(01-28-2015, 03:45 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote: Zhavi is correct that the discussion about setting up specific RP that caters to specific groups should be a new thread, since it's off-topic here (and as someone whose FC arguably falls into that category, I have some thoughts on that. ) Please feel free to start a new thread for it.

(01-28-2015, 02:43 PM)Zhavi Wrote: First step: find someone to play the matriarch. You have specific wants. It's more likely you'll need to convince someone you know and trust to play this person. Alternatively, use a NPC placeholder and build around the role until you have someone to play it. Yes, playing with NPCs in game is a pain in the ass. How badly do you want this?

First step.5: set up some concrete goals, taglines -- the things that you want to remain even when things change as people come and go and the rp happens. These should be short and to the point.

Second step: find one or two other people to join you. At least one needs to be someone you trust to stick around -- this person is necessary because when you start looking at new people you have no idea how long they will stick around. Having someone to keep your plot threads moving and constant is utterly important.

Third step: recruit. Recruit, recruit, recruit. Super frustrating because you don't want just anyone -- you want people you'll enjoy writing with. This is, imo, the most time consuming. You have to send people pms, or else be prepared to be super patient hoping you run across people in game. Personally, I prefer ooc communication.

Fourth step: have a rp hook to draw people in that makes them excited to start with you. Collaborate with other rp plots (even if they're small and insular) if you can.


I could not find anyone doing the sort of rp I wanted to do in Limsa when I first joined. I spent so much time writing people, trying to work out rp times, trying to find people interested who wanted to work with me. It wasn't just luck that I found goodfellow, melkire, shay & enteris, ruru, hut and all the others who stuck with me -- it was time, and effort, and gradually expanding through contacts of contacts.

Yeah, what you want is a small subset of the rp community. I get that. Yeah, you have to work harder than others, I get that.

Either it's worth the trying, or it's not. And if you've already done all the above and still nothing, then I'd go back to the drawing board and start trying to figure out how to change how I approach people (am I somehow misrepresenting myself? am I not exciting enough? do I need another way of approaching people?), or what about the way I'm presenting things isn't appealing.

(01-28-2015, 03:36 PM)allgivenover Wrote: Sarcasm aside Zhavi, I've been all up and down that road (aside from actually posting on the forums, I prefer to approach people more directly, anyway) and it's been ruined every single time. I frankly just got tired of trying after a year and a half.
I'm a picky RPer, and obviously I've considered doing it myself, but by now I'm so disgusted by my experiences that I just chose to give up entirely.

(01-28-2015, 03:50 PM)Chris Ganale Wrote: As a self-titled ultra-loner who hates to do work getting RP, gripes all the time about going to fish for RP, always feels like an unwelcome outsider in well-established forums like this (and therefore feels that making use of the player connections forum would be a waste of bytes), and has admittedly written over half my characters into RP corners, I still take Chao to the QS at least once a week and fish for RP (badly; staring at one's notebook doesn't make for compelling bait).

Now that I think about it, there's really no point here and it doesn't contribute anything, but I'll leave it as a reminder to come back later and go into brief about some of my characters.

1. Stick to your guns. You don't want to get a core group of people together, then have them leave because you've altered the concept from what they signed up for.
   
2. Keep recruiting. Always keep the doors open. Listen for people asking about groups and, if you think you might fit, talk to them. Player churn is an inevitability in MMOs -- now more than when EQ and UO were the only games in town. Your ultimate goal is to achieve what I like to call "critical mass," where the interactions among characters are self-sustaining. Critical mass seems to be around 15-20 active players with 8-10 on during "prime time."
   
3. RP in the open. I realize griefers are a pain in the ass, but some of the best and longest lasting RPers we've had are ones we literally just bumped into during RP in public. Remember, the RPC only reaches a small subset of the RP community, and even then, some people here are shy. (37.8% of RPC registrants have never posted even once. 66.6% have posted five times or less. A mere 300 users -- 5.8% -- have posted 100 times or more. We are a community of lurkers here. )
   
4. Don't demand exclusivity. This is a bigger issue in XIV, where the community tends to lean towards "LS for RP, FC for content." Don't force people to leave where they are to join you, because that cuts down your options even more.
   

(01-28-2015, 04:29 PM)Graeham Ridgefield Wrote: I struggled to find consistent role-play before I signed up with a Free Company. I find that one of the biggest obstacles is that a lot of role-players on this site present themselves as being 'friendly and approachable' but then when an outsider tries to initiate contact they simply blow them off.

Not that they're obligated to role-play, mind you, but when they specifically post in an interest check thread it's disheartening when they're later not all that interested in getting involved with something after all.

