The problem is that newbies are immediately ushered to the Nexus, a setting which does, in fact, inadvertently crush new settings.
You can say it doesn't, but the fact is it does - it just doesn't intend to.
I'm incredibly disheartened to learn that after several attempts to spark interest in different settings (never making it past the "Anyone Interested" phase, in fact), that there is simply no room for something less... silly.
The Nexus, as a whole, is the entire kitchen sink of fantasy and sci-fi. There are many reasons why that might not be what a person wants, and yet there are practically no alternatives, so they are ushered to the Nexus. This is the wrong thing to do.
"There's nobody playing a setting focused on what I want to play, so I guess I have to go to the Nexus" just means that there is still no one playing what that person wants to play. This makes me sad, because it creates a cycle. What if I want to play in a low-powered world, where someone with nothing but a dagger is just as capable as anyone else, and not liable to be blown up by grenades and shot with lasers?
Ah. Now this, I suppose, I could see as a problem.
Of course, I see absolutely no way to fix this that would be remotely satisfactory or even good. If you have any suggestions, go ahead, but I really can't think of anything that'd work.
I think you may be missing an important point. Simply put, if I want to play a knight character, I do not play said character in the Nexus because there's no world specifically for knights and dragons and so forth, I play said character in the Nexus because I like the Nexus. I prefer the Nexus to other settings not because it can include whatever character idea I invent, but because it has everything else as well.
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For years I've been unable to get my worlds off the ground. I guess I'm just never going to get something up and running, and I'm honestly just... it's not making me very enthused today for FFRPing.
You know what? I'll keep the idea out there, but I'm not expecting it to get anywhere anymore. I should have known better by now.
Edit:
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdEmperor
I think you may be missing an important point. Simply put, if I want to play a knight character, I do not play said character in the Nexus because there's no world specifically for knights and dragons and so forth, I play said character in the Nexus because I like the Nexus. I prefer the Nexus to other settings not because it can include whatever character idea I invent, but because it has everything else as well.
No, I'm sorry, but you're missing the point yourself.
There are those of us who do not like the setting of the Nexus, but play there because there was no real alternative for what we wanted to play. Where is our setting? What if I don't want to have my knight fighting robots? That's a fairly reasonable request.
What if I don't want to have my robots fighting fantasy monsters? That's also a reasonable request. There's nowhere.
Nowhere at all.
This isn't about people who "Want to play in the Nexus". This is about people who want to FFRP things that are more specialized. The Nexus is not, contrary to popular belief, the best place for everything. It's the best place for a certain kind of thing, like any setting.
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Last edited by Darklord Bright : 02-15-2011 at 08:07 PM.
If you want to get a new universe to work with players that have other settings they're already in running it like a Plot thread would probably be the way to go. Make it a self-contained story rather than the sprawling pit of madness that is the Nexus. By containing everything in one thread it should be easier for players to keep track of it and juggle time there with other places.
That's my suggestion! =3
*cough*
>_>
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I think the last thing I'll say here is, the main reason things are the way they are is because this forum did used to be for just one universe, which occurred by accident.
If you caught my Aurora Air post, that's basically the IC version of OOC events. There was a silly little feud that started in some SMBG threads, and accidentally exploded into Town. Eventually it got so big that it got its own subforum, which was literally just the Town subforum, even being named just that.
It lasted like that for a long time, until finally it got small enough and the Acronyms got big enough that the mods dumped the Acronyms here, renamed the place FFRP, and they kind of mixed together (after a while, at least).
So really... nothing was designed with the idea of having multiple FFRPS. Basically every single FFRP that has formed and has successfully run here? It's been on accident. Town. Acronyms. I don't know how Bleach ItP really started up, but it wasn't intended to be run in the FFRP section, it just got dumped here when it delved heavily into the roleplay.
So, I suppose it isn't surprising that things aren't conducive to creating a new universe. Because that's never how it has happened. That's not how the subforum was designed, and very few people have even had reason to think about it, because they were already playing what they wanted to play when they got moved here.
If you want to change this, I'm sure people would be willing to listen. But try and understand that it really isn't anyone's fault that it is this way.
Yes, Rebo, I read what you said. Unfortunately, I have high doubts that having an OOC and a single plot thread with only myself and three others will do anything but peter out and die, from what I've been told here.
Yes, I'd be willing to try it, and yes, I'd stick with it - but if no one else is really there, or it drops down to only a couple people posting back and forth? That loses a lot of the fun-factor for me.
If those of you who are interested want me to drop an OOC where we can discuss things, say so.
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Hello! I'm new here. I just noticed this forum and read everything. It was very informative. So I just wanted to clarify, would half sphinx characters work as well?
It depends where you want to go. It's sure to be embraced in the Nexus, if you are fine with said half-sphinx being involved with everything from other fantasy creatures to aliens and robots.
If that's fine for you, take a look around the first posts of things like the Nexus OOC thread, the first post of this thread, and ask some questions. I'm sure people will be willing to help you get settled in.
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Hey, Darklord. I'd be willing to help you with your setting. Honestly, I think a new setting, without an existing following, would be good to have here. It'd be fun to help shape it and watch it grow.
So, yeah. I'm all for it.
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Hey, Darklord. I'd be willing to help you with your setting. Honestly, I think a new setting, without an existing following, would be good to have here. It'd be fun to help shape it and watch it grow.
So, yeah. I'm all for it.
Thanks, Kerf. I'm not sure whether to just start up an OOC and see what happens or not.
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So, a while back there was a sort of backlash against the random roleplay-type banter and random kidnappings and rescuings that went on in the Nexus OoC, and some discussion was had (mostly by me) to have a thread specifically for this sort of thing. So here's a draft opening post:
Quote:
The Playground (in the Playground!)
