Author Topic: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?  (Read 1911 times)

Offline Tortuga

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Hello~! I'm not sure if this is where a thread like this goes. Does it count as a help thread or a game discussion thread? I guess if this is in the wrong section, the mods will just move it, and I shall have no qualms. ;D

Anyway, I've recently been hard at work over the last few days designing a new map, and as I've worked on it, I've considered leading a long-term, semi-real lion RP on it. The thing is... I've never hosted my own RP before. XD Played in plenty, but never hosted. To my understanding, the RP host is a large part of a roleplay's vitality, so I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who can give me some advice. The ones that I've played in often die after the first two days when they're supposed to be long-term, so I don't have a lot of good role-models to go on, as you can imagine. XD

My main inquiry is as follows: In your experience, how do you as a host (or hosts you have observed) keep roleplay members entertained when things slow down? What kind of RP elements keep things interesting? Is there anything I should keep in mind when starting a roleplay? Just add anything you think makes a good RP tick! IC-wise, I'd appreciate advice geared towards a semi-realistic/fantasy lion RP in particular (ex. one that may have ranks, kings/queens, heirs, etc.). Thank yooou~
« Last Edit: April 03, 2013, 12:11:59 am by Tortuga »
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Offline Nemena

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 12:05:33 am »
Your blue text is mighty, mighty difficult to read I'm afraid; I can only reply to the bits 'n' bobs in yellow. I'm running a group in FH myself-- and have also ran a few groups in other MMOs for many, many years! This is the only advice I can think up from the top of my head-- I hope it's a lil' useful, though it's certainly not the gospel truth. Everyone has their own way of dealing with groups! :D

  • Always have a few plots and storylines planned out before you start recruitment. There's nothing worse than joining a group, expecting progression and finding out it's the same thing day after day. You can plan the subsequent plots once your current one's already in motion! It'll keep the roleplayers entertained and prevent the group from stagnating.
  • You could also update the map to reflect changes in the storyline! For example, one plot could have involved a storm that completely wrecked your lion's homeland. You could easily add some scars in the land, toppled buildings, rocks etc. It'd provide plenty of roleplaying opportunities! Perhaps a rock-slide could've opened up a new cave; you could add in a portal to another map to show this!

    In terms of OOC:

    • Go for quality, not quantity. It's a well-known fact but-... Well. Some people don't realize it! You'd rather have a few, skilled and active roleplayers than a large bundle of folk who barely pop online once a month. Things might be slow at first, but it'd least help give your group a good, solid reputation.
    • Immediately curb and resolve any OOC arguments and conflicts between members. If someone's breaking the rules-- don't be soft. If you've a repeating rule-breaker, whether they're a close friend or mere acquaintance, remove them from the group. I've seen many groups topple when the leader's best friend completely wrecked the atmosphere by getting away with murder itself! A three-strike rule typically works well for me, with an instantaneous kick if it's a serious offense (ie, triggering comments, trolling, harassment etc). A solid base of trusted, high-ranked individuals could help, too-- it's difficult, but not impossible, to run a group alone!
    • Perhaps make a forum for announcements and discussions; it easily lets others know what's happening- and can heighten the sense of community! Most of the longer lasting roleplays I've encountered have had some form of forum. They're relatively simple to make, too!

Offline Tortuga

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 12:10:21 am »
Excellent! It's awesome that you're being so detailed, too. And I'll change the color real quick, if it's hard to read -- I just really like blue. XD
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Offline RisingLife

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 12:41:35 am »
Outta the way, RP master commin through *puts on leather jacket* no jk, I'm definitely not an RP master, but I have joined many RP's in my FH life-time, and hosted one or two. Everything Nemena said was completely true, and its good advice to follow to. Storylines are important for RPs to stay active, for it gives all the members something to look forward too, and changes to the map to reflect different things is great. And it doesnt just have to be for storms or rock slides, you could just as easily reflect seasons on the map as well! Having strict rule enforcement is also important, I can't tell you how many times I dread going to an RP because there is one person who breaks the rules and is never kicked out. And forums forums forums, I love them. Since I'm super busy during the work days, I usually only have time to check the forum and see if there is any updates. If an RP doesnt have a forum, I feel like I'm totally lost when I get on. So yeah, everything Nemena said is things you should take into account. But there also also other things you could adhere too, such as the small things.

OOC Wise:
-Your staff (Admins + Mods) should be able to work well together, be active, and should be able to function without you, the host on. Make sure to not have too much staff though, because then it could get slightly overwhelming.

-A small, but in my experience very useful technique is to make your members feel welcome. When they first join the group or map, make sure to say "Welcome!" and useful information they should know. When they get on even a simple "Hey" or "Welcome Back" can leave your members wanting to get back on. If the members don't feel welcome, they won't want to get back on.

IC Wise:
-Try to make your RP original, like have new ranks, or allow different animals on your map! I remember on one RP I join (A highly successful one) there was a wolf pack and a city with a menacing rogue group living in it. Something like your lion RP could have a zebra group, hyena, or any other savannah animal pack.

Thats all I have for right now, but I hope it helped a little :)
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Offline Acetaminophen

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 01:09:29 am »
I've been playing for a couple years, and have hosted a few rps

OOC Wise:
- I think the most important thing for a leader is to keep leading, really. For something (a member declaring they hate you, an idiot that somehow escaped radar, someone continuously being a jerk, etc) to happen but to still get back on the pride the next day and go on recruiting. It's the hardest thing for me when that happens and I get knocked back to continue.

