Why do RPs fail?

[PatMan33]

This is what I want you guys to tell me. Why do you think that RPs fail? In specific, the RPs over at Gaming Steve... because I'm sure all of us have been in an RP over there that has died fairly quickly.

[Fleetlord Atvar]

I've looked, and I think the largest reason that GS RPs fail is that GS is too d**n popular and active. People create new RPs all the time, and they push the other new ones to the bottom. Over time its just the oldest ones that have a small group of longtime, devoted members that float to the top.

[Darth Grievi]

I personally think it is because of dropouts, plot fizzling, and/or a lack of new blood.

In larger RP's with five or more people, a single dropout most likely won't kill the RP as long as the player gets the character out of the action, instead of leaving it hanging. In smaller RP's, dropouts can have the effect of discouraging other members. Finally, in tiny, two-people RP's, a dropout will obviously kill it.

Plot fizzling is when the concept of the RP just isn't exciting any more. Nothing I can say as far as preventing this, other than keep your plot rolling and flowing naturally. If you find the RP in a rut, start a new, related plot. If you're playing a Superhero RP, have a crime wave or a new villan. If you're playing a space RP, get a distress signal or a new mission from command. Do this quickly though, for the longer the plot fizzles, the more members you'll loose.

Finally, there is a lack of new blood. Make sure your RP is accessable by the majority of potential players. If you've allready started, have parts in your plot where you stop for a bit and let new people get on the train.

[Hyperion]

The reason why RPs fail is fairly obvious to me. It is something not only found in group collaborations but in individual stories as well. I call it storystuck...
It is natural for the story to begin with a way to set up the environment, like a big meeting of all the main characters, or something of the sort. But as soon as everyone has made their points, and the temporary beginning has petered out, there is nothing left to do. Take, for instance, the case of the Polytheism RP.

Another mistake is keeping everyone far apart, like the Steampunk RP of old.

The main problem, however, boils down to this: Any adventure game will not progress, despite how interesting the world, without people being on different sides, and a variety of environments. That is how the superhero RP survived for this long. Everyone was engaged in fighting each other, there were conspiracies, a world with a vareity of environments and subplots, and not just a general environment like a mechanical city.

If you want an RP to survive, try to encourage others to pick the "bad guy" roles, and try not to make an RP that focuses just on the world or environment. Remember, if you as the game master create the world, and you keep it vague, there is essentially nothing for the players to do. If you make it specific, then all the secrets have been discovered, and there is no reason to play. Allow the players to make their own world, and most likely the modern world is the best template to start from.