Dunno how to get engagement!

Hello! Hi Hi!

I am DM, I make my own table top or more accurately theater of the mind games, with systems and everything. I would say they most resamble a RTS game, It reads like a book, chapter by chapters like a story, and of course the players choice is always what drives the next chapter home.

I don't know what I'm doing here, at first I thought I could be more successful here then on reddit. Yeah that adds up... play by post, that's what I do right.. but then no one joined my game in 3 days.

I don't require much engagement from individual players, its mostly the volume I need to create a majority. Its not always clear if it would be best to focus that lens or not but I never did that kind of rp and don't intend to at least if I can avoid it.

I don't know what to do plz plz plz help I feel like I'm waisting my time! I don't wanna....

I have been orchestrating this amazing system behind the curtain, its vast and complex, it's filled and flexible, its the best work I ever created. I can do a lot with this game I developed. It will be good, I can run this for basically ever and ever with no end and upgrade the system as I go. There is no real limit.

It seems as though I just don't have an interesting game.
I know it's different from what ppl play mostly, but it's storytelling its engaging and free. I made it in a way that frees the player form any prerequisite work to get in, while keeping most of all their agency. I expected.. I dunno.. at least a couple ppl to join.

I, I dunno... I am bummed out. Plz help.

Hi! Welcome to Gamersplane. Do you have a recruitment thread for your game already? After you read Len's excellent recommendations in the previous link, just go to the Games Tavern and click "New thread".

An effective recruitment post can help you find the right people and get your game off to the right start!

I'll second what htech wrote. If you don't announce your game in the Games Tavern, no one will know that you've created it! That's the place where players go to see which games are ready for them. And Len's tutorial is the one pinned to the top.

GMs will typically work on their game anywhere from a few days to several months as they have time. Some will hold off on development until they know that there's interest out there. They'll post an Interest Check (IC) in the Games Tavern to see if it's worth it to spend the time preparing for the game, building forums, etc. After they're sure that there's enough interest, they'll often change the header from IC to Recruitment to let people know that they're actively seeking players to join.

Good luck with your game and welcome to Gamers Plane!

As htech and ForeverDED mentioned, you should make a recruitment thread! Most people here look for games in the Games Tavern forum, not through listings. Personally I sometimes check out new games which pop up in listings, but I never know if each game is actually open to random applications or not, so I never apply directly. Plus it's easier to explain your expectations and the vibes you're going for through a forum post.

I'm sure once you have a thread you'll get interest, your game looks quite intriguing. :D

Thank you both, I had made a post in new games and such.
I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with my setup and ppl werent able to apply lol.

I added a varient to the tavern with more detail.

Inconspicuous_Shelly, welcome to GP and you're actually off on the right foot -- asking about how to get better engagement. As you see above, there are lots of members willing to help. Don't get discouraged even if no one bites right away on your recruitment thread. People get busy, sometimes they aren't on the hunt for a new game... it can take time to fine your groove. Stick with it!

You need a sales pitch.

If as you say this is a game of your own creation that nobody has ever played before then you cannot rely upon players to know if they want to play it. So, you need to make them want to play it, and that means some sort of advertising and a bit of marketing.

I run WFRP games so I have a ready made market of players who know what WFRP is and what a WFRP game feels like to play and want to play it. So, all I have to pitch is my particular version of WFRP and my ability to deliver a fun game. Also I have numerous forums and groups of WFRP communities to advertise my game on.

I do this primarily by issuing these WFRP fans a challenge to come and play one of my characters.


video's produced using Canva.

But, if your game is completely new, then you will be starting with a blank canvas. Nobody knows anything about your game, how it works, or what it feels like to play and you don't have a ready made community of fans to advertise it to. So, it will require a lot more effort to pitch.

Personally, I'd begin by posting short examples of actual game play to spark some interest in your approach and then ask for volunteers for game testing (even if the game is fully tested) just to generate some real game narrative and give you something to pitchand attract more players.

Once you begin to generate actual session logs it will make it easier to promote the game using the actual events of your game to spark more interest.

To add to the above: i'm a recent addition myself and also started out by creating a game. What helped to broaden the pool of applicants (since you're looking at 30 potential players) was posting an ad on reddit's (ugh) /r/pbp forum. Since this is a new creation i'd recommend describing the rules clearly so there wouldn't be any confusion. Good luck!

This might also be part of the problem, here. This is a Role Playing Game community, many (most) of the players here want to do 'the prerequisite work', they buy and read rulebooks and engage with the material and the rules. Keeping all this 'behind the curtain' means that only you know how amazing your system is, and there is little to give the potential players a reason to get involved.

Posting the recruitment thread is a good first start, but actually playing with other people, in other games, can also be important, since people don't know your system, knowing you is all they have to judge it by.

I agree with vagueGM, its quite an abstract pitch. 30 players wowzah*

Seems like a strategy centric game, where RPGs traditionally explore culture.
Is this a Choose your Own Adventure by crowd voting? Do an individual's choice matter?
Make it a solo play and the decision has gravity, instead of 1/30th of a voice.

The writing is very good, I see the energy and creativity. You have something original and vibrant and I encourage you to tap into that.
But I'm lost on the goals? If it is only conquest then its a wargame. Peace? Intrigue? Allies? Betrayal? Love? Evolution?

For sure this. Sometimes you're just at the right place at the wrong time ;)
Don't feel bad if you don't get a game going straight away. You can try again in a few weeks time and maybe you'll have tons of interest that time around.

If it's applicable, you could also promote it as a "playtest" game. Some people (me included) only check out the recruitment threads where the title sounds interesting or it's a known game that they are in the mood for. An unknown name could mean that they skip it. Including that it's a playtest or a self-made game in the title could get others interested to check it out.

If you want that many players I wild suggest an extended recruitment. Get the interested players to recruit other players they know and feel might enjoy the game.

Seems like you wouldn't matter on 30/ but nothing stops me from closing applications when I feel like it's enough. I don't know the ideal amount of ppl, one on one, would be a little odd for me as I'm very social lol, I don't do good in intraperaonal kind of vibe games.

I left much blank because this isn't railed, there is a system and a general loop for growth, I have a multitude of concepfs in the back if I neeed but I want to keep it emergent amd free. I expect players to find their own goals and loopholes, interests and I can provide all of those as I go with story telling and I will have many irons in of course in face anyone gets bored. Have an iron. xD

It may leave things in the air initially though, but thats okay.

Oh players will have homework a planty. The key remains, if they want to invest or not, both works.If they want to solve their problems and come up with concepts to do in game, I am open to enabling these things. So maybe ppl can't work in rules much initially, but as I unveil systems and start releasing data about resources, units etc in rp it could become a bit brainy in a sense.

Mmh yis, thank you so much!
I was able to gather 7 people just today! I'm hoping most will play soon enough so I can sink my writer's teefs into them with my next chapter! Omg this is great. I like learning things.

Oh yes I did, I did!
So many subreddits were plagued by this recruitment post... x)

Agreed Reddit PbP and Reddit RPG are both good communities to promote your game. Just be careful to stick to the posting rules and guidance to avoid any negative issues.