What is everyone's interest these days?

I wanna see what everyone's interests are these days. From the looks of it, the RP arena looks almost lifeless.

I can of did this backwards. I posted and interest thread, got some positive feedback, posted the actual RP, and then everyone just poofs. Most people told me they were busy, and it happens, but my mind started going into thinking mode...

I guess questions I have are (and you don't have to answer them all, I'm just curious);

• Are you still interested in role playing?
• If not, why do you not like Roleplay?
• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)
• What's your favorite theme/genere of an RP?
• What annoys you about certain RPs?
• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

 

Well, I know everyone is not only busy, but it's hard to just find time if you lack time management. (this is something I've been working on and I'm honestly loving it, hehe. but there is a difference) however I love to RP. Doesn't have to be all the time, but a few posts a week or every other day is nice. But there can be more behind the "busy life".

What attracts me? Well it's more of the story. You can gather a ton of information from the story and how the person posts the information. If it's strong, as in tons of backstory, examples detail character sheets and so forth, you can see ya know- they put in more time then you think. But I do enjoy the people also, behind it all. c:

 

• Are you still interested in role playing?

Yes, I need to defend my title of "Most Likely to Join Every RP". That and there are some interesting and cool rp ideas from other

• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)

And interesting idea really, just have that and I'll give the rp a read

• What's your favorite theme/genere of an RP?

Fantasy

• What annoys you about certain RPs?

Needless Drama outside rps

• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

An interesting idea and fun to be had

 

• Are you still interested in role playing?

Yes but I find it hard to have the time and commit myself fully to an rp, I don't want to get left behind and drop out because I can't keep up with the rate and quality of posts. But I would like to get back into it.

• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)

A good well written OP, that is easily understandable with a good OP thread with rules all set out with OC forms. The story has to be something that catches my interest and makes me want to join. However the main thing that currently decides it for me is the speed the rp moves at and the quality of posts required, ie the commitment needed. Personally I like slow moving rps (like there is one or two posts in the thread a day) with high quality posts as I don't want to commit to more than a few good posts a week, I may manage more but I can't guarantee it. In terms of the person who made it, an rp from someone I know and is a known good host is more likely for me to have a nosey at it initially and if it's borderline I may be more willing to put in the extra effort. However I will join an rp from someone I don't know if their story interests me enough and it's a level of commitment I can manage though an OP with a bad reputation may put me off.

• What's your favorite theme/genere of an RP?

Probably superheroes (or just powers) and fantasy, maybe action.

• What annoys you about certain RPs?

Some move far too fast for me and I'm not the fondest of ones where everyone has lots and lots of characters as it's hard to keep track of. I like people to put in more effort than simple one liners but some of the really high quality rps are just overwhelming and scary. That said that's not really annoyances, power playing, god modding, drama about the rp and bad grammar in the OP would really put me off. Additionally when the OP controls a Mary-Sue type character who is obviously the main character that everyone else revolves around can be annoying.

• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

A story I like and one that has me creating a character in my mind and getting ideas even as I read the OP, those are the type I want to join. Then I look for the style of posting, speed and quality

 

• Are you still interested in role playing?

I haven't joined an RP in a while, but I'd probably be interested in joining one if the concept were interesting enough

• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)

The openness of creativity (am I wording that right?), and an appealing theme. I also like to see that the creator knows what they're doing.

• What's your favorite theme/genre of an RP?

Superheroes, school drama, sci-fi, various combinations of the aforementioned....

• What annoys you about certain RPs?

When people don't try hard enough to cooperate, or the creator hasn't laid out enough of a direction for the story to move in to help with said cooperation; just a lack of general organization.

• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

Give me enough liberty to make my character the way I like, but give me a set of rules or guidelines that will keep me from deviating from the RP's plot before I can't go back. If it's your Role Play, enforce yourself just a *pinch*. Competence is still sexy.

 

I've seen this happen myself -and I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of it, too- and it sucks. I think part of is the idea of something is always more appealing and accessible than the actual thing. People will see interest threads that they really enjoy and get excited about, but then the actual execution might turn them off or they'll realize they're too busy afterwards or they can't get a character to work for it the way they want.

Yep! I haven't done it in a while, unfortunately for a few reasons. The last RP I was actually in (and one I'm hoping to rejoin this week) I had to take a sabbatical from shortly after it started after my mother was in a car accident. She was okay, but it was the final nail in my stress coffin due to her mental health and financial issues and with that and a bunch of other things going on in my life, I a) could not find the time to post -especially after falling behind and having to catch up and b) could not find the motivation to actually do it; the stress and anxiety from life wouldn't let me focus on it even though that's how I escape my stress. Now that I'm in a better position, I'm hoping to get back into RPing in general.

All of that, but the three main factors for me are: the story (I have to be able to immerse myself in it), the signature mechanic (what about the RP is unique whether it's a gimmick to the thread itself or the world's type of magic system, etc.), and direction (both for the RP itself and for my own characters. If the RP seems like it doesn't have direction of where the creator wants it to go or if it looks like I won't have much to do with my characters then I'll pass).

