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[Kaidlen Shan]

I've been hearing an old complaint from a long time member who has been complaining about this for a while now. So I've decided to post these suggestions for everyone to read and hopefully implement.

1.) Feel free to come up with ideas for scenarios and start them up in the Blue Scenario forum. They can be about just about anything and have as many or as few players participating. Examples of this are the Spirit Rising scenario of the Phantoms, and Sky's solo thread that details her past. Threads that get a lot of player activity could end up becoming official scenarios that get moved to the main forum where most of the IC action occurs.
2.) If you have an idea for an official scenario that you would like to see played out, don't be afraid to post the idea in here, or PM it to the admins. If it's not something that we think will do well as an official scenario, it can still be played out in the Blue Scenario forum.
3.) Don't think that things are hopeless. They're not, if people are willing to put in the effort. It takes all the members to make a game work. IR has worked for many years and is worth saving. However, you HAVE to be willing to put out some effort in order to have a game. Jim and I, nor the other admins for that matter, have the time to come up with countless ideas for people to play. That is not our job. Everyone has to contribute or it just won't work. And more than a couple of people need to contribute ideas for scenarios besides just one or three players.
4.) Think about planning ahead for future scenarios. Just because you have an idea for one, it doesn't have to be played right away. It takes time to plan out a scenario occasionally. Besides, it also gives us ideas to use for later one. Case in point, my scenario "Who Says You Can't Go Home?". That one has been in development for close to 4 years now.
5.) Don't be afraid to use an existing scenario as a springboard for another scenario. After all actions do have consequences. And it's not unheard of for someone's idea to inspire an idea for someone else. Examples of scenarios springboarding from another scenario- "Turbulence In Command" gave rise to "The Winds Stills", which triggered the opening post in "Who Says You Can't Go Home?". Turbulence and The Wind Stills are related scenarios and reinforces what I stated about actions having consequences. However, Who Says is not related to them, but springboards off of Wind Stills because it presented a perfect opening for the new scenario.
6.) Don't be afraid to recruit new players. Just because things are really slow at the moment, doesn't mean that they won't pick up again. IR is famous for having periods without much activity taking place. It hasn't killed the game completely as yet. It's something that happens in a lot of text base games, unless you have hundreds of players like the Combine has.
7.) And if you do manage to recruit a player who is willing to get active, don't just let him or her alone. Plot out ideas together and get to posting. Work up a history for the new member's character in a Blue Scenario. it helps detail out who the new character is. And not just for the others, but for the new member too. S/he might actually come up with some great stuff.
8.) The last and the most important one of all- if you are tired of the lack of activity in the game, quit bitching about it and post something. Activity breeds activity.

The only thing that can kill a game is if everyone quits posting completely. Even if only 2 or 3 people are posting, the game is not dead.