The more I've experienced with regards to RPGs and member activity, the more I am convinced that a lot of what determines how proactive your members are is the environment they enter into.
Do you find yourself roleplaying, and worse, hauling the plotline, for all or almost all of the threads in your game? Does everything just stop as soon as you walk away?
If that is the case, your game is not a healthy one. Nor is your lifestyle, if you're unable to leave your game for even a single day without it collapsing.
I think a mistake that many admins make {myself included many times in the past} is to try and do everything for a new member at the outset. I don't mean it's a bad thing to answer their questions or help them find a roleplaying partner, or roleplay with them. I mean that when you take up a thread with them right away and provide all or almost all of that thread's plot, you're setting that member on autopilot, making them a follower rather than encouraging them to be creative and proactive.
Now, this could be fine if you have the time and the muse to keep up such a plot. I run one of my plots long term this way. I probably provide 99% of the push. But it's a rather slow running plot, people come and go in it, and it's not the only thing going on in my game by a long stretch. You're not going to be able to keep that up in your whole game, and the game itself needs proactive members in order to survive. Provide them tools and incentives for using their own creativity such as a brainstorming board, and ways for them to hook up with each other, like a board for finding a roleplaying partner or posting ads for one.
Here's hoping this solves what seems to be a very common problem in the roleplaying community!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Reviving a Dead RPG
So your RPG is a ghost town.
I won't ream out the why and wherefores of how you might have arrived at this, except to say that the #1 most common reason is neglect. Where there's a will, there's a way, and where there's no will...
The good news is this still applies even if your game's deader than a doornail and flat as a pancake. Let's touch on a few tips to get the ball rolling again!
First, how dead is it? If people are no longer posting {Excluding advertisements} but they still log in occasionally, then it actually still has signs of life. If nobody's logged in for weeks {or months} and even the guest ads have stopped coming, then you have a game that's more than mostly dead, I'm afraid.
Regardless, it never hurts to send out an email to your members alerting them of the planned revival. But make sure there's something doing when they get there. Before you send out that email, post around. Don't just post a brainstorm thread. Post a couple of actual plots, using your charcters, either new or old--it doesn't matter, as long as the threads are new. Don't bother trying to revive old RP threads that never got finished. You want the game to appear fresh and new. So, start a few threads. Give them something to do once they get there.
The brainstorm thread and new plot announcements are also quite helpful, though. Make sure that whatever you've started back up, is joinable by anyone, new or old.
And, oh yeah. Get the ads started, and let your affiliates who've dropped you know that you're up and running once more. Most sites are glad to add a newly revived site back on their link exchange if they'd dropped it for inactivity. {I have such a policy myself.}
A new skin, while not necessary, can be helpful as well to give the appearance that you are definitely serious about your reboot.
If this article is sounding a lot like some of my others, that's because reviving a dead game is remarkably similar to starting a brand new game. With that in mind, take this article's advice to help you get your dead game rolling again, and browse my other entries for more advice on how to keep it alive once it's up and going!
No RPG is dead forever unless you want it to be.
I won't ream out the why and wherefores of how you might have arrived at this, except to say that the #1 most common reason is neglect. Where there's a will, there's a way, and where there's no will...
The good news is this still applies even if your game's deader than a doornail and flat as a pancake. Let's touch on a few tips to get the ball rolling again!
First, how dead is it? If people are no longer posting {Excluding advertisements} but they still log in occasionally, then it actually still has signs of life. If nobody's logged in for weeks {or months} and even the guest ads have stopped coming, then you have a game that's more than mostly dead, I'm afraid.
Regardless, it never hurts to send out an email to your members alerting them of the planned revival. But make sure there's something doing when they get there. Before you send out that email, post around. Don't just post a brainstorm thread. Post a couple of actual plots, using your charcters, either new or old--it doesn't matter, as long as the threads are new. Don't bother trying to revive old RP threads that never got finished. You want the game to appear fresh and new. So, start a few threads. Give them something to do once they get there.
The brainstorm thread and new plot announcements are also quite helpful, though. Make sure that whatever you've started back up, is joinable by anyone, new or old.
And, oh yeah. Get the ads started, and let your affiliates who've dropped you know that you're up and running once more. Most sites are glad to add a newly revived site back on their link exchange if they'd dropped it for inactivity. {I have such a policy myself.}
A new skin, while not necessary, can be helpful as well to give the appearance that you are definitely serious about your reboot.
If this article is sounding a lot like some of my others, that's because reviving a dead game is remarkably similar to starting a brand new game. With that in mind, take this article's advice to help you get your dead game rolling again, and browse my other entries for more advice on how to keep it alive once it's up and going!
No RPG is dead forever unless you want it to be.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
How to Make Your RPG Last
I've probably covered this before, but an update never hurts, because a lot of people ask this. We all want our RPGs to last a long time when we begin them! Yet most don't survive the 6 month mark let alone see their first birthday. What goes wrong?
It has nothing to do with your forum host. You can pick a free forum {Highly recommended when starting out, as if it fails, you won't be out any cash} or a paid one, this will not affect the outcome. Most RPGs begin on free hosts like Proboards and Invisionfree. There are many more, I would shop around.
