I want to make an AU game, but I know they're not popular and a lot of people won't even consider playing in one. Why is that? And what can I do to make my game attractive to players? Is it just the history adaptation that turns people off, or are there other issues I should try to fix?

I'd like to have a small, comm-based game, with a collaborative plot and room for player-created setting details. Any suggestions would be appreciated.