Do Re Mi: A Guide to RP Site Scales

"So.... many.... decisions...." *internally screaming*

Did you ever wonder how big your rp should be?
Is your rp dying because it's too large to handle right now?
Are you not sure how to start choosing your site host?

Consider first, the scale of your roleplay. Not every roleplay needs a home page. Not every roleplay needs a million pages. But some do. So before sitting down to begin, first consider what site type you are going to need.

Here are the six scales of sites that are most commonly found in the rp community.

Basic Plot

"Back to square one."

Basic Plot rps are the most common I have stumbled across next to Forums Based (below). Basic Plot is usually centered on one area of a world with a set number of ranks/roles/factions to be a part of. The size varies, but not by too much. People will usually find it easy to make rp places with some form of chat box, though forums can be used as well.

PAGES NEEDED
 - Home
 - Information (and their subs)
 - Join
 - Characters
 - Extras (for later use to hold character relationships, plot details, and advertising)

FEATURES
 - A main site for the information and possibly characters
 - OR a separate characters site for better organization
 - A site wide plot that is easy to encompass the majority if not all character types of the site

Typical look of a Basic Plot site:

Mini

"I will name it Squishy and it will be my Squishy~!"

Mini RPs are similar to the Basic Plot site, but like their name implies, they are smaller in size. Mini RPs have a VERY limited focus on one particular aspect of the world. They usually host only a small number of players and characters. RP options for characters are also, as a result, limited.

PAGES NEEDED
 - Home
 - Information (possibly a sub page)
 - Join
 - Characters (a separate site is not needed)
 - Extras (for later use to hold character relationships, plot details, and advertising)

FEATURES
 - A main site for the information and characters
 - Very few pages and very concise information
 - A site wide plot that encompasses all characters
 - Usually the rp will be held in comment boxes located on the actual site

Typical look of a Mini site:

Forums Based

"What's up people!?"

Forums Based rps are just that: rps based on a forums. Roleplays are small of size, though some ambitious people can make them very large. Each rp is usually put on its own thread and organized by size, members, genre, or maturity rating, etc.

PAGES NEEDED
 - None. The rps will be divided up into certain categories and each rp will have an individual thread. All information will be kept to the very first post(s) in the thread, with characters added in below, and rp added below that.

FEATURES
 - One site: the forums.
 - Organization is key.
 - Tons of different ideas being presented, lots of different options to join, many different members to get to know.

Typical look of a Forums Based site:

1x1

"We are one."

1x1 (one-on-one) rps are exactly as the title implies: one member rping with another member, aka, two members rping strictly with each other. The actual size does not matter. Some 1x1s are HUGE and encompass a ton of characters. Some are tiny and just have one character for each player.

PAGES NEEDED
 - If hosted on a forums, just a topic or two dedicated to information, characters, and the rp is needed.
 - If hosted on a website, the pages are purely left up to the players.

FEATURES
 - Usually private or secluded area for just the two members to concentrate on their conversation

Typical look of a 1x1 site:

Epic Scale

"So you want to top Skyrim..."

Epic Scale sites are HUGE in size, scope, information, character number, rp locations, and, well, everything. Imagine turning Skyrim into a roleplay, or Dragon Age, or Fallout 4. Think massive. Think grandiose. Think exhausting. And you have Epic Scale.
Epic Scale is typically what happens when a creator gets uber ambitious. The Main site is just one piece of four. The majority of information actually NEEDS to be kept on another site, a wiki, or multiple notebooks on the owner's desk. The sheer amount of character possibilities demands that a separate site for characters is made. And rp DEFINITELY needs its own forums. Sites like these will require a staff at some point.

PAGES NEEDED
 - Home
 - Information (and their subs)
 - A link page to the exhaustive information database site
 - Join
 - Characters Site Link
 - Extras (for later use to hold character relationships, plot(s) detail(s), and advertising)

FEATURES
 - A main site for the information and possibly characters
 - A separate information site
 - A separate characters site
 - A separate rp site (usually, and most recommended, forums)
 - Multiple plots. A Site Wide plot is sometimes used.

Typical look of an Epic Scale site: (example used is the rp and exhaustive information site)

Open World Concept

"FREEEEDOOOOOOM!!!"

Open World Concept (OWC) sites are typically Basic Plot to Epic Scale sites. Most sites start out as OWC before moving on to plots, though Epic Scale will never leave OWC style.
Open World Concept sites do not have an all encompassing site wide plot which is what mainly separates them from Basic Plot sites.

PAGES NEEDED
 - Home
 - Information (and their subs)
 - Join
 - Characters
 - Extras (for later use to hold character relationships, plot details, and advertising)

FEATURES
 - A main site for the information and possibly characters
 - OR a separate characters site for better organization
 - Plenty of detail in ranks/occupations/factions/races for players to create a variety of characters
 - Typically a very large world with a large quantity of pre-made locations for members to rp in

Typically, an Open World Concept site can look like anything. Examples of OWC sites can be found here: Elder Scrolls Skyrim , Atramentous Luminosity