GM Lounge - Bartenders Answer All Your Questions

Started by HockeyGod, January 02, 2012, 03:16:41 PM

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Chrystal

I did have a nice detailed reply typed up, but I decided not to post it, because, while I intended it to be light hearted and humorous, I could see that some people could potentially take offence...

I will summarise it by saying that I agree in principal with what you say, Glyphstone, but my objection still stands: The moderator of this board would have to police such a thread and remove any replies that were not actual offers to GM. And no matter how big you make the warning, you are going to get some, probably along the lines of: "Hi, I saw your post here and wondered if you would GM my game for me?"

And while I agree that the issue of out-dated posts is a long way off, they said that about the millennium bug back in the 1970s!

Please be aware I'm playing "Devil's Advocate" here. I'm not opposed to the idea, I just want to make sure it is done in the best way possible!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

HockeyGod

Well, I guess I don't see a reason why we can't test it. If it doesn't work, we merely lock the thread and not use it any longer. I do see it being ineffective unless it is organized well. I would recommend that it be organized by genre rather than the name of the GM. Thoughts on this?

However, with that said, I think that a more effective way might be to request that a field be added to the Ons & Offs tool where people can check if they'd be willing to GM. This then could be searchable by a whole range of fields. Thoughts on this?

TheGlyphstone

If that's doable with forum software, it'd certainly be a lot more elegant.

HockeyGod

#78
I will be willing to put it in the new request thread for Veks.

Edit:

Quote from: alxnjsh on January 08, 2012, 10:49:16 AM
Per a discussion in the GM's Corner, we're wondering if you could add a "Willing to GM" option in the ons & offs system. That way if individuals are looking for someone to GM or co-GM a game, they can search on this field.

Thanks!

TheGlyphstone

You might want to clarify that as a set of sub-options on its own - various systems (D&D/GURPS/M&M/Unisystem/Other) and/or genres, otherwise it wouldn't be much use at all.

HockeyGod

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on January 08, 2012, 11:48:18 AM
You might want to clarify that as a set of sub-options on its own - various systems (D&D/GURPS/M&M/Unisystem/Other) and/or genres, otherwise it wouldn't be much use at all.

These are all currently integrated into the system. The second box on the screen is "Genre." That way people would be able to select the GM field and then search by genre listed. Or, they could select the GM field and search by Settings, Sexual Elements, etc. as they are all in the system.

Hopefully that clarifies.

TheGlyphstone


Aiden

What is the largest game any of you guys have ever ran?

Kendra and I are running a 20+ (might hit 30 within a week) game we are opening soon and we are both excited and afraid it will be a huge clusterfuck when we open those first few threads and allow them to begin.

Haibane

The largest game I ever ran was the first one I ever played in and that was around 40 people, on another site. It lasted about 3 years too! A few people left and a few arrived but I don't think the numbers ever dipped below 20. Thing was, that was not an RPing site so this was the only game on the site, hence lots of people joined it.

That game is/was my dream RPG and I had hoped to have similar experiences when I came to E, sadly I was rapidly disabused of that wish, players on E are far too fickle due to the vast choice of new RPs springing up all the time. I'm sure the size of the site works against it in some ways.  :(

HockeyGod

Wow! Those are huge. The largest game in E I've ever had was 17. However, that didn't include multiple characters. Probably around 25 I'd say.

TheGlyphstone

Well, the superhero game I'm co-running now has 4-5 consistent regulars who have been there since the start, and cycled through about a dozen other players in ones and twos over the course of its existence.

Haibane

I think on E my biggest game has been around 15 people, including me as I always play a character too. Most of the E group games I see dive to around 2/3rds or 1/2 their starting number of players within a month though. Most die within 2 months. Only 2 of my many group games have lasted any length of time, though I am in one now that has been going a year, run by someone else, though its pace is terribly laid back, with gaps of up to a month between posts sometimes.

Talking generally about why games on E die I think its mostly due to:

1) Fickle membership, of a mostly young mobile demographic (still at school - don't ever tell me everyone here is over 18) and subject to various things that pull them away from the site such as studying and general growing up issues, relationships, internet connection woes and costs, etc. Note the 'fickle membership' problem applies equally to GMs too. I've been in several games that have been abandoned by its GM resulting in a quick collapse. I have found that the most reliable players are the older ones, aged at least around 30 or more who have stable jobs, relationships and financial situations.

2) Too great a choice of games. There is little to keep a player in a game when another apparently great one starts up the following week... and so on.

3) Friction between players or between players and GM. Sadly I know I cause a few people to leave my games, or I eject them early on as patently unsuitable. I'm a pretty harsh and demanding GM but equally I find too many players on E are too thin skinned and immature to take criticism, and won't (for example) edit an unsuitable character.

