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+--- Thread: Activity Surge! (/showthread.php?tid=16865)
Activity Surge! - Super Buu - 07-14-2011
From a personal standpoint, and to elaborate on what I've said before, you can tell me that I don't NEED any bonus stuff to write, that I don't NEED a system or whatever, and that's entirely true. But there's a reason I joined Chubbs and not just one of many other system-less sites. I like games, I like interesting systems. I like earning rewards, I like comparing stats, I like bonuses. That's why I joined. I stayed because of the people. Without the system, I go to play some other game - not necessarily a writing one, because this breed of RPG is rare and it's even rarer to find one that I personally like (for example, Alex's DBZ RPG is active, but I personally hate the system).
Of course, it's not the sole factor, but this is why I get annoyed when people try to tell me the system doesn't matter and I should just write. I'm not going to force myself to do something I'm not that interested in. I got hyped up again when I was reading about all the new system ideas, which is why I was so disappointed that after months, we still seem to be sitting around doing the same thing.
Activity Surge! - Celena - 07-15-2011
I just don't feel that people are interested in RP'ing in a DBZ RPG anymore. It's run its course and was good while it lasted. Be realistic, no matter what you do to this RPG, you're not going to get a new wave of members like we did up until mid 06.
We need to resort to a FoF style RPG. We should take advantage of the fact that Marvel and DC bring out movies which a lot of people go to see. We need to go with what's in.
Activity Surge! - John Doe - 07-15-2011
inb4 I came for dbz and stay for dbz argument
Activity Surge! - Dehan - 07-15-2011
Celena Wrote:I just don't feel that people are interested in RP'ing in a DBZ RPG anymore. It's run its course and was good while it lasted. Be realistic, no matter what you do to this RPG, you're not going to get a new wave of members like we did up until mid 06.
We need to resort to a FoF style RPG. We should take advantage of the fact that Marvel and DC bring out movies which a lot of people go to see. We need to go with what's in.
I agree and disagree with this. I think a few people have the attitude the CDBZ isn't very DBZish. Anyway changing the rpg into something else or opening another would probably bring in activity...I don't know though. I have it in me to write but there's little here that I want to write about. It's something in me I'm trying to change though. I enjoyed writing here in the past. But I've since lost my spark for the place.
Activity Surge! - Nori - 07-15-2011
Yeah, I'm with the chubbs isn't really dbz stance.
Activity Surge! - Sophia - 07-15-2011
I honestly doubt it's the genre. :l There's as much freedom to do whatever you want here as there is with any other genre...probably more, actually.
There's probably a vicious cycle at work here (changes aren't made because the members aren't active, and the members aren't active because changes aren't made), but honestly, a good place to start would just be attempted activity. You know, just a 300 word post here and there if that's what it takes.
Then again, that could all just be blowing smoke. Either way, it wouldn't hurt.
Activity Surge! - Alexander Trafford - 07-15-2011
The problem is that we're a DBZ RPG with a talented/selective member base that is looking for more than just literate writers. DBZ is dead, for the most part, and is only still big and running in small pockets, and those pockets don't happen to be what we're looking for in writers. Those pockets flock to places like Alex's DBZ RPG.
E: I also think we've become a fair bit elitist over the years. I think we all forget that most of us used to be like the immature, basic, nigh-illiterate writers over at these other DBZ sites, and that we developed, mostly together, into the writers we are now. And now that we are where we are, we think we're above people who are where we were. And don't say that's not true, I've had talks with a bunch of members here about recruiting who, when i bring up that these other sites have loads of active members, reply with: "they aren't what we're looking for."
Activity Surge! - Sigfried Hunin - 07-15-2011
Yeahhhh, we're not really DBZ anymore. We're DBZ-esque, but mos' def NOT DBZ by any means. I mean... LOOK at our roster of characters lol
Activity Surge! - Vad - 07-15-2011
Alexander Trafford Wrote:The problem is that we're a DBZ RPG with a talented/selective member base that is looking for more than just literate writers. DBZ is dead, for the most part, and is only still big and running in small pockets, and those pockets don't happen to be what we're looking for in writers. Those pockets flock to places like Alex's DBZ RPG.
