What can be done to get this place rollin again - ooc

[DaxMaurier]

Just as the title says.
Lets get some ideas going to get this place active once again.
This place use to be booming, and now its pretty much covered in dust.
I've seen good rp places falls before, and I don't want to see that happen here.
So lets here it people, how we gonna get this place going again.  

[Seisuke]

Ill say one big unified event to unify all users into it  

[The Almighty Ali]

Seisuke

Ill say one big unified event to unify all users into it

Which would only attract the active users.
I doubt that would work.

I think the sole reason for new members stopping is that this place has history and they find it hard to entangle themselves into the history. I tried to make a time line but hell...that would be basically equal to a novel and reading that first would also scare members away.
I also think we're too literate, that can also scare new members as they think we'll look down upon them if they aren't as good as us.

How do we get active members?
Frankly I'd say luck plays a large part, how do we get even more members.
Advertisement and lots of it.
Hell maybe even pay each member 100G to be active.  

[A Name of Power]

I kept bumping the recruiting thread but I was busy and forgot for a while. I still think recruiting is a good idea. ^^ I wonder if we can set up a chat thread in Barton OOC too for hanging out and drawing attention to our guild there too ^^

http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/t.41904959/  

[Seisuke]

Now on a serious note. I think is not the literacy of this guild or the fact that it has a history, because other guilds wont start a clean slate story with each new member. Sadly i agree that this history has runned long enough. I mean i been here since before its first anniversary and were in 2008 and yet we still running the same history. Maybe a clean slate is needed like jumping into the future like lets say 20 years from now. That way user could feel that this present is past and a new era is left to newcomers were balance is shifted not between just one or two users, but between others as well. And since it is a future thing would also bring more creative juices for our users as well. I have to say that is been a long time since a roll call. We need to weed out inactives and when recruiting point to the point of extreme that is there's no commitment to at least casually rp in a regular basis then dont join. Sure it seems harsh but in the long run it would help keep it up when were are gone from it. I knows theres a bunch of literal people more literal than us and that is why we need to seek them. Bribery sounds nice xD an incentive for regular users would help a lot to maintain activity.  

[Lord Yawgmoth]

I completely disagree with a time skip. On the simple basis of our best example. Ziven. She joined easily two years after the guild had started and much of the base history had been laid down and has woven herself into the fabric of the guild very nicely. Good role players will be able to do that. I think we just need to take her idea of a recruitment thread in BT OOC or rather some kind of hangout to let people know we exist. In addition another thing that killed an old guild I was a member of was lack of leadership. I love the girl to death but Angel has been MIA for well over a year now. Random posts here and there just aren't going to cut it. A strong guild needs a strong leader and she was for a long time. Part of the reason we're still going. But that's starting to fade very very quickly.  

[Alba Derosso]

If I may

History is the problem. All the active members have history TOGETHER. As ali and Seisuke pointed out, newcomers like me will have a hell of a time trying to forge relationships or make a name for themselves in this place. Now a 20 year jump is a little much, cause immortals such as Ali, YAwg, myself, and a host of others won't even care. In the end, what we need is something to utterly shake up this place.

Now, I'm not mod or anything, but I do have ideas. Multiple key people have backgrounds that tie in with different multiverses: Zero Omega is Warhammer, Yawg is Magic, and I am DnD. A planar crash, multiverses colliding upon one another...

In a sense, this gives new players to come from a multitude of places, warp backstories, and gives the older players a chance to do some mentoring, introductions. Movers and shakers will come and go, and when all else fails, we bribe.

That is just me of course, but this is my idea. And no, not because I would be a key player, but total chaos is always a great way to introduce new people.

EDIT

And I do agree with Yawgmoth. A strong leader is always a good basis. I dunno Angel, but I'm sure she has very nice teeth. Point is, a snake without its head is a dead snake, and we have absolutely no guidance or leads.  

[Mai New Moon Wolf]

What about haveing a time skip? That way its a new story and the players have a new age. Heck they could ever put that they got married and had kids [[as long as the other agrees]] that way its not to much of a hasle.

And what about deleting threads that arnt used much? To much clutter can make people confused. I know when I first started I was.

Another thing that helped me out when i was a newbie was a guide. You know instructions on whats going on and good places for new people to make their first post.

Also why not have a thread that keeps up with things that are going on.. That would help to...

What about diffrent story lines? Like monthly events? One month a war could be going on a next a depression or something?

The main key is we need someone to keep up with all this stuff or a group of people to monerator whats going on.

Just thought I would put my two cents in. biggrin
All of these things helped my friends guild out and its going well!  

[DaxMaurier]

Storylines are a huge plus.
I can't remember his name, but he had started one here, in a frozen palace of sorts. While that was going it was amazing. I didnt join in myself, but I kept reading it every time there was a post.
And hte story Yawg had going before, his shadow or whatever had brnached off and started causeing chaos, and all of rds had to band together to stop it...  

