Ok, here's a question for you GMs out there, or anybody really. I have a problem right now. I've started an RP, but as soon as it began I started losing interest in it. I can't really say why I've started losing interest, it's just suddenly I feel like its a chore rather than fun. Maybe I'm just not built for GMing (though I've run multiple RPs on the old guild without falling into this rut) or... Something. I'm not really sure. I don't want to disappoint all of my players by just dropping it out of the blue, but I don't want to continue either. Do any of you ever feel like this? What do you do once you've just lost interest in your RP?
HeySeuss DJ Hot Carl
Member
Seen
24 days ago
I feel like I've been fighting this one for a long time on the Guild, and my answer is that a lot of things contribute to this.
At one point, I bowed out as a GM and handed over the reigns. That RP is still going. The players were very pumped and excited to do it and I was feeling overwhelmed and burned out.
When I've had RP's go under (and I won't lie, that's a lot of them) it's usually either that I start it and get no reply. I start it, get replies and feel like I hit a wall, like the other person's post is hard for me to reply to. To be fair, in that particular case, I have not, in the past, reached out and tried to talk it out. In another case, they stop responding and I am left hanging. I can't speak for their reasons.
I think -all- of these problems stem from one essential item -- communication. as a GM, you have to keep the lines of communication constantly open, you have to keep talking about the plot and at times, help guide a frustrated player through writing their post. You can do this by brainstorming with them, helping them by providing pointers to hooks you left in your writing or to even leave a checklist of stuff that's happened for them to work off of.
To be fair, for me, this is a work in progress. I am trying to become more consistent and long running in my RP's. I'm tired of saying, "Oh, players dropped." That's maybe 30% of it at best. And I think the reasons they drop have to do with communication.
Hopefully, someone with success in keeping an RP going will illuminate us on the technique involved. ;)
At one point, I bowed out as a GM and handed over the reigns. That RP is still going. The players were very pumped and excited to do it and I was feeling overwhelmed and burned out.
When I've had RP's go under (and I won't lie, that's a lot of them) it's usually either that I start it and get no reply. I start it, get replies and feel like I hit a wall, like the other person's post is hard for me to reply to. To be fair, in that particular case, I have not, in the past, reached out and tried to talk it out. In another case, they stop responding and I am left hanging. I can't speak for their reasons.
I think -all- of these problems stem from one essential item -- communication. as a GM, you have to keep the lines of communication constantly open, you have to keep talking about the plot and at times, help guide a frustrated player through writing their post. You can do this by brainstorming with them, helping them by providing pointers to hooks you left in your writing or to even leave a checklist of stuff that's happened for them to work off of.
To be fair, for me, this is a work in progress. I am trying to become more consistent and long running in my RP's. I'm tired of saying, "Oh, players dropped." That's maybe 30% of it at best. And I think the reasons they drop have to do with communication.
Hopefully, someone with success in keeping an RP going will illuminate us on the technique involved. ;)
ReaptheMusic Of a Certain Grim Reaper Aesthetic
Member
Seen
2 yrs ago
I tried to start an rp once (well twice now.)
But then I took an arrow to the knee.
*an arrow flies from somewhere offscreen and hits me in the arm*
>.>
Anyways.... It's not worth the effort. Controlling the strings takes too much work. Both times ive attempted now I've gotten either tons of bites and nothing on the ooc, or no bites at all. It sucks. Stemming off of this on the topic of making cs, I hate to feel like its not good enough or its too good when i spent oh, maybe a few hours on a cs? and the things they may point out to you as being too unusual for a character they put on their own... bleeding hypocrites. I may just leave an rp now because that happened to me.
I find I either leave rps because it dies or, for the first time, because i felt insulted.
But then I took an arrow to the knee.
*an arrow flies from somewhere offscreen and hits me in the arm*
>.>
Anyways.... It's not worth the effort. Controlling the strings takes too much work. Both times ive attempted now I've gotten either tons of bites and nothing on the ooc, or no bites at all. It sucks. Stemming off of this on the topic of making cs, I hate to feel like its not good enough or its too good when i spent oh, maybe a few hours on a cs? and the things they may point out to you as being too unusual for a character they put on their own... bleeding hypocrites. I may just leave an rp now because that happened to me.
