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RP is dead, delete these forum

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Teridax
Aug Member 2023

Teridax

Posts: 3,509 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Honestly, why is this section of the forums even still allowed to exist? RP on world 42 and even on OSRS has been non-existent for nearly 10 years now, yet this entire section of the forums STILL hasn't been deleted. There is NO active roleplayers, and the ones that ARE roleplaying are doing so within Discord and NOT in-world. There are plenty of deceptive threads inviting others to RP, but it's only in DISCORD. Since there is NO WAY roleplay is happening at all in-game, it's time to shut this part of the forums down.

No one is joining roleplay, and many of the people that used to play here have either been scared away, blacklisted, or simply won't put up with the BS anymore. I for one, am getting a bit fed up seeing certain threads be updated when they are not offering roleplaying in the game world of Runescape. I am NOT joining your discords, and I should not be expected to. If no in-game roleplay is being offered, it's time to shut this down.

24-Nov-2023 18:54:37

Dansplainer
Sep Member 2007

Dansplainer

Posts: 3,001 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Teridax said :
Honestly, why is this section of the forums even still allowed to exist? RP on world 42 and even on OSRS has been non-existent for nearly 10 years now, yet this entire section of the forums STILL hasn't been deleted. There is NO active roleplayers, and the ones that ARE roleplaying are doing so within Discord and NOT in-world. There are plenty of deceptive threads inviting others to RP, but it's only in DISCORD. Since there is NO WAY roleplay is happening at all in-game, it's time to shut this part of the forums down.

Well, it's a matter of perspective.

I can't speak to how every RP group operates, but I do get the feeling that roleplayers are, by and large, no longer using the Forums as a medium to actively communicate and document in-game RP activity, too, but I also think that that seems to apply across all of the RS Forums.

The part of the roleplaying community that did post threads here was, for the most part, associated with the "public canon," PoK RP community, who structured their RP around the concept that everything that happens IC happens within a shared canon bubble.

This sort of cooperation worked really well to the benefit of this forum's activity, but once that particular community went away, and other mediums became much more popular (because they are just far more convenient and useful ways of dicussing and planning RP sessions,) it became more like a noticeboard and an archive of goings-on.

With the way that Forums are structured, this is all it's really even good for, but, it does it well and I do appreciate having it as just another way to make contact, and as a space for people to document and share information about their RP, speaking personally.
--
Will address some of the other things you've brought up in a second post.
-- Hi, I'm Dan.

26-Nov-2023 17:12:34

Dansplainer
Sep Member 2007

Dansplainer

Posts: 3,001 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Teridax said :

No one is joining roleplay, and many of the people that used to play here have either been scared away, blacklisted, or simply won't put up with the BS anymore. I for one, am getting a bit fed up seeing certain threads be updated when they are not offering roleplaying in the game world of Runescape. I am NOT joining your discords, and I should not be expected to. If no in-game roleplay is being offered, it's time to shut this down.

The sort of things you mention here would've been relevant a decade ago, when, as I mentioned, there was this particularly large and loud community of teenaged public-canon PoK roleplayers dominating this space, but it's really no longer the case. People don't get blacklisted, or scared-away, and there isn't much BS to put up with, to be honest, because those are all extremely petty, inane things to do over playing pretend for fun. The only reason anyone is excluded, directly or indirectly, is because they are not being decent people, disturbing whatever's going on, being toxic, etc. We don't allow for crappy, immature behavior, because it's silly to get worked-up over something that's meant to be fun.

We put up our discords, again, because they're just far more convenient and useful tools. The game is populated by people who have played RS for many, many years who are grown-up now, with very little free-time and so very little time to access the game or even the forums. That means that, unfortunately, clan chats and forums do not work very well as a means of frequent communication. You might as well delete clan chats, or all of the Forums, on the basis that, for the most part, they aren't used with the exception of specific activities at a specific scheduled time, or because this medium works to the benefit of the particular intention of the original poster and/or creator, and only when it doesn't need to be used as a means of frequent communication.
--
2/3
-- Hi, I'm Dan.

