RP Promotion - what to do?

Started by KaraKres, October 26, 2010, 05:19:17 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

KaraKres

So I have this problem and I'm hoping the collective experience and wisdom of E will provide some illumination.

Recently I got this crazy notion in my head to start a freeform small group RP.  Pretty simple so far.  I created an interest check thread in the group RP wanted forum and put plenty of detail in about the game that I wanted to run, see the thread here: Dog Town

Given how many crime RPs I've seen come and go on this site and others, I thought I was onto a winner...alas not so.  You'll see that the thread has been viewed over a hundred times, yet I've only received one PM expressing a desire to partake of the RP.

Then I started thinking - how do I promote this thing? Shoutbox is out and so is bumping the thread so it stays in people's immediate view.  And cold calling people via PM I think is just plain rude.

Then I got to thinking that perhaps there was something wrong with my initial thread...too much information? Not enough detail on the particulars of the RP? Or possibly something else?  Can someone tell me what have I done or not done that is making people switch off?

Help me E, help me!

HairyHeretic

I wouldn't say there is necessarily anything wrong, but it simply may be at this point in time the idea isn't of interest to those who have viewed the thread. I've seen it take weeks, even months, for some of my ideas to be picked up. That's just the way things go, and I'd say it happens to pretty much all of us from time to time.
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.

Blitzy

To add in on top of what Hairy said...

It's also roughly mid-term week for a number of colleges and holidays are coming up, which might slow down the urge to take on new games. :) Just give it time. Maybe put a link to it in your signature or something like that? (If that's allowed, I'm not fully sure but I think so?)
One on One stories on hold currently. Apologies to my writing partners.

Oniya

I've seen links to group RP interest threads in signatures a lot.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17

Hunter

It happens.  You can post the most brilliantly written and thought out idea only to have it flop until you repost it a couple of months later when you can't beat them off with a stick.

rick957

#5
I just found this thread so I'm gonna reply to it and hope somebody sees it.  :)  I'm actually surprised that there aren't more detailed responses to your question, KK; I would love to hear what methods have actually worked well for others.

I have a group game that I've GMed for a long time, and I've tried everything I can think of to drag in players.  My game has survived because I've had a few players willing to stick with it for looong stretches of time.  That's another problem, too, at least if you want your game to last for a while; not only do you have to attract players at the beginning, but you need to attract ones that will stick around and stay active.  Many games who attract lots of people die out quickly when the people lose interest or get busy with other things.  And because of that, you have to keep finding new players constantly, as replacements for the quitters, if you want the game to survive.

It's been surprisingly tough attracting players, and although I've had a game going for over a year, I still don't know what works best.  I think it helps to be really patient, keep your expectations modest, and be tenacious about recruiting.  As I understand it, bumping the recruitment thread is allowed *if* you have substantially changed or added to the content of the thread, so that maybe your new ideas will help attract people.  My game has had, like, five or six recruitment threads with different pitches for the same game, highlighting different things about the game in an attempt to attract more people.

Incidentally, KK, I found this thread only *after* I PMed you an invitation to join my group game ... sorry about that!  :)  I honestly didn't know people find that sort of thing to be rude.  (Do they really?)  Cold-PM invites seems kind of desperate and therefore embarrassing to me ... but, I've been hugely flattered on the very few occasions that I've been PMed an invitation to a game, so I didn't think it was an impolite thing to do, as long as you're nice about it.  I have found more than one player for my game using the cold-PM method, although most people simply ignore such invitations, or else express interest briefly and then never follow up.

Oh, one last thing ... I hate to say it, but it's just darn hard to get a group game started or keep one going for very long.  I say that both from from personal experience and also from observation; if you look around, you'll see that compared to the number of recruitment threads, relatively few group games ever get off the ground; and of the ones that do, very very few last more than a month or two.

Anyways, there's my thoughts on the subject.  There *are* numerous people at Elliquiy with really active and longer-lasting games, I'd love to hear their thoughts about these subjects.

Oniya

Quite honestly, I've gotten involved in some of my favorite games due to somebody cold-PMing me based on my O/Os
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17