that pretty much why i don't do much RPing now (apart from not being allowed to join, because the head RPer thinks its not for me )

also once they get a bit to long they start to have a lack of continuity and i wouldn't mind starting a RP that is actually determined by dice rolls but that would be hard to do.

I just had to read the captions, and I knew what the rest would say. This is why I don't roleplay. I was going to try, but I just couldn't get past all the faults.

Yeah, I don't do online roleplaying. I stick to D&D with my friends.

Except certain people I know online will do freerealm roleplaying, but that's different in that there's no real need for adversity or a DM, we just kinda live out our characters' lives as we see fit. It's basically just absolute, pure escapism.

I am a terrible DM, I always make stories that ponies want to join, but the problem is that I got no control over them whatsoever o3o

People start getting off-track, and eventually I loose interest in my own RP, and like a horrible person, I abandon it, and wait for it to fail miserably.

You can't really judge the whole of forum roleplaying from this place. Because honestly, RPing here is pretty bad, as most of our roleplayers don't know how to run a proper roleplay. That said, here i why I disagree. This really seems to be your problem with BAD forum roleplays:

• Lack of Endgame: Depends on roleplay. You can't say all roleplays lack an endgame. I have a clearcut goal in my Shifted, to defeat the Changelings and get back home. Most of the roleplayers here don't create serious efforts that are long-term, and have no goal ascribed.
  

• Improper DMing: Again, see above. Though I personally prefer a looser approach. Forum roleplaying to me isn't Dungeons and Dragons. I don't like somebody controlling me, telling me what I can and can't do. I think more subtly prodding people in the proper directions works best. Don't like control freaks. I prefer building a story with someone else, splitting the work more evenly. But prodding them a bit if they get lost. To me, that's DMing that keeps my interest. If I feel involved and actually relevant and somewhat in control, then I'm more likely to do a better job.
  

• Lack of Decisions: Again depends on the roleplay.
  

• Lack of Adversity: See lack of decisions.
  

• Randomized outcomes: Not a diceroller. Not into classical DM-style roleplays. But I'm sure you could find that on a forum roleplay. It wouldn't be difficult to execute, and it's not impossible or restricted from the format.
  

• Too many characters: Again, depends on the roleplay. Want a smaller roleplay? Make one. Find one. Most roleplays aren't as big as Shifted. I prefer bigger ones on forums because they're much more likely to stay alive. If you want a smaller one, the disadvantage is that you need a group of extremely dedicated people to keep it from dying. More interaction with others, split-ups, even if they're not relevant to you? They keep the RP alive. I've seen a huge RP last for two years like that. Bigger is more likely to be most lasting. I've been in an extremely tiny RP. Two people. The other person bailed.
  

Really, your gripes can be addressed. It depends on what kind of forum roleplays you join. You're not likely to find anything engaging here, honestly. Which I'm trying to fix, but the point is, there's a wealth and rainbow of many different kinds. And none of your gripes really actually address the formatting of forum roleplaying as a whole. You can't judge from one location. Go out there, and try other types of roleplays. But if you don't, and not here, I don't really blame you. I have very little interest in any roleplays here that I haven't created. And you're not likely to find what you want in the roleplays I create, as I don't like dicerolling, I don't like controlling DMs, and I like big to keep it alive.

So make a good one then?

-snip-

Do understand, that none of my gripes is with one role play specifically, I am not targeting Shifted in any way, Neither is it with role playing on this forum, I've been on other forums which offered in forum role playing with their own systems, and none of these forums had particularly good role plays. These are based on observations over a long time.

Also, don't take everything I say super literally. Or try to see these suggestions as a formula to make a good role play.

For example, an endgame is very ill defined. It's a goal, it's the overarching thought in every participants head. This can be varied per character, but having a reason for each character, either a personal motivation or a group motivation does tend to help. Shifted has goals but perhaps lacks some form of motivation for some characters, for example, mine didn't, but that is my own problem, not the RPs

As for improper DMing, there is loose and there is just none, and I have participated in and seen role plays where the creator takes absolutely no effort into creating the situations in front, it is improper to think that you have to set up the pieces once, you have to keep placing them until the end. Never should a DM god mod, but it should be up to the DM to create the situations

And a articpant should be reactive, only the RP creator knows what direction they want it to go in, so it's their role to steer everything in that direction. They need to do more then participate.

As for randomized outcomes, it merely means that no other participant can say "I swing my sword and cut off all the enemies hands and thus do the victory dance.", every action by a participant cannot be resolved, a lot of important actions should have consequences. randomizing them is an extra added factor as at times not even the DM has control over their own actions.

And you can create tough decisions and adversity through having random events, dice rolling or otherwise. Or offering options whose outcomes are not known by the ones taking them.

Again, not a formula, however, making a lasting role play is difficult, I wouldn't know how, perhaps instances role plays. You can still tell a great story within a limited amount of time and constrained in various ways.

The last part is kind of personal, but not, having a role play with 10+ characters is like an ensemble cast on the show, you either create main characters and side characters, or you create small groups. I find it slightly annoying and difficult. As it essentially creates interlinked role plays in the same universe in different locations. This is just me, but I tend to have a more focused role play be easier to manage.

I feel like I've been around the block of RPing to note some things, I've been part of more instanced role plays with smaller crews and those were fun, but hard, while any too open and undirected one got boring too easy.

It's a recurring pattern, and if there are any issues to note. As for Shifted, I basically had no time to participate, and when I could, I was basically a timezone behind. I was in no way part of that group anymore by the time I got back, and I was forgotten and left behind. I was neither a main character or even a side character, I had left before I had officially left.

I hope I have clarified, I know my blog post wasn't super clear and asking these question is something I really appreciate. While I do wish I could participate, i realize that if I want to may have to start one myself, but doing so would require more effort right now, so I will actually develop first and see.

So make a good one then?

Making a good RP is actually more difficult then you think, I could make a blog post which can list the things which you actually need to develop before you go forward. It's easy to go and say "do it yourself filly", and I realize that it may take a lot of time.