I find I either leave rps because it dies or, for the first time, because i felt insulted.
Aragorn The Gentleman of Light
Member
Seen
5 yrs ago
Yeah...it's happened to me too many times. I'll be gone for a few days because of irl stuff, then come back, ready to continue and everything! Then I get stuck. I end up handing the reins over to one of my players and disappearing, angry at myself for abandoning my players. :s
This has to do with initial excitement. Once it wears off, you lose interest. You can prevent it by writing down all of your ideas, leave them for a week and then return to them and see if you are still interested. Work with the ideas a bit more and then leave them for a week again. I've recently taken to this method, which has made me scrap dozens of ideas. There is but one idea that I'm still interested in and still working on. When I finally get around to posting it, my initial excitement will be at a zero, which will help me to be consistent in running the roleplay.
Dervish Let's get volatile
Member
Seen
9 mos ago
Everyone hits walls, this is why having a solid co-GM helps. I have been keeping a game running for over a year, and sometimes I just hit a point where I stare at the screen, devoid of ideas or creativity. You can always takea few days away from it until you hit some inspiration, but don't be afraidof ssharing your concerns with players and see if they might have some idwas they want to try or even just chatting OOC can help. I can't count how many times I was on the ropes and then somebody I was talking to got me excited and inspired.
Another thing that helps is if you're still into your game idea, try writing something that's planned for later and see if that doesn't help get you past a certain scene. You could even consider an OOC thread game/ exercise involving your players and do things like a character opinion game, a goofy fanfic, some in-universe behind the scenes post, or even a player survey. Don't fret about being stuck, just come back to it with an open mind and without pressuring yourself!
Another thing that helps is if you're still into your game idea, try writing something that's planned for later and see if that doesn't help get you past a certain scene. You could even consider an OOC thread game/ exercise involving your players and do things like a character opinion game, a goofy fanfic, some in-universe behind the scenes post, or even a player survey. Don't fret about being stuck, just come back to it with an open mind and without pressuring yourself!
Dervish Let's get volatile
Member
Seen
9 mos ago
One more thing!
If you had a source of inspiration for the game, go back to it and just enjoy it, temind yourself why you wanted to roleplay with those ideas. You were inspired somewhere, sometimes you just need to recharge that inspiration.
If you had a source of inspiration for the game, go back to it and just enjoy it, temind yourself why you wanted to roleplay with those ideas. You were inspired somewhere, sometimes you just need to recharge that inspiration.
OP
Strangelander
Member
Offline since relaunch
Wizard said
This has to do with initial excitement. Once it wears off, you lose interest. You can prevent it by writing down all of your ideas, leave them for a week and then return to them and see if you are still interested. Work with the ideas a bit more and then leave them for a week again. I've recently taken to this method, which has made me scrap dozens of ideas. There is but one idea that I'm still interested in and still working on. When I finally get around to posting it, my initial excitement will be at a zero, which will help me to be consistent in running the roleplay.
I feel like this might be a large part of my particular case. I have plenty of text-files sitting around on my desktop with ideas I'm still interested in doing, but this one is a reboot (well, spiritual successor I guess) of an Old Guild RP I did and I went and posted it, but now I'm kinda regretting it.
Dervish said
One more thing!If you had a source of inspiration for the game, go back to it and just enjoy it, temind yourself why you wanted to roleplay with those ideas. You were inspired somewhere, sometimes you just need to recharge that inspiration.
Oh, I should try this (as well as your other suggestions)! But that means I gotta dig up my PS2 and Wild Arms... If I can find them. Or I could read Dark Tower again.
On the co-GM thing, do you have tips for finding a co-GM? I would say somebody I know and trust in real life, though I don't know anybody on the Guild in real life (though now that I think about it, I know people who might be interested).