26-Nov-2023 17:31:22 - Last edited on 26-Nov-2023 18:07:41 by Dansplainer

Dansplainer
Sep Member 2007

Dansplainer

Posts: 3,001 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
That all being said, instead of deleting this medium, we could be doing better to use it in the ways that are still useful to our activity. I'm currently running a township-styled RP campaign out of Sarim in-game, and we have in-game RP at least every Sunday. I work full-time, and Sundays are one of the only days that works for everyone I RP with (and me.)

We could be doing more with mediums like clan chats and threads so that people who don't use Discord have somewhere to go. We could create a clan chat to bring people together in-game, and there could be a thread detailing the events of this campaign I'm doing. However, I am not motivated to do so with the expectation that it will be used for active discussions, because there is no appetite for that anymore. This doesn't mean that these mediums are obsolete, but that the reasons we use them have changed. It's not, in this train of thought, fundamentally, a matter of if it's useful then it should exist, but if it isn't then it shouldn't. It's just that this really is not a dilemma, at all.

However, if you're pining for a time when we had more time and less responsibilities, it's hard to ask busy adults to spend tedious hours building threads (or sitting online in clan chats, or in public spaces in-game, and so on) for things we're really only doing for fun, like we used to do. We simply do not have the time or energy for that level of dedication anymore. Hi, I'm Dan.

26-Nov-2023 17:53:24 - Last edited on 26-Nov-2023 20:36:04 by Dansplainer

RiDaku
Oct Member 2012

RiDaku

Posts: 6,008 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Dansplainer said :
I can't speak to how every RP group operates, but I do get the feeling that roleplayers are, by and large, no longer using the Forums as a medium to actively communicate and document in-game RP activity

I'd say this is one of the stronger points. There are several rules regarding the RuneScape forum systems that just inherently discourage their use. For example, any posts screenshotting in-game activities (roleplay, conversations, actions, etc) go against the forum rules, and this is pretty devastating when you consider that this entire subforum is for in-game roleplay. You actually cannot use the forums for a decent chunk of what the forums are meant to be used for. This also has the added effect that pretty much anybody can come through on the forums and post "good" content in bad faith. I'd give examples of threads where this happened frequently, but it could very well just restart it.

This place just isn't safe to regularly use. You have effectively no protection from people coming in and posting pure nonsense and swill, or sealioning (constantly pursuing a topic in the name of 'discussion' while actually arguing and ignoring any answers/explanations, meant to frustrate people into lashing out). There's a good 4-5 pages of threads in this subforum which are just locked/hidden threads by one guy using three accounts and every instance of it is treated like a first-offender's warning.

Things just don't happen, on the forums. The way rules are set up and enforced pretty much just serve to protect trolls and ne'erdowells while hurting and oppressing people that just want to get their ideas, stories, and announcements out there. (Not to mention that publicly listed events just get trolled now). It's still a good place for vague advertisements, but overall it's just... it's just big sucks, bro. The Sicarius |
They think they are "the many", and I "the few". They think this gives them the right to walk over me.

Want to Role-Play? Click Here!

26-Nov-2023 19:31:31

Dansplainer
Sep Member 2007

Dansplainer

Posts: 3,001 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
RiDaku said :
Dansplainer said :
I can't speak to how every RP group operates, but I do get the feeling that roleplayers are, by and large, no longer using the Forums as a medium to actively communicate and document in-game RP activity

I'd say this is one of the stronger points. There are several rules regarding the RuneScape forum systems that just inherently discourage their use.

Yeah, 100%. There are several valid reasons for why threads are not preferred as much as they used to be, and the fact that its own rules and the way they are enforced, and the fundamental design discourages its use are absolutely some of them. Heck, just going to log in to post on a thread has become so tedious with a Jagex Account.

That's a problem that can only be, but needs to be, addressed by Jagex. While it's inherently a somewhat public space, where people can post things without being entirely filtered out by OPs, or even by Forum Mods, I can see how someone's stomach would churn, in a gross way, seeing how messy the front page is. Hi, I'm Dan.