SUPERHERO WITH A TWIST. I've made plenty of superhero RPs and participated in a few others and my favorite kinds are the ones that do something different. I want to see heroes that aren't normally together crossover together or put in different positions than normal (sidekicks taking the A-Team's roles) or completely original heroes.
Crossovers IF done taken seriously. I don't like crossovers that are anybody from anywhere doing anything. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely an audience for it and I've done it; they are fun. It's just not my cup of tea generally. It ends up with interaction being really weird (God-level characters fighting goofy characters, for example. Again, it's fun, just not for me) or people with too many characters and I get lost.
OCs in another franchise. I used to love playing canon characters, but it's a bit weird for me these days. I want the freedom to evolve characters how I see fit without worrying about compromising that character's essence. So I like seeing RPs based on certain worlds but using mostly original characters. One reason I like crossovers is because canon characters are put in a world where they get to be different than the source material so there's a bit more freedom there. (It's weird that I want to be a comic book writer so I'd be writing mostly canon characters!)
Those three are my favorites, but that's not to say that I won't do others. I love completely original RPs with original worlds, but they're not always my favorite to do because it's difficult knowing how the creator has it fleshed out and things can get out of control. I'll see other original RPs that have a clear influence from other properties like a Final Fantasy-styled world or magic system, or a Marvel comics-styled superhero RP and those are pretty awesome.

Too much freedom. Others have said this before. I don't mean it in a way that I think they should be stifled, but sometimes the RPer-in-charge lets others get away with things they shouldn't. I remember when I started RPing seeing people having to edit their posts to change something. There's a balance there: you want people to have the freedom play their characters how they want and explore the world how they want, but if the RP-Maker has a story to tell, the story should get told.

Also, not enough freedom. I know, I'm high-maintenance. But I've seen threads where people are only allowed to be certain things or do certain things in a particular order. It's one reason I don't generally do stat-based RPs because I want the story and characters to evolve in a creatively-organic way, like a novel. I do enjoy playing video games, but even video games you see characters do things outside of the number-system.

Commitment isn't respected. This one goes both ways. I want people to be committed. If they can't post or don't post for a long time, that's fine. I've been in the position where I don't have the time to make a quality post, but I can still go mess around in the Spam Zone or something so I understand, but ideally, we should let the others know so they're not stuck waiting around on us. The other thing is that some people have more free time and want to post more often. The two camps conflict with each other, one telling the other to post or one having to do so much catch-up. Truth be told, it's really hard finding that balance because everyone here has such different lives and time constraints. It's something I'm personally trying to improve about myself, but both sides need to find a way to respect each other's commitment level instead of leaving each other out/behind. That said, some people don't make the effort of trying to catch up or even letting someone know they just don't want to do it anymore and the thread dies waiting for some kind progress. The worst part is when it's the person in charge who falls behind without warning (and this is something I am extremely guilty of and the reason most of my RPs have died). It's one reason I prefer to collab with people so I have someone else who can move the story along when I can't.

That I can have fun. It sounds simple, but there are so many different things that go into it. Does the world of the story appeal to me? Can I see my character having an adventure in that story? Are the other people involved easy to get along with and can I see my characters interacting with them? Is there a clear storyline (really, just for the beginning. Throw me a twist after we get rolling!) so the characters get some kind of goal early on? Did the person put effort into designing the main thread (not a deal-breaker since sometimes simple is better)?

The RP-Arena has seen better days and it has been more active in the past with a livelier community. I'd like to see it back to those days, or at least as close as possible. I've got a few ideas on things to spark interest in the section again, but they'll take some work. However, the most important thing I can think of that'll help is more participation. Just looking at this thread alone, I see a lot of people that want to role-play but are afraid due to the commitment they can offer or the lack of preferred genre; times like this I think we should get together and create RPs together since so many people have similar desires.

 

I'm surprised my account still exists after all the not using I've done over the years; I was sure (and was kinda hoping) they'd have axed it to oblivion for inactivity (mostly because I literally don't identify with my username anymore, lol).

But that's enough rambling from me. On to the topic at hand!

• Are you still interested in role playing?

I'm definitely still interested in RPing; if not actually engaging in an in-character project, I get a lot of satisfaction out of discussing RP-related topics. But after a nearly year-and-half long hiatus from actual participation, I'm itching to find some action somewhere.

• If not, why do you not like Roleplay?

N/A

• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)

On the whole the story is what compels me to find interest in an RP. That's the top priority in my book, because that's ultimately what most RPing is about. It doesn't particularly have to be something great or innovative to be honest, as much as something that I find enticing and stimulating. The aesthetic presentations are really just icing on the cake for me, though I've noticed that a solid layout often packages a solid story (at least in most cases). In general, I could care less about who makes an RP. The only times I stray away from something on the basis of who's running it is when it's someone I know has a reputation for shenanigans or not committing; but honestly, of all the people on the Internet that I've RP'd with (and it's been quite a hefty number), there's only been maybe three or four that I can really say that I would prefer to avoid working with outright.

