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How To Make A Group RP Work?

greybishop

greybishop

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Jan 29, 2019
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So I’m in the process of trying to wrap up yet another group RP here on BMR that crashed and burned even as it was getting started; I most definitely was not the OP or GM of this RP, but once again slid into that role in the vain hope that I could somehow keep a promising RP going. In an effort to learn from that mistake I thought I’d post my thoughts on subject issue here and solicit the community’s thoughts on same; my apologies if I’m necro'ing a well worn topic, but to some extent I’m of course doing this to vent a bit.

1. The OP of a group RP interest thread must understand that they are, to some extent, taking on the role of GM for their wonderful idea as well; it is not going to somehow miraculously “take off on its own” and be managed by the players. The OP bowing out of a group RP before it even starts or shortly thereafter is always the kiss of death IMO.

2. Ideas that require fewer players are better, because ghosting and general disinterest are sadly real concerns here on BMR. A group RP that launches with just three focused and committed players has a far better chance than one that kicks off with a half dozen. Why? Because of that half dozen, two will probably ghost or drift away, and the rest will not necessarily “click” enough to keep things going; some players will almost inevitably be left standing on the sidelines because no one is interested in their characters, or whoever they’re playing with just suddenly disappears.

3. The OP/GM must, must, must ensure that the story’s player base at launch is “balanced,” in a manner akin to making sure a D&D party is “balanced.” Having a group of players that is markedly skewed in one direction or another (gender, age, sexual orientation/preference etc.) is again almost certainly doomed to fail IMO, because even these days not everyone here on BMR is interested in playing a pansexual futanari. (Unless of course you’re doing a group RP that’s all about pansexual futanaris, in which case feel free to ignore this particular bullet point.)

4. As a corollary to the above the OP/GM also has to ensure that players/characters who are “disruptive to the group’s enjoyment” are talked to, reined in appropriately and (if ultimately necessary) kicked/written out of the RP. I realize this is a subjective standard and somewhat contentious, but also think we all know exactly who I’m talking about – “that” guy or gal who is so needy or pushy that they’re an attention hog, want to screw with other players needlessly (and try to justify it as being IC – “Hey, I’m just Chaotic!”) or simply like to try to play over the top Mary Sue/Gary Stu types (which is much easier to do in collaborative stories that don’t feature any stats or dice rolls.) This of course is the toughest job of any GM but also something that, if neglected, will definitely help sink any RP IMO.

So what say you BMR mind trust? Do the above four points hold water? (Or the above three if you’re a fan of the pansexual futa genre.) And are there any other tips, tricks or techniques I’m missing? I’ve tried a few group RPs here and always thought they were quite interesting at first - but have never tried to start one of my own because they always seem doomed to failure.

Cheers, Happy Spring (unless you live in Upside Down Land) and stay safe!
 
It's been a long time since I did a group which was more than just three people, so I don't feel I have the experience in this but those three people groups, I am in three of them. Making sure everybody is on the same page is critical, asking before you do something that might change the direction of the roleplay or affects another person's character/s in a way that they did not expect is also a vital aspect as you just don't know what they have in mind, throwing that out to satisfy your own needs is just selfish. Thankfully I don't have an issue with the three I'm in, and may in future look for something bigger.

I can't fault any of your bullet points, they are all quite concise and these are definitely valid points to make. Group roleplays are rarer and harder to manage for a reason and while they can be wonderful there are a lot of aspects that can make them fail. One you didn't touch on much is jealousy, which would fall into point four. We write erotic things on BMR, sometimes one of the players might have a character or set of preferences you really like in your group roleplay but they just might not want their character to fuck your character or really do anything with them like that, they may dislike them for reasons in the roleplay itself or they might just not feel they would enjoy writing with you. In some rare cases, they might already have an issue with you from the past and this is not a way to get back into their good graces by trying to push a pairing on them under the guise of a group roleplay. If you find yourself in one and it doesn't seem like your advances towards a particular character are being paid attention to, feel free to directly ask the person but do not try to somehow make it mandatory, just because you're in the same roleplay and people are fucking, doesn't mean they have to fuck your character. Consent is still a thing.
 
I 100% agree with the points @greybishop listed above, with a special emphasis on Numbers 1 and 4. I think sometimes people start group RPs not necessarily because they want to manage the RP, but just because they want to be part of a fun group RP. In a perfect world that would of course be the case, but in my years of experience you need to have SOMEBODY step up as leader/DM/GM if you want things to keep focused and moving.

