so...what do you think?

God, it's annoying how many are out there. I actually like some of them, for example I&E. But most of them are crappy and annoying. It's a curse. The PotC Roleplays are cursed as well, every good one goes inactive... *fears for his own board* (unhappy)

I'm personally getting to the point where it's like Harry Potter overkill. Like ... I'm not even sure if I can be bothered to read book 7 now. And I was all on the hype wagon like nobody's business a few months ago for the longest time.

Which is bad, considering I have my own HP board.

But here is the thing - instead of making creative new plots, borrowing things from that world to make something new, people are consistently making the same erfing boards all the erfing time. WHAT IS THE POINT? If you're just going to rip off someone else's idea, or have a bland, generic plot, why don't you just band up together and have a board together instead of having 800000000 ones that die in a day!!!

Now take sites like I&E and Dovinia for example (though there are others out there - those just readily jump to mind). These sites venture off into paths most RPGS dare not go, especially Dovinia. Dovinia exlcudes canons, they have their own unique storyline going based on one single thought from the Harry Potter series.

I hope that is what I'm doing with my site. It was a random idea of what would happen when a Gringotts Curse Breaker opened the wrong tomb or did his job improperly, and a terrible curse befell the earth and all that junk? No Voldy this, Potter this, blah de blah blah. I am so tired of that crap. The only thing my board really has in common with HP is the magic. It's more like the move "The Mummy" than anything else really.

I wish people would take that route more often. There is so much more of the magical world to explore than stinking Potter and Voldemort or the flippin Mauraders (like seriously - what's the point of that? you all ready knows what happens with the lot of them and all of them are basically just created so that the admins can be james and lily but that's a whole other tirade against HP in itself)

I hope they all blow each other up in book 7. Then there won't be nothing to rp about the series anymore but original ideas! (hopefully). *hmmphs*

You know if that happens a boatload of AU sites will just pop up. I agree, though, it's all out overkill. I love sites like the ones you mentioned who take the wealth of opportunity in the books and run with them without sticking to the same canon-oriented stuff which is old and tired.

I still can't wait for book 7 though, heh. I just plan on ignoring the bazillion additional boards that will spring up once it's out.

Got enough HP boards out there, to many are made, to many die. And I think the whole HP/ school genre is getting a bit over the top. Also with the joining and departing. It's no wonder such forums never survive. It's like the animals in africa, but then constant massive migrations from one forum to the other XD.

But I'm stopping now before I'm going to be rude to half the population onboard RPG-D lol. I like Harry Potter, don't get me wrong. But just be original, and if you can't be original, go and make something else besides a hp rpg.

yeah too I think the whole HP this is enough already. I voted the second last option.

I'd like to point out that in the past 6 months or so, the rate of new HP RPGs is very low compared to the rate of ones being deleted or gone inactive, and when compared to the number created in the 6 months before that. So "more" isn't really an accurate term if you are talking in terms of active RPGs.

Having said that, there is a huge problem with mass migrations in that genre in particular, and I think members tend to be rather fickle, which causes a huge loss rate. As far as the argument that new ones "have to be original", I would say that a traditional true canon HP RPG probably doesn't exist, and therefore that would be rarer than all the so-called 'original' RPGs out there.

When the very first HP RPG book came out, I was so flipping excited that I joined right away. Needless to say, it closed down a month after that. *clears throat* Anyhowls, I'm kind of sick of the random HP RPGs that are popping up around the web and then dying about a month or two later. Morso, I'm sick of them having HP Cannons. The point, in my opinion, of a HP RPG is to make your own character and have them interact with a land as cool as the one JK Rowling put out there for us to read. Where is the fun of playing Harry Potter or Remus Lupid (I hate the cannon Mauraders RPGs too Happy) when you already know how they act, who they're crushing on, their fears, their desires, blah blah blah? So, if you mess them you, the admin could be all "you played them wrong" and kick you off the site? *grumbles* I HATE cannons period.

