Things Your Admin Worries About

[Wes]

Right now we have 23+ plots running. But we may not always have that level of activity. Star Army has succeeded because we do what we do very well (creating very high-quality RP and a great setting) and because we bring in new players. But our core group of players, the oldbies, are getting older and have less time. We'll need a new generation to pass the banner to or the site will dwindle out. What if that happened?

I talked to Doshii and he pointed out that I usually focus on the positive, and that I need to give the membership some insight into my concerns for the future...so this post many be a bit of a downer.

Star Army turns a decade old this year and hopefully the RP will keep going on our forums for another ten years, and it'll be even better than the last ten. But it has only made it this far because of people's effort, whether they're me, the guy working my ass off to try to make this place better and more active, or regular posters whose RP posts keep the plots flowing and fun.

I'll be honest, I feel like the forum activity is lower than I want right now, and I feel like I'm spinning my wheels without getting any traction. I've asked for input on various ways we could get more players in SARP:

• Lower the age limit (rejected)
• Invite the furry RP community in (rejected)
• Create a place where people can RP in Star Army as semi-canon without the red tape of Faction Manager control and NTSE approval (rejected)
• Kickstarter or some major project (rejected)

I've also tried these:

• Social media (But SARPers have been almost silent on the Star Army Twitter and Facebook)
• Making more threads (need more participation posting threads and replaying on the forums)
• Introduction forum (need people to interact with the new people)
• Personally participating in other RP communities to spread interest in SARP (this has worked pretty well but is time intensive for me)

Q: If we have 23 plots, why are you worrying about SARP's future, Wes?

I don't usually quote stuff from the staff forum, but look at these numbers:

I noticed that on one of the other templates there's a "last active" column.

Example: memberlist.php?style=7&mode=&sk=l&sd=d#memberlist

Using this, I can tell that about 75 members (25 per page) visited in the last 3 days. So that's about how many (logged in) members we got actively visiting the site.

If you divide that by the 23 plots listed on the active plot list, that's 3.26 unique members per plot on average. If we add up the players column we get 182 so there's an average of 7.9 non-unique players per plot.

The plots' difference between 7.9 average player characters and 3.26 average players is something that worries me. In means a lot of players are trying to juggle a lot of plots at the same time and are stretched out. The 3.26 players per plot also worries me that the ratio of GMs to players is severe enough that what we're looking at is a shortage of players for our plot count.

Why are players joining so many plots? Here's what I think:

• There's more factions than ever, and people feel obligated to be part of them to help them succeed (especially if they might have made them or have RP buddies who did).
• Some Game Masters are making slow or irregular plots that don't provide enough new content to satisfy players. There's not a shortage of GMs, there's a shortage of GMs who visit and post RP every day.

Finally, I think the lack of robust discussion on the site OOC forums makes the site feel less active than the community actually is (because people are off in IRC and pads, etc).

So that's the stuff that keeps me up at night.

Here's how to make the community better:

• Be active and responsive. If you see a roleplay or OOC discussion, reply to it!
• If you're a GM, make sure you're moving the story along constantly.
• Limit the number of plots you participate in based on what you can actually handle, not social obligations to factions/other players.
• Make sure every new member gets personal assistance from registration to roleplaying. Be a mentor to them!
• Subscription donations are a huge, huge help to get new players because even if it's used to get new setting art, that art is used to help advertise the site.

I don't want SARP to ever go away. We've put so much into it. So here's what I'd want to do if the roleplay stopped: Star Army would continue to host the wiki, and instead of roleplaying happening on Star Army, the site would become a type of sourcebook for game masters on other roleplaying sites. We would still have a discussion forum and I would still run the NTSE so new stuff could be added. The list of plots would direct people to threads on other forums across the net, where-ever someone was using our setting.

We can't take for granted that SARP will always be around. It's only through active participation that we keep the community running. I want this community to not only survive but grow, and it can, but only if we're not lazy and we do what we need to do to get new blood in here. Star Army itself is not an entertainment provider, it's a place for you and your RP friends to entertain yourselves and each other. You're not a consumer, you're a contributor. What you get out of it depends on what you put in.

