Top Retention Tips
This article was written by James Drysdale from Starbase 118 (visit their website).
Recruitment and retention have been hot topics on OngoingWorlds lately and they’re both important. Attracting players to your game is essential to keep it viable because no matter how good you are, people’s circumstances change and there are many things outside a GM’s control that can take players away from the game, from education or new jobs to expanding family or even caring responsibilities. New players are the lifeblood of our games, so what can we do to increase retention and as ensure our new players want to stay? Here are a few of my favourite tried and tested tips:
1: Make them feel welcome
You can have an immediate, positive impact on your new players just by sending them a message to introduce yourself and welcome them to the game. Similarly announcing new players to the rest of the crew and getting everyone to introduce themselves and welcome the new player makes them feel wanted and part of the community. It’s a simple thing to do and it doesn’t take a lot of time but it can have a big impact and is generally greatly appreciated. It can be intimidating joining a group of people who’ve been playing together a while and these personal touches matter.
2. Give them the information they need
You may have a wiki, or particular pages or documents that tell players about your game world and what’s happening. It’s all very well expecting the players to seek this information out themselves to bring themselves up to date but there can be a lot for a new player to take in all at once. As part of my welcome message to new players I always give them the essential, basic information they need to jump right in and signpost them to further reading that they can look at when they have time. Furthermore I tell them how to jump in, and this may be as simple as having their character arrive at a particular location and report to a particular character. Doing this shouldn’t take much time as you know your game. It shows you care and removes a common barrier that new players face, particularly in the more original roleplays.
3. Get them involved immediately
Submitting the first post when you’re a new player in a game is a big deal and to some people its a hurdle they really struggle with. Worries about whether their writing is good enough, or if they’ll get something wrong and what people will think of it can occupy a new player’s mind and hold them back. You may have already given the player clear instructions but don’t wait for them to make the first move. If you’ve told the player to report to a particular character at a particular location then get the person who plays that character to tag them in, or write a joint post depending on how your game is normally played. When a player first joins your game they’re generally very excited and eager to get started, if uncertainty holds them back their enthusiasm may drop as days stretch into weeks. The sooner you can get them involved and joining in the fun with everyone else the better.
This article was written by James Drysdale from Starbase 118 (visit their website).
