I've been around for a while, though never posted here specifically. I'm curious on peoples thoughts regarding the classic medieval high fantasy genre. Elves, dwarves, dragons, magic, monsters & adventure type roleplays that used to be all over the place.
Fantasy clearly still has huge appeal, there's no doubt about that, but it seems keeping those medieval high fantasy RP forums alive & active is extremely difficult. Especially the "Original" fantasy worlds, not beholden to previous canon stories or movies.
Making such a world stand out above the rest and last the test of time is also a struggle. What suggestions might you have on creating such an RP forum, mistakes to avoid, design suggestions, way to keep players involved, lore submissions, etc?
So, for context: I have been running RP forums for almost 20 years now; I also worked on an RPG video game of the high fantasy type [specifically, Dragon Age 4, tho I no longer am on that project].
The biggest problem with high fantasy RPs is simply investment of time. Regardless of if it's an original universe or a third-party IP, every user MUST invest sufficient time with it in order to successfully understand the setting, the mechanics of the fantasy elements (how does magic work, what is the technology level of the land, how do the society/societies function, etc).
This is an easier task when the IP is third party; LOTR and Dragonlance/D&D settings, The Witcher, etc, are all easier to invest in because there is a wealth of information already available that if one is interested in an RP of that title, they probably already have prerequisite knowledge of at minimum the basic world building aspects of it. EG: as a major LOTR fan I would not need any explanation of the societies of middle earth, and having read the Silmarillion repeatedly, need very little additional context on the history of the setting.
However when the fantasy is original, you have the same hurdles to cross over as any other new game. Like, how do you onboard your players to the mechanics? How do you give them just enough backstory and context where they'll feel not just comfortable playing but empowered to make decisions about how they want to play? How do you disseminate the information and ensure it's not only accessible and understandable, but retainable for even a casual player who is only there For Fun, versus basically taking on a new job to learn the ins and outs of a totally brand new game?
Both genres suffer from the need for knowledge beforehand, but original settings have it twice as hard if not more.
There is very little you can do to mitigate it, as well. Some people simply just do not want to spend that time. So, these are the tips that I've found to be somewhat helpful — with the understanding that unique settings (and high fantasy as a genre) will always be very, very hard work and with a high risk of little return on that investment.
1. Don't fall into the trap of over-explaining. Sometimes you can just leave things open-ended and let players decide what that thing is. You want documentation of the basics, but no one wants to read a novel via threads and posts before they can even decide if they are into it or not.
2. Don't wait for players to push the plot along, because they won't. The main plot should be something that you move along as the admin/forum staff, and players should react to those changes in their threads.
3. Similarly, Epic Battles or Epic World Events are a huge part of high fantasy as a genre... but we're not Tolkien deciding a specific direction for world canon, we're a group of collaborators. We will never universally agree on the scale of an epic thing, and trying to RP those big events out are honestly a huge stamina killer for players wanting to engage in some RPing as a hobby. So, similarly, tell your players what happened in the Epic Thing and let them decide how that impacted their character(s).
4. Don't have playable "canon" characters. I know this is like... kind of a weird stance to take, all things considered, but the revolving door of who is playing what canon, and how each person plays them, is very difficult to maintain. ESPECIALLY when those canons are part of any planned Epic Battles or Major Plot Things, because you'll be unable to move forward if anyone leaves (esp when roles that were held by the same person for a long time suddenly need to be filled by another player).
5. And, lastly... players are very content exploring their OCs relationships with other OCs. Pace any world-impacting events on a regular cadence, so players know when they have to start wrapping up their current RPs to prepare for the next part of the overall story.
Also, not really a suggestion but an observation: RPers are a creative, artistic lot but do not like hurdles to go over. A pleasing, but simpler design tends to have more appeal than default themes or over-featured theme that takes more time to learn than they have time for before ever jumping into the game.
Hope this helps? Happy to expand on any of the above thoughts if needed/wanted!