I think another key part of making group RPs work is ensuring your players have some kind of objective to work towards (defeating the bad guy, building the civilization, having the orgy, etc.) while still providing some kind of medium for characters to interact with each other in a more casual setting, be that PMs or side threads to the main story. Without that clearly defined goal, you run a greater risk of your characters either a) stagnating and doing nothing but chatter to each other until people get bored and leave, or b) one or more characters decide the RP is now about them with the rest of the cast acting as support, which can alienate a lot of players if that wasn't what they signed up for.

In my best group RP experiences, I think the thing that really made everything work was just having a really close group of players that got along well OOC and fostered an environment where everyone felt comfortable speaking up (which I think speaks to @Staine's point), but there was definitely one person to make the final judgment calls whenever things slowed down. I should also clarify I've found myself in such groups a whopping total of...two times. In twenty years of RPing. So it's by no means an easy thing to attain, and I know part of that is because in order to run a group game well, it takes a shit ton of effort that ultimately might fizzle out into nothing.

So yeah, tough situation all around, but soooooo rewarding when it works out!
 
Never been into Group RP's as in my experience it is hard enough to keep one going between two people let alone many! I think the key might be really simple and that is finding a group of people who have chemistry together and are committed to making the RP work. Not as simple as it sounds, I know.
 
It's been a long time for me too (thinking of a Snowpiercer group) and it is HARD
 
I'll agree with that list with an *addendum to #3. Lord knows there's at least one person on each RP forum I'm on that will get me to avoid a new group if I see them posting interest. I know GMs trying to start groups are probably anxious about having enough players, so they tend to accept everyone rather than trying to set some standards. In the end, 1 bad apple can ruin a barrel of 4 players pretty damn quickly. Even if they're not bad, just massively incompatible.

An additional factor is basic engagement. In the 2 years that I've been trying this again, I notice groups tend to crash in the first week or two, and mostly from ghosting. It's been rare that something goes months and then slowly dwindles. This is also what I notice in my individual ghosts. I think GMs need to post engagement requirements and expectations. They may not want to scare people off, but I think they're setting themselves up for failure to not state and enforce those expectations. GMing online groups of strangers is really like tending a garden. Take out the plant that's using water and blocking sunlight from others if it's not producing flowers. Some thing it's mean, but that one disengaged player is ruining it for everyone else. They shouldn't be priority for consideration.

When I started online RP a million years ago, it was all groups on the old White Wolf chats. There was a formal application process. People stuck around for years. Even if there wasn't a GM-ed story happening, one could have plenty of chit-chat and even self-directed storylines because there was incredible consistency with the other players. They all wanted to be there, and they had to put in a modicum of effort to get there and stay there. Running groups on these 'new' open craigslist-style forums bear the inherent flaw of randos with no reputation to verify or any sense of responsibility. That contributes directly to 1, 2, and 4. I don't know any way around it except for running some kind of actual qualification process to try and preliminarily weed out the ones who are going to flake after 2 posts. (if I figure out how to do this in my 1-on-1s, I'll come back here and share if it helps groups)

*A smaller thing that doesn't affect everyone directly, but regularly affects me is the smut-compatibility. I think it's safe to say that if a player is guaranteed to not get any nookie, they're not gonna stick around long. I've accepted that I'm in the least popular demographic (MxM) on most sites. So, I always post that when I'm interested in a group. It's rare that a GM will play all NPCs to service all characters if necessary, so as I take joining a group as an actual commitment to not be the bad apple, I want to make sure it's a fertile barrel before I join. My questions about this get a confused or mildly negative reaction about half the time. But, I think GMs should be conscientious about not setting up players to likely to ghost. It's super heteronormative to assume that almost everyone will play with boobs or that most MxMers will play feminine characters, but that's really not the reality. So, I'd change #3 to being "pragmatic" rather than "balanced". I'm all about representation irl, but in a small smut RP group, a straight dude, straight female, lesbian, and gay dude only allows for one pc-pc sexual interaction. That's why I think it should be natural for the GM and hopeful players to make sure that there's gonna be something for everyone, or you're just about guaranteeing that sexually unsatisfied players are gonna ghost. Just as an anecdote to illustrate how this might not happen naturally even when you try, is that when I joined an exclusively LGBT+ group, as the only cis homo, I was still the odd man out when none of the other characters were male-oriented (even the slime wouldn't touch dicks). So GMs, be pragmatic, and be gentle when explaining that there might not be something for everyone. It's way better than someone figuring that out a week in.
 
I've taken a few cracks at the group play stories so I'll share some of my own thoughts.

