Hi, I am in several games on RPoL that I believe to be dead, what is the definitive way to determine if that is the case?  The ones I am in that I am unsure of are [game name removed] and [game name removed], is there some amount of time I should wait after a post (like a month or 2) before simply removing the game?  Thanks
This message was last edited by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 08:31, Wed 24 Sept 2014.

Depends on the game. I have had medical troubles that have prevented me from posting for a month. I was on crutches 8 weeks before I got internet in my house and was using the library at the time. I have a game on E where my partner only posts about every 6 weeks or so. I've had other games that simply didn't revive. All in all, the best way to find out is the personal touch. PM or rMail maybe 2 weeks out. Or ask in the game's OOC thread if it has one. The GM may have problems.

A good sign is when the game is suddenly deleted without warning.

In reply to kelbris (msg # 1):

Send a PM to the GM. If no reply after a week send them an rmail. If still no reply then delete the game from your list. People generally react more when a thread goes blue or purple, or if an rmail arrives.

If the game becomes active it will automatically pop up in your list again, prompting you to then take action.

You are only removed from a game if the GM actively removes you.

FYI, a lot of games die on rpol. A shame, but a fact of life here. Don't worry too much about it and just move on to a new one.
This message was last edited by the user at 08:35, Wed 24 Sept 2014.

No word from the GM for two weeks is a good indicator that the game has been abandoned. As Jarodemo says, removing it from your sticky list doesn't remove you from the game or send any indication to the GM or other players. When anyone posts to the game in any thread, it will pop up on your list again.

Quite true. Over the course of some time gaming here and much trial and error joining games where the GMs and players may from time to time disappear, you will get to know more reliable people and can start gaming with them on the regular.

IMO I depends how invested you are in the game.  Would you be relieved to see it go?  devastated?  don't really care?  sorry, but you'll move on?  Unless it's in the first, or possibly the third, category, I'd wait longer than a couple of weeks.  It doesn't take much to disrupt someone's life for that long.  Even one issue can do it, and you know how it goes, when things go bad, it's usually more than one thing.

I can remember a period when I was having computer/connection issues.  I would get on long enough that I showed as having logged in, but I'd get dropped before I could post, or probably even read.  People have ended up in hospital for weeks, computer dies and you may have to wait till payday (or several of them) before you can afford to replace it, kid gets sick and everyone in the house is a zombie for lack of sleep....

In reply to Brianna (msg # 7):

Point is this (in my opiinon). If the GM is not still around it cant be saved... otherwise even with willing players there's nothing to do
This message was last edited by the user at 19:42, Wed 24 Sept 2014.

I know of games that have been successfully revived when the GM returned after a year away from RPol.

Yeah. My sentence was missing a "not". That's exactly what I meant. If the GM is there It's still possible to add/replace players and sort every issue. If it's not you know things are going to die in anycase

In reply to bigbadron (msg # 9):

True. But if the game is resurrected by the GM it will pop back into the players list of games. The player can then make a decision to continue or decide not to bother. No need to keep it in your list cluttering up the place.

In reply to Jarodemo (msg # 11):

I never mentioned keeping it on the list at all.  Was just pointing out that "GM absent for two weeks" is not the same thing as, "GM absent permanently".  :)

In reply to bigbadron (msg # 12):

You are correct, as always! :)

i have had Games that were going great but fied to to my own personal issues/duties. but once i found the time to come back i found that it might have been difficult but restarting the game is never impossible. and i fixed it by allowing a co-gm that way if im not there she can gm in my absence. also if your game is dead look in the wanted players thread because even if the game is completely dead and has been deleted the gm could always make a new one or even reboot the old one.

Looking at the W:P forum was one of the ways I found out a game I was in was dead...the GM had stopped updating the game about a week prior (after regularly updating daily, if not more often, for a few weeks).  And then I saw W:P...same GM, same game system, same basic game.

Apparently, it slipped the GM's mind to inform the players in the old game that it was time to start over from scratch...

But there really is no way to tell if a game is truly dead.  I'm in a Shadowrun game that went silent for over a year...the GM got back on and asked who was willing to keep going and we've run for several months since then.  I GM a game where I update every few weeks (because that's the pace my players seem to have settled into).

If you think the game is dead, contact the GM (via PM first, then Rmail if that fails to get a response).  If you still get no response from either of those, delete the game from your sticky list.  As mentioned, if someone else posts in the game, it'll pop back up again, you don't have to let it sit there and mock you...*grin*