Creative Discussions > Roleplay Corner

Reviving the Roleplay Corner

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GrizzlyEatsKids:
UPDATES ON THE RP REVIVAL

Changes Being Made

~ denotes a change still being worked on and decided on by the community, and we have not yet reached a conclusion on it.

-Updated Rules: Due to the natural development of the RP Corner over time, several of the global rules are no longer followed or don't quite apply like they used to. As we decide on more changes for the section, I will continue to revise the old rules and add new ones, and will talk to Jerry about updating the old rules when finished.

-Guidelines/FAQ: I'm currently working on creating an expansive set of guidelines and frequently asked questions for RPers, GMs, and writers alike. It will cover a massive list of topics, including things such as RP terminology and basics, writing tips and strategies, help on starting and running an RP, and more.

~Revised RP Format: We currently have RP's made up of three separate threads: RP,, Profiles, and OOCC. What exactly goes into each one specifically will be revised in order to keep all RP's consistent, while making them easier to navigate.

-Ongoing Summary: It will now be the GM's job to keep an ongoing summary of the entire RPs plot for the entire duration of the roleplay. It will be kept on the first post of the RP thread, directly under where the initial plot for the RP is located.

~New Mods: Due to the inactivity of two of the section's mods, I've reached out to Jerry to see what we can do about possibly appointing new ones.

~RP Awards: This has been mentioned several times, and having user-voted awards for the RP section every so often remains a high possibility.

~RP "Hub": This has also been mentioned several times, but we've yet to reach a definite decision. We may have a sort of hub thread set up where members of the community can go to discuss anything RPing, from concepts, to posts, to characters.



I've noticed that over the past several months, if not longer, the RP section of the forums has noticeably declined. We have never finished an RP, people lose interest, and, while I know that not everyone is out to be a professional writer, quality isn't always that great. So, I've put together this thread to ask what problems you have with the. RP section, and how you think we should go about fixing it. RP'ing is a community activity, and so we need the community's input if we want to fix it. I have some basic suggestions and ideas, but this is only scratching the surface, and until I get more time to think about it, this is mostly brainstorming. I know I'm not a mod or anything like that, and am not in charge of the RP section of the forums, but as a writer and member of the RP community, I feel the need to help. I am not trying to take over in any sense, but I am trying to make RP'ing on PU something that people can really get excited about once again.

-Annual or Semi-Annual Roleplay Awards
Why don't we reward RP'ers for their efforts? We could have some sort of community voted awards every so many times a year, where members of the community vote for things like best post, best profile (or user with best profiles), best dialogue, best quality, etc. We could have a separate thread set up for this to recognize the winners.

-RP "Hub"
Yes, we have all sorts of RP chats all over the place, such as PO and Skype, but what if we moved it to PU? We could have  a sort of Hub thread where people can come to talk about RP's in general, as well as discuss their upcoming projects, make suggestions for the RP section, and get feedback on new RP ideas and profiles.

-Guidelines and Tip Section
While we have standard rules for RP's and RP'ers, why don't we sort of update it? While their isn't a major problem with it, maybe we could change things up and require more quality and more frequent participation? Coinciding with that, what if we had some sort of tips set out for RP'ers? Like tips, help, and FAQ's giving advice that spans everything from replying to posts on RP's, creating your own, and general writing etiquette.

-New RP Format
Again, I'm just brainstorming, but what if we changed the way that RP's were laid out? What if GM's kept up a summary of everything to happen in the RP so far? I don't have a problem with the way we have RP's set up, such as sections for Profiles, OOCC, and the RP, but is there a way we can improve it? This format, which could go in line with revised rules/guidelines, could possibly demand for more, deeper development of RP's, therefore there would be a higher chance of it reaching a conclusion.

-Verification
What if we had some sort of "test" that had to be taken before you could host an RP? What if each RP had its own requirement for participants to join?

-Goals
Each RP should have goals and deadlines to meet in order to keep RP'ers motivated and to keep the RP moving along. The RP could possibly even take short breaks after completing goals to prevent fatigue.

I know that people have problems with time and a lack interest, and I know that everyone's situation is different, and reviving the RP section won't be a simple, easy fix. This is just the beginning, and the above are just early ideas that I've brainstormed to help us get started. I'd be happy to elaborate on any of these ideas, and I'm open to changing or developing any of them. Please, respond with thoughts and ideas or your own, because this is a community effort, and the RP section cannot thrive without your help. On that note, though, I feel that of we all work together, we can build the roleplay section up to be better than it has ever been.

Tickles:
I agree. I used to love being in RP's, but lately it just felt tedious and uninspired. It pains me to do a well thought out post only to get a short response that just lacks effort. And that has me thinking, most of the people that joined these role-plays were new and probably didn't feel  like that were creative. I think only a few of us actually offered to help, but those were far and few in between.