I'm going to try to rough it through for a bit, and it if I still feel uninterested then I think I'll talk to my players about handing over the reins or something.
Dervish Let's get volatile
Member
Seen
9 mos ago
For the coGMing thing, usually I just ask pkayers I have RPed with before that I got along well with and talk to on an IM service. It's one of the fun parts of RPing, getting to know people. It comes with time, but don't be afraid to be social! The best games on the site have healthy OOC banter and friendly player relationships. Get to know a few people!
As for the whole hooking up the PS2 thing, maybe just YouTube some videos and what not. :)
As for the whole hooking up the PS2 thing, maybe just YouTube some videos and what not. :)
Rexcalibur Kung Fuhrer
Member
Seen
5 yrs ago
Sorry if you're already doing any of the below suggestions haha, but I thought I'd help contribute too. :) Sorry for the incoming essay lol.
It helps having an end-game plan in mind when GMing I'd think, i.e. somewhat of a clear direction with where you wanna go in the end and a general path you wanna go in. (I've seen a lot of people just start up RPs because they've got a really cool idea to go with - then they lose direction after getting passed the introductory stage.) At the same time, having enough leeway that everyone can experiment and pitch in in the middle helps to keep you the GM interested as well. I've not solo-GMed before because I'm between too picky and too nice, so it would not end well at all lol, but before my friends introduced me to group RPing I always did 1x1 and contributed to the world/setup/plot etc. equally with another person. (What Wizard said too about leaving an idea then going back to it later is good too!)
As mentioned earlier, communication is key too (HeySuess and Dervish make really good points there). So while you have a direction and some basics of a world/setting setup, pushing or insisting for others to contribute their own things keeps things interesting as well. I can't stand RPing with people who do nothing but just react to what the GM's done rather than help push forward with the plot/setting/interactions/whatever. The GM in another RP I'm in also spends some chapters co-GMing with one of his players at a time, so it not only gives the GM a bit of a break regarding always having to come up with new ideas, but it keeps the players themselves chipper and feeling like they have a legitimate role in the RP as well.
The OOC doesn't even have to be about the RP itself; it gets exhausting if it's the only thing on your mind. Just have a group of friendly people to actually have some conversations with between posts. Some nonsense about what music everyone's listening to or what game everyone's been playing lately... starting some tv-show thing where everyone watches like two eps of a series a week. Stuff like that :)
Sometimes the blame for the boredom also falls on your partner/s too, not because you're actually bored with your own idea though it seems like it. Which is again why I said I'd be terribad at GMing because I don't have the guts to tell someone to either act up or buzz off when I'm frustrated with like other GMs I know can. XD; If you ever start another RP you're gonna GM, you could also snoop around your players' activity level (if they're not new) to see if they're chatty on other OOCs or whatever. So you have an idea of what to expect from them too? idk. That sounds a bit stalkerish lol, but it's saved my hide a few times.
Hope something here helps :)
(Also sorry, was snoopin around the BL3 thread during my break and thought I'd comment on this thread too. :P)
It helps having an end-game plan in mind when GMing I'd think, i.e. somewhat of a clear direction with where you wanna go in the end and a general path you wanna go in. (I've seen a lot of people just start up RPs because they've got a really cool idea to go with - then they lose direction after getting passed the introductory stage.) At the same time, having enough leeway that everyone can experiment and pitch in in the middle helps to keep you the GM interested as well. I've not solo-GMed before because I'm between too picky and too nice, so it would not end well at all lol, but before my friends introduced me to group RPing I always did 1x1 and contributed to the world/setup/plot etc. equally with another person. (What Wizard said too about leaving an idea then going back to it later is good too!)
As mentioned earlier, communication is key too (HeySuess and Dervish make really good points there). So while you have a direction and some basics of a world/setting setup, pushing or insisting for others to contribute their own things keeps things interesting as well. I can't stand RPing with people who do nothing but just react to what the GM's done rather than help push forward with the plot/setting/interactions/whatever. The GM in another RP I'm in also spends some chapters co-GMing with one of his players at a time, so it not only gives the GM a bit of a break regarding always having to come up with new ideas, but it keeps the players themselves chipper and feeling like they have a legitimate role in the RP as well.
