Ok, this might end up just a rant post, but I'm really in a bind here. See, I've been at this RP thing for... At least 3 years. And it seems like during that entire time, I've only had one RP that I can remember that was of any sustenance. The rest of them just seem to dry up before they can really get started, or they had me in such a superficial position I might as well have been playing a rock.
My question is, am I doing something wrong? Are my characters too bland to be interesting? Are the RPs I'm joining have bad themes or bad players? Is there a drought in RPs altogether right now? I know it's a bit difficult to give advice without the whole situation, but. I just feel really stuck doing freeform generic chats in bars and joining up for RPs that die not even 2 sessions in.
At least tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way.
My question is, am I doing something wrong? Are my characters too bland to be interesting? Are the RPs I'm joining have bad themes or bad players? Is there a drought in RPs altogether right now? I know it's a bit difficult to give advice without the whole situation, but. I just feel really stuck doing freeform generic chats in bars and joining up for RPs that die not even 2 sessions in.
At least tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way.
I've only been RP about the same amount of time you have so others may have a better answer than I do, but I think how things go with a RP has to do with how well the players and characters can build off each other. I'm only on the second good long term RP myself and I was surprised that I found someone to RP with and the RP didn't just end like so many others have.
Some of the reasons RPs don't always work it is that the people playing don't mesh as well as they'd hoped they would, one or more players get bored, RL schedules don't work out, and/or one or more of the players run out of ideas to continue the RP. This is just based on my own personal experiences.
I don't have any solutions to help with this issues, but it's not something that just happens to you.
Some of the reasons RPs don't always work it is that the people playing don't mesh as well as they'd hoped they would, one or more players get bored, RL schedules don't work out, and/or one or more of the players run out of ideas to continue the RP. This is just based on my own personal experiences.
I don't have any solutions to help with this issues, but it's not something that just happens to you.
Ms_Draca wrote:
Some of the reasons RPs don't always work it is that the people playing don't mesh as well as they'd hoped they would, one or more players get bored, RL schedules don't work out, and/or one or more of the players run out of ideas to continue the RP. This is just based on my own personal experiences.
This sums up what I was going to put.
Those reasons sound pretty accurate. I know I myself had to leave some because people were...weird or times were weird, or stuff just never happens. At least it's not just me anyway, thanks.
Though now that you mention it, I do play my character as a bit of a jerk. Perhaps antisocial behavior isn't easy to mesh with?
Though now that you mention it, I do play my character as a bit of a jerk. Perhaps antisocial behavior isn't easy to mesh with?
Zander490 wrote:
My question is, am I doing something wrong? Are my characters too bland to be interesting? Are the RPs I'm joining have bad themes or bad players? Is there a drought in RPs altogether right now?
Based on this I'm assuming it's usually your partner(s) who quit on you, because you're worried you're doing something wrong. I don't have advice and you've been at this two years longer than I have. Do you ever ask them why they leave? OOC communication seems to be the best way to find out what you're doing "wrong", right?
I try to tell people if I'm busy IRL so they don't panic that I've lost interest if I don't reply for a few days. I've just gotten back into RPing this month after a ~3 month hiatus, and it's always been difficult for me to find RPs, but I don't think it's particularly droughty right now. I've only got one RP going at the moment and I'm too shy to PM anyone in my 'friends' list to see if they want to RP again.
Honestly I think I've walked out more than being walked out on. At least with the usual RPs that I do. My parents say that I have a bad habit of thinking I'm the one at fault when things go bad. Maybe they're right...
You are right about the communication thing. I probably could've at least expressed that I felt very background-ed and bored to the other players. However, now it's a bit difficult to even think about talking to them. Especially that one place where I had multiple hissy fits... but that's another story.
And as ironic as it is for me to say this, don't let shyness hold you back from victory!
You are right about the communication thing. I probably could've at least expressed that I felt very background-ed and bored to the other players. However, now it's a bit difficult to even think about talking to them. Especially that one place where I had multiple hissy fits... but that's another story.
And as ironic as it is for me to say this, don't let shyness hold you back from victory!
But what if shyness is holding me back from failure? It's an ongoing internal struggle.
I'm a bit of a hypocrite because I sometimes don't do the communication thing either. Heh
I'm a bit of a hypocrite because I sometimes don't do the communication thing either. Heh
I think the most important thing to remember when you're roleplaying is not to mirror the other persons post too much. It seems to be a bad habit that we pick up when we're feeling lazy and it puts all the burden on the other person to find things to roleplay.
I think people like it the most when you surprise them and force them to really think about their characters personalities and how they would react.
With that in mind, if you ever find yourself at an impasse or whatever, it's helpful to keep a cheat sheet of your characters quirks and personality. A blue print of sorts helps to make them feel alive and diverse.
Sometimes I think a lot of us fall into the habit of using ourselves and how we would react as the reference point for our characters and that's just sad. It's like losing one of the best parts of role-playing.
There's a bit of intimacy and trust involved with roleplay. It's like showing your new boyfriend or girlfriend what you look like naked for the first time. You kind of expose a tiny bit of heart and soul with your words so remember that and try to be kind!
I think people like it the most when you surprise them and force them to really think about their characters personalities and how they would react.
With that in mind, if you ever find yourself at an impasse or whatever, it's helpful to keep a cheat sheet of your characters quirks and personality. A blue print of sorts helps to make them feel alive and diverse.
Sometimes I think a lot of us fall into the habit of using ourselves and how we would react as the reference point for our characters and that's just sad. It's like losing one of the best parts of role-playing.
There's a bit of intimacy and trust involved with roleplay. It's like showing your new boyfriend or girlfriend what you look like naked for the first time. You kind of expose a tiny bit of heart and soul with your words so remember that and try to be kind!
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