Discussion Whats your favorite and least favorite group size for an RP?

[Jsc]

When it comes to private threads I'm a big fan of 1v1. It's quick, easy, recoverable, often memorable, and always full of momentum. Like so,

• Quick: How fast I can set up the thread. 1v1 threads have less bios, codex location subs, and tech subs to read through before I start drafting. So I can almost always get a 1v1 private thread up same or next day.
• Easy: How many people I'm dealing with. Less is usually more here. As, less time is needed for group chats, finding good timing, getting feedback, and less steps during sudden conflict resolutions.
• Recoverable: If someone needs to drop out, how easy is it for us to come back later and pick it back up again. 1v1 threads are very recoverable.
• Memorable: How fondly I remember the event for years to come and how strongly it influenced a characters story. Intimate and epic, both.
• Momentum: IMO, usually the longer it takes to complete a thread? The less motivated the players become to participate with it over time. Also, the less chance there is to shift the threads atmosphere or artistic style going forward.

However. That said. The bigger the group, the more drama and interactions can unfold IC. Leaving massive threads like Invasions or Galactic Events as top-tier on my favorite list of RPs to participate in. Though, these are often very not-easy threads to keep up with or prep for. Especially if you plan on reading every post or suddenly come into a conflict that requires multiple people to work it out smoothly. Lol.

So yeah. In your time online. What's your favorite and least favorite group sizes to RP with and why?

 

[Captain Jordan]

I find three people to be the right happy medium for groups I RP with, especially if they're pretty flexible writers.

Three people keeps the thread moving with enough spontaneity or innovation so it doesn't just become two people trying to read each other's minds or plot out every exacting move (as a heavy plotter myself, this is what I tend to fall back on and get stuck if it fails). Three people are small enough to cooperate on story and resolve problems without generating ire, and if one of them goes AWOL they could get written out or to the wayside and make the thread a 1v1 for as long as necessary. Three people can also inject enough variety in characters, too, so you don't have to have two perfectly matched characters to write a good story as you would with a 1v1.

But three people takes more investment and selecting the right personalities, that's true. I can manage more or less, though trying to write a small or tight story with more than 4-5 writers turns into a big issue far too quickly here. The bigger the group gets, the better they are with bigger stories that don't need more than a simple premise and a kick to get going. So I find that above 5 people, it's far better to just focus on loose stories (like Chaos often does with dominions for example) than the kind of tighter stories I prefer with fewer writers.

 

[Sebastian Santelli]

1x1, hands down.

Never really any drama. Never really any misunderstandings. Communication is absolutely stellar as well.

Not to mention the stories usually feel as if they have more substance and investment in them.

 

[Junko Ike]

depends on the group of writers but 1x1 is always nice and opes a lot of communications. I have been in 1x1 threads with Maple Harte for years now and the threads are still going

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

1x1 threads are easier as far as communication goes, there's usually less at stake and fewer pressures to achieve a goal or whatever.

However, I've been in 1x1 threads where we both quite literally simply ran out of steam. We wrote ourselves into a corner, the story got muddled or there just wasn't enough creativity going around. When this does happen, I've learned to end the thread gracefully and, if I or the other person comes up with something else, we try it again later.

I like having 3-4 people in a thread, especially if it's one of the artifact chases I usually do with Nimdok. It's more unpredictable, there are more creative opportunities, and overall it's very fun when everyone works together.

But my God, is it a pain in the ass just getting everyone to post regularly and not leave everybody else hanging. I seem to get more frustrated with these kinds of threads than any other, even while getting the most enjoyment out of them when things go right.

I have likewise been in huge faction threads where everyone and their mother was posting every couple of minutes. It was impossible to keep up with what was happening, but it was also very exciting to be a part of it all. It feels big and epic and significant, even if it winds up not meaning anything in the end.

In short: there are pros and cons for each and I don't know which one I like best. I'm just happy to be writing with you all.

 

[Amz]

Both group threads and 1x1 are fun, but I tend to prefer 1x1. I feel like you are able to get a more intimate look at someone else's character, which can be easy to lose track of in large threads. 1x1 threads are also usually more manageable for me, since larger threads tend to move more quickly and my time is more limited. It can be overwhelming when you can't post every day, and you get online to see that a thread has moved on 3 pages further since your last post.

 

[Azazel Taliss]

I have a huge disdain for Invasions and sometimes Skirmishes. They're chaotic and have a lot of salt involved with them a good majority of the time, granted this is my opinion. PvP is always fun, but when there's hundreds of things going on, and many members involves, miscommunication is bound to happen time to time and it just sucks.

Dominions and Faction threads are, however, the best. I love working with the team as a team, and it creates the best stories ever, also my opinion. There's hardly ever any salt involved, miscommunication is hardly a problem, and it's all around the easiest of the group wwriting threads.

 

[Dixon/Akaan]

I have almost no experience at all, but right now I'd say 1-3 people not including myself because it's quicker, more coordinated, and easier to keep up with. However I'm sure there times where it's much, much more fun to have large groups in certain instances.

 

[Srina Talon]

The more the merrier!

 

[Haastal Haran]

6 or less is my happy place.

 

[Marina DeVoe]

One on one preferably across my entire line. But have no problems with say five immersed in the same story arc.