*clears throat*

Anyhowls, I've already pre-ordered the seventh book and am intending to buy early HP5 movie tickets when they come out June 22nd here. So, I'm a fangirl of the series and I'm going to be sad to see Harry die (yeah, i think he's gonna die) along with the fantastic series, but the horrble HP RPGs that spring up won't be missed.

I loved them<3 Keep them coming! :p

I used to love them (HP RPG's) but there are now soooo many, many of which are not more unique than the next, and they frankly just getting repetitive. Or at least do not interest me any more.

I think though that there are still some great ones out there; ones that have exciting and different plots. I think for it to be good it needs to stand out in some way, and break the mould.

I love them but there need be no more.

It's boring anymore. There are thousands of them! It's getting silly. It really needs to stop. I mean... it would be better to join one or come up with a more creative idea at this point.

I don't hate them, but there are only so many plots you can have for HP, and most have them have been done to death. Just find one that matches your plans, and join it, instead of starting all over from scratch.

And don't even get me started on 'fanfic pairings'. Harry/Draco? NO. Hermione/Draco? HELL NO. Harry and Ginny I can kinda get 'cos of CoS, but just... NO.

i dont mind HP roleplays, im still fond of them and id like to join one again.

what i do have a problem with is the books. i started last year and when the sixth book came out i thought meh. i like roleplaying it more than reading it. and now i couldnt care a rats bottom about the 7th book! im like, so what? roleplaying Harry Potter has made me lose all interest in the books (as well as the fact i think their quality has gone down).

so yeah. up with hp roleplays, down with the books.

I still love Harry Potter roleplays. They are one of my favorite kind of roleplays. I think once the movies stop coming out then the amount of boards that only care about the movies and who's admin don't know the books by the backs of their hands will die down and the good ones will come through.Just though I would insert my opinion.

o.O? Ginny and Harry are a legit couple out of the ones that you mentioned. In The Half Blood Prince, he and Ginny actually dated but broke up because Harry didn't want to put her in danger.

Anways. Yea, it's getting really excessive. There are some good ones out there that I've seen more recently, but the generic plot ones, the ones that follow the book to a T and some of the spin offs are just crappy and boring.

I personally like the Marauder ones. You don't really know much about them and it's cool to think about the kinds of things they did and the kinds of relationships they formed with one another while still in school. Yea, you know their ultimate end, but how did they get there is the cool part.

Look at my sig. 'Nuff said.

I do love my HP RPGs, but I've never really loved canon. I'dno - I just find it odd playing someone else's character, when they already have a life defined by someone else.

And no one ever can, and ever will write them like JKR.

That's just my personal opinion.

But yeah, I do think there's too many - and some seem to be created simply because HP RPGs are popular, and it's an easy way to get a membership. Jumping on the bandwagon, so to speak. I'm not suggesting anyone here has, but there are a lot I can't see making it to the six month mark, let alone a year and beyond. Some I can't see lasting a month, and that's somewhat tragic.

I guess they annoy me on the whole, for lack of originality and waaaaaay too many that are canon.

Um...

well I like my HP RPG...?

I joined a lot, each one I stayed at until it died, making many friends along the way. Some lasted months, some lasted a year. That isn't something I'd attribute to just HP--it's to all games, especially fandoms. Most are created, unfortunately, by people living out quick fads. The new Lost series, the latest American suburb drama or glorified soap opera, the latest books, the latest movies. Fandoms suffer at teh hands of people wanting to play out their ideas, last for the span of said idea, then die out very quickly when they fail to realise they have to keep going.

Yet fandom is still my favourite.

I've been doing it long enough to attest to being a lifer. I don't do games in short-stunts. I join a game for life and thus, am very picky about what I play in. When it came to Harry Potter, I made ASU three years ago because I got tired of games dying. I was determined to keep a HP game going as a sanctuary for people who genuinely love the genre beyond their own fandom-fantasies. I wanted it to be a stable place where people could come and go, and for two years it was. We literally played that game to the point of breaking the server.

