Wrong Characters to start make it fail?

[Guest Anonymous]

I've been RPing for a long time and I've seen my fair share of roleplays come, and roleplays go and I've seen some that I'm shocked are still around and others that I'm shocked to have seen them go.

 

Of course, everyone tends to RP for different reasons and each of those reasons are the persons own preference. I like to create story and expand things I may or may not know, and contribute to something that I'll remember fondly in the future. I have my fair share of triumphs but I feel I have a significant amount more of failures.

 

That's where my topic sorta comes into play.

 

The biggest tips are to start an RP with a core group of RPers but if you don't really have those (I have RP friends but we tend to work at different speeds and or genres) then you sorta are at the will of those that find your premise interesting and being on and ready to RP all the time to start.

 

No problem easy peasy.

But its not that.

 

I've found over the years that your characters as an admin MATTER A LOT. If you don't have at least 1-3 intriguing male characters (often with at least one of them being homosexual) that your chances of getting a group of people interested in your RP drops dramatically. If you have a significant female cast, no matter the diversity or even if they are well plotted out or whatever your chances to get RPers through the door drops dramatically.

 

Now I have theories on this which I will explain below but I will also show that its observable through other means, not just through the start of an RP.

 

Now my theory on this is, that people use RP as a means to sort of vicariously date a PB of their preference through an RP setting. If this PB is taken and otherwise not available for a dating plot then it makes the whole RP unattractive. Some of them will join with the hopes of breaking up that relationship and winning said character's heart but overall this isn't normally the case.

 

Ways you can observe this is through wanted ads and looking for RP requests:

• Looking for RP requests that are stringent in available PBs for wanted ads.
• Wanted ads that are stringent on PBs even though another player could take the PB.
• Players that get upset and ask admins to remove PBs from existing characters because they want that PB for their wanted ad.
• Looking for RP requests are heavily looking for male characters that are often romantically involved with the players character. To add to this, female characters are often not requested and when they are they are less likely to be romantic in any way (Best friend, mom, sister etc).
• Most admins that have successful RPs have a strong or primary cast of male characters.

 

Now, some of you will come in and say "Well that's why we don't like/use/allow playbys on my site" and quite frankly I would like to ask you not to post because that isn't the discussion here and so the point is in many ways just being made to virtue signal and its unneeded.

 

What my question on this is:

• Do you see this?
• Have you experienced this?
• Is the first time you've noticed?
• Now that you've been given this theory does it resonate with you?
• What would you suggest to do to fix it?
• Would you join an RP without the core available men ready for the taking?

 

Feel free to answer any, all, or just post your opinion. I'm curious to see what you think.