life. They're coming into it, and trying their best to keep things straight without being contradictory or breaking the original game's lore. It's a huge amount of work that people constantly have to second guess themselves if they aren't sure of something, which is why a lot of RPs, fandoms or original, use things people are familiar with. It's not because the GMs are hacks with no creative spark, it's because they rather focus on building a story that players immediately grasp instead of being constantly interrupted by the fact that several of the players may be forced to take educated guesses about stuff a GM made up and hope they didn't screw it up, which grinds things to a halt, forces edits and can often lead to rather forceful disagreements and frustration.

Thus why people like me like to use established settings from games I rather enjoy the setting and lore of; it doesn't mean I want to tell the same story as the game that inspired the roleplay, it means I enjoyed something enough that I want to tell a story in that setting because the universe is big and interesting enough that I am confident of crafting an original story in those confines and that all the players coming into it are on the same page as I am. It's hard for players to have arguments about a setting if the rules are already well established. Plus, I tend not to use anything from the games that inspired the roleplay; nobody wants to play a plot they've already participated in before in another medium. This is a big reason why my Mass Effect RP takes place a decade before the first game; absolutely nothing from the game series plot and characters will make an appearance. Likewise, my Elder Scrolls game is a plot that has nothing to do with the plots of the existing games. But what do I know? The former's been running for a year, and the latter is about 3/4 of a year. Having a game last that long is something very, very few games can boast. And you don't have a game run that long if the people involved are uncreative, uninspired people who parrot everything they see.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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Although, I am curious as to why you're complaining about fandom based stuff when that's pretty much what you're joining, or original ideas that have been done dozens if not hundreds of times on this site.

AxeEcliptica said
UGH. OMG I've only played Star Ocean 3 but I love it so much ;-; If this was for SO:3 I would do it in a heartbeat. Best. Game. EVER. I know I haven't played SO:4 but would you let me in if I read a summary of the game? (being a fan of 3 I know how long these games can get but I am still willing to try)


A fandom RP you are rather enthusiastic for.

AxeEcliptica said
I would like to join it but some things are a little too cliche. Like the mansion part for example. Just some constructive crit. Not trying to hurt anyone's feelings, aside from some of the cliche things I really like this, and would even be willing to join. I'm a quick roleplayer though, I can usually churn out two good posts a day at the level you're asking


A wolf pack RP that you were interested in but said had a lot of cliche stuff. You had to have known what you were getting into when you clicked the link.

AxeEcliptica said

So what do I like? I like adventure type roleplays, with a little bit of fighting (both physical and verbal) and a little bit of romance, but not too much of either. I'd prefer something that isn't cliche like factions or wars. Maybe something with a travel aspect/feel similar to that of the T.V. shows/anime The Walking Dead, Inu Yasha, or Slayer. I also like magic roleplays, witches, faeries, all that fun stuff. Paranormal roleplays really get me excited. I'll do school/academy type roleplays too depending on how they're set up.



For your interest check, you say factions and wars are cliche and proceed to name drop magic roleplays with fantasy trappings, paranormal roleplays which are a dime a dozen (as they include anything from ghost hunters, witches, werewolves, vampires, et cetera), and academy roleplays, which are literally the most common RP type on this site and are largely interchangeable.

Point is, don't complain about something if it's exactly the thing you're showing interest towards.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Kestrel
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*checks own RP's*

Nope, all on-going is 'original.'

So it can't be everything. Claim dismissed.

As for originality... Most fantasy worlds we're going to come across will have elves and dwarves. Modern fantasy will hit you with werewolves and sci-fi will very likely be about space travel. Besides, you could make something 'totally original' but it would be very hard to find players because you're trying to sell people things they don't know. This is why we use genres as descriptors to begin with. This is why you always include entry points in the shape of familiar elements, ways for people to grasp the setting. This unoriginality makes RP's work. I mean if I told you we would now be in an RP set in someone's liver and we'd all be like Osmosis Jones trying to prevent the body from getting sick, but with a lot more accurate anatomy, it'd be pretty damn 'original' but nobody would play it because they really wouldn't have a clue what to do. Yet if I say you're all chosen knights to find the 7 crystals in a fantasy setting, I could start an interest check with just that and everyone and their dog would know what to do. Both concepts have the same amount of depth, both have a goal, but I can guarentee the fantasy one will do better.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Brovo
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Shouldn't be looking for original anyway. Should be looking for unique and well done. :p
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Ichthys
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^ Brovo summed it up nicely.

Don't judge an RP because of where it comes from, judge it because of how it is.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Protagonist
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"Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good."
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Crimson Flame
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And being fandom based is an issue because...?

