One issue with games in general, and probably online games like this in particular, is player retention. I haven't done a lot of thinking about this yet, other than trying to keep in mind that it can be a bit of an issue. If anyone has feedback on what helped them keep some interest or what was less motivating, let me know.
I hope, however, that a few things might help:
First off, being clear on what the game is about and why it is fun. I found this video about explaining game rules in the past couple months, and it was kind of eye-opening. Not just because I've been playing a bunch of board games and we almost always seem to have one new player, but because it's applicable to at least this sort of game in particular.
Second, but related to the first, we can be clear about what the commitment is. I found that about 1-2 hours a week was correct for me, but I'm not sure if that was everyone's experience. If you had 9 levels of influence, that might have been easier to deal with than 21 levels though. But not just a weekly commitment, but also the game's duration. I'm currently thinking of having a set end-time after about 4-5 months. It'll give players an idea of how much time they have to plan, but also bring the story to at least an interim ending. Then we can decide if we want to start a new chapter of the same game, take another do-over with the same sort of rules in a different setting, do a different style of game completely, or call it a fun time and be done with this sort of game for the time being. This also ties into that "why it's fun" bit because you can feel good about sticking through with it till the end if you have an idea of when the end will be.
Third, and still related to that video, is being clear about the rules. I like having them all in one pdf because I don't have internet access all the time, but some people might prefer things in a few shorter chunks that a wiki might provide. But we can look at how the rules are laid out and what we can do to help people understand their options. I think a quick three-minute youtube video showing a sample turn or how some influences might interact would do wonders, but also something like a one-page rules/turn summary so you could at least see all/most of your options at a glance. I already mentioned renaming some of the actions (Attack an opponent's influence, Conceal your Resources, etc.) so they're a bit more descriptive, which could help as well. In terms of a pdf of the rules, it could be linked a bit more, and page-breaks might make the document a lot longer, but dividing things into logical sections and making them a bit more digestible could also help here.
Fourth, we know that Toulouse had a bit of a slow start which may have put off some some people, not to mention the needs of real life, travel, etc. which might have interrupted things. For that, all we can do is try to make sure that people have some clearer goals and info on other characters from the beginning and try to accommodate to different schedules and timezones and so on. On the faction front, I'm hoping to get characters organized into factions, and also that clans will all actually have known relations (even if those relations aren't all sire and childe.).
I hope, however, that a few things might help:
First off, being clear on what the game is about and why it is fun. I found this video about explaining game rules in the past couple months, and it was kind of eye-opening. Not just because I've been playing a bunch of board games and we almost always seem to have one new player, but because it's applicable to at least this sort of game in particular.
Second, but related to the first, we can be clear about what the commitment is. I found that about 1-2 hours a week was correct for me, but I'm not sure if that was everyone's experience. If you had 9 levels of influence, that might have been easier to deal with than 21 levels though. But not just a weekly commitment, but also the game's duration. I'm currently thinking of having a set end-time after about 4-5 months. It'll give players an idea of how much time they have to plan, but also bring the story to at least an interim ending. Then we can decide if we want to start a new chapter of the same game, take another do-over with the same sort of rules in a different setting, do a different style of game completely, or call it a fun time and be done with this sort of game for the time being. This also ties into that "why it's fun" bit because you can feel good about sticking through with it till the end if you have an idea of when the end will be.
Third, and still related to that video, is being clear about the rules. I like having them all in one pdf because I don't have internet access all the time, but some people might prefer things in a few shorter chunks that a wiki might provide. But we can look at how the rules are laid out and what we can do to help people understand their options. I think a quick three-minute youtube video showing a sample turn or how some influences might interact would do wonders, but also something like a one-page rules/turn summary so you could at least see all/most of your options at a glance. I already mentioned renaming some of the actions (Attack an opponent's influence, Conceal your Resources, etc.) so they're a bit more descriptive, which could help as well. In terms of a pdf of the rules, it could be linked a bit more, and page-breaks might make the document a lot longer, but dividing things into logical sections and making them a bit more digestible could also help here.
Fourth, we know that Toulouse had a bit of a slow start which may have put off some some people, not to mention the needs of real life, travel, etc. which might have interrupted things. For that, all we can do is try to make sure that people have some clearer goals and info on other characters from the beginning and try to accommodate to different schedules and timezones and so on. On the faction front, I'm hoping to get characters organized into factions, and also that clans will all actually have known relations (even if those relations aren't all sire and childe.).
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