wheeeooo thank you all for the thoughtful responses! lemme dive in now that ive got a minute~ i've tried to group similar thoughts together so it may be a little messy haha
Personally it's more like "I don't trust myself to ever have the consistent discipline to write a lot" heh. I've never been a writer naturally, and rarely ever finish any stories that I begin. It's worse now when other people and accountability are thrown into the mix. I remember constantly slowing down that first RP I joined with Riki and others some months ago, because there were long stretches where I had zero drive :<
Have to agree with Roni for sure - you really need to consider if you'll have the time or not, and as busy adults, that will likely hold us back since we'd hate to let other writers down, particularly in a new RP where drop-outs can hurt progress/motivation. It's why I prefer when the GM adds sandbox-y elements to RPs since you don't have to stress tooo much about that! I'm definitely terrible with commitments because my home life's pretty volatile, so yeah, it's tough when you have the enthusiasm but lack the time.
Kinda? I mean, roleplay is fundamentally a cooperative medium so you have to not only consider the usual "problems" with writing (quality, making sure your point is getting across, the balance between description, character progression and plot progression, etc.) but adds some new extra problems because now you have to consider how your actions will affect other people, and you kinda have a bit of a forced deadline because not posting means you can kinda end up stalling things for everybody else too.
Consistency and participation definitely matter a lot in this activity! It is very dependent on the individual what each are motivated by and do well with. Some people do well with chipping away at their work, and others prefer to just bang it all out and not pay attention for a while after that. Some people like to have the GM hold their hand and take a super active role in driving the story, and others prefer to be left to their own devices. Knowing yourself and evaluating the games that appear based on that is important. I feel like Roni, you might benefit from styles that lean more towards a game with elements of characterization, if the struggle is that you're not much of a writer. Things that hinge on character statistics and choices between limited options, you know? Annie- I wonder how you do with deadlines? You'd probably have a lot of fun in a true sandbox RP, with no plot you have to chase and no time limit on what you want to do. But even the most sandboxy of roleplays we have tend to have an overarching idea of either plot or sticking together to facilitate interaction. So I wonder if consistent and clear deadlines or expectations might be beneficial to you when playing. And Shooting Star, you have a great handle on the interconnected aspects- I would say you're not wrong to view it all as a bit of a balancing act, but I can also say that these things often click into place as you go, to the point where I could pull multiple examples of shocking serendipity created from choices made without perhaps enough thought behind them. We create problems for ourselves, sure, but time spent talking it through always finds a solution. The interconnectivity of the players allows for all of us to help figure it out together, rather than struggling alone. :)
I can't say it's intimidating because I've been part of this for over a decade now. But it's exhausting as it needs attention and dedication and active effort if it's anything story based or interaction driven, and it's a constant overhanging "i should probably write something" as opposed to my DnD campaigns' "soon it is this time of week again when we sit down and DnD".
Maybe that's something worth trying? Having actual writing sessions for our forum RPs?? That the group either decides as a standing appointment on a weekly / biweekly basis at the start of a RP, or they schedule new ones every now and then whenever people can attend. And then they could even sit in a VC and talk/type together in docs or solo write and just have companionship and a dedicated hour or three to Actually Type Things Up. Just like DnD sessions are. Ish. :)
I think that's just a struggle of the written roleplay format. It it's something you enjoy and have the energy to keep up with, it's amazing, right? But if you're not the type of person to want to check in on people or the chat or keep track of what everyone is working on all the time, it can get very overwhelming- especially in a group of more active contributors.
I don't know how helpful it would be to have a scheduled writing session. Perhaps in some groups it would work! I find I run into so many scheduling conflicts across the board already that I can't help but think people would end up excluded, especially ones who aren't comfortable on VC. Myself included- I live in a household where I rarely am able to have space to myself for calls. Also I have to assume that there are others like me who could not write a damn thing if their attention was split, though certainly there are also people like you who that would benefit. But getting a whole group to vibe like that is daunting. I've made a point to often ask my JP partners to schedule a time with me where we can bang the whole thing (or at least a good chunk of it) out- it does flow more naturally and gets done more quickly! I love it! But I don't think I could bear the distraction of VC or many people chatting together while doing so.
