It's been a while since I joined my first RP, but I've been thinking about what entices people to finally dip their toes in the waters of roleplaying! ♥

So, for those of us who have been around for a while—what made you pick the first RP you participated in?

Was it the character list? Or the setting? Or the plot?

Did it relate to mechanics? (Was it a game with stat points, did it have a posting order, did it lack "strict rules" and thus seem less hard to mess up?) Did you pick a "type" of RP that seemed easier? (Such as opting for instant messaging versus posting on a forum, for example!)

For those who haven't tried out RPing yet, but are interested in it, think about what currently keeps you from jumping in and tell us what you are hoping for—what would make it juuuuust a bit less overwhelming?

Is there one specific thing about an RP that would immediately make you want to join? Or is it a combination of things? Is it more about your own feelings rather than an actual game itself?

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I picked my first RP because...

a) It hadn't actually started yet. I was really scared off by RPs that had pages and pages of posts already written. I felt like it would be too much for me to read everything that had already happened and find a way to add my own character.

b) It allowed original characters! At the time, I really didn't want to use a character that belonged to an existing series. I wanted to make my own!

c) The rules were clearly written. I was so worried about following rules and not getting banned from an RP that I spent a lot of time worrying that I'd mess it up and everyone would hate me. The game I first joined had a really clearly-written list of what was and was not allowed, and I thought I wouldn't have much chance of ruining everything. XD

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The reason I haven't joined an RP is that, firstly, I never had someone to play with, in general. And secondly, I worry that I might ruin an RP with maybe unintentionally falling into sue territory, or that in my worrying, I might be paralyzed what to do next, accidentally stopping or stalling the RP. What helps sometimes is a set of established rules or settings that I can lean on until I find my footing.

That's understandable, Magic! It can definitely be intimidating if you don't know who would be interested in RPing with you. It's really hard to do it alone. ;D

Writing a character in a way that makes him or her too "perfect" does tend to be something that's easy to do, but the good thing is that—with practice—you can keep developing that character and pulllll them out of that state. ♥ My first character was absolutely a self-insertion bit of nonsense. XD It happens! 

Worrying about stalling or stopping an RP due to being unsure of what to post absolutely happens sometimes, but sometimes that can be helped by talking OOC with the other players. Someone else might have a good idea of where to go next, and sometimes you can use their input to come up with your own reply.

I picked my first RP because it was a crossover of my two favorite anime series at the time: Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon. Unfortunately, I do not recall the name of the RPG, because this was about fifteen years ago. I found the RPG through a massive anime directory that was popular in the 2000s, but is now defunct. It also appealed to me because it allowed for otaku characters, which meant I could use my Animorphs/Dragonball Z/Sailor Moon inspired twins, lol. Too bad I don't even remember the plot of this RPG, much less have a snippet from my very first role-play post. 

Sue territory? Ha! My twins had 'Sue' written all over their faces, but the others did not mind and they let me role-play with little criticism. Eventually, I advanced as a writer and in age, haha and don't really have to worry about creating a Sue anymore.

The reason I haven't is because i don't even know who I should Rp as. I've never had Rped with more than one person before but I believe it'll be a good experience for me.

I started because my mentor Kai recommended the Casual Events to me, let me know when the sign up for To Rise Again started and THEN encouraged me to apply for Sailor Mars (which das kind of hilarious considering now they are Sailor Mars :v)

Anyway, to me Casual Events were the best because there wasn't any pressure for a Character Profile or an activity rule i tend to suck at those, I mean I have joined five months ago and this is my first full week of activity. I quickly fell in love with the premise and overcame my doubts about playing an important character, and so the angst fest began!!!

Sadly, everybody was so enthusiastic about doing it well that we surpassed the time for a Casual Event and Saturn had to put it on hold in order to turn it into a Relaxed RP. I tried to join another Casual RP (Chaos at Kandy Kiosk) but the mechanic was very different and I couldn't keep up. Other Events didn't appeal to me the same so I have been waiting for the Relaxed RP to start.


P.D: This is like a hybrid between the two points of this thread

You should check out the Play Boards, Prince Triton. (: Sounds like those might be just what you are looking for.

Thanks for the advice, Luna, I will do that!!!