So if I seem a little desperate searching for new ideas, it's because I am, and that's my job as your admin. But it's also yours.

 

[raz]

The 3.26 players per plot also worries me that the ratio of GMs to players is severe enough that what we're looking at is a shortage of players for our plot count.

There's a lot to consider in your post, but this sticks out most immediately to me.

During that illustrious history you mentioned, I remember we used to limit characters per player. Now, I don't necessarily think we should go back to that as restrictions generally stifle good storytelling and serve as an impediment to us entertaining ourselves. But this seems to be at the root of the problem: players stretching themselves over multiple plots (not necessarily stretching themselves thin) and inflating our perceived need for GMs.

As was being discussed in your other recent thread, maybe not all plots/stories need boards. Especially considering that few of the currently active Yamataian plots actually have unique playerbases. We're basically creating plots so veterans can make more characters rather than filling out ships with available characters like we used to.

I guess I'll stop continuing to add tangential paragraphs now. Perhaps, considering all these things you're worrying about, it'd be cool to try consolidating the quality of the site's RP and storylines. Or maybe we can just continue on like we have and are experiencing a pre-summer slump.

 

[Luca]

There's not a shortage of GMs, there's a shortage of GMs who visit and post RP every day.

I wish I could post something cool every day, but my current university and work situation doesn't allow me to do so, since I'm working and going to university six days a week, some times seven.

I do try and keep my players engaged as much as I can via IRC, the occasional OOC post with a cute picture, or some insane wiki project I'm dreaming up and require feedback about.

Finally, I think the lack of robust discussion on the site OOC forums makes the site feel less active than the community actually is (because people are off in IRC and pads, etc).

You are correct that more OOC posts in the forum would make us look more lively. To a lesser extent it'd keep us honest too. Words in IRC are transient, forum posts are not.

If anything, forum posting agrees with my schedule more since I can't always be on IRC, even from my phone as you've seen a few times.

 

[Doshii Jun]

I think Wes here is giving us an inside look not just at how much time he puts into SARP, or his concerns, but his urgent desire about where he wants this site to go:

Up. Bigger, better! Dominant!

Other sites are competitors who are kicking our ass everywhere but RP quality. They have features we don't, money we don't, influence we don't. We are small fish to them, even if we're elite fish.

That digs into Wes' side. It's important we understand that.

This isn't just an RP site for Wes. It's more than a hobby. It's something he's maintained for 10 years. He's spent a year's salary and more on it. He has gadgets that really are just for making SARP work. Facebook, Twitter, NationStates, cons, other sites: He's out there, working all of them.

So when he sees activity metrics dropping off here, especially as we get more unique visitors than ever before, he worries. And he's got good reason to.

This is something we just don't understand. We come here, RP, have fun, create, and go about our day. Some donate. Some don't. We don't involve ourselves in how SARP's viewed from the outside; we focus on making it good from the inside.

We are older, slower, comfortable and insulated. We care for no one but ourselves.

Other sites are bigger, faster, energetic and significant revenue streams for their owners. They are at times businesses by themselves.

I think the questions we, as people on this site, need to not just ask ourselves, but truly confront, are these:

Are we ready to take this to a new level? Where we join Wes in treating this like a business, with competitors and revenue and advertising? Are we willing to start considering the lifting he's doing on our behalf?

Or are we happy as we are? Are we OK with SARP not keeping many newbies, with focusing purely on our content and our own enjoyment, and with having Wes stop spending more money than he has for this site?

This isn't just about Wes' worries, as all of his idea threads suggest.

It's about the very future of this site. This is the

BIG TALK

that we've probably needed to have for a couple years now, especially with the Mishhu war having wound down.

So we need to talk about this. Now. All of us.

 

[Aendri]

To be honest, as elitist as it sound, I'm very content with us staying small. As it is, we've lost players over the years, and had other players just not stick in the first place, some of them people that I really liked, and would've loved to stick around. But that's LIFE.