The OOC doesn't even have to be about the RP itself; it gets exhausting if it's the only thing on your mind. Just have a group of friendly people to actually have some conversations with between posts. Some nonsense about what music everyone's listening to or what game everyone's been playing lately... starting some tv-show thing where everyone watches like two eps of a series a week. Stuff like that :)
Sometimes the blame for the boredom also falls on your partner/s too, not because you're actually bored with your own idea though it seems like it. Which is again why I said I'd be terribad at GMing because I don't have the guts to tell someone to either act up or buzz off when I'm frustrated with like other GMs I know can. XD; If you ever start another RP you're gonna GM, you could also snoop around your players' activity level (if they're not new) to see if they're chatty on other OOCs or whatever. So you have an idea of what to expect from them too? idk. That sounds a bit stalkerish lol, but it's saved my hide a few times.
Hope something here helps :)
(Also sorry, was snoopin around the BL3 thread during my break and thought I'd comment on this thread too. :P)
*Is the GM Rex mentioned*
Everyone here has hit a lot of solid points. I'll add some more that I think are important.
Wizard (and Rex) hit the nail on the head for one of the reasons most GMs fail, and that's that a lot of rps here start up from initial excitement to an idea but that excitement trails off and very few of them are actually thought out and properly planned. Knowing where you're going and what you're doing is important - although naturally having every storybeat in mind from the outset isn't fantastic as it stifles player contribution, but having stuff in mind planned storywise that you yourself want to see is a good self-motivator, and it just helps keep the rp focused too. I feel players can sense when a GM doesn't know what he's doing or if the rp's heading in a general direction, and that'll eventually show negatively.
But that's not all. People who choose to be GMs should also think and plan beyond just story beats and figure out how and in what way the rp is being run and why. For example, I structured my rp in such a way that it was divided into chapters and that each chapter had a different theme or setting, which helped maintain my interest in the rp because I get to write for different situations rather then be stuck pidgeon holed into one genre, which I feel is something that can eventually help lower interest. Other things such as plotting co-gm chapters where I work with my players to share their own ideas, take the lead and for me to step back a bit. It's also rewarding to help guide my players to hopefully gain the confidence to become GMs later too, perhaps. For the GM I'm currently GMing (which has been running for over a year now) after a failed first try I waited a year before restarting it and planned and considered lots of ideas for both the story and how I'd run it as well as gauge my interest in it before starting.
Communication is the other key factor, and this helps to improve player's interest in an rp too. Honestly, compared to anything and everything else, communication is the main biggie. As has been suggested, talking to people and making friends is incredibly important. I don't just run my rp now because I want to see my rp's story develop, I do it because I want to hang out with my friends and have fun with them. They are my inspiration. Ialso like to incorporate their interests into the rp and see how they react to things I do in the rp (especially an upcoming plot twist I've been waiting two years so far to reach... |3c). It's a nice feeling. I come onto the site everyday to see their wonderful writing, develop the story we're developing and talk about anything and everything, be it music, video games, films etc.
And honestly it's very, very flattering to have Rex say everything she has from watching the way I GM. That makes me happy (and is good motivation to keep on GMing! |D Thank you Rex).
Saying all that though, at the end of the day whilst suggestions and advice can be given its ultimately down to the individual and self motivation. GMing takes a lot of time and responsibility and it's something people who wish to be prospective GMs should really consider and think about before they start an rp. For the most part the time it'd take to do an rp and its story justice should be relatively long I think, given the nature of the medium (and say how some posts for interaction between players could amount to like a minute, and if that's one post a day or later then yeah, story's gonna last a while and rp take a lot of time). I'd personally love to see people who try to GM an rp do so for at least three months before bailing, the latter being all too common far too quickly. Players dropping out is always an occurence and something that is annoying, but a GM bailing out is even worse and a major motivation killer, since they're meant to be the leader and guide of an rp whom players put their trust in, and if it happens often enough it can breed distrust in expecting any rp to last long. And if you're an rper making a character and want to join an rp and become invested in that rp's story and world, then... yeah.
