What I mean in point #4 by new characters should be clarified a bit.

New players, I have no problem with.

Sometimes GMs or players will create a brand spanking new character for an event or for a rp chain - whatever you want to call it. GMs did this all the time - I don't know if they still do.

The problem is that these new characters have no history and are not connected to anyone. They are complete strangers - which can be ok if a stranger is needed. When this stranger gets into a conflict or has a crisis or whatever, it really doesn't affect anyone. There is no ripple effect, there is nothing for characters to gossip about. You end up with a situation where either you bend your character so that he or she cares, or you just walk away.

This is not a mortal sin, but it could be done better. Taking the time to introduce a character to the group, establish them, and know them would make a big difference. When that character is bonded and connected with other characters, things that effect that characters will be more likely to affect others. The former example results in isolated rp, the latter in contagious, long lasting rp.

Actually, the "no history" thing worked to the character's advantage.  Because nobody knew them, it started a whole bunch of rumors in the RP that they were spies for one side and kept people guessing and entertained. I think that, sometimes, the effect of a mysterious new face can add a bit of a twist or turn to the RP.  But, I do have to agree that this is not always the case.  ;-)

Gm events... LOL

Gm's have certain restrictions that they need to work with. Their event ideas need to be approved by a lead gm or settings in advance. They have limitations on what they can give out and so on. As players, we have it a bit easier.

We have all seen some pretty horrible gm events or at least heard of them. Again, people say they feel artificial or like a game show.

Some things that spoil an rp:

* Too many people ( a handful of players is ideal for a single group/gathering )

* reliance on gifts to make an event or rp successful

* having predetermined endings

* using new, unfamiliar characters that nobody knows.

* railroading and steering the rp rather than letting the players actively shape it.

Hi, new to using the forums, so please excuse me if I make a mistake with the quoting system. 

I'd like to respond to the 5 items you listed about RP, if I may:

1.  Whether or not there are too many people might depend a bit on the RP.  Some work better in small groups, others in large.

2.  Yeah, actually, unless it's a GM-run official event, this may not be a good idea in most cases.

3.  This actually may not be a bad thing; I think it might be okay to know what the ending is, but we don't have to know how to get to it.  We can let people use their creativity in achieving the end goal.  (For example, if Celrau DID become CavernBelly, we could let it go on until someone tries something like feeding him a carrot [IC joke ;-) ] or something similar.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that we don't need to pre-plan how we reach the goal, and can just run it indefinitely until reached.

4.  I will have to disagree here.  When my character was a new face and jumped into an RP, he (and his IC brother) actually added a pretty good bit to it.  Our mysterious-ness kept people guessing.  In short, to have 'new' faces isn't always a bad thing, but isn't always good, either.

5.  Similar to point 3.  Players can still shape how the end goal is reached... and, actually, if part of the group disagrees that the ending is sufficient, than that part can continue on with the RP until they reach their goal (For example, maybe the carrot didn't do Celrau in, so the rest of the group tries to find something else).

At any rate, the purpose of a game, any game, is to have fun.  If an event doesn't sound fun to you, than you don't need to join. ;-)

Celroc