I would rather have the community that we have over the community in any of a dozen other games and systems I'm involved in, and it's why I've invited a grand total of four people to the site over the years. Because I think it takes a special kind of person to fit in with the level of quality of work we tend to put out, and the consistency that tends to be asked. And none of those people ended working out, but I don't hold it against them or you guys at all.

I've spent more time on this site then with any other community I've ever found. And it's because, for all of our arguments and fighting, we're a community that works, and not just works, but works WELL together. Let those other guys keep growing, and, more to the point, bloating. How many of you really want to go back to Gaia, or the other systems like that? Do you really think that's where the best future for our site lies?

It's just not our style, from what I've seen. And I'm quite happy that this is the case.

 

[Kyle]

One of the things that seems to be a general consensus is that our CCG needs more work.

One of my questions is that we change the process, we have a template but let's expand on it. Let's change it so that instead of the player having to prowl through the wiki-pages to find information, they just go through drop-down menus.

For example, for race they could pick from any of the currently available races on the site. When they select that race, it changes the template to reflect what that race has to offer. Not to mention, that when that faction is selected, a brief history is displayed for the newbie to read so that they can get a general idea of what that faction is about.

Also, when because they selected that particular faction, it would mean that for race only the species for that faction are available. The same applies for occuptaions.

The thing is, when you select occupations, the skills list is automatically filled in with the skills that occupation needs. However, have it be possible for those players to hit a box that lets them write out their own skill descriptions. Not to mention that occupational descriptions can also be displayed, along with a wiki-link to said occupation. Same applies to the species and faction.

When occupations are selected, inventories are also automatically picked based off the occupation. Finances are filled in as well for that particular faction.

This also elimanates the need for a person to edit the wiki-code. I know this sounds complex, but it could be a real help.

 

[Luca]

Kyle, what you're suggesting is definitely possible. All you need is some Javascript, AJAX and away you go. Perhaps for one of my assessments I could draft a system. JQuery could work a win too.

 

[Kyle]

Yea, I know Blindy said she could probably create one to. I also have a buddy of mine (who has been in our channel a few times) who knows how to program and might be able to create one for us.

 

[CadetNewb]

Right now, it seems that what we can do all boils down to a few key things based off of my own thoughts, as well as those that were talked about on the IRC:

1) Streamline the Arrival to Playing process.

Kyle's idea of having a more refined character creation tool is great, but I think our problems may stem more deeply than that. We already moved character approval to GMs which helped a lot, but there's still more we can do without compromising the quality of our setting and roleplay. Right now, in my opinion, the biggest obstacle to a player staying - and also the biggest turnoff during the whole ordeal - would be the Skills section of the characters. For a new player, it is mind numbing and repetitive to make these - yes, it defines what their characters can do and prevents a Mary/Gary Sue/Stu from showing up, but, let's face it.

It grates on the soul.

There's a number of ways to tackle it, but it's one of the outstanding key obstacles to having the process of getting in and playing for a new member be smooth. We could try just having simple boilerplate for them at this point though, merely listing out what their characters know, and that they're just competent in it and no more. It's not perfect, but it'd leave room for them and their characters to grow as they RP, going back to flesh it out as they please (or not).

2) New Player Orientation

Right now, when they arrive, it's info-overload once they find the Wiki. We need a page or something to give a brief explanation of the setting as a whole for new players, and then a breakdown of each individual faction in brief. A crash course in SARP more or less - right now, they're pretty reliant on their wiki-nav-fu and word of mouth from anyone on the IRC should they go there to learn. That needs to be fixed if they're to be properly immersed/interested, rather than being overwhelmed with information.

TLDR: TLDR is a problem.

3) Advertisements

SARP used to run off-site advertisements at other websites, but to my understanding, we don't. If anything, we desperately need to do this again to draw in more players. What's even more important is that they're 'placed' at the right locations where the people will be of the crowd we want. Not the easiest thing to do, but this is a big must as well. A roadblock to this though, is finances - I don't mean to be rude, but as much as the chibi-artwork is appreciated, we might benefit more from having those funds go into ads.

