Can I just say something here? I know, I wrote that sidebar code, but at the time I had no idea it would spurn a whole host of sites that look exactly the same and people would snub other ways of doing sites.

I am irked by the pervading sameness of many RPGs.

It seems like people not only make sites that fit this very specific pattern, but also only join ones that do. Can't we encourage more creativity in this arena? Can't we broaden our horizons or at least be more tolerant of unique concepts and design?

-Why do the same people make the same site over and over again?
-Why do so many sites have the same plot formulas?
-Why isn't there more use of unique colors and color combinations?
-Why is a sidebar the only option?
-Why use that gothic font with the shaded top? (Sorry, but I see that one on so many sites, and even people who use it on every site they make!)
-Why ignore a site unless it fits some sort of design formula?

Very soon, RPGD will have a graphics section up, and I'd really like to see some new things done there and not the same things done on every other graphics site. I'm sorry, but I see so many banners, sigs, and avatars that look nice but have the exact same pattern (person on left, person on right, title). I'd like to see tutorials on how actually to use the graphics programs and why you do those things instead of step by steps on how to make an exact replica.

Following the same formulas and requiring them on sites you join doesn't make you 'elite' or a certain level of roleplayer. It means there's a lack of creativity going on and it's faster to just follow a formula. I think it's actually damaging the RPG world, because we've become so particular that roleplaying is more about appearances than actual roleplaying, and it's part of the reason things get started and abandoned so quickly.

I agree that there is a real lack of originality, but I don't think it stops at the sidebar. As for graphics, the same old person on the left, person on the right, title is one of the easiest things to make. It's very basic. It was honestly the first thing I learned to do. I can excuse graphics (most of the time) because that requires building up a skill and putting in a lot of time or whatever -- but I could sit down for fifteen minutes and come up with a unique color scheme, so that isn't as excusable to me. If you're going to put in the effort to create your own RPG then actually PUT IN THE EFFORT.

Why use that gothic font with the shaded top? I'm curious as to what font you're talking about. I've probably seen it but I can't tell what you mean from the description.

I don't have a sidebar. I don't want a sidebar. If I had a sidebar, I'd have to spend my time coming up with stuff to put in it and I'd much rather be running my game.

I have a very simple site layout. Header with some graphics at the top. Sub-forums in the middle. Shoutbox at the bottom. It's all shadings of brown and grey on a white background. No curlicues, no murkiness, no swirly microfonts. There's a slideshow next to the chatbox with pictures of various PCs and NPCs, and that's about the height of the 'flashiness.'

It doesn't look like other rpg boards, especially other X-Men boards. Could I change it? Yes, if I wanted to go to a lot of effort. Does that cost me prospective players? Almost certainly. And that's mildly frustrating, but what's to be done?

I'm far more concerned about other aspects of sites that are 'cookie-cutter'. Rules, for instance. I thought carefully about my rules, added certain pretty interesting subsets of things you can do (auxiliary characters, for example), and I see so many sites crippled by absolutely moronic rules they obviously hadn't even thought through, just cribbed from another site.

I have to admit I don't much care for the sites that all look the same, but at least they aren't spending all their time on appearances/the skin...

... unfortunately, they don't seem to be spending it on anything else, either.

I really wouldn't mind a site with a ubiquitous skin if it had some originality and a few good writers.

Somehow, they almost never do...

I have to agree. I mean, if I ever use one, it's for navigation, a c-box and my site's banner. They are getting repetitive. And really, they all do look the same. I find that it's a bit worse for IF then Proboards. I've seen some sort of attempt for originality in Proboards, not that there probably isn't any originality in the IF crowd! ^^;;

I remember when I had to use header boxes. I love header boxes. They're simple, easy and can do what you want without having to clutter everything. You can stick in links as well as the c-box and be done with it! You don't have to stretch out the page with an annoying sidebar.

But whatever. I also just hating having to edit crap EVERY TWO DAYS! >< It's annoying.

OMG. FINALLY, SOMEONE WHO NOTICED THIS AS WELL.

Seriously, every site HAS THE SAME SKIN. All of them. It's just the same skin EVERY TIME. That bothers me so much it's not even funny. I busted my butt working on new skin templates for a forum I was going to start a while back. And it wasn't just one skin-- I coded three skins, each with a different CSS and wrapper-- they only shared the same html template.

But I've never seen anyone else try to make anything so completely different.

Seriously. And the insane amount of Twilight rpgs running around makes me want to shoot myself. D: There are so many! And the books weren't even good!

