<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=86280.msg3794743#msg3794743">Quote from: Haibane on 20-10-2010, 00:36:58</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">1) Game to have at max 10 characters. Not players, characters. More can be added if it is successful. Even if it fails you have only annoyed 10 people, not 15 or more.<br/><br/>2) Balance the character mix. If you accept more characters make sure they have a plot line in place and at least 1 potential sexual partner in the setting already. Sure the game may not all be about sex, but players here will want an opportunity to have it. Having 3 slave girls and 1 daughter but then 2 or 3 male family members and something like 6 male gladiators and 2 male slaves is not a balanced mix. There can be a slight imbalance but nothing bigger. If you have male slaves, give them a purpose or give them a love interest.<br/><br/>3) No new arrivals. Have every character already there in an established setting. Its more work but being a noob is the lazy option. Stretch yourself. Think up a back story and a plot line. Make an effort. It will make a game that will last more than 2 pages, I promise.<br/><br/>4) Focus the game on only 1 main group. We could focus on family life and Roman politics and trade and backstabbing and have the slaves present and play a game like that. Or have a game purely about a gladiator school where there are slave girls around to serve the school (and not a family). I would pick one or the other but the two do not work well together in my view, unless the role of the unmarried daughter is key to the concept in which case a 1-on-1 game might work best for that with the two writers taking a number of key roles (daughter/slave girl and father/gladiator). I do not think the game design of a gladiator school <em>and</em> a family messed up with its own angst will work. It'd make great TV but it doesn't make great forum RP material.<br/><br/>5) Do not have controlling characters. Have a gladiator school but with an NPC trainer that anyone can pick up and say a few lines for, have a family but with the master absent. I'm certain it will make a better game.<br/><br/>6) Have an open setting. If a player drops out make it technically believable in the game world for someone new to drop in seamlessly. A new slave player can come in from running an errand across the city. Don't have key vital characters like sons in the family who may kill the game if their player leaves but instead have guests who arrive at the door or get out of bed late.<br/><br/>7) Establish a routine, a basic framework or rough timetable. This way, lacking an original plot idea of their own all the players with nothing to do can actually post about doing something logical. Like eating that beautiful breakfast.<br/><br/>EDIT: Um, by the way... apart from the example of a new gladiator walking in and starting a fight I was not specifically saying anyone played badly, slowly or wrongly in the previous game. By mentioning the trainer or master as slowing the game down I do not mean it happened in this particular case but I have know in to happen many times before. I ran seriously out of time to pay the attention needed to this game but my interest had become badly dented early on as some comments above refer to, however please do understand that I'm not having a go at anyone specifically. Towards the last few posts of the previous game I'd given up reading them so I do not know what went on, but listed above are what I consider generic design issues with forum RPs that can become weaknesses  and my suggestions to avoid them.<br/><br/>Sorry if I offended anyone.<br/></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>1) Done<br/>2) Done *The story will be limited to slaves, Gladiators and the Wife/Niece.*<br/>3) Working on<br/>4) Removed the Husband, Sons. But will leave the trainer if this becomes a problem I will remove him from play as well.<br/>5) Working on and Done with killer characters.<br/>6) Still working on the plot but Characters are encouraged to have their own goals and sub plots to keep them aimed for something.