We need new players. And of course, we need to retain them.

4) Improved Opening Page

First impressions are everything, and it's been suggested we get a multifactional opening page or something for new players to see when they first arrive. Even then, this isn't the highest priority - the current one is good and will do for the time being, but should we pick up steam, well, we can do better. That's a certainty. Again, this is low on the totem pole.

5) Ask What They Want

Another idea is a simple, but important one - ask them what they want to happen or do with their character. Do they want violence, character development? Go rambo on the enemy and slaughter them? Something more subtle and be the support to help everyone else? This is important so that the GM knows how to handle the player - one person said that a new player may want to "Go Rambo" on the enemy and end up as a fine red mist instead. Exaggerated, yes, but that's rough on the newbies, so it's best to know what they want to do and so forth before we go to cut it short forcefully, or some other thing comes up. Player satisfaction and all that.

It's important to ask the right question that they understand though. That's the hard part.

*****

I'm sure there's more we can do, but, I think these would be good places to start. 1, 2 and 3 in particular in my opinion - those are easily the foundation on which everything else will rest.

 

[Friv]

New Players​

Being a new player anywhere can be frightening. To migrate into a focused-setting community (like Star Army) can be even more so. They're small, they're old, and there's always a lot of information that is needed to roleplay, whether before or during the actual roleplay. At least, it was frightening for me.

I'm not like everybody, I know. I'm also not unlike a lot of people either. One of my biggest obstacles to getting to roleplay was honestly the CCG, which required me to go around and get information. It isn't necessarily bad ─ it forces me to go look up information on the setting. Which is good. You want a new player to learn about the setting in which they're participating.

So, for introductions, I'm really not sure what you should be doing to reduce that info-barrier. I have a couple of (I like to call them) "approaches" I think might work, though.

It's an odd analogy to make, but in RTS games, when you're trying to get good at the game, sometimes you'll have a "build order". You build your workers, you build your barracks, and you build however many soldiers. As you get better, you realize that your build order is losing out, regardless of your play. So you go in, you find that "Hey, I don't need this many workers!" and then you cut them from your build. You play a game, realize "Hey, I won with six soldier-dudes who never fought!" so you cut the soldier-dudes. You play another game, you mess up, and "Hey, I didn't need..." and you cut it.

By this I mean whatever you don't need, you cut. You keep cutting until what you have is functional, and pretty. My first approach is "Cut." Look at your CCG, your approval process, and the introduction process. What detail rarely comes up in roleplay? Cut it, or streamline it.

Skills is a good idea to look at, I think. It looks to me (I can be wrong) that specific skills are rarely actually brought up in-roleplay. Maybe instead of writing out seven paragraphs on skills, you write one paragraph, much like the "personality" paragraph required earlier in character creation, where people have to write for their character something like:

"Jimmy received basic training, where he learned basic close-combat techniques, how to shoot and clean a rifle, and how to tie his shoes. He was then specialized, with his focus placed on electronic warfare and cakes."

A lot easier/quicker than seven separate paragraphs. That's an idea.

The second idea I have is to add to it. Honestly, beautification of anything helps the community to get more of what it wants. This isn't very good at keeping players though ─ it's kind of like the most recent Madden NFL games. You don't buy them because they're deep strategy games (They're not), you buy them because they're pretty and they have the latest line-up of guys.

Community​

Communities are tricky. They evolve over time, and don't actually settle down anywhere. It's better to say the communities carry around a general attitude.

Star Army appears to me to be a mature community, made up of an amalgamation of old, been around, and spankin'-new. This isn't a reflection on the age of the members, but a reflection of how long the community and those members have been around. Older, more situated players don't necessarily want to deal with new players: they're new. They're a pain to educate, they're a pain to keep track of because some of them disappear, and they're a pain because you don't know them yet and you aren't sure if they're jerks or not.

