Is it worth keeping this forum open?

[Talira Greycrest]

I've had my Crystal Kingdom Cats RPG up and running for 6 months now, yet no-one who's joined has shown any interest in actually playing the game. Very disappointed. Therefore, I'm wondering if it's really worth keeping this forum open. This game was invented in my own imagination and I put a lot of work into creating this forum.

[bigballofyarn]

I would keep your forum running. Ask "Get Opinions About Your Forum" for suggestions about modifications. I would lessen the number of questions you ask new members when they register. Maybe you can change it to one statement. "Tell me about yourself." Having a lot of questions can seem intimidating. I do NOT recommend giving up after only a few months. The right people just haven't yet seen your forum. It looks like a handful of people joined. Maybe you can engage with them in the general section and help them learn more about your game. Best of luck!!

[Beckea]

Provide a link so those helping with opinions can check it out.

[Kami]

Since I last looked at your forum, you haven't taken much of the advice other people provided in your past threads (you have done a few things, but not a lot). That is your prerogative, of course, and I'm not saying it's inherently bad, but if you're looking to reach a wider audience you're not really working toward applying feedback from said wider audience.

Also, six months may seem like a long time, but in the grand scheme of things you are competing with literally thousands, if not millions of google results; hundreds, of not thousands of bigger, more contemporary-looking, more established forums. Six months is not an uncommonly long time to wait, relatively speaking.

I have to ask: why do you want to run an RP forum?

I'll be blunt with you; based on your posts in this thread, as well as from reading through your forum, it seems to me you're running an RP for the wrong reasons.

Not all RP forums are going to be popular. Not all RP ideas are going to hit it off with RPers, even if you try. I ran a successful RP forum for fifteen years and still struggled with getting members, periods of low activity, and keeping my plot engaging.

So, what drives you? Why did you decide to create an RP forum?

[Kami]

Jul 4, 2019 9:14:39 GMT -8 Beckea said:

Provide a link so those helping with opinions can check it out.

This is not the first thread OP has had on this subject, and mods have already instructed them to post in GOAYF if they want actual forum feedback, so I don't think it's necessarily a good idea to turn this into a feedback thread.

[Beckea]

More than enough opinions at this link support.proboards.com/thread/654570/looking-opinions-crystal-kingdom-cats?

support.proboards.com/thread/654570/looking-opinions-crystal-kingdom-cats

Talira Greycrest , I saw that you have three RPGs forums? I have one and it keeps me busy.

Anyway, I provided you with original posts that you posted regarding your Crystal Kingdoms Cats. Lots of great opinions.

As Kami mentions I would just go read those comments rather than starting up new ones.

[Talira Greycrest]

I own three forums, but only one is listed as an RPG. The other two are general forums. The reason I created a RP forum is because I wanted to have a go at role-playing on a cat-based RPG. However, the majority of cat RPGs appear to be based on the Warrior Cats book series, which I'm not familiar with. Therefore, I created a brand-new cat-based RPG that's based on something from my imagination, hoping to attract people looking for a new game to try. I guess I should have tried playing an RPG for a while before setting up my own one.

[Kami]

Jul 4, 2019 16:44:18 GMT -8 Talira Greycrest said:

I own three forums, but only one is listed as an RPG. The other two are general forums. The reason I created a RP forum is because I wanted to have a go at role-playing on a cat-based RPG. However, the majority of cat RPGs appear to be based on the Warrior Cats book series, which I'm not familiar with. Therefore, I created a brand-new cat-based RPG that's based on something from my imagination, hoping to attract people looking for a new game to try. I guess I should have tried playing an RPG for a while before setting up my own one.

Honestly? Yes.

I think your inspiration is admirable, but this is definitely the wrong way to go about it. I don't want to scare you away from roleplaying -- it's one of my favourite pastimes and I love it when new people discover it! -- but running an RP forum is a far, far, far more complicated beast than running a general forum.