26-Nov-2023 20:09:37 - Last edited on 26-Nov-2023 20:29:17 by Dansplainer

Quael
Jan Member 2018

Quael

Posts: 3,631 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Acknowledging the diverse perspectives shared here, I'd like to express my own viewpoints.

1. I concur that the forum requires a change, whether through deletion or renaming. The lack of in-game activity is noticeable, with many individuals, initially innocent and eager to engage in RuneScape Role-Play (albeit not in-game), now finding themselves occupied with various commitments.

2. Notably, those blacklisted have formed their own group, as I've observed. However, it tends to face periods of inactivity due to the busy schedules of its members, regardless of their disposition, be it toxic or innocuous.

3. I understand the reluctance to transition to Discord, but let me shed light on why it's preferred.

* Discord offers tools and communication features that RuneScape lacks. It allows me to gauge my players' availability, fostering better social interaction. Additionally, RuneScape has limitations in terms of imagination within the game and text constraints. Discord enables me to put in effort without requiring players to log in, overcoming issues of limited quest access. Lastly, it's a matter of preference; my players appreciate the freedom Discord provides in terms of text limits, game access, and appearance, as they prioritize enjoyment over feeling restricted.

4. While the forum does have its share of rules, I dispute the notion that it's a primary reason for its decline in use. The decline is more likely attributed to the reality that people have lives outside the game. The lack of newcomers further diminishes its utility, and those who do post may vanish upon recruitment or face challenges due to time constraints or differing time zones.

(Continued)
Duke of Fort Forinthry
Interested in role-play? check out: The Quest Collective

27-Nov-2023 10:57:32

RiDaku
Oct Member 2012

RiDaku

Posts: 6,008 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Quael said :
4. While the forum does have its share of rules, I dispute the notion that it's a primary reason for its decline in use. T he decline is more likely attributed to the reality that people have lives outside the game. The lack of newcomers further diminishes its utility, and those who do post may vanish upon recruitment or face challenges due to time constraints or differing time zones.

This comes up every single time I mention the issues with the general RP atmosphere (back when it existed) and now it comes up when I point out the issues that prevent people from getting involved. This is going to read as aggressive, and it's not targeting you, but the general sentiment. Because... Why?

What is so hard about admitting that there are problems all over the place for this game which stops something from developing? We lost all our old roleplayers to "real life" and definitely not everything else that happened , we also don't get new roleplayers due to "real life" and definitely not all the user-unfriendly things that've developed in the meantime . It's okay to say the forums suck and are overly restrictive. It's okay to say that there was an absolutely horrible behavioral trend plaguing the RP scene during its peak. At least then there's a directive on what to campaign for or work towards. I can't tell you how disappointing it is that people seem so defeated and lethargic about the state of things.

It's not going to convince anybody else to give it a shot, at least. The Sicarius |
They think they are "the many", and I "the few". They think this gives them the right to walk over me.

Want to Role-Play? Click Here!

28-Nov-2023 06:38:50

Quael
Jan Member 2018

Quael

Posts: 3,631 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
RiDaku said :
Quael said :
4.

What is so hard about admitting that there are problems all over the place for.

Right.

I'm still willing to engage in this discussion, even if it isn't directly aimed at me.

It seems there's an assumption that I find it challenging to acknowledge widespread issues simply because I'm expressing an opinion on the current situation , which is quite apparent. Reflecting on the past, it's true that toxic role-players played a part in a gradual decline within our community, but that wasn't the sole issue , given my own experiences. The topic at hand relates to the period when the forums were diminishing, even amidst the toxicity.

My stance on the matter remains the same. Presently, the decline continues, and I differ in opinion about where the root problems lie. It's not a refusal to accept reality; rather, it's shaped by my experiences and discussions with fellow Role-Players from the past and now. I acknowledge that you have your own perspective and experiences, but don't interpret my stance as one of denial.

Let's consider this matter settled. If you think I'm mistaken, that's your prerogative. Our experiences and opinions differ, and that's okay. We can agree to disagree, and I won't delve into further debates on subjective matters.
Duke of Fort Forinthry
Interested in role-play? check out: The Quest Collective

28-Nov-2023 11:43:51 - Last edited on 28-Nov-2023 11:59:53 by Quael

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