personally, i do think Vlad was a bit harsh in his post, but i do see what he's saying and i can understand it. Let me share a little story.
Now, i've never set up a website, perse, but i did set up an RPG on an RPG site. It was kind'a like the RPG we have here, except there were things like hit points, magic points, spells, etc. All focussed around tickling and sex, but i didn't borrow any system, i created my own loosly based on the Fighting Fantasy combat system. It took me probably four to six monthes to figure out a system, write it all down, set the game up, and then wait for enough players to start.
And when we did start, we didn't even finish the first mission. now, this wasn't so much because of my system, as so much because several players had to leave as they simply didn't have time to play anymore, while a few others just disapeared without a word. This, of course, pretty much killed the game, as it was extremely disheartening to see my first attempt to be a DM and run a game fall appart.
However, the brightside is that i found one particuler player who fell in love with my system. It was something she enjoyed a great deal, a system based around sex and tickling, but still flexible. She was around my age, but was also an experienced AD&D player and GM, and she was able to take my system, find the various flaws, and add/rework things until we had a beta version 2. She even started a game using the new system, something i was greatly flattered for, and i played this time as a player while she was the GM.
This game did better then my game, both because the system was more deverse and effective, and also because she was a much more experienced, and greatly skilled, GM. Sadly, the game came to an end before it's time do to both the GM's hard drive crashing, and because the RPG site that we used got new guidlines for adult content where our game would no longer be playable. To make matters worse, i lost contact with this girl and have not managed to get back in contact with her, something that i hope i can do.
Now, while one could call these games failors, because of there abrupt ends, i prefer to think of them as learning experiences. I learned three valuable lessions through these games.
One, the smaller number of players you get, the better. The more players you have, the longer a wait time there is for players to post, as one player not being able to post can hold back the entire group.
two, a system always has flaws, so it's better to agressively seek them out before players find them while your playing a game.
three, just because a person signs up for your game, it doesn't always mean they like the same things you do.
So, what did i do with this new information? I made more games. However, these games were never intended to go anywhere. They were simple, short games, that allowed me to both test out any changes i made to the system, and filter through players. I learned what players actuelly had tickling fetishes and liked the same things i did, and who were just casual players. the games never finished, but they were successes because i got the test data i wanted.
Eventually, i took this test data, and compiled it. I looked over my previous players, reading there application sheets and seeing how they played, and then hand picked which players i thought would suit me best. I then proceeded to take my current game system, gut it, and built it up into something stronger(With some help from another female gamer). I'm now on the third beta version, and with the people i hand picked, and trying a serious game, which so far is going well, and i think has the capabilities of succeeding where my first game failed.
So, in a nutshell, what i'm saying is don't think of this site as a failor. think of it as a beta test. Learn from your shortcommings and problems, and figure out how to address them. Find where your strengths are, and build on them. But most importantly, sit down and really think about what your objectives are. Don't say "I want a thousand members" and aim for that. say "I want ten members" and aim for that. And after you get those ten members, say "Ok, now a want another ten members" and go from there. Set realistic goals for yourself. I'd love to have 8 players and a Co-GM or two, but i know from experience that it's a very unlikely scenario to have all that and a game that runs smoothly, so right now i have just 3 other players. If the game goes well, i might grab a forth player, and so forth and so on.
Being successful isn't always about hard work, it's about setting goals you can achieve. Well, i hope my words have helped a bit, and remember, so long as you learn something, then it's not a failor. 😉