I feel that something that sites like Roleplayer Guild do works best. You have a dedicated team to jumping in to introduction threads, who act like mentors. They're there to say "Hi! I'm J0hnnyBGud, and I welcome you to SARP. I can help out with character creation!" or "Hello! I can answer any questions you have on the Wiki, the factions, or even funny stuff."

These people have to be friendly and active. They should also try to perpetuate the conversation in the introduction area. Best way I've seen is to ask questions of the new player. "What's your favorite cake and why?" "What's your favorite game?" It opens up points of discussion for the new guy. He'll talk more, and the more he writes on the site, the more effort he'll have put in, and the more he'll feel obligated to put in. It's also nice, and it doesn't cost a single cent to make people feel welcome.

It will always feel like a waste of time to people who make an introduction thread, and one person replies to it.

However, in the end, its the Community that's the focus of this thread and of this part of my post. The Community has to have an attitude that welcomes new players, rather than demands something to "allow" them to come in. I'm not saying this is what SARP does, but I'm bringing it up as something I've run into in the past.

Having a standard for new players to meet is different from demanding things of them. That said, having a high standard can hurt just as much as the community shunning a new player until they've been a part of the site for months. If you want new players, you don't just have to say you want them, you have to show you want them.

 

[Wes]

We're basically creating plots so veterans can make more characters rather than filling out ships with available characters like we used to.

Right. Rather than moving existing characters to that new, shiny plot, I'd like to see more of players transferring an established character to it. Characters who've been around have great and real histories. It's not always easy or the right thing; the obstacles to this are leaving the first plot (a player might not want to, or might not want to leave because of how that would affect the story) and the risk involved with a new plot (what if the GM poofs and it does, leaving the character in limbo?). But the point is that if players make too many characters, the 'alt' ones tend to get neglected in favor of the main ones. Additionally, they take up space and GM attention that might best used for new players.

I wish I could post something cool every day, but my current university and work situation doesn't allow me to do so

And this, my friend, is why we need the site to be a place that imaginative teens with tons of free time are welcomed and given some level of GMing ability.

You are correct that more OOC posts in the forum would make us look more lively.

Forum posts can get the whole community in on a discussion, since they don't have to be on at a certain time to see and comment on ideas. That's why for most important RP stuff, I try to keep it here on the forums.

Right now, in my opinion, the biggest obstacle to a player staying - and also the biggest turnoff during the whole ordeal - would be the Skills section of the characters. For a new player, it is mind numbing and repetitive to make these - yes, it defines what their characters can do and prevents a Mary/Gary Sue/Stu from showing up, but, let's face it.

In the 2011 SARP survey, removing the skill section and putting paragraphs there instead won 54% to 46% percent and we actually tried it for a while but went back to the seven-skill system. I think if we try it again, we're going to need to serious revamp all skills-related pages to avoid the same confusion. I'm willing to give simplifying the skills section another try.

---

I haven't got a chance yet to reply to all the comments and suggestions but I've read them all. Keep them coming, guys! It's nice to see other people thinking about the site's future and how to improve things. Later I will probably ask who wants to help by writing a new player orientation guide and who can be a mentor for the new folks.

 

[Brett M]

Hi,

As someone who's been part of the community for just a bit over a year now unless my memory fails me, I have to admit that perhaps I can't offer anything truly groundbreaking or put a wonder solution on the table (or indeed, any solution at all - my apologies). However, I'm just as invested as everyone else in ensuring SARP remains a healthy, wonderful and fun place to be part of.

Much like Friv, when I first started I found everything terrifically daunting (I still do, to an extent, though my anxiety has lessened). The character creation process was something I struggled with, though I'm going to give things the benefit of the doubt and assume it was me not reading things properly and/or not having my brain switched on.

One good thing about the current process is that it essentially makes new players immerse themselves in the setting as a matter of course, which helps to avoid any awkwardness down the line. On the other hand, I am aware that some folks (like myself) might struggle to get to grips with the character creation process. I am not entirely sure what might be done to ease things aside from a bit more streamlining (which brings up the question of how that might be done), but I feel that is something to be aware of.

