RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Community Chat

04:39, 29th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Question for Those Looking for Games.

Posted by Evil Empryss
Evil Empryss
member, 1240 posts
Because knowing
is half the battle!
Mon 5 Jan 2015
at 23:53
  • msg #1

Question for Those Looking for Games

Does seeing a GM post multiple new games seeking players influence whether or not you consider the game?

I've noticed that many times a GM won't just advertise one game, but will advertise two or three one after the other.

To me, it feels like the GM won't be able to really focus on the games she's offering.  I know plenty of GMs run multiple games, but getting a game off the ground takes considerable time and effort, but the plate-spinning invloved in getting three up at the same time will just cause a mess when the plates come tumbling down.  If I see three new game start-ups from the same GM, I less likely to even read the game adverts.

Does that matter to anyone else?
willvr
member, 563 posts
Mon 5 Jan 2015
at 23:56
  • msg #2

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

If it's three -new- games all advertising at once; yeah, that's a worry to me.

SOmetimes however, when they're advertising 2 or 3, one might be new, but the others are after replacements.

I run multiple games; and when I start a new one, I might advertise for any replacements any others need at the same time, just because I'm on a recruiting binge.
Merevel
member, 917 posts
Gaming :-)
Very unlucky
Mon 5 Jan 2015
at 23:57
  • msg #3

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

So long as they can keep up. Their number of games does not influence my chance of sending in an rtj. Now, if they have 4 or 5 with more posts in the players wanted forum then in their game. That is a different story.

Then again about 1/3 the games I join tank so what do I know?
pawndream
member, 124 posts
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 00:14
  • msg #4

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

I always investigate GMs other running games (if any) any time I am considering joining a game. If I see a bunch of games with a few posts, or huge lapses of inactivity it sends up a red flag in my mind. Seeing a wall of newly advertised games is another red flag that the GM might have a bunch of great ideas in their mind, and probably mean well, but probably are going to have difficulty sticking with one game long enough to make it worth the effort to submit an RTJ.
Evil Empryss
member, 1241 posts
Because knowing
is half the battle!
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 00:21
  • msg #5

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

willvr:
If it's three -new- games all advertising at once; yeah, that's a worry to me.

SOmetimes however, when they're advertising 2 or 3, one might be new, but the others are after replacements.

Yeah, I meant three new games, rather than one new and a readvert for new players in the old ones.

And a GM having a rack of inactive and deleted games is a major red flag, but adding a bunch of new games is a deal breaker.
Merevel
member, 918 posts
Gaming :-)
Very unlucky
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 00:35
  • msg #6

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 5):

Fair points, not many games catch my eyes. Another red flag for me is poor spelling and bad grammar in the wanted ad or in the game's posts.
pfarland
member, 356 posts
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 05:06
  • msg #7

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

It also probably depends on the games.  If someone is running a bunch of old school hack and slash games, starting up three of them might not be that difficult.  One roleplay/scenery intensive game could require more work than 3 or more hack & slash dungeon crawls.
eternaldarkness
member, 835 posts
And the world shall fall
into eternal darkness....
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 05:37
  • msg #8

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

I don't really look at the number of games a GM has - I have a few on my list that still exist because the players still socialize in them even if the game itself is long-dead, and a lot of my games tend to die for a while then revive suddenly at random.

What I look at in deciding to consider a game or not is the GM's RTJ, and how they come off when communicating with them - if they are overly picky or standoffish, I bail. With system games, a long list of stuff that's been banned/houseruled, or anything hinting at a rigid thought process is a red flag for me that they're going to be difficult and not fun to play with. bad spelling and grammar will turn me off almost instantly as well, and a GM who displays a lack of understanding of the themes and conventions of the game genre they're running (how many X-Men games have we seen where half the cast are vampires/faeries/demons?) will make me do an about-face too.
This message was last edited by the user at 05:39, Tue 06 Jan 2015.
eternaldarkness
member, 836 posts
And the world shall fall
into eternal darkness....
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 06:16
  • msg #9

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

Also, in d20-esque games, random ability score rolls. I hate random elements in my characters, as i invariably roll badly and end up being the weakest character. I see random score generation, and i don't look any further. There is no rolling method I find acceptable, at all. I want to play what i want to play, not what the dicerolls dictate I must play, and I want parity with everyone else off the starting line. let the imbalance come from in-game decisions, not the system itself.
This message was last edited by the user at 06:19, Tue 06 Jan 2015.
facemaker329
member, 6533 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 06:24
  • msg #10

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

I'm with eternaldarkness on this one.  I don't think I've ever looked to see how many games a GM is running or even advertising.  My willingness to RTJ is primarily built off of three factors...