I greatly encourage people to evaluate their own schedules and find maybe two blocks per week that work for them, where they can set aside an hour or so to read up or write. Having that knowledge that in those times you will be participating, and that you don't have to worry about writing when you are not in those times, it frees people up from that "I should really be doing something" thought. Because then you know you did something, and will do something again, at your scheduled time. Making "rules" for yourself works with a lot of brains. :)
also honing our time management skills lets us become less overwhelmed across the board
Probably the most intimidating aspect for me is jumping into something with strangers and having that initial awkwardness, especially when you're new to RP overall and everyone is far more comfortable RPing with people they know, people they have chemistry with! It's hard for me to get past that stage without massive anxiety. :x Which is more a me problem really, haha.
As far as PC is concerned, I don't think there are any communities that are particularly closed off (besides the ones that are already, well, closed).
Although I do think that getting involved with a new group can be tricky for the same reasons nobody really likes to do a group project with strangers, it's just a bit awkward dealing with someone you don't really know, I don't think there's anything actionable per se to be done here.
I appreciate Shooting Star's note earlier that RP is a "fundamentally cooperative medium". I think that's an incredibly important thing to remember, especially considering that the majority of what we do here is more like fully collaborative writing- closer to fanfiction than any other roleplaying experience I can really think of. But because it is fundamentally cooperative, it's important to bridge what social gaps there are in order to play together. I don't want to say "everyone has anxiety about getting to know people" but like, putting yourself out there is hard! I get that, I really do. Definitely part of the GM's job is to help people connect, but players must also curb their own anxieties to reach out as well. We must all remember that we get involved with the same goals: to play whatever game the GM has dreamed up, and if nothing else, we have that connection. Let's then make it a good game, right? There's a lot of communication that happens and needs to happen, and we have to accept that to be able to participate wholly. I find success in connecting simply by constantly talking about game-related things:
tell me about your characters! What if they did this? How can this fit well into the world we are building? What does that mean for the future? Should we write together soon? What scenario would be a good interaction point for our characters? The more we talk, the more we bond, the better we flow together when we write! That's my take, anyway~
As someone who has only really rped on Twitter and Tumblr and another Pokemon forum a few times, yes. I'd have to say it can be intimidating. Especially on the Twitter side of things. Twitter rp has evolved to a point where I feel OCs are just unwelcome. So, I have decided it's best to just write a fanfiction instead of what I had originally planned for my my oc.
[...]
& Yes, tbh, the Genshin Twitter Rp world seems extremely closed off and like a cesspool of people who won't write with you unless your layout is super fancy on your page. Which is why I haven't joined, and won't.
I've heard before that Twitter RP is really difficult to get into and find the kind of people you really vibe with. It's a big place, and the search and filter is difficult to manage, and you often have people whose ideas just completely clash with yours trying to get involved in your world. While PC suffers from lack of roleplayers all around, Twitter seems to suffer from an inability to find or connect with the people who would work well with you. From what little knowledge I have, I'm rather unsurprised to hear that a Twitter RP community would reject OCs, but it's still a sting. There are often big names and big faces in a community that set the rules and power the opinions and actions of the people in it, and splinter groups are often harassed and cowed. But once you find a good community, things can blossom readily. I hope you keep looking, Kory, because there've gotta be people out there who vibe with you better than what you've seen so far. But fanfiction certainly isn't a bad outlet at all- just a different medium that gives different benefits.
If we're talking about GMing, there's also the problem with making a setting, making it make sense, and trying to make things engaging to players without making it feel railroad-ey (or unfair, whenever the DM has to mediate things like combat or NPCs).