Assuming that you set it up adequately and market your RPG, it will go through a couple of initial phases. The first one being the initial "burst" with a handful of members signing up all right at the start. They want to be in on your brand new game at a time when they can grab popular canon characters {if this is a fan game} or just help establish the initial parts of the game and/or become your staff should you be needing a mod or two to help you out. Also, many people like to get in on a new game because it has no history to have to worry about reading into, other than what you put as the backstory in your rules area.
The RPG goes along like this until around 4 to 12 weeks, depending on how large that initial burst was. You may start to see some slacking off of activity at this point, but this is often partly because advertising has also slacked off. You cannot put your feet up! Advertising is VERY important at this phase, because you're not "shiny new" anymore yet don't have the "proven" age of older games. At this point you aim to hold your activity up over about 10 members on daily. If you get less than this, people may fail to sign up as often because they perceive that your site is not active enough--even if it is. Sites that get fewer than this on daily are also at risk of dying out because you never know when your members will have to leave. You need to keep them flowing in regularly. if your RPG is of a rarer niche {Not a really popular one} you will have to work a lot harder. My Warrior Cats game is of a popular genre, and Harry Potter, Twilight, high school, anime, wolves, horses and dogs are some other popular genres. These sorts of genres may cause some eye-rolling by some but they're easier to get members for. So just be prepared that while you CAN create a very successful real life World War 1 RPG, you got your work cut out for you and it may never be enormous.
A game will be much more stable if you can keep the daily logon and participation {Actually posting!} at least 20 members or so on daily and preferably no less than 10. The more the better in this case. You should see growth throughout the year, gradually although you will reach a point where growth tapers off and then flutuates mildly from thereon. As long as this level is above critical you should be okay. The challenge is to keep it up, and this should be done by making your member base as happy as possible, listening to what they want and ask for {Within reason!} and keeping up the marketing. All the while doing what you can to keep the site fresh. Offer new things once in a while. Even if they don't take off, they show that the site offers new perks sometimes and some of them will take off.
Once your site has gone a couple of years and is still thriving, you know you've got what it takes. The trick is to just keep doing it! Congratulations. You're now the owner of a long running RPG and you've figured out a system that works.
It has nothing to do with your forum host. You can pick a free forum {Highly recommended when starting out, as if it fails, you won't be out any cash} or a paid one, this will not affect the outcome. Most RPGs begin on free hosts like Proboards and Invisionfree. There are many more, I would shop around.
Assuming that you set it up adequately and market your RPG, it will go through a couple of initial phases. The first one being the initial "burst" with a handful of members signing up all right at the start. They want to be in on your brand new game at a time when they can grab popular canon characters {if this is a fan game} or just help establish the initial parts of the game and/or become your staff should you be needing a mod or two to help you out. Also, many people like to get in on a new game because it has no history to have to worry about reading into, other than what you put as the backstory in your rules area.
The RPG goes along like this until around 4 to 12 weeks, depending on how large that initial burst was. You may start to see some slacking off of activity at this point, but this is often partly because advertising has also slacked off. You cannot put your feet up! Advertising is VERY important at this phase, because you're not "shiny new" anymore yet don't have the "proven" age of older games. At this point you aim to hold your activity up over about 10 members on daily. If you get less than this, people may fail to sign up as often because they perceive that your site is not active enough--even if it is. Sites that get fewer than this on daily are also at risk of dying out because you never know when your members will have to leave. You need to keep them flowing in regularly. if your RPG is of a rarer niche {Not a really popular one} you will have to work a lot harder. My Warrior Cats game is of a popular genre, and Harry Potter, Twilight, high school, anime, wolves, horses and dogs are some other popular genres. These sorts of genres may cause some eye-rolling by some but they're easier to get members for. So just be prepared that while you CAN create a very successful real life World War 1 RPG, you got your work cut out for you and it may never be enormous.
A game will be much more stable if you can keep the daily logon and participation {Actually posting!} at least 20 members or so on daily and preferably no less than 10. The more the better in this case. You should see growth throughout the year, gradually although you will reach a point where growth tapers off and then flutuates mildly from thereon. As long as this level is above critical you should be okay. The challenge is to keep it up, and this should be done by making your member base as happy as possible, listening to what they want and ask for {Within reason!} and keeping up the marketing. All the while doing what you can to keep the site fresh. Offer new things once in a while. Even if they don't take off, they show that the site offers new perks sometimes and some of them will take off.
Once your site has gone a couple of years and is still thriving, you know you've got what it takes. The trick is to just keep doing it! Congratulations. You're now the owner of a long running RPG and you've figured out a system that works.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Power of Suggestion--or NOT
I'll be quick on this one. Writing rules for your RPG can be tricky, but today's tip to bear in mind is: Don't suggest. And don't use the word "try" anywhere in your rules.
It doesn't work. Ever.
"Try to keep a balance between the types of characters you play," or, "Try not to post one liners/Try not to put too big a picture in your sig," whatever. Or anything with the word 'try.' This doesn't create a rule, it creates a guideline, per se. People don't listen to guidelines on an RPG. Unless they're enforced like rules, and then they should have been written up as rules in the first place.