As for colour combinations, they're all the same because every skin you see was used somewhere else. :x

Ah, yes, those were the days! When layouts were nice and streamlined and weren't bulky, trying to imitate wordpress themes. That's what all the skins now are-- wordpress theme imitators. Not that that's a bad thing, it's just that a website and a forum are different, and should be coded differently.

That's just even less originality there. :/

Seriously, though? I've been looking for a humanesque rpg for the past few days, but there isn't anything. The ones that I think I might like are dead and none are actually active. Or they have some weird rules, strange application process, or a really bad layout. x__o;;;

Urrrrg.

A M E N! I AGREE! D: WHY?! I am a well known Twilight hater on here. xD And the books were hooooooorrible! Why make another cookie cutter Twilight RPG?! Once Edward and Bella the Horrible are taken, no one else wants to join and the RP dies in less then a month. Wasted space if you ask me!

I've used a sidebar, but I tried to make it original. It was basically just for navigation and stuff because a header box just wouldn't work with the layout.
I've spent months working on HTML templates (granted, I don't use IF which makes it possible) to make my sites original. But I still have color scheme issues. Everything has been done before. So I've given up on that; my site atm is basically grey. Grey with some color to match whatever logo you decide to use. It takes five minutes to make a new skin and everything is fairly easy on the eyes. That's the way I like it. But the color combination is still overdone.
I'd love to say that I spend more time on the concept and role play than the layout but that would be a huge huge lie. I've never spent more time on anything than the HTML templates of my forums ;-;

The look is the first thing people see. It should always be original, easy on the eyes with all important things fairly visible. Otherwise - at least to me - it's a pretty big turn off. Sidebars these days all seem to have useless informatoin and stretch things out too much. They aren't useful. Peopel are makign them to fit in and filling them with nothing but.. filler. Yeah.

/what could be a rant but I just don't know anymore :pink:

I agree with you 100% I am sick of all of the site that look the same. The side bar, the artsy skin, and the artsy banner.

When the boom of these sites first happened I guess people saw them as the new thing. At first I didn't comply because the sidebar wasn't for me. But when no one would give your site a second glance because you didn't have a side bar but rather a table at the top of your board where you put your information... well... you have to join the bandwagon so people will give your site a second glance and read the plot.

Is it sad, yes. Did I follow everyone else, yes. Am I part of the madness, sadly, yes. Let's start a campaign for change! lol

Oh sweet irony.

Hahahaha. Poor Roswenth.

At any rate, I used a sidebar because I could fit more information in it than I could in an announcement box. But I didn't do anything such as "couple of the month" or whatever because, in my opinion, seeing those "no one yet" boxes drives me nuts.

Yeah boards are looking very similar these days. Too similar. But maybe it's just the lack of coding ability?(could be lack of creativity and laziness too...) I can edit codes very well but I can't make them from scratch though I started recently learning how to do that so I'm on my way out of the use of similar skins! Yey! (though might take a while since I have loads of school stuff keeping me from focusing on such things) ^_^

I like personalizing things, so yeah, it gets rather frustrating when every board looks alike. I like seeing different looks and they get my creative juices flowing.

I have a sidebar. But my board's on phpBB, and it actually gives you the option. I could switch it to the other side, which would work fine for me (I'm left-handed!) but might confuse everyone else.

I've also changed the colour scheme to something of my own.

And I think my board's different enough with the account info on the right, instead of the left. Something I never thought about and could change if I wanted. But I don't want, because it makes it look just different enough. (if you want a look, the link's in my sig.)

And it's a nice colour combination, with a decent sized font and everything. But I think it might just be different because it's not IF or PB, nd that's plain stupid.

If it takes time to code up an IF board anyway (and I don't know; I've never had one), what's wrong with putting in a little more time right at the beginning and making it look different from every other IF board?

We're all individual, with individual tastes. Shouldn't that show in what we do online as well as what we wear to go to the shops? Or do people get online and turn into sheep?!

Woah... didn't expect that to turn into a mini-rant of my own!

Frustrating indeed.

I'm about ready to set my hair on fire putting together a new layout for my RP. Trying to find an original colour scheme that is not only legible but suits the macabre theme of my plot is proving one of the most frustrating endeavours of my RP-life. But what's really making me reach for the blowtorch is all the impulsive creations with no effort nor originality. They were probably thrown together in two hours.

And what's even more infuriating? They gain members. Swiftly. They're trendy, they look 'professional' (because their layout was skinned at RCR) and they're a genre that almost every 13-year-old n00b salivates over...

