When Rps don't turn out as expected

[Tallakahath]

What I tend to sketch out is, mostly, greater world events. Keeping dates and times and durations written is extremely useful for ensuring that the outside world makes some level of sense. Regardless of what the characters do, some things are going to happen around them, and in this way I try to let the individual personalities be a bit more free and loose in how they express themselves, without everything going totally off the rails. I've definitely had times when I've altered a scene I've written because a character decided to do something else, or wouldn't do the "necessary" action I had first had planned, but greater world events are generally pretty good at keeping them honest.

For example, the two main PoV characters are supposed to go stop a Big Bad. They're free to fuck around as they please, ignore the main story, do some other stuff. But the Big Bad is still doing it's thing, and the setting in which the PCs live will continue to degrade unless they, or some other force, goes and does something.

 

[CindyHarrison]

When I start a new RP, my partner and I exchange a lot of PM's before the first post is placed. Even then, things tend to change....either myself or my partner might decide to have our characters react differently than we originally planned and it more often than not, changes the course of the storyline....sometimes for the better, sometimes not

 

[Zeth]

I go with a concept at the start, but almost never plan anything. Things never go according to plan anyways.

 

[freckled_beauty]

I had this one RP on a different site that went on for about 6-7 months. It completely ran away from the both of us. Im one of the few it seems who doesn't mind having a lot of characters. My partner had a lot as well. It started out as a halfway house for wayward teens who had super powers and ended up with a few of our characters dead, others working for the government and others on the run from the government as evil villains.

It was fun but by the time it ended we both questioned how we got there lol.

 

[CindyHarrison]

See?....that's why I tend to keep my stories kinda short, maybe 30 posts each....longer ones become boring and confusing

 

[freckled_beauty]

See?....that's why I tend to keep my stories kinda short, maybe 30 posts each....longer ones become boring and confusing

Personally i think they only become boring if you or your partner lose interest or lack communication. The person I wrote that particular RP with had been a friend of mine for a few years. We had many different RPs, but that was the longest one.

 

[CindyHarrison]

maybe it was the losing interest....when an RP goes on for so long, sometimes it reaches a point where you look at your character and wonder how much further you can take it

 

[freckled_beauty]

Ah yeah I can get that. It makes sense

 

[RedRose]

My longest RPs have lasted YEARS.

 

[Xanaphia]

I suppose it depends what you are going for in a rp. Personally, I am just getting into my character after 30 posts. But I love epic, sweeping narratives, so I can go on forever. I imagine if you are just looking to scratch a smut itch, 30 posts is probably sufficient.

I love the fact that I have so many long-running rps going, but damn, sometimes I just want something new, that is going to kickstart my creativity. But when I had a higher turnover rate for rps, I was disappointed they never seemed to reach their potential. So I suppose it is impossible to be satisfied either way.

 

[Zero Frame]

I always try to establish common ground with my partners before we warm up our Twitter fingers, but I accept that the RP will change in unexpected ways the longer we collaborate. Sometimes we end up in the weeds and neither of us has an idea that we like enough to move the narrative forward from the previous scene. When this happens, I start a conversation in order to help'realign' the RP.

This doesn't necessarily mean putting the story back on pre-determined rails, as we just ask each other questions to help guide the action. Questions like: Do we want to continue? Does this makes sense given the experiences of the characters? What do we want to do here?

I've found that it helps out immensely to maintain something of a character or plot bible for the RP. It can be something as basic as who the major characters are and what events kicked off the story so far.

 

[Problematic Skeleton]

Usually, we work out of the goals for the RP and said RP moves in that direction. Then there was that ONE TIME.

It involved time travel. Inevitably it was supposed to be characters stopping a catastrophe in the future with another character's knowledge of said future. It turned into going into the past, stopping all technology, and then being your own grandpa. Thanks, Futurama! >_>' It was still fun, but a bit unsettling when the RP ended.

 

[slowbudget]

It's just part of any creative medium that things will inevitably change along the way, especially when its inception process is long lived as is the case of roleplaying. In the end communication is vital.

For example, I really care about the narrative.

I have no qualms in making prideful boastful guy beg and humiliate himself, but it needs to make sense from an in-universe standpoint and that doesn't happen quickly. Same goes for romance, love isn't easy and love isn't quick.

You need to work at it, so when I was roleplaying with someone and they wanted our characters to basically enter a relationship in like one to two posts of interaction ever I said I didn't feel comfortable in taking the character in that direction, to which the person took things the wrong way and thought it was because I didn't like the power dynamic; it predictably didn't work out but at least I've learned a lesson in being more communicative.

 

[Demungo]

I go with a concept at the start, but almost never plan anything. Things never go according to plan anyways.

Pretty much the same. There's a basic concept and maybe initially the rp stays pretty close to it but as things go on, it changes. Sometimes it's a character change or a plot change but usually it goes well and ends up serving the overall story.

 

[TheCorsair]

I usually start off with a plan, and reserve the right for both me and my writing partner to change that plan if a better idea comes along. Which is, I think, what I mean when I say my characters take on a life of their own. The longer I write them, the better I get to know them and the more certain specific actions seem to be more in or out of character for them.

More importantly, plots evolve over time. That can look like a “plot getting away from you” as well. New characters get introduced that change the dynamic of the story, or you think of a better at go approach a scene, or your partner writes something that inspires a conversation that changes everything.

I find those surprises much more interesting than a tightly-scripted story. Even if it does result in the occasional problem consistency or plot hole that nags at me

 

[mypgems]

I mentioned this on another thread...
I had a great idea where my character would be a female police detective investigating a serial killer. The twist was: she is the killer and doesn't know it. Multiple personalities with the cop being sweet and the villain a nasty slut who kills. Dreamed up a great background for her and all that. Problem is that I can't figure out how to run the RP. Like where to go and what to do.

That's why I usually play ideas person and let someone else lead the RP. Oh and I have a hard time asking another person that I've never worked with to RP with me. <shrug> I have either goofy ideas or ones ones that have been played to death but I still love.

 

[Esoterica]

This happens about half of the time to me, and a lot of the times its a good thing that the story took a different turn. Occasionally it turns out different and bad, but that is just the thing that happens with collaborative writing.

 

[Thedawn]

So my character was meant to be death I mean that went normal but I didn't think death the horsemen of the Apocalypses ghost would have hanged out with my character taught him skills gave him a scythe that turns into other weapons and delivered him food didn't think that would happen so my character who became death became deaths best friend PLUS this was in dark siders and death was the persons oc but in the story he was death from dark siders it was interesting to say the least

 

[Passion]

Roleplay can be unpredictable at times since you are sharing a story with a partner. It is a big reason why RP is fun! Even when you write a story by yourself, it might not go the way you originally planned. You start writing and writing... then suddenly your story is a lot different!

 

[Kveria]

I tend to prefer coming up with a concept with my partner, playing our characters off each other to see how they'd interact, maybe having a goal in mind for how the plot should be directed. But I also stick to my characters' personalities as much as possible, allow them to develop with the plot, and sometimes that can take things in unexpected directions. I like to talk to my partners constantly through RP to make sure we're both okay with the direction the plot is taking, and then we can make adjustments as needed, within the characters' parameters.

I like having an end goal in mind, but I also like the unpredictability that writing with someone else brings, and the partnership in moving the story in a way that makes both parties happy. I don't mind letting things go where they will and then having the added challenge of course correction if need be. I feel like it's part of the fun. If I didn't want to deal with it, I'd just write by myself.