In Her Name - feedback/tips

[Aenwyn]

Hello people. I would like to ask for some feedback, tips and/or advice on my forum. It is the first RP forum I've ever made and while it looks like one I would join, I would like to hear what others think.

I would appreciate feedback on the skin/theme, how easy it is to understand the plot (not the plot itself please), and how accessible the site is to find the information you need/want to read.

In Her Name - forum link

I won't add too much information so you can take a look at it without knowing much beforehand.
I'll add more in a spoiler: 

SPOILER: Click to show

Currently I have two kingdoms open to make characters in, so characters can actually interact, since it's still a small site. It's a medieval fantasy RPG, so conflict and peace resolutions are a big part of the story. I will add plots and storylines as the site progresses. I don't really know what else to say!

Thank you in advance!

[Aenwyn]

Bump!

[Aenwyn]

Bump

[peekabooicu]

hi...
I like the layout of your forum... the colors are not too bright or too dark, it's just not my colors, however....others may like it though.
it's definitely a clean forum .... good luck with it.

[Aenwyn]

Aug 5, 2024 15:51:49 GMT -8 peekabooicu said:

hi...
I like the layout of your forum... the colors are not too bright or too dark, it's just not my colors, however....others may like it though.
it's definitely a clean forum .... good luck with it.

Thank you!

[peekabooicu]

Aug 8, 2024 12:00:02 GMT -8 Aenwyn said:

Aug 5, 2024 15:51:49 GMT -8 peekabooicu said:

hi...
I like the layout of your forum... the colors are not too bright or too dark, it's just not my colors, however....others may like it though.
it's definitely a clean forum .... good luck with it.

Thank you!

you are most welcome!

[Aenwyn]

Bump

[Kami]

I normally post more in-depth stuff, but it looks like this is still in early stages...? So truncated version, unless you want something more expansive.

• Aesthetics: fine, i guess? personally, i feel there's not a whole lot in the visuals that tells me this is a 'medieval fantasy' except a lady (in clothing that is not indicative, really, of anything medieval or fantasy themed) holding a sword in the banner. maybe this is some minimalist trend that i don't really understand being an old fogey, but i'm always biased towards RP forums that manage to balance being minimal and slick while being thematic. if it were me, i'd add a little bit more to the theme -- maybe something in the category title backgrounds that is representative of some medieval era architecture or aesthetics, or a very subtle texture pattern that is on-theme (something vines or magical for the fantasy, something medieval for the time period inspiration) in the background to make the theme feel less flat and have more layered depth.
  
  
• Content: fine, but verbose. i think this isn't really on you, exactly, but just an issue with original RPs as a whole -- there's so much world building, but extensive documentation on said word building is often a negative when it comes to RPs because the initial investment cost for a player in order to start participating is a lot higher than a pre-existing IP / setting that only requires players to invest on the unique aspect of the forum since they already have the base knowledge of the IP / setting. i don't have an answer on the "right" way to balance between getting the info you need players to have, versus keeping the bar for entry as low as possible. i think it would be worth it for you to figure out which parts of the lore you can let go from defining, and give players freedom to make their own decisions on how those aspects work without making any one thing strict canon. i'm personally overwhelmed by the amount of time i would need to spend here if i were to participate (and this is definitely my type of RP), i just don't have that much to invest between my work + familial & social obligations + personal responsibilities.

tldr: i think you have the makings of something good, but there's not a lot to judge more holistically. aesthetics are fine but could be pushed to be a bit more visually thematic / interesting, and content is intriguing but has a high initial investment for players that may be too high of a bar for entry for initial membership growth.

hope this helps! please let me know if you have any questions / want a deeper dive on the content itself.

[Aenwyn]

Aug 20, 2024 10:38:28 GMT -8 Kami said:

I normally post more in-depth stuff, but it looks like this is still in early stages...? So truncated version, unless you want something more expansive.

• Aesthetics: fine, i guess? personally, i feel there's not a whole lot in the visuals that tells me this is a 'medieval fantasy' except a lady (in clothing that is not indicative, really, of anything medieval or fantasy themed) holding a sword in the banner. maybe this is some minimalist trend that i don't really understand being an old fogey, but i'm always biased towards RP forums that manage to balance being minimal and slick while being thematic. if it were me, i'd add a little bit more to the theme -- maybe something in the category title backgrounds that is representative of some medieval era architecture or aesthetics, or a very subtle texture pattern that is on-theme (something vines or magical for the fantasy, something medieval for the time period inspiration) in the background to make the theme feel less flat and have more layered depth.
  
  
• Content: fine, but verbose. i think this isn't really on you, exactly, but just an issue with original RPs as a whole -- there's so much world building, but extensive documentation on said word building is often a negative when it comes to RPs because the initial investment cost for a player in order to start participating is a lot higher than a pre-existing IP / setting that only requires players to invest on the unique aspect of the forum since they already have the base knowledge of the IP / setting. i don't have an answer on the "right" way to balance between getting the info you need players to have, versus keeping the bar for entry as low as possible. i think it would be worth it for you to figure out which parts of the lore you can let go from defining, and give players freedom to make their own decisions on how those aspects work without making any one thing strict canon. i'm personally overwhelmed by the amount of time i would need to spend here if i were to participate (and this is definitely my type of RP), i just don't have that much to invest between my work + familial & social obligations + personal responsibilities.

tldr: i think you have the makings of something good, but there's not a lot to judge more holistically. aesthetics are fine but could be pushed to be a bit more visually thematic / interesting, and content is intriguing but has a high initial investment for players that may be too high of a bar for entry for initial membership growth.

hope this helps! please let me know if you have any questions / want a deeper dive on the content itself.

Hi Kami ! Thank you for your feedback. I'm only seeing it now oops!

I understand both points completely. It is indeed still in the quite early stages. I feel the same way as you do about the aesthetic and have been planning on adding things to make it feel more medieval. I want to add images to the category titles, but I'm not good at coding and don't know how :') if you have advice there, I would appreciate it.

As for the content, it's indeed tricky. Personally I like in depth lore, but I do understand that it can be off putting. I'll try to figure out a way to make it more accessible.

EDIT: in the meanwhile, I've made the banner a bit more interesting and and I've added a background to the board if you feel like checking it out!

[Aenwyn]

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[Aenwyn]

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[Aenwyn]

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[Aenwyn]

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[Aenwyn]

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[Aenwyn]

Bump!