It makes me worry that a lot of role-players who are not so bold in their attempts to find role-play end up being driven away as a result.

(01-28-2015, 06:35 PM)C Wrote: It can be hard to reach out to a stranger and ask. I know this. For me, I have trouble thinking about what to say. I ended up basically coming up with a few set "pick up lines" for this: "Hi, how are you? I saw your search text. You're a roleplayer? What sort of RP are you looking for?" I take pains to be polite, to not be pushy, and to generally be a welcoming member of the RP community. And for those of you who this is especially hard for, I can offer this: It's a skill. It can be learned. It gets easier with practice.

• Re-using FreeLanceWizard's words here, but anyway, stick to your guns. Don't force yourself to put up with RP you have severe problems with - like lore breaking, slight godmoding, or sudden retcons - because the alternative is to not RP with that group. You'll just end up not having fun.
  
  
  
  
• Find people that "pay it forward".  If the only RP you seem to get from a group involves furthering their personal goals or giving them attention while your character is barely considered, dump them. Don't hold out expecting them to consider your character, they won't.
  
  
  
• Steer clear of fetishism. This one might be hard to spot because some of these role players disguise themselves as trying to build an edgy narrative with a taboo subject, but it's important because this sort of role player will abandon you once the fetish play has lost its luster, leaving you with hanging threads and an awkward history.
  
  
  
• Make sure you're on the same page philosophically. If your ideas about RP are at odds with the rest of the group, leave. This could be about anything (what's "allowed" to be RP'd, what level of lore-bending is permitted, etc). If you don't establish this properly you can end up in an awkward situation where everyone else is happy but you.
  

(01-28-2015, 07:26 PM)allgivenover Wrote: I was so desperate to find the sort of RP I was looking for that I didn't do any of these things that I normally do, and it was a big mistake.

(01-28-2015, 07:26 PM)allgivenover Wrote:

• Steer clear of fetishism. This one might be hard to spot because some of these role players disguise themselves as trying to build an edgy narrative with a taboo subject, but it's important because this sort of role player will abandon you once the fetish play has lost its luster, leaving you with hanging threads and an awkward history.
  

(01-30-2015, 01:14 PM)Graeham Ridgefield Wrote: It's kind of alarming how many role-players cut off contact with me when they realise that I'm not willing to have Graeham jump into bed with their character within a few hours of meeting them.

(01-30-2015, 01:14 PM)Graeham Ridgefield Wrote:

(01-28-2015, 07:26 PM)allgivenover Wrote:

• Steer clear of fetishism. This one might be hard to spot because some of these role players disguise themselves as trying to build an edgy narrative with a taboo subject, but it's important because this sort of role player will abandon you once the fetish play has lost its luster, leaving you with hanging threads and an awkward history.
  

It's kind of alarming how many role-players cut off contact with me when they realise that I'm not willing to have Graeham jump into bed with their character within a few hours of meeting them. What's even more alarming is that some people expect ERP just because my character happens to be a bit of a flirt. It's already made for a few awkward situations.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to ERP. I just think the community as a whole is far too tolerant of it. I see it as a very private affair, not something that should be bragged about in public - especially if it involves questionable fetishes. 

Luckily it's possible to keep an eye out for warning signs and avoid it to some extent. It does require taking a firm stance though, so I feel sorry for people who aren't confrontational enough to tell someone to back off.

(01-30-2015, 03:24 PM)Fai Wrote: But, more seriously and back on topic. K'aworu runs into the aforementioned a loooot. I don't mind eRP at all, but he isn't a real frivelous character in that department. This isn't to say he's a prude, it's just not easy, y'know? I feel like, basically, that because my character won't sleep around and do it on the drop of a hat, that my character is automatically uninteresting and won't be approached.

(01-30-2015, 03:31 PM)Gegenji Wrote:

(01-30-2015, 03:24 PM)Fai Wrote: But, more seriously and back on topic. K'aworu runs into the aforementioned a loooot. I don't mind eRP at all, but he isn't a real frivelous character in that department. This isn't to say he's a prude, it's just not easy, y'know? I feel like, basically, that because my character won't sleep around and do it on the drop of a hat, that my character is automatically uninteresting and won't be approached.

I like to think there's a nice bit of entertainment in the "will they or won't they?" approach, myself. I also don't really like rushing relationships either - it's so much better when you let it grow organically and have events and markers that signal how the relationship formed. Even something as being able to recall where your first date was at is a nice talking piece, even if you don't end up staying with them.

But some folks just want to get to the nitty-gritty. Which is their own choice, I suppose... as long as they don't try to force it upon others or shame them for not doing the same.