Back to the above... I'm not a big fan of established characters walking up obliviously into things and not reacting ICly. I suppose I expect a bit more from them. Some players, like Elrbye (I know I butchered that spelling. Where are you, you giant hulking menki?! You know you want a cuddle!), Sacho, and Monala are just amazing at walking up, giving a realistic greeting/intro, and then observing and jumping in with the reaction. I give them mad props for going with the flow.
I'm flattered, but I'm really not that amazing. In fact, I have a formula. No, not a premeditated one, it's just something I automatically do, but it IS a formula. You even revealed it in your own post.
It goes, walk up and say hi (or emote standing there creepily watching) in-character. Wait for at least two if not more other characters to react. Gague whether or not I want to be in the RP, and if I do, BS some reason my character would get involved if there isn't already one - and some reason they wouldn't leave after being ICly told to leave if the case requires it (I've admittedly had to learn to assume that being ICly told to screw off isn't necessarily an OOC snub. If you want someone to go away OOC, tell them OOC).
There are a lot less "leaders" playing. Very few people take the lead. Anyone can do it, but few do. I would say that for most, its hard to do for personal reasons such as fear of being criticism, fear of failure or screwing up badly, insecurity about not really knowing how to take the lead, etc. Sometimes the problem is that only the baddies have leaders or only the goodies have leaders.
Yeah and people are getting worn down hard, as already seen in the thread, so they give up. Other people don't want to try because it looks hard especially after people crash and burn trying to stand up to it without a strong enough support system. Thus there is too much burden on the people that try. That's why I always tried to get people together for a concerted push. You need a bunch of people leading at once, that stay in close contact, and work together on everyone's projects, so that when one falters someone else can step in and keep them from getting crushed under the weight of keeping things going. It's too big a job for one person.
/shamelessplug Speaking of which, I'd appreciate help in moving the Hydlaa Asylum RP along. >_>
If it is more, as seems to me, that the RPs are off on their own because the clique wants it that way then it is not a community that is being tried to be built here but different groups of players using a game software that meets their needs to get together.
The problem is not so much cliques as players get worn down and then to keep having fun they have to turn to the players they know they can rely on for fun. It becomes clique-ish after awhile but not because that was the intent. It's typically the last move for someone that is on their way to not be able to continue trying to struggle with this battle.
Yes, we get cliquey at times, mostly for the reason Illykins has stated here, but lately I've found that any given person I run up to and start emoting with in-game is probably going to be cool with roleplaying with me if they're not AFK or crafting. I'm talking an approximate 80% chance of an IC reply here. And when it does get cliquey, don't come to the forums and whine about it or go off on an OOC rant on people. There are better ways to fight it that can be done entirely in-game and won't end in bad blood or 11-page-and-couting threads