Anything else I could contribute to this discussion has already been said better by someone else. xD
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by HeySeuss
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Even Tolkien drew off of the prose Edda and other mythologies that he studied in his day job as a professor at Oxford. He wrote an interesting article about myth-creation (mythopoesis) called "On Fairy Stories" that described some of this process.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by StarWight
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I tried an original RP at the old guild once. It was actually pretty damn successful, but I ended up having to drop it (dissapointing a handful of people and making me feel really bad in the process D: ). BUT, it went pretty well, was an "original" RP...but it took things already familiar with players. With the exception of two races, they were all familiar to any fantasy fan out there. Like everyone else has been saying, as a GM it's MUCH easier to keep up with things when the players already know what to expect, or what said creatures are. You don't have to explain every tiny detail and it's just easier to keep up with!

I love fandoms too, I play both. Nothing wrong with a good fandom, so long as it's well put together. I'm working on putting together a Fallout 3 based RP even as I type this up. Just toss in something new, make it your own, and yeah it's a fandom but it's also your own unique RP :)
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AxeEcliptica
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To those telling me to make my own: I already have. And I refuse to be GM to more than one of the rp's I'm in at one time.

To those nagging at me because there's nothing wrong with fandoms/sometimes roleplays just draw inspiration from other stories/blah: It all counts. Story, world, characters. And I understand that it's easier, I understand that it's easier to get people's attention. However, there are too many.

To those saying there are quite a few original rp's out: Yeah, but a lot of them are also painfully cliche. Also, I limit myself strictly to casual roleplays. Too OCD for free, and too lazy for advanced. And the Casual RP section is FLOODED with fandom-based roleplays.

and lastly to all: I wasn't meaning to offend anyone, just gripe a little bit. If you like fandom-based rp's that's great! Glad you're enjoying yourself on this site. I'm just frustrated because as a seasoned roleplayer who shies away from fandom-based rp's it's near impossible to find anything good.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Kaga
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AxeEcliptica said
However, there are too many.


To those saying there are quite a few original rp's out: Yeah, but a lot of them are also painfully cliche.


I'm just frustrated because as a seasoned roleplayer who shies away from fandom-based rp's it's near impossible to find anything good.


I don't think you really listened to what I said.

There are "too many" because, for the reasons stated above, fandom RP's are more likely to be successful than original ones.

A lot of the original RP's out are "too painfully cliche" because they also aren't really "original", but, because of that, are still more likely to succeed for the same reasons.

And that last quote pretty much just translates to "fandom RP's are trash and I'm too good for them". If they're not to your tastes, that's one thing, but many do have real effort put into them and are arguably more "original" than many so-called original RP's. I'd hardly label all of them as unquestionably inferior to non-fandom roleplays.

And... if there are no RP's out there that you enjoy, and you don't want to create your own, well, there's nothing you or I can do about it.


and lastly to all: I wasn't meaning to offend anyone


Oh, I wasn't offended when I wrote my initial response. I just wanted to help you understand why fandom RP's tend to be so much more common.

Now I'm somewhat offended.

Edit: Oh, and if I might suggest something - Advanced is easier than most stereotypes make it out to be. Half of Casual already qualifies for Advanced standards, so it's not too much of a step up. If you want to get away from fandom RP's, Advanced does have less of them.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Dervish
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Sure glad we spent all that time explaining things to someone who doesn't have the desire to listen or comprehend what we were saying. Especially someone whose participation in interest checks have so far been the very cliche things he seems to be taking issue with.

Time to move on.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by AxeEcliptica
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Kaga said And that last quote pretty much just translates to "fandom RP's are trash and I'm too good for them"


Kaga, you misunderstand me. By that I meant all I can find are fandom-based and cliche roleplays. I don't think I'm better than anyone else or too good for any kind of roleplay, I just know what I like, know what I don't like, know what I won't put up with, and know what to avoid.

And I really don't mean to offend anyone. More than anything else I wanted other people's opinions, and that's what I got. I also gave mine, and if they offended you I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to upset anyone - even those who enjoy the series-based roleplays.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Kaga
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AxeEcliptica said
Kaga, you misunderstand me. By that I meant all I can find are fandom-based and cliche roleplays. I don't think I'm better than anyone else or too good for any kind of roleplay, I just know what I like, know what I don't like, know what I won't put up with, and know what to avoid. And I really don't mean to offend anyone. More than anything else I wanted other people's opinions, and that's what I got. I also gave mine, and if they offended you I'm sorry, but I didn't mean to upset anyone - even those who enjoy the series-based roleplays.


Well, like I said, the only real option seems to be to check out Advanced. That's all the advice I can give.
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