I do not think all HP RPGs are doomed. I'm a supporter of anyone who wants to tackle it and I am not one to squash someone else's creativity because there are already 'x' number of games out there based on the genre. -Shrug-

Let them have their cake and eat it too--the same goes for any other RPG genre. The reason HP is still going is because it has such a large following and I can't say that the same sorts of players going from game to game is any different from the same players of any fandom.

Among the many fad-esque games, there are plenty of diamonds that exceed expectations. Furiae, Kameons, When Harry Met Buffy (although I wince to remember the title, it was a big success), Hogwarts IRT, Mischief Managed, Tally, Marneons (RIP!), Witch Hazel, the list goes on of games that withstand the test of time as vigilantly as any online RPG.

What hurts the genre, and what creates the stigma is the overwhelming amount of tripe that occurs. Now, there is no more nor less tripe in HP than in any other RPG, but it gets alienated because it is so popular both in the RP world and out. The combination of fad-based games and popularity means that it has earned itself a reputation and worse still, it will get brushed aside, most of the time, based on said reputation without being looked at; 'oh god, not another Harry Potter game!' Furthermore it's labeled as a game of very little variation, of the same sorts of players, of the same sorts of quality, etc, etc. Yet when I look at the games that have been long standing, they are different. They do stand out, they don't have the same sorts of players over and over.

I love HP above almost all other genres (X-Men wins my heart, however), which I guess is why I'm such a fierce pro-HP lobbyist. This is also why I get so tiiiiiiired of seeing RPG being treated as an exclusive club wherein certain fandoms aren't welcome--or rather, are welcome, but are patted gently and condescendingly on the head, or politely ignored like a redheaded step child ^^.

It's a shame because there is some really great stuff out there. Some brilliant writers, some exceptional story lines and some beautiful, user-friendly boards.

Although there are A LOT of Harry Potter RPGs I still feel there should be more. Although I do agree with the whole "there needs to be more original plots". Roleplays should be fun and therefore need to be given a spark of imagination in order to make them individual, and not like every other one out there.

All in all, there should be more, as long as they are good and enjoyable, rather than generic and boring.

I voted the fifth option....and I am in agreement with most of the people in this thread. Joining site after site that has basically the same plot, and character cannons does get a little boring. I actually like the original RP's that don't allow cannons, and if they do I like it when it is a "What if......or an AU Rp. That way you don't know what to expect and such. But then again it is very hard these days, to start a HP board that is original or Au. Because you have people coming to the board and saying "Why are you doing that? That's not the way JK rowlings did things, and why don't you have cannons...and blah blah blah" LoL

LoL my two cents ^^

I think it's getting really annoying. They're just everywhere! I can hardly look through an ads forum anymore without seeing four or five on every page, and the worst part is...

They all have the same plot. It's as though there's only four or five plots, and everyone just shares them. It gets pretty tiring after a while, and I'd really just love to see more new out-of-the-ordinary, NON-HP forums out there. It would bring flavor to my life.

lol Just a pet peeve of mine. >.>

oh god there are so many *cowers* it just confuzzles me ... some are like the past and present been together and my tiny brain is like "dear god how does it work" lol but i spend all of my time confused so yes mwuahahahaha

I have never played any, nor do i plan on joining any in the future. But there are WAAAAAYYY too many of them around in my opinion. I mean....geez..dont people have their own imagination anymore?

I'm really starting to get a little tired of them. I've joined a few in the past and they were okay but now it's raining with Harry Potter sites, even though the series has ended. They should either try something else or join an older Harry Potter forum.

Even though I have my own Harry Potter site, I must agree with some of the comments in this topic.
Ever since the lead up and after the 7th book it's been raining roleplay sites following the theme of Harry Potter.

A lot are the same, even replicas of the other sites. For example I know of sites that have copied it down to the structure, layout, etc. That's pretty lame if the owners can't put in effort.
It's like "Hey, this site is cool and full of members, let's make our own!"

I think that's why there has been a lot of new sites. Probably because they see successful ones, they like the new book and movie, then make another one; hoping to be successful as others. Harry Potter is a popular topic to roleplay, as they are popular books.

More people should join rather than create them. There are tons of them at the moment (not that I'm complaining!).

