Forums » Smalltalk » How do y'all deal with infrequent rps?

Dealing with school and work can often lead to slow or halted responses. I’ve always loved roleplaying and during my free time it’s the first thing I turn to, however, nobody really wants to rp with someone who can’t be active all the time. How do you guys deal with commitment to a longtime roleplay while also dealing with real life?

It's usually best to partner up with people who are in similar work/life situations, so that there's some understanding as to why there is a gap in threads. Or people who have numerous threads/plotlines going that can keep them busy while they're waiting for posts to that particular thread.

I should probably mention that I predominantly do 1x1 threads, so this may not be so easy to coordinate for group RP.

Generally speaking I only do 1x1 threads for this reason. I've tried doing group threads, but I always find myself falling really short in them or something happens and I lose a couple of turns. So, I stick with 1x1.

Like ilexy stated, it's easier to make sure you're writing with people who have a similar pattern and deal with this issue as well. Anyone who seems impatient with letting real life come first probably shouldn't be someone for you to write with. I have been happier with my roleplay partners who don't push for responses and constantly encourage me not to apologize for being slow. These kinds of people are the best to find.

I solely do 1x1s, and I try to keep my partner posted when things happen in real life. I also only RP with people above 18, and often they have work and even a family to take of, so they might also need to be able to post slow. People who have school often have homework or extra stuff to deal with, so it's understandable if they can't post every day too.
When I propose or post to a LFRP thread, I always tell them what I have on my plate, so they know up front and can tell me if they can't work with that schedule.

I suppose what I'm clumsily trying say is, that communication is key and most people will understand if you just tell them.

I was about to say with above. Stick to 1 on 1 roleplays, and stick with people you can trust.

At the same time, I can understand. It sucks waiting on others to get a story started, especially if they're not popular themselves. Another thing I would punctuate to make sure you stay in communication with those you value. In roleplay, communication is key to long lasting roleplays and friendships.

One of the major problems me and my partners deal with is 'ghosting'--people just disappearing from a thread with no explanation. If you need to take a break or end a thread because of life or other legit reasons, you need to tell them as soon as possible, otherwise people will sit there thinking they did something wrong and that you're avoiding them because of it.

To give my two cents, this is true, but the flip side is true. If your partner doesn't reply for a while, sometimes there's no easy answer for them to give you, or maybe they're ashamed/embarrassed. Sometimes it's a mental health thing and the joy that they had previously had when rping is thin or vanished because of what's going on.
Communication has to work with understanding and compassion, otherwise it's just yelling and hurt feelings.

RPing has taught me more about discipline and patience than the military did

Since most of these are for 1x1s, I'll give some group advice.

It's best to find people who understand and are willing to work with busy schedules. In my group we have a posting order we try to stick with so no one gets skipped over. Communication out of character is also SUPER important. Letting people know you're busy can go a long way in them being patient.

Um, hi. So little roleplays, and I love roleplaying so much too! This one person takes so long to respond, I always feel I did something wrong or something, especially since this is a world she made up, so did I do something against its lore? Anyway, I'm looking for any Hobbit/Lord of the Rings roleplay, maybe wrong forum chat, but eh.