A Co-GM or several is helpful for those who might struggle singularly, since they'd be there to help inspire everyone to keep going through the sharing of ideas etc, and it helps take the weight of responsibility off a person's shoulders too and share it out. And, in contrast to what I said earlier about GMing for at least three months (something I feel prospective GMs should aspire to) if someone really does not feel the motivation to continue being the GM, then they stop immediately, because feeling like that doesn't benefit the rp and will instead cause future problems for themselves and their players. If such a problem is occuring then talk with the players, let them know. Maybe inspiration will strike and things will work out so you can carry on, or maybe the interest is gone, in which case another player could take it up (if they so feel it) or they can know to look elsewhere. Having the feeling like you're on a sinking ship but not knowing for certain is really not fun whatsoever, and players' free time should not, I think, be used on an rp that's probably not going anywhere.
Best of luck!
Everyone here has hit a lot of solid points. I'll add some more that I think are important.
Wizard (and Rex) hit the nail on the head for one of the reasons most GMs fail, and that's that a lot of rps here start up from initial excitement to an idea but that excitement trails off and very few of them are actually thought out and properly planned. Knowing where you're going and what you're doing is important - although naturally having every storybeat in mind from the outset isn't fantastic as it stifles player contribution, but having stuff in mind planned storywise that you yourself want to see is a good self-motivator, and it just helps keep the rp focused too. I feel players can sense when a GM doesn't know what he's doing or if the rp's heading in a general direction, and that'll eventually show negatively.
But that's not all. People who choose to be GMs should also think and plan beyond just story beats and figure out how and in what way the rp is being run and why. For example, I structured my rp in such a way that it was divided into chapters and that each chapter had a different theme or setting, which helped maintain my interest in the rp because I get to write for different situations rather then be stuck pidgeon holed into one genre, which I feel is something that can eventually help lower interest. Other things such as plotting co-gm chapters where I work with my players to share their own ideas, take the lead and for me to step back a bit. It's also rewarding to help guide my players to hopefully gain the confidence to become GMs later too, perhaps. For the GM I'm currently GMing (which has been running for over a year now) after a failed first try I waited a year before restarting it and planned and considered lots of ideas for both the story and how I'd run it as well as gauge my interest in it before starting.
Communication is the other key factor, and this helps to improve player's interest in an rp too. Honestly, compared to anything and everything else, communication is the main biggie. As has been suggested, talking to people and making friends is incredibly important. I don't just run my rp now because I want to see my rp's story develop, I do it because I want to hang out with my friends and have fun with them. They are my inspiration. Ialso like to incorporate their interests into the rp and see how they react to things I do in the rp (especially an upcoming plot twist I've been waiting two years so far to reach... |3c). It's a nice feeling. I come onto the site everyday to see their wonderful writing, develop the story we're developing and talk about anything and everything, be it music, video games, films etc.
And honestly it's very, very flattering to have Rex say everything she has from watching the way I GM. That makes me happy (and is good motivation to keep on GMing! |D Thank you Rex).
Saying all that though, at the end of the day whilst suggestions and advice can be given its ultimately down to the individual and self motivation. GMing takes a lot of time and responsibility and it's something people who wish to be prospective GMs should really consider and think about before they start an rp. For the most part the time it'd take to do an rp and its story justice should be relatively long I think, given the nature of the medium (and say how some posts for interaction between players could amount to like a minute, and if that's one post a day or later then yeah, story's gonna last a while and rp take a lot of time). I'd personally love to see people who try to GM an rp do so for at least three months before bailing, the latter being all too common far too quickly. Players dropping out is always an occurence and something that is annoying, but a GM bailing out is even worse and a major motivation killer, since they're meant to be the leader and guide of an rp whom players put their trust in, and if it happens often enough it can breed distrust in expecting any rp to last long. And if you're an rper making a character and want to join an rp and become invested in that rp's story and world, then... yeah.