I've actually found that one of my biggest motivators for actually joining is the GM(s) getting their character sheets posted in a timely fashion; getting my own characters straightened out before posting an RP has sort of become a standard of mine (hence why I haven't really made a lot of RPs in the past two years or so).

• What's your favorite theme/genere of an RP?

I'm pretty interested in RPing with fantasy, science fantasy, and science fiction settings. Other than that I'm pretty flexible.

• What annoys you about certain RPs?

1. Half-Baked Setup; not so much a lack of organization, but more of the essence of feeling like some element of the RP's initial setup being incomplete or just not totally thought out in its entirety. Sometimes it's an element of the backstory that's just not totally ironed out, or is otherwise questionable for one reason or another. But I more often find that it comes with more of the RP's game mechanics, if you will. It severely irks me for example, when an RP is equipped with a stat sheet, but doesn't have a particular system outlined to explained how those stats function in practice. In one instance, a guy I know had made an RP utilizing an aura-type system as power limiter; basically, characters would have semi-unique aura types (color coded). A great concept, but there were only like three types of auras that only really accounted for a small range of powers.
2. Narrow Focus in a Wide Setting; maybe I'm just a grouch about this one, but it annoys me tremendously when people have an expansive world/universe with a potential slew of dozens of events that could be going on, and then squander the action to focus on a relatively a small cast. Don't get me wrong, I know that, often times, there needs to be a central character or several central characters that drive the plot home. The point at which it annoys me is when it becomes a situation where characters outside of a select few are relegated to marginal roles.
   
   I was actually in an RP that felt that way when I first RP'd on this site. A Kingdom Hearts RP (Keyblade War at that); so that setting in itself begot, at least to me, a fairly expansive universe with a lot of room for a lot of people to shine. But then, when I got involved in the RP (because at the time I had no clue what to expect of it) I discovered that pretty much everything was centered around the three or four characters controlled by the GMs. Everyone else basically had to flock towards them to remain relevant. Between the frequently being left behind via speed posting and the general overpoweredness of the GM characters, it really felt like I was in an RP that was meant to be private or one that I really just wasn't invited to.

• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

These days, I'm honestly looking for a character-building experience. I feel like a lot of my old characters never really got the love they deserved from me, so to speak. So I'm pretty much scouring all of my previous haunts for opportunities rekindle a few of them and grow them through a more natural progression. That, and there are some new character concepts that I'm looking for chances to utilize.

PS

On this matter. It's actually the rather sad truth on most forums these days. I've been around the web a while and there are lot of places like this one where things like RPing have all but vanished. Even places that used to be brimming with activity are really just collecting dust these days. It's mostly hitting the places where RPing isn't the main attraction, places like this that are driven by other sorts of media (IE gaming, anime, comics, etc). Basically the only forums I see these days that have any real RPing life are the ones that are built primarily on RPing.

 

Except in extremely rare situations, we won't delete any account. Good to see you around, though! I remember seeing you throughout the RPA way back when.

By this, you mean the GM having their own characters ready and posted within the thread when they post the thread? I agree. I don't think I've ever seen it done after the fact! Now that I think about it, actually, I may have done it once myself when I was in a really big hurry and added my characters in the next day, but I hated myself for that. I think it's a must; at the very least, it gives potential recruits an example character to look at when making their own.

I've never been on another site to RP, except one made by a few people that were all from here so that doesn't count lol. I suspected that may be the case, though. Hopefully, the hobby would make a resurgence.

 

• Are you still interested in role playing?

Always was, always will be. Started around 2011.

• What attracts you to an RP? (story, the person who made it, layout, style)

This is a bit tough to answer. On KH-Vids, the person who made it doesn't really matter that much, but I feel like the genre, plot and setting matter a lot. I naturally gravitate towards a roleplay that allows a bit of leeway in character creation, because I just can't help but love doing something kind of unusual or special with the characters I make.

• What's your favorite theme/genre of an RP?

Hmm, probably superhero, fantasy and sci-fi. Hard to choose between those three. Fantasy for me is letting the imagination run wild and free, like frolicking in a grass plain. It's very expressive and allows for some really interesting plots and scenarios. Sci-fi is similar in a creative sense, but limited to technology, which is also something that interests me. Superheros, I just really like them, the thought of a person having the power to do good or do bad and how they do it. Also, superpowers. Like fantasy, there's tons of variety and creativity.

• What annoys you about certain RPs?

If you mean like the premise that's set up for the setting, then I don't really think I'm annoyed by those, just either deterred or interested. As for actual roleplaying itself, I do dislike how some people might ignore the actions of others that...realistically speaking, can't really be ignored? I've hard hard times trying to integrate my character into RP's when that happened.

• What do you look for in a Roleplay?

I just look for fun, but also for a way to stretch my creativity muscles, which seriously need it. There's also the character that the other person may be RPing; I may want to interact with that specific character. Other than that, I also might just want to make a new friend. I got a lot of really close ones from roleplaying, and I hope to get more. Friends and RPing are great.