GMing is also a difficult balance, I don't deny that. An unfair GM can ruin an experience, and that's just unfortunate for everyone involved. It usually, in my experience, results from a GM that has not quite prepared enough worldbuilding, or is responding too extremely to a situation they were blindsided by. GMs must be gracious, and accept when this problem is pointed out. But also, a GM has to have confidence in their ideas and mechanics, and present the world as clearly to the players as possible. Communication, as always, is the key! Engagement depends on it, because engagement means knowing what your players would like to do or try. I also personally like to put together a rulebook, or something else I can point to in order to mediate. If everyone knows the rules, the few breaks in them are easily resolved. I think people are too afraid of railroading, though, because it's a valuable tool. If there is no railroading of any sort- no deadlines, no slightly contrived plot points, no GM intervention- it often becomes unlikely that things move forward at all, and the game stagnates and dies an unfulfilling death. A GM's role is to facilitate, and while they should strive to say "yes, and" to their players, it becomes and issue if they keep saying "yes" to one who would like three months to complete a post while four more are waiting. We all must give our respect to each others' ideas, time, and effort, but our respect does not mean our full lenience.
I could never really take part in live RPing, like tabletop games - just the prospect makes my anxiety skyrocket - but they are super fun to spectate!
I've tried a few times before, but it's a bit harder for me because it's being done in a more freeform format that's happening in real time and it can feel daunting at times to try and figure out how the character would act and react, while simultaneously progressing the plot and not coming across as a selfish jerk (the famous "the rogue is stealing from the party because it's what the character would do").
When I have time I can try to consider things from a more thorough standpoint (although I'll admit that even then I still struggle with this, just less because I can think things through more).
I am a recluse irl and getting me to play a tabletop rpg would take a lot of convincing, tbh. I don't like talking to people all that much, so it's just not for me.
That's a mood, y'all. I'm fully in camp "it's too fast-paced", though I know many people thrive in it. How would you feel about a text-based adventure with more TTRPG-style mechanics? Is that something that would appeal?
I mostly have trouble making characters and keeping them consistent. RP on PC wouldn't be intimidating to me. :)
I have kind of a method for this tbh! RP does tend to throw you into situations that you haven't necessarily thought of, or figured out how a character would react. I try to write down some really solid but very limited core qualities for my character to determine if their responses are consistent. For example, my boy Casey:
He will help himself first, and others if it costs nothing to him. He will take every opportunity to be moving, learning, and experiencing. He talks constantly, and listens well, but keeps personal matters close to his chest. He is a champion of directing conversation; he is evasive, but rarely outright lies. He is very bad at committing to things he doesn't actually want to do. I can think about these qualities, write something down, and then think about them again. If they match up, great! If not, something needs to be shifted.
i've always dreaded roleplaying because the same question always bothered me: how do i start?
i mean, you can shove guideline after guideline in my face, but i'd be too trapped in my own mind of "am i doing this right", "how do i even interact with other people's character's properly", etc. as stated before, roleplay is collaborative writing. so then, how do i word my roleplaying post so that it'd fit into the plot/narrative? what if the gm moves the plot along, how do i handle that?
i'll admit this is overthinking a tad, but this is also coming from someone who hasn't done serious roleplaying in like... forever. i basically worry that i'd be screwing up the flow of the roleplay with my mess of a post and then that'd make me want to leave, which causes me not to bother in the first place.
communication baybeeee
Seriously, communication. Talking to your collaborators, chatting here in the talk threads, hitting up your GM for every little question until you ease into the flow if it. It's okay! Everyone deserves the help they need to stand on their own two feet, don't they?
Another method, for the quieter, is observation. You don't have to be part of an RP to read it- it's good fun to stand on the sidelines sometimes, and cheer people on too! But even while doing so, it's good to think about:
how did they come up with that? What would I have thought to do? How did they get that JP to flow so well? I can see they are setting up something here- can I figure out what it is? Should I be able to? How much of this is GM-inspired, and how much is not? Where can I see the influence of others? It can't be just me that enjoys doing that stuff haha. And quite honestly if you choose to read something I have also read/am participating in, I would love to hear commentary DM'd to me as you go. THIS GOES FOR EVERYONE TBH!! I love that shit!!
-> getting to karen's post on its own bc holy shit girl u really popped off