1-Obviously, yeah the OP is or at least should be the GM as far as it concerns pushing the narrative of the story forward. Some players quite enjoy fleshing out NPC's or doing a little adlibbing to add some depth to the tale and I'm all for that. But yeah the OP should be the one controlling how the plot unfolds and let the players do their thing. Also, I agree, if the OP abandons ship then that stories probably done.

2-As for the group makeup and chemistry I tend to be pretty picky now a days about who I'm going to do a group story with. I tend to avoid people who are new to the site and usually focus my efforts on finding those writers out there that have shown themselves to be reliable people to write with. Larger groups can be more difficult to manage due to the reasons you already stated, but I find that a good reliable roster often times trumps those concerns. I've even gone as far as reaching out to people in DM's to see if they would be interested in joining up with a group. Now it might seem a little unfair to shun new players and even when you've got a good cast of cowriters things can go south so another thing to keep in mind is how to handle a situation where a player drops from the group. Every situation is different, but if the remainder of the group is still wanting to go on with the story and you've given it some thought before then it's not quite as difficult to pull off.

3-Chemistry between characters is a factor to be weighed for sure. Part of that responsibility can be addressed in the interest thread and through DM's. I try to remain flexible towards character creation so long as the idea isn't falling to far from the tree. It's inevitable that some characters will fall into the cracks and get a little less love in the course of the story but if you're aware of these situations it's something that can be addressed through DM's. Strangely enough erotic content at least from my perspective as the GM isn't something that most of group plays are geared towards. I'm more into the action and adventure of it all and typically I let the smut fall into place however it may unfold between characters.

4-I haven't had any issues that spring to mind with problem players. They tend to get vetted out of the equation I guess during the recruitment phase for the group. That said if someone really did create an issue or stir the pot in a way that was taking the fun out of it for everyone else I wouldn't hesitate to show them the axe.

5-The last thing I think that needs to be added to your list is simply patience. When I first came around here I was pretty gung-hu and for sure I still catch myself at times being that way but I've come to find that things seem to go a lot smoother when you just ease up on your expectations. Some people have multiple stories going on, some are waiting for their muse to spark, and others have busy lives outside of BM. So long as you've got yourself a solid group and the above topics have been addressed before launching the story then it's likely to have a better chance at working out then if it didn't.

Anyway you slice it though it's a crap shoot. But as long as everyone is enjoying the story and having fun writing it than groups can be one of the more interesting writing experiences around.
 
I hosted Groups on other sites.

The thing is.

GMs are only human, they can only do so much overall. You can be the most active, hardworking GM, and generally it still isn't enough overall.

The problem really occurs on both sides as some noted. If GM fails activity, game is basically dead. If players fail activity, game starts to die. It is one or the other.

There is also the domino effect. Players that suddenly go inactive and the pairings they were in leaving their partner nothing to do and sometimes instead of said partner reaching out or collaborating with others to start anew they also just up and leave as well. Then it just snowballs from there with plummet of activity. Yea, I been in similar situations where I still tried to actively recruit people, but the RP concept just basically died overall with lack of participants to keep things moving along.

It is usually easier said than done in practice. Theorizing how to make a group work. The only way I see a group properly working is with more than one GM to manage things and a good group of active players to keep things running. Hey, if you can GM with one person, more power to you; but in most situations I don't see that being a long-term thing.
 
That's just the way the cookie crumbles with group RPs, honestly. The more people you involve, the more distinct personalities are trying to play off each other, and once one person leaves you're likely to have just about everyone else leave at once (and the same goes for D&D groups, I've found).

If you really want to do an RP involving more than two people, you're better off writing with two people you know well, who are reliable RPers, with a strong story to keep things focused (or just plenty of smut, if that's what you want to focus on).
 
There's just so many factors. Especially when requiring a looser structure.
Stuff like even just running a D&D game is hard enough online. That sort of thing, GM + a group of players, at least has a more... cohesive element to it. The people who want to play in such a game are more likely to stick to a group as a necessity of their hobby (though the usual irl matters and distractions are still a threat).

Take away that structure, for a typical freeform writing RP, and it's a lot harder. You start to run into too many cooks.

I think the best bet is to form a core. Find a person you know is a reliable RP partner that's interested in the idea. Two if you can. And if you want more people, let them form around you, maybe taking part in your story, maybe doing their own... that way they can come and go as the tides turn but you will still have your core group going along.
 
Sounds like the best chance a Group RP has would be a for a small unit of people who have all played with as many of each other as possible and you have that understanding and chemistry that only comes from writing with someone for a while.
 