I realise that this post may not contain much of value, but I hope that it provides a little bit of extra insight into what the newer guys are thinking (though I certainly cannot claim to talk for every newer person!).

 

[Doshii Jun]

And this, my friend, is why we need the site to be a place that imaginative teens with tons of free time are welcomed and given some level of GMing ability.

We really need to key on this, because I feel like this again goes to part of the heart of what this is about.

Do we WANT those imaginative teens coming to our site? Are we happy being older, not as involved, but still structured and mature? Do we want to welcome their energy, or will we just tire of it?

That's a huge question. We're throwing out ideas, and that's great, but I think we should address that underlying philosophy first and foremost, as I believe it's the core of what we're talking about.

Do we care about getting new players, or are we happy as we are?

Aendri suggests we are pretty good as is. Newer players such as Friv have ideas to make us more welcoming, but Friv stuck around anyway, and Friv's quality. Same with Zonr and Brett M.

However, DocTomoe's faction needs players and he doesn't know where to get them, so anything bringing in more blood is better for him based on averages alone. Ira always is welcoming of new people.

This question goes to the heart of Wes' philosophy, and why it's different from the rest of ours.

Also, Wes, got ideas for a SARPtalk if you're up for it. I'll PM them soon.

 

[CadetNewb]

Brett's got a point, but right now, it may be a double edged sword we don't want to rely on when it comes to integrating new players. But more on that later.

Doshii also has a point as well - do we really want to open the floodgates? Personally, my answer is no. Rather, I'd prefer to have my cake and eat it - I suggest we start easing them back, just a bit, to get more people in. Test the waters ourselves and see if its to our liking. If the changes that occur aren't to our taste, we can easily reverse it at that point, so no big deal. In the long run, we'd likely benefit more from getting new players, because let's face it, we're getting older.

Who will take the mantle when we are gone? Or, who will help carry its weight when we grow weak and weary?

In my opinion, the answer is obvious - we should get new players in, but be a bit methodical and cautious about it for the time being. We're in no crazy rush to get them in now-now-now after all. This does bring us back to what Brett mentioned though. What happens when they arrive? That is, getting new players to settle in well. There's been several suggestions talked about in the IRC, but today, a concept Kai talked about a while ago that I brought up again seems to have had some favor.

"Quick-Plot Tutorials"

More a variation of what he had in mind, but, the concept is simple. A quick, hands on crash course roleplay on everything that's SARP. You guys know that Shonen Manga formula where they have the newbie/guy that knows nothing and they simply show him it all, rather than talk? We could try that - take a new player with a character that knows next to nothing (for whatever reason we justify in the quick-plot) and quickly walk them through an exciting, fast paced, short plot arc that'll show them what a Neko is, what an ID-SOL is, what a Lorath is, what a Mishhu is, etc first hand. A fast, quick 1 on 1 session with a GM or Vet that's entirely optional to RP here on SARP.

There were several variations of this that cropped up, with one being a more separate non-canon new-player RP area, while another was more along the lines of Fort Ready. Simply a place where newer players could arrive and settle in a bit. Yet another was a variation of my own variation of Kai's - taking on anywhere from 4-6 players rather than being a personal 1 on 1 session.

*****

Personally, my few cents are betting on streamlining the Character Skills, improving the Character Creation, and the Quick-Plot Crash Course Tutorial being the best options on the table so far.

 

[Friv]

If it'd help, I could also be at the front of introducing new members when they make an intro thread. I haven't been in the setting very long, but I'm learning, and I also brought up an "mentor" squad idea earlier, so it's natural for me to follow through.

 

[Wes]

That would be a huge help, Friv! We'll figure out the details as we go forward with our plans to make the site even better for the long haul.

