Defining "success"

It started with an off-the-cuff comment, and it got me to wondering. (You know me, curious as hell.)

The comment was:
"I started looking for other rpgs, and I learned that this is the most successful rpg out there right now.

Hey, we all enjoy the game--but was that possible? Well, let's see...

1) In just over 18 months, we've completed 3 game-seasons & 7,000+ posts. Take my word for it, that's a lot, guys!

2) We're PG-rated. A lot of "Tribe"-related games are adult-themed, darker than ours (meaning a higher sexual content & some pretty gory violence). Nothing at all wrong with that, but it gives us a bit of a broader audience. We have stellar players under age 18 (you know who you are!). KTDARPG has had its share of sex & violence, but we work hard to make sure it isn't gratuitous or too far out. With an all-ages audience, it tends to make you approach those subjects with more creativity & fewer...graphics.

3) Our game-structure is easy to understand. KTDARPG is text-based, without the tags & codes a lot of other games utilize. Hey, tags work & cut down on confusion in a lot of ways. But without tags, the stories & threads in KTDARPG tend to be less convoluted, more direct & usually easier to follow.

4) KTDARPG has some reference materials that others don't use a lot--seasonal digests & in-game newsletters. Digests encapsulate/ summarize entire seasons for easy reference when a player needs to check back on some facts. The in-game newsletters add color to our game-world. They tend to give reference points & embellish details, freezing some moments & making sure all players are pretty much on the same page as we move ahead.

5) The digests & newsletters have helped give us a steady member readership. A lot of people don't have the time to play, but they enjoy reading what's happening. They're as much a part of the audience we play to as the other players in the game.

6) A lot of rpgs have larger memberships than KTDARPG (we currently have 52 members), but few have as strong a central core of players. From month to month, KTDARPG has 8 wicked creative players who have weathered a lot of storms & pushed this game to some incredible highs. The kicker is that maybe 1-2 of those players had any rpg-experience before joining our game. (We're glad they did!)

All this is very much to do with our forefathers--Game Master Xeno who started it all & the players who were with him in October 2004: Savinius, Prince, Arianna, Mimi, Kava, Rourke & Ransom. Thanks, guys! We hope we continue to do you proud & keep your dream alive.

As we started season 4, we added a handful of new players. They have characters in the game & are adding to the ebb 'n flow of the story. Dynamics are changing, alliances are forming, we're learning who these new characters are & how they'll impact the storyline as we move ahead.

In other words..."Season 4: Rebirth of a City" has the potential to be our best yet. Come on over and see what I mean. --Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"