Too many. The RPGs are usually just the same as the rest of them.

There are a few gems, of course, but for the most part they're just the same. It's just ridiculous now.

Amen, brothers and sisters.

Although I run a HP board myself, I do think there are a lot out there with absolutely no element of originality and that simply must go. Generally speaking, it's the ones that are set in the times when Harry was at school. I mean, there's no chance for expansion there. I'll admit that I didn't go very original on mine either, but the only canon characters are those that are there 19 years later, so the ghosts, Neville, and Hagrid.

I second this. A lot of HP RPs are getting so played to the point where there are LJ communities that ban HP advertisements from being posted.

With that said, there are some really good ones, but it seems that a lot of the people that create them are doing it as a trend. A lot of them look the same, down to the graphics, and I want to see some variety.

Then again, I'm not really a big HP fan.

I love HP, but I really only LOVE my board, haha. I don't join other HP roleplays, because they die too fast. But I don't really mind the amount that pops up, though I wish they were more original rather than the same "Marauder's Era -- With A Twist That Makes Us Just Like Every Other Marauder's Board!" and "Post-DH: New Dark Lord, New Rebellions" sites.

Let's see, I'm a really big HP fan and I'm on a future-era AU HP board at the moment. It's not really a 'new dark lord, new Order' board, as Sunday has called them. You could say it used to be, but the Dark Lord died by killing himself (whooo for suicidal people!) so that isn't really the case anymore. The only reason I joined it was because I knew the admin on another board and when I found it I was 'SQUEEEE!!!!!' and jumped for it.

But since I've joined that board about eight months ago, I haven't tried to find another Harry Potter board because it's awesome and will last a long time! I LOVE it there, but I just can't bring myself to seriously consider joining another HP board anyway.

Though I do agree that there are too many and people should just join the ones that are already made instead of making new ones.

I've never read a HP book, but I am tired of seeing HP RPGs sometimes. However I don't discourage others to make or participate in one. I just think they're horribly overdone and all of the skins that are on them are 100% predictable. Imageless,glossy,sidebar,side bar. Seems easier for people to make stuff that they didn't 100% create themselves these days. Disappoints the crap outta me when I open up a topic and go to the link and it turns out to be another HP RPG.

I think they're OK although I haven't joined one as of yet. I did want to but didn't for personal reasons. I've skimmed through a LOT and about 50% aren't worth the trouble. There are some really good ones out there. Might join one in the future, who knows?
But yes, there are too many of them out there.

Yes there are tons of HP rp sites out there but you know what therer must be a great interest in them or else so many would not be around. Yes they tend to pop up the flowers in the spring but I still love them no matter how many pop open everyday. If a person does not like that it is their opinion and they have the right to hate them. I support all Hp boards as I run two myself.

The reason I RP is because of HP...pottersworld was the first RPG I've ever been a part of and i still am. I can't get enough HP, I love it...but that's just my opinion as I do get where people come from when there's a lot of them. I made my own because I wanted to play Lily in a marauder era one and Lily is always taken. Always.

They're really starting to annoy me. Maybe because there are a ton of them out there, maybe because I just don't really like the gender, or a combination of both. Plus, most HP sites are basically the same, with one tiny difference or two. If I find a really successful site, one that has a really great plot, that's HP, I may consider joining though.

I love HP RPGs, so I'm not complaining, but I'm sick of only seeing post-DH and Marauder's lately. And the Marauders-with-a-twist pitch is tiresome.

Enough already. x.x

I'd say more but that pretty much sums it up.

Seriously people, stop making Harry Potter RPGs.

Harry Potter is silly and overrated to begin with. Its bad enough that everywhere you look is another Harry Potter RPG.

THERE FREAKING EVERYWHERE>

This is how I see it.

RPGs are like businesses. RPGs like Businesses need to fill a niche. And if the market is oversaturated and filled with those businesses, ITS STUPID to make more.

In fact, anyone whos makes or creates another Harry Potter RPG at this point is STUPID, and needs an MRI or something, cause you cant simply think that your forum is going to possibly do well.