Then they swiftly DIE because the admin didn't actually care to manage the damn thing.

I guess I wouldn't really care if that meant RPs with some originality and effort were given all the more credit and attention for daring to swim upstream. But it usually takes a hell of a lot more work to gain members when you're not part of a collective bandwagon.

StC's manged to do pretty well, not being part of a bandwagon.

What I did to gain members was go directly to the fandom (it's historical and aimed at Age of Sail fans mostly). I'm part of the fandom myself, so I took it to people on LiveJournal who I know, and communities I'm part of, and advertised it there, outside of RPG fans and players.

And then someone gave me the link for RPG-D, so I came here to you people who aren't AoS fans, but who are RPG players. And I got one player here, and who knows? I may get more.

So take it to people outside of the RPG world, to fans of that genre, the fanfic writers and see what happens.

You might be surprised. But yes, Silvae, doing that does take a bit more effort, but I think it's worth it. And it will certainly set you apart from all those people who like creating boards, but then can't be bothered to run them or advertise them. And that can only be good.

AMEN! I completly agree with you on everything you just said.

-you do NOT need a sidebar to have a functioning site. Sure they look pretty sometimes but not everyone needs them
-I'm sorry but after a while all of the same sites gets annoying. If you like something, join their site. Don't go make your own!

I have to agree with the header box crowd. I loved those! But I can't find their code anywhere *sadness*. I have neither, however, and my site gets along perfectly fine. I shoved the c-box in the footer and put the important links elsewhere. We're getting on just fine without either. I'm sure other sites could, too.

Sidebars are sometimes nice. If done properly with a skin that works they can actually look really good. But not when they're on every. single. site and done the exact. same. way every time! It doesn't look good, it never has, it never will GET OVER IT!

*deep breath* I am perfectly okay. I am sane, calm, and relaxed.

You just might, if I ever get assured of the time to rp outside my own game. Got a Bow Street Runner I've been noodling over ...

You will be seeing a welcome box code shortly, along with a bunch of other codes...and that's all I'll say about that.

Ok, I know I'm going to sound completely lame here, but, I have no clue how to make a skin for a board.(Other than Proboards) None whatsoever. x.x I have tried and tried and failed and failed. SO, therefore, I do use sites that offer skins on them.

Do I wish I could have a more original skin? Every Day.

Can I make it? Not a snowball's chance in the south of hell.

BUT, I'm ok with that, because it gives me more time to focus on the plot of the board and stuff.

Now, the new RP I'm working on, I want an original looking skin...badly. So, I'm going to use a skin that looks good, and looks fairly original too. *sighs* Knows how to use Photoshop but can't edit coding to save my life sometimes...

Hey, buddy, I've got a documentation in the works. Nothing major, but just enough to give an extra hand.

I don't disagree, but I guess I just don't understand why people care so much? Everyone who has replied here says that they're annoyed by all the sites that look the same but then also say that people should focus more on the roleplaying than the appearance. So... why does it matter whether a site looks exactly like 20 others? Isn't it the board itself that matters?

I appreciate it when an admin spends a lot of time making their site attractive and know that appearance has a lot to do with atracting members, but I could care less whether they're using Roswenth's sidebar and the same font as a bunch of other sites. As long as I can look at it every day without being annoyed or wanting to gouge my eyes out, the look of the board doesn't matter to me and if it's easier for an admin to use this simple sidebar code and a pre-made skin, then I really don't care.

.....Bless you. You ROCK! *Offers you tons of gifts and a muffin*

I'm self-taught. There's TONS of sites that you can google with tutorials on CSS and HTML editing. If you need to, start with a skin you think is simple but nice looking and just try editing the colours. Then try editing the borders or something. Eventually, you can fiddle so much as to make a completely different skin. After that it becomes pretty self-explanatory how to make a skin from scratch with nothing but the default coding to work with. It takes practice, but it helps. However, I did this because I had an interest in coding and such. I don't know why, but I like skinning my own forums... But if it's not your cup of tea, can't blame you.

And sarahj, I think many of us were trying to point out that these sites that just copy the same skin that's been repeatedly used and done to death are ALSO the RPs with a thrown-together plots and die within a week. Not always, this is a generalization, but quite a few of them have no effort in skin nor the RP itself...

Of course, if the skin is a default but the RP itself is not cookie-cutter, I will join if I have an interest. I don't think any of us were saying 'boo, I'm never joining a site that used a skin from RCR/IFSkinzone etc.'