4) As Chrystal said, game concepts that appear brilliant on paper but clearly are not so brilliant as group forum RPs and die fast due to various unforseen technical or plot problems.

Sasha

 I think Crystal Lake has 25-30 players that remain fairly active .....not counting the characters that would more than double the number. Last time I counted I thought to myself ....this is crazy . Think we we started it was like 15 players too long back really ...so you and Kendra are going to have your hands full right from the start . Strap in ...it's a long ride . Maybe a few others might step up to help out .

I ran system's game on the unmods for a OWOD Sabbat based game that had about 20 steadily active players . To the point that battles for dice rolling had to be broken down into stages . Separating them into groups of 4 or 5 ...which still made a two day run for each segment but much easier to pull off . I miss the dice roller ...just not the 8-10 hour marathon battles. Forums have spoiled me .

Chrystal

My biggest game so far is the only one I am currently running myself. "The Mammalian Slave Trade" has 20 characters and 14 players, although one player I have not heard from since we started. She has been on line and posted elsewhere and I have PMed her and received no response...

The game itself has been running for just over two weeks.

Okay, here's something I've noticed...

Games that run well are generally speaking the ones that have a group of people who gel and get on together, and want to make the game work. I think that is safe to say, yes? This is an observation, both from my own (failed) games and those I am in that others are running that have succeeded. So would it be fair to say that a reasonable measure of how well a group game is going is the length of the OOC thread, and the amount of chatter (both game related and non) in that thread?

In fact, you can probably look at any game that has it's own sub forum and see that the OOC thread is miles longer than any of the IC threads? (I'm guessing here, I haven't looked at all of them, and there are certain to be exceptions). One indication I use to tell me that a RP has died is when the OOC chatter stops!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

HockeyGod

I think that sometimes even games where people gel well, they may just get bored.

Another problem I've found is real life situations. If an active member of the game is called away due to real life, it can be quite problematic for the game.

Chrystal

True, but if someone goes on a business trip or on holiday, it's generally only a short while. When you're playing a domme and your sub gets hit by a car, that's another matter altogether... (glances apologetically at Hai). But I think in those circumstances, if a player knows they are going to be away for a while, and they are a considerate player and a "Drakist" they will usually inform people, and try to get their character(s) out of the action!

As for players getting bored, well if they do, then 1) they need to tell the GM, and 2) the GM needs to do something about it!

Of course, if the GM gets bored with the story, that's that!

Please check out my latest A/A post.
I would rather watch a movie then have dinner than have dinner then watch a movie!

Sasha


You always have that select 2% that put all this thought into a character and create them and never put them into play. Never had understood that concept but know many individuals over the years that just really enjoy building characters. They enter the game make a post or two and then just disappear into the abyss.

My Steampunk game never made it to a big game . It consisted of mostly writers and unfortunately real life just kicked in for many of them. It was an enjoyable experience anyways . I loved the new friends I made through there.


HairyHeretic

My games tend to be smaller .. 4 to 8 players maybe. I suspect that's at least in part related to how many system games I tend to run. I think most people here have a preference for freeform over system, which means a smaller pool to draw on.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Haibane

I would say the opposite - freeform games have a bigger pool of players to draw on, a much bigger pool.

Or did you mean that system games have a smaller pool?

HairyHeretic

That system games have a smaller pool of players. Sorry, I probably could have phrased that clearer.

It subdivides again when you start looking for players for a specific system.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Haibane

Though I think that is a positive force rather than a negative one. I should imagine that a game run under "Obscure System X" that attracts only 4 or 5 players should in theory last a while since very few other "Obscure System X" games will be running on Elliquiy at any given time. Player 'loyalty' to use a phrase, should therefore be higher.

HairyHeretic

Quite possible. There are pros and cons to most of the variables in a game. The tricky part is lining up the pros :)
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Sasha


Pro's to the left please .....Cons to the right ......

What do you mean you can't make up your mind ?  One in every crowd .....shakes head.

HockeyGod

I've found most of the system group games to be based on fantasy and some science fiction. They are typically games that are systems games that can be played on a table-top or in person as well.

Free-form games seem to have a wider genre - often copying popular television shows. They don't typically have sophisticated rules for moving the plot forward.

I think free-form attract more people.

Perhaps I need to learn more about systems games, but those are my observations.

Senti

I do agree and think that most people prefer freeform games, but that’s personal choice.

I would say that system games have as wide a spectrum as freeform as there are some very generic systems that one can use to fit into any setting, perhaps with a little tweeking, but there is no reason why one cannot say use the D20 system to play a game of say ‘Confrontation Street’.

I think though cannot be positive, that often people are put off by system games because of the stigma attached to them.