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Are Forum-based Roleplaying Games Dead?

AshtonAshton
edited December 2009 in General Chat
Since this is a gaming community, I figured it woudl be a good place to ask this. I know it tends to fall into the "nerdier" side of gaming, but considering how many StarWars, StarTrek, and Dr Who fans are here, I'd say this palce is well-stocked with nerds ;)

Anyway... I've been Forum-based Roleplaying for many years but over the last few I've noticed a steep decline in reasonable, logical, mature RP sites (and by "Mature" I mean "not childish" where posts are coherant, plots are deep, and if anyone on the site is 10, they sure as hell dont show it) After the death of the "AvidGamers" webhost, it seems that most people have given up and moved to MMORPGs, despite the severe restriction on characters (compared to ForumRP) and the usually thin plots that rarely involve any thinking (i.e. "find person X" then "person X asks you to kill 5 of monster A" then "person X wants you to run around and collect 10 of artifact B" then "Congratulations! here's your XP and your GP")

The only RPs I've found in the post-AG era seem to be fan-made RPs for series liek Zelda or Harry Potter, and are clearly populated by childrens and angst-driven teens (neither of whome are capable of a coherant plot) or a rare few "advanced" RPs that require 3-or-more paragraphs per post and want to use "literate" words (like "orbs" for eyes) which often makes the post confusing...

So, anyone have any thoughts? Is Forum-based-RP dead?

Comments

  • FriarFriar
    edited December 2009
    I think so. In fact, i'd never even heard for FRPG's before now.
  • AshtonAshton
    edited December 2009
    If you want an example, this is a site I admin (though is owned by someone else)
    http://diamensia.furstar.net
    My own site closed down and I'm trying to decide wheather to bother renovating an re-opening it...
  • AndorxorAndorxor
    edited December 2009
    I play at http://www.rpol.net.
  • nikasaurnikasaur Telltale Alumni
    edited December 2009
    I've been very active in forum RPs and I think they are a dying breed. I've run my own for a few years, and it's been exceptionally difficult to get it off the ground and keep what few people stumble onto it.
    A lot of it does have to do with restrictions. "Literate," "Active" and "Advanced" tags mean a whole essay when your character just wants someone to pass the sugar, also heaven forbid you skip a day in posting. Somewhere along the line, these sites either became too lax or too stringent, and in either case, people stopped being interested in them altogether.

    Is there hope for the future? Maybe. I hope so. I encourage everyone to write. Even the best sites I've seen are faltering with a lack of activity, though, and I fear the worst.
  • ShaggEShaggE
    edited December 2009
    I've always wanted to partake in one, as I think it'd be a great writing exercise, but none that I've found are very noob-friendly.
  • RibsRibs
    edited December 2009
    ShaggE wrote: »
    I've always wanted to partake in one, as I think it'd be a great writing exercise, but none that I've found are very noob-friendly.

    We should start one! We should have the admins open a subforum right here! That takes place in a crossection inwhich all of the Telltale characters are in one place interacting!


    I call Sam and/or Gromit.
  • IcedhopeIcedhope
    edited December 2009
    StLouisRibs wrote: »
    We should start one! We should have the admins open a subforum right here! That takes place in a crossection inwhich all of the Telltale characters are in one place interacting!


    I call Sam and/or Gromit.

    I am in full support of this.

    I call Max.
  • RibsRibs
    edited December 2009
    Icedhope wrote: »
    I am in full support of this.

    I call Max.

    If we get rejected, there's always ProBoards to turn to. If multiple people wanted the same chacter, we could have alt universe twists!

    Like, Sam Max, Strong Bad Wallace in Pirateland
    or Sam Max Wallace and Guybrush in Free Country USA
    or Wallace and Gromit, Guybrush, and Strogn Bad in Sam and Max New York
    or (my favorite due to sam and max hating it) the cast in Wallace and Gromit britain.
  • RawrRawr
    edited December 2009
    nikasaur wrote: »
    I've been very active in forum RPs and I think they are a dying breed. I've run my own for a few years, and it's been exceptionally difficult to get it off the ground and keep what few people stumble onto it.
    A lot of it does have to do with restrictions. "Literate," "Active" and "Advanced" tags mean a whole essay when your character just wants someone to pass the sugar, also heaven forbid you skip a day in posting. Somewhere along the line, these sites either became too lax or too stringent, and in either case, people stopped being interested in them altogether.

    Is there hope for the future? Maybe. I hope so. I encourage everyone to write. Even the best sites I've seen are faltering with a lack of activity, though, and I fear the worst.
    Agreed.

    I've done forum RPing in the past, and never again. It just gets way too monotonous in the end. I eventually got tired of posting essays upon essays of writing every half an hour after another person has written an essay and getting moaned at if you take a while to reply. Not to mention activity is a problem, most people just can't be bothered with all of the writing involved, and truth be told, I don't blame them.
  • AshtonAshton
    edited December 2009
    wow you guys seem to be voicing all my complaints...

    Do any of you like Sc-Fi RPing? Your all welcome at my site, I'm very leniant towards nOOb RPers and glad to help teach them, and the only "Writing" rule I have is "always post in 3rd person" as for activity, I ask you post atleast once a week, required atleast once every 2 weeks (encouraged as much as possible, of course, but no requirements)
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