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How Many Rps?

Jericho Z. Barrons

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Oct 12, 2017
How many rps do you like to have going at any one time?

Is there a limit for you?

If you have 2+ rps going at one time, why? Why do you like having so many stories at once? Better question: how? Are they all short stories or are some of them longer with infrequent posting?

Does anyone here like just one rp at a time? Why? What makes that work best for you?
 
I have tried over the years to run more than one rp with multiple partners and it never works out. If I have 3 rps going at once, I will always favor one over the other two and get the desire to post more frequently for that story until it's at a point where I have to tell the other two that I'm just not interested in continuing.

So I tend to lean into that, "1 rp, 1 partner at a time" type of guy. I just don't have the creative energy and focus to write for multiple stories and switch between them constantly. It sometimes ends up that my one partner slows down posting so I'm waiting for posts for longer periods of time but I've never had trouble entertaining myself while waiting. If I were to look for new rp while waiting, it spells either death for that rp story or death for whatever new rp I start up, because as soon as my partner posts again, I'm back riding that creative train.

I usually make really good friends with my rp partners as well, so there's more a relaxed familiar feel. Talking to them while waiting for them to post is less about bugging them to post and more about talking about our lives and interests. You know, hanging out in a chatty sense.

One thing I have done lately that sort of gets around the 1 rp thing is my partner and I have 3 rps going at the same time but it's the same characters set in the same universe except at different times. So we're essentially writing a trilogy all at the same time(trilogy in the sense that each rp deals with different antagonists at different times in the timeline). So that way I'm not entirely shifting from a character mindset when I switch from rp to rp because they're the same guys. Just different knowledge and slightly changed personality because things in rps 1 and 2 affected how they grow and act in rp3.
 
I have, in the past, had up to 24 consecutive/active RPs. Which was obviously waaaaaaaaaay too much, but I learned a lot.

Currently I have 5, one of which replies every few weeks or so. The other four are fairly regular, usually within a week. To me that is the exact right amount and I haven't bumped or altered my thread in ages. I also tend to write a lot and rather quickly which helps keep up.

I've done the 'trilogy' thing or two-for-one before and it usually tends to work well since it's with someone I trust and am comfortable with.


Jericho said:
If you have 2+ rps going at one time, why? Why do you like having so many stories at once? Better question: how? Are they all short stories or are some of them longer with infrequent posting?

I would say they all provide different things, different experiences, and all very unique. Also I would say the choice of partner is a major factor; I would not write that specific thing with anyone else.

Right now I have a non-con slower burn vampire RP, a DDlg RP with an employer corrupting his babysitter, a Star Trek romance RP, a highly racially charged/extreme Master/Slave RP, and I just started one with heavy power dynamics playing a night club operator/criminal organization leader versus a female cop. So to me all of them give me different experiences that I enjoy and none are too demanding in terms of reply times or anything of the sort, for me at least.
 
As someone who easily spreads themselves a bit thin at times (RIP), I don't think I could do 1 RP partner only myself. I have so many ideas that I want to try/do and I only have so much time left to write/do things I enjoy, so I wanna write as much as I can with as many different people as I can. Does it always work out? No. But I like the chance to write with different partners and try out different things. I have partner A who is into certain things but partner B satisfies certain interests that partner A cannot - and vice versa, of course.
 
I tend to take on way more than I can reasonably handle and still want more.

For me it is the story that draws me. If something has a story/plot that just.. resonates with me, it is very had to get it out of my head, I think and talk about it all the time (much to the annoyance of my partners) and will constantly fight with myself if it is a good idea. It is the idea of what myself and this potinetal partner could write together, the story we could give life that really is the struggle for me.

I love having a full dance card and when I feel like I am lacking, I will look, even if it means they will inevitably all answer at once leaving me 20+ deep in replies owed.
 
I try to keep the amount of active RPs somewhere between 3 - 6, but usually when people hit me up when I bump my RT I take more new RPs than I can realistically chew at first.

Reason for this is that usually the culling of partners happen automatically and things balance themselves out more often than not. Let's say that eight people hit me up, and I decide to start talking about prospective RP with them all. Out of these eight most likely none are planning or playing with me month later, and if they happen to be then they fill one of those 3 - 6 spots I mentioned at the beginning.

So yeah the reason I take the ridiculous amount of plays at a time is to increase my chances to find a partner who will stick with me. If I ever accept to brainstorm with someone I will do my best to plan it like a long-term play that will last more than few messages (unless planned otherwise), but usually it's just not meant to be.

Of course there's the saying "A person who chases two rabbits catches neither." . But going with my experience I much rather cast a wide net than bank on one or two person, unless I'm looking something really specific,

As to why I take 3 - 6 roleplays is to offer variation and different type of stories. Plus it's an amount of plays where I can get back to my partners fairly consistently.
 
I have had up to over 20 at a given time, back when I had the time and energy to commit to all of them, back when I could rattle off 4 or more decent length and quality replies a day in various plays or rapidfire replies one after the other with a partner who was online at the time. Right now I'm down to about half as many, and as of late, it feels like it still might be too much, even after paring down. For me, it was about the constant pull of something new and exciting. Each new partner who takes on the role I set out, or the role I sought out in them, adds a new and distinctive spin on it, and I find myself craving that.