A Co-GM or several is helpful for those who might struggle singularly, since they'd be there to help inspire everyone to keep going through the sharing of ideas etc, and it helps take the weight of responsibility off a person's shoulders too and share it out. And, in contrast to what I said earlier about GMing for at least three months (something I feel prospective GMs should aspire to) if someone really does not feel the motivation to continue being the GM, then they stop immediately, because feeling like that doesn't benefit the rp and will instead cause future problems for themselves and their players. If such a problem is occuring then talk with the players, let them know. Maybe inspiration will strike and things will work out so you can carry on, or maybe the interest is gone, in which case another player could take it up (if they so feel it) or they can know to look elsewhere. Having the feeling like you're on a sinking ship but not knowing for certain is really not fun whatsoever, and players' free time should not, I think, be used on an rp that's probably not going anywhere.
Best of luck!
Kaga just passing through
Member
Seen
7 yrs ago
This used to happen to me sometimes. I feel like the issue is getting too excited for a new RP too quickly. You don't give yourself time to let the idea settle in your mind and decide whether or not it's something you can really keep going for an extended period of time.
What do I suggest? Wait at least a couple days after getting an idea for an RP to actually start it. That way, if you were meant to lose excitement right away, it'll happen before you get other people invested in it. I also suggest that, in this time, you develop the idea as much as possible, which will either help you realize there's not much you can get out of the idea, or get you even more excited about it so that your drive to run the RP will last.
What do I suggest? Wait at least a couple days after getting an idea for an RP to actually start it. That way, if you were meant to lose excitement right away, it'll happen before you get other people invested in it. I also suggest that, in this time, you develop the idea as much as possible, which will either help you realize there's not much you can get out of the idea, or get you even more excited about it so that your drive to run the RP will last.
SamTheGingerNinja
Member
Offline since relaunch
Hate to admit that most of my roleplays on the previous site probably died because of me neglecting them. I find building the worlds and setting up the scenarios really fun: funner than actually playing in them. When I first start an IC, I'm really buzzed, but a little way in I just don't know what to write. I'm greatful to all the players who never called me out on it, really.
It occured to me a while ago that one of the things that really contributed to this is that I never actually planned out what was going to happen. I just thought of the scenario and made up some stuff right from the beginning. When I tried writing out a plot in advance (not the whole thing, just a bit to get the players rolling and get them to the first major choice they'd need to make) I found it quite a bit easier.
It occured to me a while ago that one of the things that really contributed to this is that I never actually planned out what was going to happen. I just thought of the scenario and made up some stuff right from the beginning. When I tried writing out a plot in advance (not the whole thing, just a bit to get the players rolling and get them to the first major choice they'd need to make) I found it quite a bit easier.
Ellri Lord of Eat / Relic
Member
Seen
11 mos ago
having a sort of plan is always wise. But its also important to, at minimum, reveal hints of it to your players.
Generally I tend to go through a weeding out process with RP's now that helps prevent interest decline.
Step 1: OMG NEW IDEA OMG AWESOME OMG!! I will wait a week before I write anything down. Seven days.
If I stop thinking about it, it was a momentary flash in the pan, a craving I probably got out of my system with a video game.
Step 2: Okay! Still thinking about it! Well that's interesting. Write down the premise, a few notes. Simulate what directions it could take with a typical cast of leader, follower, romantic interest, and rival (party of four stereotypes), attack it from several angles. If I find it's very narrow and I can't figure out multiple paths through the story, or keep a grasp of strong characters for the players to interact with, I scrap it.
Step 3: Premise down! A couple strong NPC's for players to talk to, and they have lots of options available! Alright! Now we're getting somewhere. Time to AFK from this idea for another week.
Step 4: I came back after a week and noticed critical flaws, but I'm still interested in doing this idea! Repair flaws. Wait two days. Review. Repair. Repeat until it's fully functional.
