Ritza's Guide to Making a Long Term Role Play
Question:What are your qualifications to tell us about what's a long term role play, and how it differs from a short term role play?
Answer:I am Ritza, I have ran Day of Wrath, a long term role play that has been around for seven months now, and is still going, it has/had in it's prime 232 members, and //always// someone in the maps.
Question:
Can I join?
Answer:
No, it's just a closed group now for close friends to role play in.
Question:
Can I make a group that big? And that lasts that long?
Answer:
Yes you can, I'm about to tell you how.
Question:
Shut up already and get to it then.
Answer:
Okay.
Long Term Role Play Groups
Okay, so I see that there's a lot of confusion about what a long term role play group really is. And what they should have in order to keep going, and make a name for themselves. Here's a quick list down below.
This is a must. You aren't a long term role play group if you don't have a map where your members can go when it gets to crazy out in the public maps. If you have to argue over a den, claim public parts of maps, troll people, are announce on the general chat that "this is your rp's territory" you are not a long term role play. But instead you are a short term role play that has a name for itself. Congratulations on that part, you need this part though as well. Maps provide a few things for long term role plays.
*Safety
You don't have to worry about getting cussed out by a wolfaboo, or kittah pride that wants the same den.
*Location
Your members now have an exact location of where to met everyone else then they get online to role play. Instead of just running around the plains going "Where's that wolf pack at everyone?!"
*Expansion
You need more room? You simply add another map and tell everyone else to re-download. You don't need to go from living on the N/Z to taking over the Italy island.
Oh yes, if your a long term role play, you need to show the members that your serious. You need to sit down as an owner, take the time to make a forum, or get enough members to petition for a child's board. And get your role plays name into some index like google or something so that people can find you.
Either assign one of your members to advertise for you, or take the time to step out of your map and advertise yourself, keep your role plays name out there and make sure that the regulars on FH know about your role play. Do not become apathetic and stop when you hit 32 members. That's not the way to go, advertise like a boss.
Okay, for long term role plays, you cannot be online 24/7 so grab a staff team, people to watch the game for you, that will follow whatever rules you decide to make. The staff should be reliable and semi liked, meaning don't hire trolls, or bullies and expect not to receive complaints about it.
Make rules that are easy to follow, and if you need more than five, you need more than five get more than five. But make sure once you make them, you enforce them.
Give those members some freedom. You shouldn't be in the map 24/7 because that's how your rp dies. If you stay in the map, people no longer know your role play, and information about it will die out. Make sure you make frequent trips outside of the map. Make sure you take a large group, large groups with the tag, impress people, and you tend to get users without even having to advertise.
Get a tag. Get a tag. Get a tag. Character name + DoW. Zerah DoW, random users when then ask what DoW stands for, and you get new users without even having to advertise as well.
Your rep can be either, the role play that has literate role players, or the role play that's filled with trolls, or the role played filled with jerks, or the role play filled with noobs. Pick one.
We all like our drama. But when people ask your group to stop, make sure you can take control quickly, get everyone to stop, apologize, and hopefully not harass the same people again.
If you want War with other groups... MAKE SURE YOU ASK. Don't just declare war and then start insulting the other group. That's not war that's trolling. Also, if you want war, have an arena map, if you have two large groups fighting in the cape. *cough* DoW vs TEC *cough* You will lag the HECK out of everyone that isn't there. *cough* Not like we know this from experience *cough* xDD And then of course people who aren't in the role play will complain about not being able to move cause there's 72 role players all role playing with each other. -cough- not like we ever done that and lagged people off the cape before -cough-
VS Short Term
Short term has almost none of the things that long term role plays have. They are missing tags, they are missing reputation, they are missing the the majority of things that make role plays stand out in your mind. They usually take place in public dens, and break up after a week.
This is a MAJOR W.I.P add stuff if you have something. Thanks for reading.
List of Well Known Long Term Role PlaysRed's Ragnarok http://www.rr-x2.proboards.comDay of Wrathhttp://www.diesirea.proboards.comThe Ebony Circle http://www.eboncircle.proboards.com[/list]