Now, I haven't bumped since January and probably won't for awhile yet, as I'm still quite a ways out on replies owed, but I do sometimes get a craving for something else, perhaps to make an RT exactly for a plot I want to do at a given time. But I know I'd be doing a disservice to everyone I owe, and I know that I simply do not currently have the energy to take on something big and sweeping.
 
Greatest number of active RPs I've ever had was 8.

I very deliberately keep my numbers small, for a variety of reasons - timezones, real life, mood/muse, I'm a slow poster, etc...

I generally try to keep my active RPs to around 4, though. 4 is manageable.
 
The most roleplays I have ever taken on is 11, and that was a long time ago. When I was a teen, didn't have much of a life, so I would reply once daily and be on the look out for more partners.

Now, I will only commit to three stories at once, and maybe save room for a group or a group led by me. Whether I am playing games, dancing, or just hanging out IRL - there is no way I could ever take on more and balance my other hobbies, relationship, and work.
 
I'm not so much focused on how many stories I have now compared to how often my partners expect posts. I don't have a set number as long as they don't mind that I take a bit to reply, but right now I have 6 very patient partners with a 7th starting soon.
 
With one partner I have over 15 roleplays now which we alternate between depending on moods and replies can be daily, multiple per day or can go a week or two without any depending on how we are feeling. Besides that I have 3 partners currently. Thinking of looking for another as all are kind of infrequent atm which leaves me wanting something to write but my own muse can wax and wane so we will see.
 
Two to three at a time is about my ideal.

I'd love to have a single RP with a partner I'm really vibing with creatively, BUT every RP is always one post away from ending. Whether it's ghosting, RL interfering, etc the simple fact is that any given RP can and will end at a moment's notice.

I find that with two to three active RPs I almost always have something waiting for me when I log on. More than that and I feel like I don't have the bandwidth to keep up.
 
One which is questionable three as that one RP I am doing is broken up in a Main play, a Side play, and Past play. Besides that.
Another active one.
One started, waiting on reply.
One in planning, though assuming that potential partner has been busy.
One with partner being busy with real life.
Two different ones with another partner.
Another few in planning, maybe. If muses line up. (Two to three I think.)
One waiting on partner's characters before starting.

So I guess a few.

Thing is, there are plenty of variables as well. Real world, time zones, etc-etc. General stagnateness due to fickle muses as well may play role in it.

I honestly haven't found myself in a situation, as of yet, of an 'o s*** I owe so many posts.' I mean.. Knock on imaginary wood or anything as I don't want to jinx myself and suddenly find eight or so posts waiting on replies on my end.

I also have the habit of finding slower pace RPers any ways. While it would be nice to have a reply every day, it just isn't realistic. Nor again would I want such with all those I have going on.

So pacing is a key factor. It is possible to have lots of ongoing RPs, especially if they are slow at times in back and forth. Though I will agree that there has to be some type of fluent pacing. Even for me if something goes uncheck for a long time I start to forget what is going on or has gone on in it. But I mean, that is if we start to cross the threshold of months of post absence.
 
3-5 seems to be the sweet spot for me. I get so bored with only 1, regardless of how satisfying it is. I need constant creation. And I'm addicted to the thrill of getting a response that I've been anticipating, you know?!
 
I've been all over the map depending on my free time. I think the most I ever juggled at a time was around 11? (Which was way, way too many for me personally, oops).

Now I find somewhere between 3-6 to be comfortable.

And I'm more than happy writing 2+ stories with the same partner. If I write with someone, then presumably, I like their writing, so the more the merrier. I don't run into that issue where I favor one rp over the other, most likely because if I didn't like an rp, I wouldn't be writing it. For people I've been writing with for some time, I'm usually pretty comfortable reaching out and being like, hey, this particular piece isn't working for me, perhaps another fare?
 
3 to 4 seems to be my sweet spot. I'd love to do more but I'd find it a little stressful if I had them all due at once.
 
Honestly I usually have 20-40 going at once. I have over 30 right now. I've had twenty threads with just one writer before, in fact. My record of threads at one time is having over 200 threads - it was too much, way too much.

But I generally get bored if I have only a handful active. I can do about 12-16 rp replies in like 2-3 hours, 2 replies in about 20-30 minutes. If I had no more replies to do I'd feel grumpy and bored. I like having a lot to reply to. And I never want to be sitting waiting for a partner's reply, with nothing else to reply to. I don't find that a fun feeling.
 
Honestly I usually have 20-40 going at once. I have over 30 right now. I've had twenty threads with just one writer before, in fact. My record of threads at one time is having over 200 threads - it was too much, way too much.
o_O
 
If you have 2+ rps going at one time, why? Why do you like having so many stories at once? Better question: how? Are they all short stories or are some of them longer with infrequent posting?
I have more RPs than I can count! 😭 I don't want to turn anyone down and my RP requests do pretty well so I'm trying to handle probably 15+ people right now. It's not just short replies either, some of these people get detailed. I realized that having so many RPs is definitely a mistake and I'll have to limit myself in the future!
 
I admittedly don't have a lot going on right now (hope springs eternal!) but I don't care how many responses I get. I love seeing my inbox get bombarded with messages, so I'd probably be able to handle a lot more than I can count.
 
It's just 2 or 3 for me. More than that and I feel I'm just churning out replies and not giving them my full attention.
 
It entirely depends on the pace requested by my RP partners, honestly. I can have several "post when you can" RP going on, but I'll only have 2-3 "post daily" and 2-3 "post weekly" RP at a time.
 
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