- A well though-out plot or at least rival group is a must. Otherwise people end up staring at each other waiting for something to do. I've tried plots that explained a certain aspect of the rp, but unless you make a plot that you can go forwards with, it won't work.
Maybe some thing like:
  • a disease is affecting the plants causing it die, thus starving the prey, thus starving the predators as well
  • Humans have begun making a city nearby, disrupting the ecosystem. (poisoned waters, lions getting shot, prey being run off, etc)
  • A dispute in the royal family, causing a number of mutinous lions to secede or forcibly take control of the pride.
- Forums are usually rather helpful to keep track of bios and announcements. I've seen groups use their sites to keep tabs on activity as well, since it's far easier to pop in a website and sign in to show one's interested still, than to spend an hour rping. The group set it so everyone had to sign in once a week.

-Get a good friend (or a couple) that you trust and put them in power both IC and OOC. It's much easier with more than one person.

- Don't let rule-breakers plead to your emotions and let them off. Might seem cold-hearted to boot someone after they plead, but otherwise, the more important rules will get steam-rolled over and havoc will reign.



IC wise:
- Encourage people calling high ranks by their title or "my lord," etc. It'll set those you've chosen to have power apart. The mods/admins can still be friendly with everyone else, but bottom line is the staff run the rp.

-Make sure that the male/female pair ranks are mates. It's easier that way.



Ranks:
For ranks, creative ones are better. Just keep in mind they shouldn't be too specific and obscure. I usually don;t have guards, because they don't do anything.) Here's a set up I came up with a while ago based on British nobility:

Queen --- King
Prince --- Princess (Royal cubs)
Baron -- Baroness (An honorary position given to the best of the warriors/hunters/scouts/healers)
Royal Guard (One or two bodyguards for the rulers)
Knight --- Dame (warrior)
Huntsman --- Huntress (hunter)
Outrider (scout)
Governess (pregnant or nursing mother)
Elder (+ title)
Squire [+ title] (Blank in training)
Young one



Hope this helps. Good luck!
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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 01:18:05 am »
Oh, yeay~! Someones need advice on a topic in which I can help with. What fun~ What fun~! Anyway, I'll start now.

Now, when creating a roeplay, many serious members in which actually are looking for a 'place to stay' will look out for certain things mentioned within your advertisement, thus you should remember to include as much as possible in there if you can, and make sure that you don't add certain things to it, and there are, of course; a few things in which are not neccesary to add. I'll just divide this up into sections like the others have, so you gain a better understanding of this.

Advertising

-When Advertising, take in to account what certain members whom you may be seeking for might have a hawk's  eye on. A lot of serious roleplayers perfer maps, aswell as the mentioning that is it 'literate' and literate alone. How long in which it will lasts is also usually taken into account by these people as well as how active the roleplay will be. If there is a lot to explain in the plot, add that they should whisper for more information. Roleplaying samples, although a pain in the butt- is another thing that dedicated roleplayers often look for, which is mainly because everyone must prove themselves before they are accepted.

-Not using movies is usually a wise move; I think of this, and I know that others do as well, as a stupid, not as informative as it neccesarily must be way of advertising. Stick to General Chat.

Selecting Administrators/Moderators and Keeping Order

-Select only close friends or people in whom you can trust to run this roleplay alongside you, yet stay on even when you are not, as mentioned before me.

-Do not just allow any old person to recieve a high-rank in which will put them into power; this will keep order within the roleplay, and prevent too much drama starting.

-When you are keeping order, you basicly have two actually good options of how you will present yourself to your members; as a sort of friendly person who will take action if it is neccesary, or a bit more of a stern person who could still be considered 'friendly'. Going about bossing people around will cause some members to leave.

-Give your members chances if they break a rule of yours (But not too many!), don't be all "Nope get out" the moment something goes wrong. Remember that there should also be seperate OOC and IC rules- there was once a roleplay in which I was in whom's main rule was basicly just "No arrogant characters; all must respect." (Of course, make sure this arrogance isn't 'constant'.)

Out of Character

-Remember that there is a FINE LINE between In-Character and Out-of-Character; some people get so into roleplaying that they see their own characters to have their own minds, and I don't see anything wrong with that.

Otherwise, I believe that RisingLife has explained everything I may have to say here.

In Character

-Rising life's suggestion

-Do not allow too many 'special snowflakes with tragic pasts and special pelts' and what not, this goes for Gary and Mary Sues and other similiar pet peeves of mine. Roleplays where everyone is special are not fun, but neither are roleplays where only a few actually get to compete in certain events.

-Try not to leave anyone out of roleplay, when this happens, they might not want to get on because they were not being interacted with.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2013, 01:20:16 am by HammerOfJusticeBlacki? »

Offline Tortuga

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 01:38:16 am »
Wow, it's so great how many people are willing to help a newbie out! The emphasis on staff is a definite new one for me; the thought of having one didn't even cross my mind until you guys mentioned it. Obviously, I have been a very blind floof. XD Seriously, thanks a lot guys. <3
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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 03:17:46 am »
Pfft, glad our truck-load of advice put together was helpful anyway, xDD.

I hope your roleplay does well and you get a good group of active, dedicated members in it! From what you mentioned above earlier, it sounded rather interesting [Though I would not join, only because I can't roleplay a lion or african animal worth crap, and my hands are full].

Best of luck to you in the roleplaying world~!

Offline Silvertide

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Re: Calling Veteran RP Hosts (Or Analytical RP members) -- Have Advice?
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2013, 04:50:43 am »