Then there are the GM's who make a cool concept, have expectations, and either abandon them to keep everyone happy or strictly sick to them and lose interest once those aren't met. I admit, I am guilty of both of these, but it is a really thin line.

I think reinventing the format and having a workshop will help a lot, because I thank the RPers here for giving me the courage to actually show my work, and eventually join the team. I feel part responsible  for the decline as well, and want to help.

Yume Tsuki:
My usual problem is that I don't know how to react usually. So I really hestitate to post. Aside from that I have the habit to just go straight to the point of what I write and keep it short that way. ^^;

rajlev:
I think one of the problem is that everyone wants to be the main character, and GM can not put limits on development history, then as a character is fighting a mid ocean marine snake, another is sleeping, the other playing cards, one buying utensils and others are in an epic battle, and lost sense of the post, since they are scrambled and messy. I think RP should have a goal set from being created, and set limits to the freedom of the characters, as it loses all meaning to do something different and out of the main objective of RP. It also often happens that players want to be omnipotent or invincible, and the fights become never ending.
I think RP should be made so that all the characters are even, with an applicable role, if not achieved, then the participants get bored, and if the GM continues the RP leaving behind many of the characters, favoring only a few who post more or involve him more, the RP ends up being only for a few and then when they stop posting the RP dies.
So, i think one of the reasons why it is closed by the players, although specific rules are given, still trying their characters are superior to others in any way.

Also, i think something that may be good, is recounting the story, so there is a control of activities and the players may be able to remember the story, so they dont lost and keep on to the main goal of the RP

(sorry for the misspelled, i used google traductor)

TrainerX:

--- Quote ----Annual or Semi-Annual Roleplay Awards
Why don't we reward RP'ers for their efforts? We could have some sort of community voted awards every so many times a year, where members of the community vote for things like best post, best profile (or user with best profiles), best dialogue, best quality, etc. We could have a separate thread set up for this to recognize the winners.
--- End quote ---
I know of a role-playing forum that does this. They have a pretty large community there, and I guess it's kind of a big deal to them. I dunno though, I've never taken any interest in it.


--- Quote ----RP "Hub"
Yes, we have all sorts of RP chats all over the place, such as PO and Skype, but what if we moved it to PU? We could have  a sort of Hub thread where people can come to talk about RP's in general, as well as discuss their upcoming projects, make suggestions for the RP section, and get feedback on new RP ideas and profiles.
--- End quote ---
I like this idea. Another plus is that it would help to keep the OOC threads a little cleaner.


--- Quote ----Guidelines and Tip Section
While we have standard rules for RP's and RP'ers, why don't we sort of update it? While their isn't a major problem with it, maybe we could change things up and require more quality and more frequent participation? Coinciding with that, what if we had some sort of tips set out for RP'ers? Like tips, help, and FAQ's giving advice that spans everything from replying to posts on RP's, creating your own, and general writing etiquette.
--- End quote ---
There are a couple of things in the rules I think should be changed. Specifically, I would like to add a rule which is used on the aforementioned role-playing forum: "The GMs word is law." I don't know if this has been a problem over the past year, but a couple of years ago when I was still RPing, there were a few instances of people arguing with the GM or what is/isn't fair, or what GMs can/can't regulate, etc. I think this rule could help to prevent conflicts like this from popping up as often.

The other thing I would change is this:
--- Quote ---14. All RPing, and discussion about the RP must commence within a SINGLE thread. This means that separate threads for "playing" and "planning" are not allowed. It is not necessary for these two parts of the RP be divorced, and it only serves to clutter up the forum.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure if this rule does not permit an OOC thread, or if you just can't have a thread solely for planning stuff(in addition to an OOC thread). It either needs to be rewritten or removed.

I think the tips section would be a nice addition.


--- Quote ----New RP Format
Again, I'm just brainstorming, but what if we changed the way that RP's were laid out? What if GM's kept up a summary of everything to happen in the RP so far? I don't have a problem with the way we have RP's set up, such as sections for Profiles, OOCC, and the RP, but is there a way we can improve it? This format, which could go in line with revised rules/guidelines, could possibly demand for more, deeper development of RP's, therefore there would be a higher chance of it reaching a conclusion.
--- End quote ---
Not sure about this, could you explain further about what you want to be changed?


--- Quote ----Verification
What if we had some sort of "test" that had to be taken before you could host an RP? What if each RP had its own requirement for participants to join?
--- End quote ---
I don't think I'll be on board with this. When somebody who is unqualified to host an RP tries to do so, you can usually tell by reading the thread whether or not they're capable enough. I can't really think of a good way to test someone for that.


--- Quote ----Goals
Each RP should have goals and deadlines to meet in order to keep RP'ers motivated and to keep the RP moving along. The RP could possibly even take short breaks after completing goals to prevent fatigue.
--- End quote ---
Interesting idea. It could help if the system is implemented properly.

I'll try to think of a few ideas of my own, but it may be a while before I get a chance to post them.

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