Recommendations for Forum sites to host RPG

I am looking to start an RPG and possibly move another one to a Forum. I have been looking at sites but none of the ones I have seen have impressed me. Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

What genre is the RPG you want to host?

 

A lot depends Symon if you're looking for a free host or you're willing to pay for a server. Option one, free host there are a few that are quite good, Proboards, jcink and Zetaboards being the most popular. Step up just a little, spend maybe in total of around $80-90 a year for a server and all that goes with it, I would recommend SMF. It is extremely user friendly even for the novice manager and has some fantastic mod add ons.

 

One game takes place in the Star Trek Universe (not J.J. Abramsverse) and the other is a World of Darkness/Vampire:Requiem story.

I will check out the boards you suggested. Paying for a server isn't really an option right now. Maybe if people were to join and actually participate then upgrading could be an option.

 

Okays then. For look and feel, nice lovely layout and pages, go for Zetaboards. They now have email notices for subscribed threads which they didn't have a year ago. They also have multiple account set ups if you want members to log in with character profiles. It can be made to look brilliant to with the right skins etc. Totally free.

 

Not an RPG board but it'll give you an idea

http://orionspace.info/index.php

 

Thanks

 

Zetaboards are an excellent recommendation for the beginner. I know many who started with them to get a good feel for what they might be able to achieve.

 

Unless things have changed recently, I don't recommend Zetaboards for an option because once you get going there's no easy way to leave them. They don't give you access to your database so trying to leave them means either starting over from scratch or manually transferring everything.

Instead I'd recommend Jcink or IcyBoards. Both are solid options and do have a method to acquiring the database. (On Jcink the admin can download it for free at any time, on IcyBoards you have to either pay for premium or a one time cost to get the database.)

As for self-hosting, if you plan to do that I recommend you get a copy of Xampp or Wamp and then experiment with SMF, MyBB and phpBB. (Xampp/Wamp are software that allow users to set up temporary/personal servers on their computers for testing things. ) This way you can try out the various free software options to see which you prefer. I recommend that you pick a slightly older version to install then try upgrading it to the latest version to see how tough/time consuming it is and what kind of problems you might run into. Plus try installing some mods, setting them up and seeing how they behave.
I mean there's no point in going self-hosted if find out early on that you hate the maintenance side of it. (I mean there's probably going to be no one else who really can do that for you when you're self-hosted.)

 

ive always roleplayed on proboards and hosted my own roleplay there, too... i think its simple to use and theres a few guides online on how to spruce up the forum a bit so you can have a nice layout-- and if you find someone who can make a theme, you can get quite wonderful results!

i think its very easy to use and learn too ever since the latest upgrade.

 

I like Jcink, although I am intrigued by self-hosting. I'm not sure I have the coding skills to make one though.

 

There is very little coding required to self-host, in my opinion. These days you can get a forum software that pretty much works out of the box, can upgrade itself, and which can install add-ons and themes automatically.

 

I've got one you can have, since it hasn't drawn any interest at all, I'm giving it away. It has everything there and I can help you tailor it to your needs.

 

xenforo is working well for us

 

We use MyBB, and I think we're independently hosted. :)

 

I used to have forum on proboards then I have seen many people has moved their forums on jcink so I did too .

 

I really like Jcink for a paid option. I have being using it for a few weeks now and I like the options it offers.

 

JCINK is my go to. Its the only site I'll use honestly.

 

Proboards is good you can have a shop system and loads of plugins to add to your roleplay games everything for free.

 

If you are self-hosting, then IPS is a great choice. It has lots of great plugins and is easy to use - and looks good.