So you've been exiled. Cast out of the Friendly Banters, Out of Characters and Silly Message Board Games you called home, with nothing left but the clothes on your back and a distinct lack of bubblegum. Cast out by the irate posters you once called your friends, and hounded by the forces of SENSE and MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION, you fled. Fled for your very lives, until you could find a place to be free once more. This is that place. A place of kidnappings and combat. A place of seducers, saviors and random genderbending shenanigans. Harems and empires rise and fall with the changing of the tides. This is the Playground.
So wait, what actually is this place?
Well, to put it simply, this is a roleplay thread. However, it just happens to be a very specific kind of roleplay thread. If you're looking for meaningful plot development, world-changing events and the ability to play a rigidly defined character over a number of threads in an established setting, this is probably not the place for you. If you're looking for random dance parties, PG-13 seduction attempts and damsels to kidnap for your harem, then welcome home. There is no setting or geography here, just an empty space for you to drop your persona (typically your avatar, but not always) into, roleplay, and have fun!
Rules!? Oh noes! (Oh yes!)
Spoiler
PLEASE remember to follow the forum rules. They can be found here.
The official stance on Godmodding, godmoding and other FFRP-specific rules is, and I quote, "whatever." (But be mindful of other people's preferences)
No drama, wangst, or srs business. It will be punished by cow.
This is not intended to replace the OOC and Friendly Banter threads, but to complement them (and probably also make the mods/some other people happier).
Do not taunt the godkilling abomination. It will not end well.
There is no rule six.
Come to think of it, there isn't a rule seven either.
I think we're out of rules.
Seriously.
Just stop reading.
Close this spoiler, there's really nothing more for you to see here.
Don't make me mind control you...
C'mon. Why are you still reading this?
CLOSE. THE GORRAM. SPOILER BOX.
Still here? Damn. Well then if you won't leave I suppose I'll just stop tal
Comments, and stuff? I realize the people this is aimed at are probably also the people least likely to read this thread... not without persuasion, anyway. >.>
*sharpens knife*
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Last edited by Kris on a Stick : 02-15-2011 at 11:36 PM.
Re: The Playground: I would be really interested in this. But I also have the feeling that making a thread for this kind of thing in the first place will be by definition making it structured. I'll join, but I don't know about the project's chances of succeeding.
EDIT: Also, I can usually get enough of this kind of thing in Kiss or Kill or the other SMBGs on a good day, when a good number of other people are there. Another thread won't hurt, but it may be redundant.
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Last edited by Blue Ghost : 02-15-2011 at 11:39 PM.
Regarding the difficulty in starting/maintaining non-Nexus settings, the comments about outside recruitment seem to ring true. The problem is easy to see if we use the first AnimeITP (BleachITP) as an example. As has been pointed out, BleachITP had its origins not in the FFRP section, but in Media Discussions. Because of that it drew in a large amount of people who'd never even set foot in this part of the forums, rather than fighting an uphill battle to recruit those who were already involved in RPs of their own.
As it happened, BleachITP turned into an extremely active and successful community which spawned an entire slew of 'AnimeITP' settings...None of which were remotely as successful as the original. Even NarutoITP (the second AnimeITP created) never managed to cultivate a consistently active playerbase. The reasons for that likely extend beyond a single cause, but one which stands out is the lack of new blood. While BleachITP had drawn a good portion of its playerbase from outside sources, most of NarutoITP's players came solely from FFRP. And since almost everyone here was already part of at least one RP, the number interested in joining another was limited. The later AnimeITPs had it even worse, since they couldn't even rely on the newness of the concept or 'transplants' from their predecessors. No matter how well an RP is designed or managed, all that effort is useless if nobody sees it.
To summarise: Anyone who wants to start their own setting (or rejuvenate an existing one) might well want to look into outside recruitment. There are probably tons of people out there who would be interested in joining your FFRP, if only they knew that it existed. Whether it's posting a note on another site or canvassing RL friends, there's a whole untapped well of players waiting to be exploi-Recruited. Yes, that's it, recruited...
The basic problem is the amount of time and effort required to RP in one particular universe. I've noted that since this sub-forum stopped being 'Town' and started being 'FFRP' the settings that have survived here are the ones that came in with a totally different player base.
Usually from the Media section of the forums.
Case in point: BleachitP (which is probably the most stable of the non-Nexus roleplays) started out as a 'What is YOUR Zanpaktou?' thread.
...started by me. :3
Incidentally, I never intended for it to become an RP. It was just a massive geek-fest, and it basically evolved to what it is today.
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Originally Posted by Revlid
And so it was that Zaeed, Aang, Winry, Ezio, Sadoko and Snow White all set out on their epic journey to destroy The Empire.
In case this is madly forbidden by a rule I overread somewhere (and I really searched the rules, I swear), feel free to throw smelly herrings at me. Otherwise I'd like to advertise the Fantasy Freeform RPG I created in another part of the GitP forum.
Ehem. *picks up advertiser voice*
Are you interested in helping create an all-new fantasy world by adding your own creative touch? Do you want to play that one cool character class you thought of, but could never but into numbers that worked? Would you like to help write a story by playing a character and deciding yourself what works and what doesn't? Do you want to change the world?
We don't have a real GM to dictate your every step, but only one an Observer that keeps things nice and clean. (Me. Hehe.) You are the one, together with the other players, who will decide what happens next. Will you cause a war to break out? Will you prevent one? Or are you simply interested in seeing your character grow from peasent to knight, apprentice to archmage, slave to lord? Join us now and let your imagination run free in the Fantasy Freeform RPG! (The first three interested parties get virtual cookies and brownies for free!)
*bows* Thank you for your time, ladies and gentleman. *exits stage*
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