If you have no experience with the overall structure and expectation of RP as a whole, never mind an RP forum specifically, then, just by sheer lack of understanding, your forum will not be successful. If someone had never painted a picture before, it would be ill advised for them to start a painting school. Similarly, if one has never RP'd before, it's ill advised for them to start by creating their own RP community since they're unaware of the basics.

Case in point: I'm also wanting to create an original RP. I created my forum a couple of weeks ago, but it's still not open to the public. I have taken the last two months to come up with a design (still in progress!), and spent at least four months coming up with all aspects of my setting: each kingdom's motivations, cultures, histories, manners of dress, and even languages; I've created maps, economic systems, forms of government; I've even come up with a world history to explain the existence of the different kingdoms. And that is on top of creating a plot that ties into the world I've established, creating game mechanics, community guidelines, and RP rules. I'm a bit of an extreme example, but I guarantee you that every successful RP out there has an admin / admin team that loves what they do, spent a significant amount of time deciding what their plot direction / world building is (even for fandom-based stories!), and had a little bit of member experience before they decided to create their own.

It's not enough to create an RP forum just because you want to try roleplaying. You need to have an actual story to tell (not just a generic "everyone is fighting!" plot); a passion for not just forum-admining but writing, roleplaying, and world building; and an understanding of the RP community as a whole.

Without these, it doesn't matter how hard you try or how long you wait. Not many people, if any, would be willing to join an RP forum where the creator doesn't really understand how RPing works or have a solid plot in mind.

I think, in the future, if you try out some RPs and you decide you really like the actual act of roleplaying itself, then you'll be able to see more success if you start an RP forum. There are plenty of cat / animal RPs that allow you to be cats that aren't based on the Warriors series that are also friendly to beginners, so I recommend getting your feet wet first and seeing how RP forums work (both from an admin perspective and a community perspective) before diving in head-first.

Everyone has to start somewhere, but you gotta learn to walk before you run (:

[Talira Greycrest]

Maybe it might be better to put this forum in maintenance mode while I work on my role-playing. Am currently trying out some RPs.

[Kami]

Jul 4, 2019 18:25:20 GMT -8 Talira Greycrest said:

Maybe it might be better to put this forum in maintenance mode while I work on my role-playing. Am currently trying out some RPs.

I think that's a good idea. Try being just a player a first to see if you like it enough to invest getting to know the ins and outs of the RP community, and then decide if you want to be the admin of your own game (:

[Talira Greycrest]

Have looked at how active other role-play forums are and how they're set out, and have decided that Crystal Kingdom Cats isn't the right kind of game. The forum's been open for almost 8 months and there's been very little activity. Even those who have joined are clearly uninterested in the game. Therefore, it's likely that I'll delete this forum within the next few days and start again with another game. I understand some people may not think this is the right way to go, but it's my decision what I do with my forums.

[bigballofyarn]

Jul 15, 2019 1:22:55 GMT -8 Talira Greycrest said:

Have looked at how active other role-play forums are and how they're set out, and have decided that Crystal Kingdom Cats isn't the right kind of game. The forum's been open for almost 8 months and there's been very little activity. Even those who have joined are clearly uninterested in the game. Therefore, it's likely that I'll delete this forum within the next few days and start again with another game. I understand some people may not think this is the right way to go, but it's my decision what I do with my forums.

You know that I will support you in whatever you decide. I want you to feel encouraged in your forum pursuits. Definitely at least wait an extra few days and see if you change your mind. Best of luck.

[Talira Greycrest]

Have taken the forum off maintenance mode just to see if anyone starts being active. If it gets to the end of the month and no-one's been active, the forum will be deleted.

[Talira Greycrest]

Have decided to start designing a new RP forum, which will probably take a few days. Will delete Crystal Kingdom Cats once the new forum's finished. Sticking with the animal theme.

[Alex R Jamison]

Jul 15, 2019 14:06:12 GMT -8 Talira Greycrest said:

Have decided to start designing a new RP forum, which will probably take a few days. Will delete Crystal Kingdom Cats once the new forum's finished. Sticking with the animal theme.

It seems like you have activity today. I really dont want to see you give up, but you are free to do as you wish.