I think a lot of the time the reason rp doesn't turn into long-term connections is because the characters haven't connected. For many characters, unless you put external pressure on them to be around certain other characters, they're not going to naturally come together. They need to be able to have a good reason to hang around a stranger and get to know them better -- it's the same way in real life. Most of the interactions I have with strangers don't go anywhere. I have no desire to get to know the girl I had a ten minute conversation with any better. Granted, sometimes spontaneous rp turns into something spectacular, but far more often than not no connection is made.
This is why I encourage people to talk to players oocly. One more thing you can do is either discuss some ideas, or have some in your own mind to push circumstantial/spontaneous meetings into the territory of a memorable encounter. It's why I try to always have some sort of plot in mind for rp, even if it's something simple. Like, heck, once upon a time I set up a scene where a group of street kids were beating up a stray dog, and my character was getting ready to beat up the ringleader, because it was something my character would do, and because I knew the character I was playing with wouldn't be able to walk by. In the end, the morality of both characters was challenged, and though they were uneasy around each other, it eventually lead to more conversations and more butting into each other's business.
So, you know, look around at others' characters, find one that would jive well with yours, talk to the player. Give the characters something to work towards/against either for a one-off rp or that can turn into a multi-encounter thing. Keep pushing until they form a connection.
This is why I encourage people to talk to players oocly. One more thing you can do is either discuss some ideas, or have some in your own mind to push circumstantial/spontaneous meetings into the territory of a memorable encounter. It's why I try to always have some sort of plot in mind for rp, even if it's something simple. Like, heck, once upon a time I set up a scene where a group of street kids were beating up a stray dog, and my character was getting ready to beat up the ringleader, because it was something my character would do, and because I knew the character I was playing with wouldn't be able to walk by. In the end, the morality of both characters was challenged, and though they were uneasy around each other, it eventually lead to more conversations and more butting into each other's business.
So, you know, look around at others' characters, find one that would jive well with yours, talk to the player. Give the characters something to work towards/against either for a one-off rp or that can turn into a multi-encounter thing. Keep pushing until they form a connection.