"Don't post one liners." "Don't use pictures more than 500 pixels wide in your sig." Make the rules concrete so people know just what their limits are. Other similar pitfalls to avoid are things like, "It's a good idea if..." "You probably shouldn't..." "You should..." Just don't use the word "should" at all either. Use must, can't, do, don't. Always use absolutes if you mean it absolutely. And bearing in mind that things like "large," "small," and "balanced," are arbitrary terms and if you are placing a concrete limit on such traits you need to be specific.
Everyone is much happier when they know their limits. Make sure your rules are clear on them! :)
It doesn't work. Ever.
"Try to keep a balance between the types of characters you play," or, "Try not to post one liners/Try not to put too big a picture in your sig," whatever. Or anything with the word 'try.' This doesn't create a rule, it creates a guideline, per se. People don't listen to guidelines on an RPG. Unless they're enforced like rules, and then they should have been written up as rules in the first place.
"Don't post one liners." "Don't use pictures more than 500 pixels wide in your sig." Make the rules concrete so people know just what their limits are. Other similar pitfalls to avoid are things like, "It's a good idea if..." "You probably shouldn't..." "You should..." Just don't use the word "should" at all either. Use must, can't, do, don't. Always use absolutes if you mean it absolutely. And bearing in mind that things like "large," "small," and "balanced," are arbitrary terms and if you are placing a concrete limit on such traits you need to be specific.
Everyone is much happier when they know their limits. Make sure your rules are clear on them! :)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Abusive Forum Syndrome: Getting out!
This might be part one, or might be standalone. I got another thing I want to write about too, so after this I'll take an interlude.
Tonight's topic though is how to leave an abusive forum!
If you read my last article, "I Hate Your Forum - Please Unban Me"--it was about recognising whether your favourite online community is in fact a cesspool of emotional and psychological abuse. Now let's assume it is, and you want out.
Leaving is not as simple as people might think. The abusive forum has a pull on you. Remember one thing to start from: You are not a bad human being! These people crapping on you in this place aren't doing so because of failures on your part. They are being abusive and controlling of you, and the best sign of this is you feel guilty, inadequate, and constantly unable to live up to their expectations. You keep coming back hoping today will be the day that things get better.
It won't get better! It will only get worse.
Or, you may think that if you improve your writing a bit, do this, or don't do that, that it'll get better.
It won't! Changing will not stop the abuse!
One good way to loosen the vice of abuse is by joining a second community. Aside from having good real life connexions, but let's assume you don't want to sever your involvement with your online fandom, or whatever scene online you're into in your hobbies. Let's say it's an RPG and you don't want to quit roleplaying.
So, join another RPG. Find a good one. Or even start your own, though this can be slow going at first. Remember--you won't have to quit the one you're currently in, either, and remember, you have no obligation to tell them you're joining another site, and if they give you a hard time about that, remember that's only one more sign they're trying to exert dominance and control over you.
One of the main things an abusive person or group will do is try and cut the victim off from outside support. You have to make sure this doesn't happen, or if it does, break out.
Once you find a non abusive, fun forum to spend your time in you may begin to see the ugly on the abusive site for what it is. Others that you might know who are nice on the abusive forum {if any} may even be persuaded to go over to your new site. Chances are they've been taking crap too.
The more time you spend outside the abusive forum/community, the less reliant you will feel on them and the more you will see their true colours.
Tonight's topic though is how to leave an abusive forum!
If you read my last article, "I Hate Your Forum - Please Unban Me"--it was about recognising whether your favourite online community is in fact a cesspool of emotional and psychological abuse. Now let's assume it is, and you want out.
Leaving is not as simple as people might think. The abusive forum has a pull on you. Remember one thing to start from: You are not a bad human being! These people crapping on you in this place aren't doing so because of failures on your part. They are being abusive and controlling of you, and the best sign of this is you feel guilty, inadequate, and constantly unable to live up to their expectations. You keep coming back hoping today will be the day that things get better.
It won't get better! It will only get worse.
Or, you may think that if you improve your writing a bit, do this, or don't do that, that it'll get better.
It won't! Changing will not stop the abuse!
One good way to loosen the vice of abuse is by joining a second community. Aside from having good real life connexions, but let's assume you don't want to sever your involvement with your online fandom, or whatever scene online you're into in your hobbies. Let's say it's an RPG and you don't want to quit roleplaying.
So, join another RPG. Find a good one. Or even start your own, though this can be slow going at first. Remember--you won't have to quit the one you're currently in, either, and remember, you have no obligation to tell them you're joining another site, and if they give you a hard time about that, remember that's only one more sign they're trying to exert dominance and control over you.
One of the main things an abusive person or group will do is try and cut the victim off from outside support. You have to make sure this doesn't happen, or if it does, break out.
Once you find a non abusive, fun forum to spend your time in you may begin to see the ugly on the abusive site for what it is. Others that you might know who are nice on the abusive forum {if any} may even be persuaded to go over to your new site. Chances are they've been taking crap too.
The more time you spend outside the abusive forum/community, the less reliant you will feel on them and the more you will see their true colours.
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