E: I also think we've become a fair bit elitist over the years. I think we all forget that most of us used to be like the immature, basic, nigh-illiterate writers over at these other DBZ sites, and that we developed, mostly together, into the writers we are now. And now that we are where we are, we think we're above people who are where we were. And don't say that's not true, I've had talks with a bunch of members here about recruiting who, when i bring up that these other sites have loads of active members, reply with: "they aren't what we're looking for."
This pretty much hits the nail on the head. The only problem is we need to find writers at our previous level WILLING TO MATURE!
Activity Surge! - Dehan - 07-15-2011
Well whatever ADBZRPG is doing is working...they're active. Maybe it's because they have customs and cannon characters available as well as a pretty broad quest system.
If we allow those type of members to join in I'm sure they'd grow. I have no issue with Chubbs being elitist though I don't see it as such, just a site that requires a little something extra. 300 word minimum isn't anything. Anyway if people do keep the 'we r ze elite' attitude, the site won't last much longer...looks like it's already on it's last legs. Sadly I must add. Quite sadly.
Activity Surge! - Vad - 07-15-2011
Jericho Wrote:Well whatever ADBZRPG is doing is working...they're active. Maybe it's because they have customs and cannon characters available as well as a pretty broad quest system.
If we allow those type of members to join in I'm sure they'd grow. I have no issue with Chubbs being elitist though I don't see it as such, just a site that requires a little something extra. 300 word minimum isn't anything. Anyway if people do keep the 'we r ze elite' attitude, the site won't last much longer...looks like it's already on it's last legs. Sadly I must add. Quite sadly.
Alex's works because it harbors to people that do roleplays like this:
*walks into bar and sits down. Orders drink*
Activity Surge! - Dehan - 07-15-2011
XD I haven't been on that site in a while. If it has resorted to that...then good god.
Activity Surge! - Vad - 07-15-2011
That's everywhere actually. Most places just accept a couple of sentences for a post as their minimum. When I was roleplaying on The Old Republic forums I had people wanting to write with me (who did that) because I wrote a fucking book each time I posted.
Activity Surge! - Belle Hibiki - 07-15-2011
The abridged roleplay style is a byproduct of "never control anyone's character ever." If you don't allow that, the only 'long posts' in a collaborative setting tend to be insufferable purple prose describing the most inane shit (ie. "he picked up his glass" becomes "he extended the long slender fingers of his palid-featured hand to grasp around the neck of the glass decanter, allowing his skin to slip along the moistening condensation and chill into his bones"... only like ten times worse).
Activity Surge! - Vad - 07-15-2011
Exactly.
Activity Surge! - Victoria - 07-15-2011
I found that with my own site, people could pick any powers, and there's no stats...so it's easy. It's not a game though, while this is.
I think people might be intimidated by how in-depth our system is, and that it is, indeed, a game at it's core.
Activity Surge! - Kaden - 07-15-2011
Elitism
Alexander Trafford Wrote:E: I also think we've become a fair bit elitist over the years. I think we all forget that most of us used to be like the immature, basic, nigh-illiterate writers over at these other DBZ sites, and that we developed, mostly together, into the writers we are now. And now that we are where we are, we think we're above people who are where we were. And don't say that's not true, I've had talks with a bunch of members here about recruiting who, when i bring up that these other sites have loads of active members, reply with: "they aren't what we're looking for."
I am going to say it is not true. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't true.
We were elitist when we could "afford" to be elitist. When we had new applicants every week, we could cherry pick the type of writer we wanted to accept. Sadly, whether or not this was the correct approach is no longer relevant. It was, however, short-sighted of us.
What we were left with was a group of people we told to "come back when you're better" floating around the internet. The circle of DBZ RPGs is not a particularly expansive one. The perception became, rightly at the time, that we are a very elitist group.
I firmly believe that is no longer the case. I honestly can't imagine telling someone that today. If people are around writers who they think are better, they will either strive to improve themselves or they'll just go their own way (assuming such a discrepancy made them uncomfortable). Unfortunately, what I believe doesn't make a lick of difference. We are exactly what people perceive us to be; if the rest of the world thinks we're elitist, then that's what we get to be.
