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[Anyanka Funk]

Fine, you're all invited to the Shutaq estate.  Faithful at this table, enjoy your dinner. Heathens at that table - don't mind those things that look like restraints, it's just for decoration.

Heathen's table.

[Mitara Newelle]

Fine, you're all invited to the Shutaq estate.  Faithful at this table, enjoy your dinner. Heathens at that table - don't mind those things that look like restraints, it's just for decoration.

Heathen's table.

Spoons? I think not.

[Lyn Farel]

I think I end up saying this every time this comes up, but I cannot remember a time when people weren't talking about the good old days of RP as a thing of the past. I expect it would be instructive if you polled everyone talking in this thread about when exactly the good old days of RP were. I doubt there would be much overlap.

I think a lot of it is that after a certain amount of times the sorts of stories people come up with become old hat to anyone RPing for years. I know that happened to me a few years in. Things that seemed cool when you were just learning the ropes start seeming cliche and tired. Also, I notice that people stop finding it as easy to go out and make new friends once they have gotten established. This means that if the people you started RPing with leave, it is often hard to find new people. Seems to me that those two together is enough to create a steady supply of RP bittervets.

Yes, there is truth in that.

Although we can't deny that it surely has faded a bit in the past years (not sure we count so many RP corps, entities, etc, around).

I don't know if that is actually true. The discussions on this forum seem to bring as many or more people than I remember them doing back on Chatsubo. The Summit is *definitely* more active than it was 4 years ago. The number of casually involved RPers is also higher than I remember. The number of FWers who casually invoke Amarr PF as justifications for their actions (and as smack talk) seems much higher.

It sounds to me like there was a real boom bust cycle 2-3 years back. So you had a ton of activity all at once, and then a massive burnout. Seems pretty clear that there is a *lot* more RP than there was this time two years ago now, but that there might not be as much as there was 3 years ago.

Well, taking the summit as an indicator of the... nevermind. 

[Arista Shahni]

lol.

The most fun I had RPing was in the Bunny Lounge.  No lie.

How many people just CRINGED?!  I wanna count!!

[Lunarisse Aspenstar]

lol.

The most fun I had RPing was in the Bunny Lounge.  No lie.

How many people just CRINGED?!  I wanna count!!

Didn't get to rp there although Luna's uncle wandered in  once thinking it was a pet store.....

[Katrina Oniseki]

Bunny Lounge? Try the Kitty Hub!

[Gaven Lok ri]

I think I end up saying this every time this comes up, but I cannot remember a time when people weren't talking about the good old days of RP as a thing of the past. I expect it would be instructive if you polled everyone talking in this thread about when exactly the good old days of RP were. I doubt there would be much overlap.

I think a lot of it is that after a certain amount of times the sorts of stories people come up with become old hat to anyone RPing for years. I know that happened to me a few years in. Things that seemed cool when you were just learning the ropes start seeming cliche and tired. Also, I notice that people stop finding it as easy to go out and make new friends once they have gotten established. This means that if the people you started RPing with leave, it is often hard to find new people. Seems to me that those two together is enough to create a steady supply of RP bittervets.

Yes, there is truth in that.

Although we can't deny that it surely has faded a bit in the past years (not sure we count so many RP corps, entities, etc, around).

I don't know if that is actually true. The discussions on this forum seem to bring as many or more people than I remember them doing back on Chatsubo. The Summit is *definitely* more active than it was 4 years ago. The number of casually involved RPers is also higher than I remember. The number of FWers who casually invoke Amarr PF as justifications for their actions (and as smack talk) seems much higher.

It sounds to me like there was a real boom bust cycle 2-3 years back. So you had a ton of activity all at once, and then a massive burnout. Seems pretty clear that there is a *lot* more RP than there was this time two years ago now, but that there might not be as much as there was 3 years ago.

Well, taking the summit as an indicator of the... nevermind. 

Well, its a relatively objective metric compared to most of the other options. Most of the places more meaningful RP happens in don't get you that. You end up not asking whether RP is doing well, but rather whether specific cliques are doing well.

Your metric of number of RP corps is a more interesting one, but I don't really know how true the fewer now than there used to be line is. Just looking at Amarr: There are definitely more Amarr RP groups now than there were this time last year. Certainly more than 2 years ago. About the same number I remember from 4 years back, really. Maybe more.

The only times I remember significantly more activity is when there were major dev arcs like Tetrimon handing out content. And those times were always followed by bust cycles where the people who needed the dev interaction left after the events ended.

[Mizhara]

You guys are actually paying attention in-game, so quick question. What's actually left on the Minmatar side of things? Heard EM dissolved so... I don't know, Gradient? Anything else left?

[Samira Kernher]

You guys are actually paying attention in-game, so quick question. What's actually left on the Minmatar side of things? Heard EM dissolved so... I don't know, Gradient? Anything else left?

Gradient, Ushra'khan (ish. Should ask DeT. Haven't heard much from them since the Amarr attack. I imagine they've been busy due to the AT). There's also Clan Kantanga Caravan for Angel-aligned Thukker.

Beyond that I'm not sure.

[Mizhara]

Hrr. That's pretty barebones. The sad part is that I suspect any new ventures would rather quickly die from member starvation.

[Gaven Lok ri]

There are ways to ameliorate members starvation. Big one is making sure you have a corp with a mission that is sized correctly for the numbers you are getting.

I do think people need to quit denigrating the "big" plotlines like slaver vs freedom fighter/terrorist. Those big plotlines are extremely useful in providing the critical mass needed to get the smaller more unique plotlines going. Too many people seem to think that its an either/or sort of deal. IE people either do slavery, or they do something "more interesting."