I've experienced many of the same challenges described here. I don't pretend to have the answer but my latest attempt is going fairly well (hopefully I'm not jinxing it). It is a free form group so while I am doing much of the coordination, I am in no way the DM. We went with a rather decentralized format with lots of potential interactions between players so that when, as inevitably happens people drop out, we can shift so that everyone has at least someone to still interact with and keep things going. It is admittedly rather smut intensive, but a main theme was breeding so that was somewhat expected going in.

We have had our ups and downs but we have managed a structure that allows for people to join up even as we are underway. We now have a fairly strong core group and have replaced those that drop out. We do have some issues with infrequent posts by some players, but our most active have multiple characters so no one is really stuck.

It is also not strictly linear, which helps as well. We have a time line and people are welcome to write stories taking place anywhere over the week or so that has played out so far. It helps keep a single sexual encounter from bogging down the story for everyone else. Also helpful is that we obtained a sub-forum so we can create specific threads for locations or encounters. Many of these threads are 1x1 but in the general theme so people have both room and time to explore each other's characters without feeling forced to move things along or hold up the group. I don't think it will work for every kind of group, but it is certainly an option for the right idea.
 
Groups don't work, in my experience. Full stop. It's hard enough with two partners with absences and RL stuff, but that gets multiplied exponentially with groups. You get stuck waiting for the key character involved in the action to post, and people's enthusiasm wanes. I used to do them, and some have had some staying power, but usually only those where I know the people IRL, and/or there's a structure that allows for characters to dip in and out.
 
I think you really need people who are the right mix in the first place. That feeling of 'this is technically right but something seems off...' shouldn't be dismissed, but is very hard to act on when the contribution does nothing wrong. Of course there's the more clear problem of straight up imbalance or people making themselves out to be outliers.

Two people mixing well can be its own issue. Six people mixing, yeah, the standards for that are going to be high. Early momentum is one thing, long term groups are a commitment that I don't believe a lot of people really consider before throwing their proverbial hats in the ring.
 
See I think groups do work, just with the right people, and you definitely don't need to know them irl. Myself and my partner have several ongoing group roleplays with people we have met here. Some are friend we have made here, some are practically strangers. Admittedly these are only three person groups but I could see any of them working as a four or even five person grouping, three is just my preference so we do get some good writing done. The main thing you need is the players all need to be invested and enjoy the story, and be able to write with each other. I have friends on here I might find it difficult to write with, they write very well but their style is not for me, or we are just plain incompatible. That wouldn't work, so you just have to choose wisely.
 
The key that I found are to keep the players engaged in the story. This often appears in the form of help either crafting the story line and/or the environment that they'll be living in. And also, to communicate with the other players, rather than just starting up and going quiet.
 
I have yet to do a group rp on BMR, but the few I did ran their course because too many people were involved and it just became too difficult to keep up with all the answers.
I'd really like to rp with just a handful of people and keep it simple
 
As someone who has GMed a buttload of group RPs, let me tell you this, they have a high failure rate. At the same time, what is a successful RP? One that goes for years?

I have organized group RPs with friends I've known for years, and random people. I have a pretty dead, but I may try to revive one day, group RP on BM as well. They almost always end up failing. However, due to this, I have some insight.

1) Don't expect everything to go smoothly. Someone might lose interest, have an emergency, takes a too long to post, etc. Also, everyone has different interests and writing styles. Some people will question you to death, others may not follow simple 101.
2) I strongly recommend setting post time limits if group is moving too slow. (you have x day(s) to post or we will skip).
3) You are better off with friends than strangers.
4) Smaller groups are more successful, but more likely to fall apart if someone drops/ghosts. You could even do mini interviews to make sure RPers are a good fit.
5) Be a good GM and leader. Strict with your own rules, adaptable, and be the hype person when needed.
6) Foundation is key. Have a clear setting and rules before you get started. They can alter, but you want to get off on the right foot and have something to fall back on.
7) Strong commitment is required.


Why my last group RP failed:

1) It was open, that comes with risks and is a gamble. I was willing to take it because I know how to manage chaos. There is a lot I can say on this, but I don't feel like typing up every aspect.
2) I got sick and busy. I wasn't going to chase people down for a few paragraph posts. I should have, but I didn't have it in me. If my group doesn't care, why should I? At the same time, being a good GM means doing whatever is needed to keep the RP going. Usually, I'm better at this.
3) Lack of interest. No one in my group reached out to me worried about the dying RP. Kinda connects with number 2.
4) Some interested didn't find their "match" within the group.
5) Mismatch goals: some wanted deep nerdy story, some just wanted to smash. While I wanted to invite everyone to do anything, this difference still caused a clash.
 