Now, I'll admit that I haven't been particularly plugged into the joining process in quite a while, and that's a failing on my part as an administrator. If we've been helping that along with an excessively elitist joining process, then this would be a good time to let me know.
Why am I saying all of this? Well, I'll be honest, it started as a knee-jerk reaction to Trafford's edit. Had that been the only reason, though, I wouldn't have posted. What my point ultimately ended up being is that if you encounter people who feel that way about us, try to tell them that we're not. We made decisions that made us unpopular and we're dealing with the consequences of that now. Maybe they'll listen and hop on over. Can't hurt to try.
Bunnying
Another thing I wanted to talk about in this post was that we are a fairly unique RPG and I'm not sure everyone realizes that.
The term "bunnying" is often used on other RPGs. When someone is "bunnying" it means that they are writing someone else's character. Generally speaking, that is a strict no-no.
Now think about that for a minute. What would this RPG be like if you could not, at any time, RolePlay someone else's character? It would be really weird. And probably pretty lame.
Belle accurately described why other RPGs deal with extremely short posts, as Vad said. It absolutely does happen and it is usually to avoid bunnying. If you're in a fight with someone, what else can you say other than "Joe ran forward, throwing a punch at Bill's face"? You can't continue that without breaking a rule.
I've heard quite a few times that people are simply blown away by the amount of control they give other people over their characters. Or that they give them control at all. It really is a unique, defining feature of the RPG.
Connecting the two
These two things are what cause inactivity to hurt so us much. If we weren't a fairly tight-knit group of people, each comfortable with the writing ability and maturity of the others, bunnying would definitely be an issue. Instead of someone getting warned or banned when they do something wrong with someone else's character, they're simply told by the other person. This is really remarkable to me because it's the community helping itself sharpen its collective critical reading and thinking skills. It goes from being "I did X so I got punished" to "why did X not make sense for their character?"
The elitism, though, is something that I see as being responsible for that, though. I'm not saying it was necessary, mind, I'm just saying that it facilitated. If we had let everyone in (a hyperbole, I know) without any ruling or limitations against bunnying, then everyone would have been much more guarded with their characters and who got to write them.
There's been an evolution to the RPG and I hope people can see that. Let me preface the rest of this by saying that I'm not accusing anyone of actually doing this, I'm warning people to not do it. It's easy to say "we never should have turned people away" or "we should be less elitist" in hindsight. What we need to do is look at what we do well and what we can provide new members and even how we can do things to help undo some of the damage that's been done. We don't need all our members going on marketing campaigns or anything like that, but, like I said, if you see someone saying something bad about the RPG, maybe ask them why or try to tell them its no longer true. If you know someone who likes to write, point them here.
Yes, we're a Dragonball Z RPG, but that's not all we are. We have plenty of talented writers willing to forgo the DBZ references and simply write. Others like using it and that's fine, too. We've made efforts to be as accessible as possible and we want people to use that to their advantage.
I kind of started rambling now. What's important is that we, as a community, see what we are now, not what we were in the past. Look at how we got to where we are and how we can move forward in a more positive way. If we can't see what a great place this is for writing, be it on your own or with others, then we'll never be able to show other people.
Activity Surge! - Psyren - 07-15-2011
One of the reasons I came back to this site was because of the unique system. I literally dont consider my character a Dbz character. I started reading Manwha comics like veritas and the breaker. And I realized I enjoyed those kinds of character. They are martial artists. They cant blow up a planet. But they can put holes through walls, streets etc. And can just do awesome super human feats.
What im saying is....Our system is nice...It can be used for almost any kind of character a person wants. Thats deffinetly something you dont see at most rpgs....
Activity Surge! - Vad - 07-15-2011
Well said Kaden.
Edit: We might consider offering both types though. Letting those of us who want to do it our way do it and those who don't want to "bunny" do it their way. Though...now that it's on paper and not in my mind that would pose a problem with splitting the community in half. Say Bill wants to RP with Joe, but Joe writes with control of other peoples characters and doesn't feel comfortable using the other style. Bill would get denied the chance to write with Joe. So yea. Just shot holes in my own idea. FTW
Activity Surge! - Sophia - 07-15-2011
There's nothing that says we have to bunny. It's just something that's assumed within the community.