One thing I have seen over and over in PIE are people who come in with really basic character concepts. Rah Rah Slaver! sorts of things. Or who come in not RPing at all. In a year, a good number of those players have developed more nuanced characters. Many in fact develop characters that have traits that make them leave PIE, even, to go off and form some small nitch RP group. Even this is a good thing (well not for PIE) for the community as a whole.

Point is. You need someone in faction with a nice stable position who is trumpeting the party line. That party line creates people who don't like that party line. From this you get conflict and new ideas about how to play a factions characters. So, if you want to rebuild Matari (or any other) RP, the place to start is almost certainly to pick a nice simple RP line that new players with basic lore understanding can handle. Then stick with it. Get a core group going and then the rest of the faction's RP should start fleshing itself out.

And yes, I know that is all easier said than done.

[Lyn Farel]

You can perfectly do slavery and ultra mainstream lines and doing a good job at it. I mean, PIE does. Welp, PIE defines the standard anyway. 

I think I end up saying this every time this comes up, but I cannot remember a time when people weren't talking about the good old days of RP as a thing of the past. I expect it would be instructive if you polled everyone talking in this thread about when exactly the good old days of RP were. I doubt there would be much overlap.

I think a lot of it is that after a certain amount of times the sorts of stories people come up with become old hat to anyone RPing for years. I know that happened to me a few years in. Things that seemed cool when you were just learning the ropes start seeming cliche and tired. Also, I notice that people stop finding it as easy to go out and make new friends once they have gotten established. This means that if the people you started RPing with leave, it is often hard to find new people. Seems to me that those two together is enough to create a steady supply of RP bittervets.

Yes, there is truth in that.

Although we can't deny that it surely has faded a bit in the past years (not sure we count so many RP corps, entities, etc, around).

I don't know if that is actually true. The discussions on this forum seem to bring as many or more people than I remember them doing back on Chatsubo. The Summit is *definitely* more active than it was 4 years ago. The number of casually involved RPers is also higher than I remember. The number of FWers who casually invoke Amarr PF as justifications for their actions (and as smack talk) seems much higher.

It sounds to me like there was a real boom bust cycle 2-3 years back. So you had a ton of activity all at once, and then a massive burnout. Seems pretty clear that there is a *lot* more RP than there was this time two years ago now, but that there might not be as much as there was 3 years ago.

Well, taking the summit as an indicator of the... nevermind. 

Well, its a relatively objective metric compared to most of the other options. Most of the places more meaningful RP happens in don't get you that. You end up not asking whether RP is doing well, but rather whether specific cliques are doing well.

Your metric of number of RP corps is a more interesting one, but I don't really know how true the fewer now than there used to be line is. Just looking at Amarr: There are definitely more Amarr RP groups now than there were this time last year. Certainly more than 2 years ago. About the same number I remember from 4 years back, really. Maybe more.

The only times I remember significantly more activity is when there were major dev arcs like Tetrimon handing out content. And those times were always followed by bust cycles where the people who needed the dev interaction left after the events ended.

Probably yes. The Amarr groups have always thrived better in weird times compared to the others...

[Aria Jenneth]

I'm presently considering coming back, though probably not as Aria, and that eventuality is a hardware upgrade away if I decide to do it. (I'm currently typing on my non-Eve-capable laptop, which is also my only computer.)

For me, the allure is simple: there's nothing else out there that matches Eve's frankly ruthless level of personal freedom. The lore's threadbare and neglected, the RP-oriented factions and, especially, the "faction war" lack any real sense of agency or consequence, and DUST 514's roleplay has withered on the vine (one reason I haven't played much lately).

And yet, the drama the game is capable of generating is really quite remarkable.

Most games, including (and maybe especially) RPGs, come with thick safety glass that both protects players from harm and prevents us from doing much of it. Eve players are granted nigh-unheard of freedom: the freedom to lie, cheat, and steal as we see fit so long as we don't cross into the realm of the dreaded exploit.

That's freaking unique, and even if I don't make use of these tactics myself, I love that they can be used. An acquaintance recently implied that this is mostly because I like waving my E-peen, and maybe there's some truth to that, unkind as it is. I like that I can exist comfortably in a world where people can freely engage in what would be, in another context, bluntly criminal behavior.

The personal stories we weave here are the ones that are compelling. Probably when/if I get back into the game, that is the sort of angle I will be pursuing.

... probably with a different character (even if I hadn't been burning bridges, Aria's too tied into the politics of the setting by half. Though I must admit that all those years of skill training are a daunting thing to contemplate repeating).

[Mizhara]

Irreversible neural damage. Brain fried. Retained the skillpoints, brand new person. It'd be a bit silly and you'd spend some time shedding the old baggage before the new character was properly established, but it's an option. Years of SP is a serious pain in the arse to lose.

[Aria Jenneth]

Irreversible neural damage. Brain fried. Retained the skillpoints, brand new person. It'd be a bit silly and you'd spend some time shedding the old baggage before the new character was properly established, but it's an option. Years of SP is a serious pain in the arse to lose.

I believe someone on this very forum warned me, quite reasonably, that a few folks would be rolling their eyes if I re-imported my char.

There may be a way to handle it with grace and delicacy. I'll think more about it when/if I get closer to doing something about it.

Edit:

On further consideration, I can think of a couple practical ways. Still, it'll likely be a while: I have pesky things like licensing requirements and malpractice insurance that get priority.

Also, food.