Step 5: Finish premise, talk to a couple of my fellow RPer's about it. Describe it to them in as simple a manner as I can, see if they're interested or excited about it, record their questions and see if I can answer them. If I can't, honestly say I hadn't thought about it, work on it, ask them again later if they like it. Continue developing idea with player feedback. This step is critical to consistent success, if you ignore it, you're literally flailing in the dark.
Step 6: Okay! Still interested after three weeks or so, refined the idea, have a couple strong NPC's I like playing, players have multiple paths, I have a core base of players excited about this RP before release... Now we're really getting somewhere! Build the OOC and whatever supporting information I'll need to start with, release the plot/premise and some description about the world as an Interest Check.
Step 7: PEOPLE LOVE IT!! Awesome! Lets start this shindig then.
Only about one out of every ten or so ideas I think of survive past step 3, because most ideas I have are flashes in the pan, something neat or exciting in that moment, not something I'll want to keep doing forever. It's kind of like a puppy. If a five year old says they want a puppy, that's very normal. Puppies are cute. Give it a couple weeks without mentioning the puppy and with sufficient distraction, the majority of them will forget all about that cute puppy that they weren't going to take care of, but someone who constantly works at it, who has to wait for it, who adopts responsibilities and consistently plans and talks to people about it, a child who asks what puppies need to be trained, who does chores to buy the leash and collar... -That- kid is going to really love his puppy.
We're just like that kid with ideas as GM's. We want every damn cute pet we see, but only a few of them will really stick out to us over time, and those are the ones you should pursue and acquire when you're ready, when you've thoroughly made sure it's not just a flash in the pan but an idea you're really seriously into.
Step 1: OMG NEW IDEA OMG AWESOME OMG!! I will wait a week before I write anything down. Seven days.
If I stop thinking about it, it was a momentary flash in the pan, a craving I probably got out of my system with a video game.
Step 2: Okay! Still thinking about it! Well that's interesting. Write down the premise, a few notes. Simulate what directions it could take with a typical cast of leader, follower, romantic interest, and rival (party of four stereotypes), attack it from several angles. If I find it's very narrow and I can't figure out multiple paths through the story, or keep a grasp of strong characters for the players to interact with, I scrap it.
Step 3: Premise down! A couple strong NPC's for players to talk to, and they have lots of options available! Alright! Now we're getting somewhere. Time to AFK from this idea for another week.
Step 4: I came back after a week and noticed critical flaws, but I'm still interested in doing this idea! Repair flaws. Wait two days. Review. Repair. Repeat until it's fully functional.
Step 5: Finish premise, talk to a couple of my fellow RPer's about it. Describe it to them in as simple a manner as I can, see if they're interested or excited about it, record their questions and see if I can answer them. If I can't, honestly say I hadn't thought about it, work on it, ask them again later if they like it. Continue developing idea with player feedback. This step is critical to consistent success, if you ignore it, you're literally flailing in the dark.
Step 6: Okay! Still interested after three weeks or so, refined the idea, have a couple strong NPC's I like playing, players have multiple paths, I have a core base of players excited about this RP before release... Now we're really getting somewhere! Build the OOC and whatever supporting information I'll need to start with, release the plot/premise and some description about the world as an Interest Check.
Step 7: PEOPLE LOVE IT!! Awesome! Lets start this shindig then.
Only about one out of every ten or so ideas I think of survive past step 3, because most ideas I have are flashes in the pan, something neat or exciting in that moment, not something I'll want to keep doing forever. It's kind of like a puppy. If a five year old says they want a puppy, that's very normal. Puppies are cute. Give it a couple weeks without mentioning the puppy and with sufficient distraction, the majority of them will forget all about that cute puppy that they weren't going to take care of, but someone who constantly works at it, who has to wait for it, who adopts responsibilities and consistently plans and talks to people about it, a child who asks what puppies need to be trained, who does chores to buy the leash and collar... -That- kid is going to really love his puppy.
We're just like that kid with ideas as GM's. We want every damn cute pet we see, but only a few of them will really stick out to us over time, and those are the ones you should pursue and acquire when you're ready, when you've thoroughly made sure it's not just a flash in the pan but an idea you're really seriously into.
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