[Seisuke]

To prove a point here, is if we let them. Mainly our concern here is internal as well. I remember that when i first arrive no one would ever think of being near a human let alone help one, but i was guided, helped into being inmersed into the story and the same happened to ziven and others. When angel was in and was a more lax time, those who were interest had a an open window to get inmersed into the story. If that window is closed would anyone get inside a guild that has no opportunity to let people flourish, even with a seemingly subtle help from us, veterans. Im sure thats why alba and mai pointed this out quite clearly that they feel a change of the sort is needed. Now truly most of are in one way or another inmortal to aging so again your point while being mostly true yawg still a change is in need. Dax pointed your early days, i remember that i myself better know you guys had to read every single thread and post here which i did at the time when i joined, that helped. I also think that our rp has reduced to nothing. I mean hardly is there any epic battles or Major movements at all. Time changes and frankly we need to adapt as well. Mai has a point the guild some ways feels cluttered even with all the changes Angel made. I suggest putting a start up guide. One in which user will have points of history sites descriptions and the latest nuances and changes. Kinda like a tourist guide of sorts, a brochure yeah it sounds corny but, my country has been living of tourism for more than 50 years and a good advertisement and guided tour helped new travellers veered into interest on this island. Sounds crazy but is maybe what is needed. I agree we need a new leader as well. I love angel, heck i even call her every now and then but her sickness have rendered her one of coolest players out of commision and im saddened by this.  

[Lord Kamahl]

history is not the probelm with this guild. I was here when it started but left gaia for two to three years and came back. I started a new role for myself and now I'm going to meet Fay's (Mai is the player) folks to marry her. what we need to do Is for those who can't understand how to make a bio for what we have here we should make one for them. make a role for them to take over in the guild so they have a history to think back too.


In other words I think we need premade characters for the new members.  

[Skyeheart]

Well, it's almost the holidays. That means a lot of people will have more time to be online.
Perhaps we can send a notice and have a holiday party and attract new active members.  

[Zero_Omega]

I am happy to see you guys still care, I am very thankful. DLY, you're voice of leaderlessness has been Angel's biggest fear. She has always said that she doesn't want to do what Sango did to Hell so long ago. However, as we all know, she has taken a turn down a bad road and I unfortunately do not see a light at the end of that tunnel. Anyway, on with the show.

Time Skip; While this is a good idea, it would accomplish very little. Angel and I actually had created just this very thing several years ago. RDS: Generations was a pet project of ours that never fully took shape after we bought the guild name. It was going to be the guild, however Angel and Zero would have stepped out as main characters and the guild would be in the hands of the twins; Vasha and Destiny. As I said earlier though, this idea never lifted off

History; While it is true that this place has a rich history and that most of it is interwoven between many characters, I do not think many people will be scared by it. With a few simple questions, most can find out quite a deal of it. While it is true that most people was to have a name in that history, I believe a few will see it as a challenge to write their own name through their deeds in this already fertile ground.

Plot Line; I think this is a major point. While being a rather free-flowing guild, it is hard to keep an aura of attraction if you have no plot to sink in to. Now, generally, plots like these are some type of war plots. The sides here could be a bit simple to be drawn, but I think it could discourage any new members from wanting to co-mingle with each other. If we could think of a plot line that would allow everyone to participate or not. To give people options and choices about what they want...then so be it. We have had some strong plots in the past but those days of chaos are gone and many of the old antagonists are either low or out of viable conflicts that could become something.

Bribes; Really? I know I don't have much sway anymore but if anyone goes around greasing palms, I don't want to know about it.

I know I have not been what I once was. I'm not as great a leader as Angel was. I never claimed to be and I never will. I'm not some great guy who can do amazing things, I wish I was. I want to see this place in full stride again as I am sure you all do. We all have lives, and as time has gone on things tend to get int he way. Personally, I am now in college and am working to put myself through it but I am sure I am not the only one like that. As a character, Zero has lost a huge chunk of his life in Angel and I don't know what to do with him and so that deters me away from having him be as big a part as he was before. Will this change? I don't know, we will see. But I digress...

In conclusion; It seems that we need to clean things out and give the guild a big overhaul. Once this is done, I believe we should try to advertise by posting in public forums and maybe even turn the guild public, at least for a while. If too many scrubs seem to be should up, we will have to re-enforce the biography policies. I would like to see if we could try and come up with a skeleton of a running plot before unveiling ourselves to the public. Here's my contribution;

"The Red Dragon Syndicate, or RDS for short, is a place unlike any other. Founded after their expulsion from Hell, Angel and Zero made this place their home and opened it to all. Since it's doors have opened, many wonderful and terrible things have occurred; Weddings, Wars, Births, Loves, Losses, any much more. Time has brought a sense of settles peace to the lands as many of the original veterans have moved on to different phases of their lives. However..."

And you guys can try and brainstorm? This is merely just a rough quick overview. Anyone can write up their own if they wish. And Ali, I think you're listing of main characters could be helpful here. Especially for the new members since they will then know whom to really look for.  

[Zero_Omega]

Update: Bad news boys and girls. It seems I can't move anything. It keeps geting me an error message

Database Error
No log message was defined for crew logging  

[Seisuke]

I have to say nor him or anyone here would want to see what happened in Hell repeated, alas i think you were a great leader and an awesome rper. I always looked at you all like mentors in the most serious of ways. Often i looked to your posts or yawgs post or alis post as superior even though i have my skills here that i have proven. In this i have taken pride into make my posts as well as yours or anyone who i think is better than me. Yes im one of the oldest among you all and still looked through it all with that kind of mentality. I know your personalities your backgrounds your stories that inspired me. And for that you are noted as a leader, you are humble and truly you must see the positive things you have brought upon all of the guild itself.

Yes thats what i meant with history more like the current affairs leave everyone in short amount of what they can do on themselves, while the intention of interweaving ones story into the main one seems to have been seemingly lost as everyone is sparced into own affairs and actions.

Give me a day or two and i can come with something epic for the guild, i love to write and it is somewhat my hobby as well so let me try to put you a plot that would be the next big thing on here.