1) Is it a game system with which I'm familiar?  If so, my odds of considering it go upward...but it's not a make-or-break prospect for me.  I've skipped games in familiar systems, and I've RTJd games in unfamiliar systems (though I always tell the GM I'm a newbie at the system, if I do.)

2) Does the setting of the game intrigue me?  This, far more than the rules system, impacts my willingness to RTJ.  If I read the game ad and it makes me want to read more, GREAT.  If I read the game background information and part of me says, "YES, I really wanna play THIS game!" then I'm likely to RTJ.

3) Does the GM seem like someone I'll jive with?  This is every bit as important to me as anything else.  If I read the game info and get the impression that the GM is inflexible, utterly reliant on a rulebook for every detail, etc...or if the GM just comes across as a jerk...then I'm going to skip that game, because those are factors that will make the game unenjoyable for me, no matter how comfortable I am with the rules or how cool the setting is.  (I also prefer GMs with good spelling and grammar, but if the game is intriguing enough, I'll work around that.)

I'm nowhere near as strict about rolling up attributes, however...some of my favorite characters have been characters where I went with the roll of the dice at every opportunity...but when you get Vulcan orphan raised by Klingons, the dice are giving you a lot of fun material to work with.  I've also been pretty thoroughly hosed by the dice on occasion.  I prefer not rolling and making a character that will be what I envision...but I'm not utterly opposed to letting Fate take a hand in my character creation from time to time.)
This message was last edited by the user at 08:10, Tue 06 Jan 2015.
eternaldarkness
member, 837 posts
And the world shall fall
into eternal darkness....
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 06:33
  • msg #11

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

In reply to facemaker329 (msg # 10):

Pretty much everything you said I agree with, but let me clarify on the random ability gen subject: I don't mind random story elements, but I hate random statistics. As long as the randomness stops at background/fluff, i can deal. I want my actual numbers to be what I make them though, within the structure of the game, because I can use those numbers to take the fluff i've been given and bring it to life in a way i'll enjoy.
Jarodemo
member, 737 posts
My hovercraft
is full of eels
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 07:42
  • msg #12

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 1):

For me, seeing the same GM advertise multiple games at the same time, especially when I see them again and again, completely puts me off playing in any of their games.

Also if I see that a GM has a lot of games with small numbers of posts, and/or a lot of deleted games, then that also concerns me.
facemaker329
member, 6534 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 08:15
  • msg #13

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

In reply to eternaldarkness (msg # 11):

No, I understood what you meant.  The example that came to mind was literally a case of sitting down to start a new game, the GM saying, "What do you want to play?" and me saying, "I have NO idea.  We're gonna let the dice decide this time."  Everything, at every point of character generation where there was an option to roll dice to figure out what the character was going to be, was rolled...stats, race, background, profession, rank, etc etc etc.  It could have been total strudel...very easily.  I was expecting some kind of train-wreck somewhere along the line.  It ended up being a remarkably playable character.

But, like I said, the dice were being very cooperative that night...

I should add, in a different vein, that seeing a GM advertise for new players when I'm in a game that they've abandoned without any word to any of the players, is pretty much a guarantee that I'm never going to look at ANY of that GM's games again.  (Yes, that has happened to me...to make matters even worse, the new game the GM was starting was practically identical to the one that had been abandoned...set in a different locale, but it was the same concept, in the same universe, using the same system...and there were twenty or so players in the old game asking if anyone had heard anything from the GM...)
This message was last edited by the user at 08:18, Tue 06 Jan 2015.
pfarland
member, 357 posts
Tue 6 Jan 2015
at 21:15
  • msg #14

Re: Question for Those Looking for Games

I do want to say that sometimes you have to be overly picky for the good of the game.  I have a military themed game and I require that the players have either experience in or with the military.  I've seen WAY too many players that try to play or run military themed characters or games and have no clue how to do it believably.  And it's usually not the ones that are upfront about not knowing, it's the ones that THINK they know how things work because they've watched a lot of TV and movies.  I would much rather turn down a bunch of otherwise good players because they don't know at least the basics of the military than to let one in that thinks John Rambo was a decent depiction of what a Green Beret is like.

I would much rather have a GM that is picky for the good of the game, than to let in players that will destroy the setting because they can't play a believable character.  It's why I don't even bother trying to play any medieval games, I can't get into that mindset.
Sign In