First and foremost, whoop whoop.

Now, I know a lil somethin' somethin' about runnin a successful group RP. I've been GMing a game on another site called Dong Citrus for a few months now, so lemme speak on this and tell you what's good, aight?

Here's the thing with group games: Its all about commitment. You have a concept? You put your all into that concept. You build and flesh out a living, breathing world. You sacrifice time and other possible roleplays to make it work. You vet every single person who joins the game and make sure they fit what you're trying to accomplish. From there, it's about collaboration. Work with your players. Be there for them. Create a thriving community (I highly suggest a Discord server) where you're not only a bunch of folks writing together, but you're actual, genuine friends with inside jokes that are separate from the site at large.

I'd also say that I don't think a smut-focused group game is possible long term. A long term group game should place more focus on telling a story, character development, and world building. That's how it stays interesting. Involve your players in decisions. Offer them guidance and inspiration. Push for them to plot amongst themselves and develop storylines all their own.

Ultimately, however, it all comes down to you as a GM. You've got to commit to it fully, man. You've got to make it work. You lead by example and, trust me, your players will follow. It's a tough job and, again, you're going to have to sacrifice other roleplays for it, guaranteed... but trust me on this: It's worth it. It's all absolutely worth it.

MMFWCL,
JCB69xXx
 
Kassia said:
I saw this thread, and I was so interested to see what people had to say! Group RP's are difficult. But Here are 10 things I've learned with the help of my group members.

1. make a group that YOU want to write consistently. Too many people are caught up in wanting to grab attention with shock and awe then it wears off, and no one wants to write.

2. Put in the effort. Group RPs are different than 1 x 1. there's far more that goes into it graphic-wise if you're into that and story-wise. But asking for help when building new and exciting worlds is okay.

3. Let your members help you write. It's okay to let other people take the reigns of a story. The reason we do groups is that we generally love the melting pot of experience. That becomes less fun when your writers do not have a voice.

4. Don't be afraid to set clear boundaries, even if you are setting them mid-story. Things change; writers come and go. If someone crosses a boundary, call them out on it politely. If they don't listen, then be prepared to remove them from the story. Additionally, stress can make people not want to write. This is a hobby; it's supposed to be fun. Be prepared to be the soundboard for concerns in the group and handle it diplomatically.

5. World and character build together. If your writer's character is OP, tell them why it is, don't just make them rewrite it expecting a change. That's not how this works. Get the group involved if you need. Better to raise each other up than tear someone down.

6. (Optional) Discord is a better place for real-time OOC people can post their questions quickly, get an answer quickly and start their posts. Also, this helps build friendships. If you're all happy with each other, then the writing will show it. Also, real-time plotting is really nice.

7. Don't be afraid to let another writer's character be the star for a moment. Everyone wants the character build. It can become irritating when all you are doing is pumping out posts with no real reason. That makes the plot fail at the end of the day, and all your hard work will go to waste. Don't waste people's time. Be honest with your intentions and goals.

8. (optional) Want to build a story--- FADE TO BLACK. Listen, I've talked to several people, probably more than I can count, and smut in a group can be AWKWARD. It literally does not have a place in an intense story. Take that to PM's, DM's, Idk where but let those characters do that off to the side unless it adds to the story. It really doesn't have a place. If you're trying to grab a specific type of writer, research what they like and accommodate that.

9. It's okay if people get busy, but set expectations and time limits. In my group, we set a 2-week hiatus. If you haven't posted in 2 weeks, you go into a hiatus status. If I reach out and you still don't answer me, you're kicked until you decide you have time to come back. All Individuals in a hiatus status can not have their characters pulled into the story. Create a plot/ world where if their character leaves, it's okay to carry forward. Always have a backup plot or NPC ready to fill the void.

10. Be prepared that people will leave, and it's okay. Bump that thread and try again.
Click to expand...

This. Especially #7.

I've been in a chat based Group RP that has been going every weeknight for over 10 years. There's only three of us and we are very chill w/ one another. There were more of us at the beginning, but some left. Some come back occasionally. I think our biggest takeaway is that we write for one another. Like Kassia said, the other guy is almost always the star. As for our secret to longevity., I think we just got lucky. No one's said an unkind word to the other in over 10 years. Sure, we get annoyed sometimes, but it's just a story. Anyway, my 2 cents.
 
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