There are a great many guides and opinions that inform you of good characterization or storytelling. And I'm here to tell you that while that is of great importance, it matters little next to the power of the Golden Triangle. The greatest characters fade away when you don't understand it. The best stories die without it. The greatest of relationships with other players is meaningless if poorly utilized. The Golden Triangle is the device that lays at the heart of the roleplay mechanism that churns and keeps your threads alive and this forum vibrant. I'm not one for dragging things along without need so let me hop into it:

The First Point of the Triangle: Quality

It is the mechanical construction of the post including spelling, grammar, and structure. This is the easiest of all roleplay related items to work on as there are hard and fast rules. Of course, rules are often meant to be broken. You can play with these things as an aspect of the character or storytelling but it must be done very well or as a consistent part of the character or situation. Inconsistency shatters the illusion of quality and thus can quickly turn into a disaster. The second part of quality is the interest generated through your word choice or mannerisms in writing. A flat but mechanically correct post can still fail if it languishes behind creativity. There is a diagram where characterization, improvisation, and plot meet. Imagination holds all three down and an active imagination tied in with solid construction allows the post to shine.

The Second Point of the Triangle: Quantity

Quantity is not the amount of posts. It is the amount of content in a post. Some posts can be far too short and very rarely, if ever, does a single line roleplay post do anything for anyone. At the same time, a seventeen page missive as a roleplay post is both intimidating and often completely unrequired. There is a happy medium for everyone and it is where one must prosper. It can also be a function of the thread. Unlike quality, quantity has little hard and fast rules beyond the extremes already noted. Some threads may require twenty to thirty lines a post. Others may be better off with just ten, and if something requires just a single paragraph then so be it. The important part of quantity is realizing how much is needed where and with whom. It can therefore be a difficult animal to tame as until you settle in to a groove with others will you find the right amount and even then it can vary. That variance makes it a difficult factor to nail down. But doing so is of paramount importance.

The Third Point of the Triangle: Pace

Pace is the speed at which you roleplay with others as well as when and how frequently the posts come in. Once again, there are extremes. making someone wait a month or more for a post is rarely acceptable and can destroy roleplays. I have yet to see here a single roleplay with such a long absence remain viable. On the other end, posting multiple times a day may lead to much quicker burnout. These are extreme examples. The important part of pace is understanding who the other players are and what they want to do. Some prefer fast, quick posts so your pace needs to match their own. Others want to wait a week to post again and so your pace must match so you don't put the pressure on them. Once again, this is something that is up to who you are playing with and what thread it is.

Which one is most important? None. They are all just as important as one another. You can have the most well written post of all time, but if it is short and took a month or four then it is a bad post. It could be the most well written post and have good length but if it took a few months it is a bad post. It could be well written, come in at a good clip, but if it is a novel or a three liner it is a bad post. The variations are endless but the point at which they converge is the same: Dominating one aspect at the exclusion of others is almost as bad as being awful as all three.

Success in a roleplay environment requires you to master the concept of the Golden Triangle. I say the concept because no one has ever nor will ever master all three. It constantly shifts and is often impossible to predict long term. But if you can nail down a good quality post, be able to deliver the appropriate amount of content to your fellow players, and move well enough for your friends, then your thread stands a much better chance of success than others that do not.

Could say more but won't as my daughter is trying to help us bake a cake. Golden Triangle: Master it or fail like Robi.