So far, here's the main stuff I got out of this discussion:

• Greeting/Mentor team needed
• Easy plots new people can get into, ala Fort Ready or Location-based
• Simplify the skills part of the character bio
• Remake the setting overview page to be better/specific and/or merge it with the new players' guide
• Enhance the new players guide in include a "crash course"
• Ira wants more species on the front page really badly. Improve opening page.
• Talk to players to find out what they want.

Let me know if I left anything out.

 

[Kyle]

Ira wants more species on the front page really badly. Improve opening page.

And it needs to be done to Wes, there's really no excuse for only allowing 'certain' factions on the front page only because they have 'two plots or more'. This is what can KILL smaller factions, because they don't get exposure on the main wiki-page. I'm thankful we have exposure on the forum's now (we aren't hidden from view sorta-speak) but this needs to go even further than that.

All factions need to have equal exposure on the wiki's front page.

 

[raz]

Concerning new player retention, it could be cool to give people a sort of "prompt" when they create a character that lets them get into RPing right away. Hell, you could probably make something similar to the random character generators for this but with events rather than people. Here's a step by step for what I'm thinking:

• Character created, hooray!
• Plug-in character's name and perhaps a few details
• New player gets a prompt paragraph outlining how "After enlisting in the Star Army (or whatever) [NAME LAST]-hei finds herself at Fort Ready after a rough first day getting oriented. She has been issued [x], [y], and [z]. From across the barracks [RANDOM NPC NCO OR COMRADE] calls out for her.
• "Hey, [NAME]-hei! [SCRIPTED RANDOM EVENT OR QUESTION HERE]"
• Player uses this prompt and posts on a designated IC newbie board until they get picked up by a real plot/possible training plots that have been talked about.

Basically, the first point of RP would be a new player posting something creative of their own volition. It lets them explore their characters and develop first quirks and get a handle on describing the setting around them. And, because the forum where they'd post this would be a general (or faction general) area, maybe we'd get people banding together and having cool "stories from basic training."

Make being a recruit the first freeform opportunity a new player has.

 

[Sigma]

I personally don't see the CCG process as a hindrance to new players. This guy is 80% complete. Except after being close to done, he just disappears.

Easy plots new people can get into, ala Fort Ready or Location-based

Fort Ready, when I did it, wasn't much fun. It didn't even end properly. Just petered out because of the GM stopped posting regularly.

One can let a newbie have a sandbox and when they're done, ask for it to be graded and reviewed by someone with more seniority. However, that then falls into their ability to take criticism and requires a volunteer to grade and review. It can even be done in the Non-Canon section.

But I dislike the idea because its stupid. It doesn't let the character get into a plot right away. Setting aside a newbie area is, IMO, insulting to newbies who may have experience on other RP sites and just need a few directions and clarifications about SARP's style.

Simplify the skills part of the character bio

How much simpler does "copy, paste, edit to your own tastes" get? If they're too braindead to get beyond this step, I don't want them in my plot.

Remake the setting overview page to be better/specific and/or merge it with the new players' guide. Enhance the new players guide in include a "crash course"

While I support the concept, I also think that it would be entirely impossible. 1) SARP is entirely too large to be condensed into an easily digestible page. 2) Reducing the information into a single page would necessarily leave out information others would find important. 3) A single page that defines what SARP is? Impossible. SARP is too many things to too many people. Its factions and tech, likewise.

The only worthwhile suggestion really is a mentor. Someone who already understands the system and can help out. Most of the new players I work with say that working out their bio with me is very easy. Likewise, when they ask for help on the IRC, they say it was helpful. Just make the GM of the new player's intended plot responsible for the new player's guidance and you'll see probably every problem disappear. The onus has to be on the GM rather than the player.

 

[Aendri]

Sigma, just to clarify. Things like Fort Ready wouldn't be a requirement, but an option. Lots of people aren't confident in their ability to pick up the slack and run in a standing plot, and giving them that springboard makes it much easier to feel okay about joining a plot with our existing players. Especially if we can get a small group of 2-3 veterans who would be willing to join in on the training plot to give them not just a GM but some experience in player interactions without everyone being new.