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23:43, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

How Many At Once.

Posted by BobbiIngrid
BobbiIngrid
member, 2 posts
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 01:02
  • msg #1

How Many At Once

Okay, so I don't know if there's a better place to post this, but I'm just curious what other people do about this.  I guess what prompted this is that I get excited to play a certain game and I'm all ready to get going!  I'm pretty new to the concept of "online role-playing," so my newbie anxiousness might mellow out.

I'm just kind of curious what the "average" is in how many games to play at once.  Obviously, I don't want too many (focus issues, neglecting one, etc.), but I think it's not good to have too few either (lack of interest from waiting for my go).

Anyway, what's recommended (or whatever you do is perfect) for how many games to play at once?  Thank you!
This message was last updated by a moderator, as it was the wrong forum, at 02:58, Sat 22 Aug 2015.
nauthiz
member, 377 posts
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 01:11
  • msg #2

Re: How Many At Once

It really depends on each person I imagine.  How much free time you have and how much time commitment each game requires.

Some games update once a week or so, so obviously a slate of that type will be more easily managed than a half dozen that all update several times each day.

You are correct in not wanting to get too deep too quick though.  GM'ing a game requires a significant commitment, and as a player I try to recognize that part of the player/GM relationship and return it by making sure I can accommodate the demands of a game.
donsr
member, 793 posts
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 01:18
  • msg #3

Re: How Many At Once

for my view as GM and player?..

 as a GM I have  3 games..one is  quite active, one  moves very slowly, the other  most a a decent rate..all depending on how my players post.

 As a Player I'm in 6 games..2 are close to dead...two others  move  pretty well, the other  two are in between.

 so it comes down to how much you can/will post..and how your GM treats his games..all three of  my games have been alive for years...I see others have 20+ 'deleted' games...yu never know when I game will just...stop..due to RL reasons.
Tyr Hawk
member, 86 posts
You know that one guy?
Yeah, that's me.
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 01:20
  • msg #4

Re: How Many At Once

Well, there are a lot of variables to work out here.

First off: What's the posting rate in each of the games you're joining?
If you're expected to post once per day, you'll have less time for more games than, say, a game where you're expected to post once per week or even "as you like it." Coupled with this is how detailed your posts are expected to be. If you have to post 2-5 paragraphs per day per game, that's going to be a little rough if you get a few games going.

Secondly: What sort of free time do you have?
IF you're unemployed, or if you can play while at work, then you've got a lot more time to fill than someone with full-time employment as, say, an RN or even a CIA Agent. How much free time you have to dedicate to the games is going to either vastly limit, or greatly increase the amount of games you might handle to get into that "sweet spot" you're looking for.

Thirdly: Are you a GM or a Player in these games?
Obviously, GMing requires a lot more time and effort than being a player, and so how many games you're in as a GM will have greater weight than if you're a player. A game where you're the GM is (for me) weighted about twice as much as a game where I'm a player. Other GMs may weight it more like 3-4x, but that's a mileage may vary thing. Of course, all of this is. ;)

Last, but not least, some general advice.
I'd start off with 3-4 games, none of which require/expect multiple posts per day. If you can swing it, get one or two that require daily posts, and one or two with more lackadaisical posting rules. Figure out which you like more, or if you like the mix pretty well. Adjust from there.

No matter how many games I have, or other people have, everyone's different. ;) Me, I can easily handle 5-6 games at a time (depending on posting rates), but that's because I have way too much free time and I'm also a writer, so it's what I do anyways. Now, ask me if I'm IN 5-6 games at once, and I'll tell you that I'm not. I'm a little too picky for my own good there.
steelsmiter
member, 1444 posts
GURPS, BESM, Fate, Indies
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 01:36
  • msg #5

Re: How Many At Once

Disregarding "Discussion" and "Community Lounge" games I can usually manage 2-3 being ran by me and 2-3 being played in.
JohnB
member, 2008 posts
Demigod of the Stunties
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 08:27
  • msg #6

Re: How Many At Once

At the moment I play in four games on RPoL.  I GM our weekly table top game, and I also run a longer scale TT campaign for a  group who only meet once a year but play for a whole weekend straight through (which is due in a few weeks).  Without the TT games, I would probably be GMing one game and playing in a couple more.

In the past, I have had two games running where I was the Primary GM and played in (perhaps) up to ten others at a time.

It depends on the time you have and the intensity of play that suits you.
Gaffer
member, 1293 posts
Ocoee FL
40 yrs of RPGs
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 12:20
  • msg #7

Re: How Many At Once

I generally GM one or two games on Rpol.

I limit the games I play here to ten.

It's been a long time since I have played on any other site (because this one is so good) and I haven't had a regular tabletop group for a decade or more. (sigh)

I do write between two and four con events per year to run at the Origins Games Fair. My daughter is my co-author and runs half of them. But we'll miss 2016 because she is in Japan doing research for her dissertation. (big sigh but lots of pride)
BobbiIngrid
member, 3 posts
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 13:59
  • msg #8

Re: How Many At Once

Thanks for the help everyone!  I really appreciate the advice.  I'm participating (not GM-ing) in four games total, but one seems to be abandoned.  Based on the posting rate of each of these, I think I'll stick with these three, though I think sometime I might decide to add another one.
Brianna
member, 1996 posts
Sat 22 Aug 2015
at 17:50
  • msg #9

Re: How Many At Once

In my experience you need to be careful not to overextend yourself, and remember the time you have now may change, if only temporarily, without warning.  When I was actively playing, I used to add one game every few weeks until I got to a comfortable level.  This also allowed the 'new game enthusiasm', mine and others, to wear off, and posting to settle on a more sustainable level.  It also depended on the level of roleplaying, the length and content of the posts expected (whether the expectations were mine or others'), and the character I was playing also; some games/characters required more thought, more time feeling my way into what the character would do, and then more time decompressing if the play was heavy and very emotional.
CosmicGamer
member, 112 posts
Traveller RPG (Mongoose)
Sun 23 Aug 2015
at 12:04
  • msg #10

Re: How Many At Once

I think how one role plays, can make a difference too.  Are the games more about the action or the interaction?  Does one always play every character in a similar fashion or do you create unique personalities?

Personally, if I have very detailed and dissimilar characters, I find it takes a bit more time to get into character and tend to leave RPOL between games instead of posting in one game and going directly to the next.
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