RPG by IM

[Bloodweaver1]

If possible, I was wondering how many people would be interested in playing a game through an Instant Messenger (MSN, AIM, ICQ, etc)? I admit that I have done little research into the matter but I thought I, at the least, would ask the question. I understand that time zones would be ‘the’ key factor in this experiment but who knows, maybe there will be enough bits that time will not be such a hug issue. The type of game can be decided as interest grows.

Thoughts? Good idea bad idea?


-Blood

 

[CanadienneBacon]

I hesitated to add a reply here because I'm not voicing interest in a game run in a chat environment. But, since you did inquire whether others think it a good or a bad idea, I feel moderately comfortable voicing my opinion that, having done it, chat isn't the best environment for gameplay. It tends to combine the worst trait of PbP (slowness) with the worst trait of online communication (lack of clarity due to harried typing and no face-to-face interaction). I found myself thoroughly irritated with the double whammy of having to wait aeons for everyone else to reply, only to find that their replies were either incoherent due to poor typing, or that we had to work our way through multiple queries on where so-and-so is/what so-and-so is doing in order to make sense of the game. While PbP is, IMO, inferior to tabletop gaming, at least with PbP you expect the pace to be slower and all parties involved normally have a chance to think through actions and speech and to edit if need be.

YMMV!

 

[TheCrazyMuffinMan]

I've done IM RPing, and my experiences were almost opposite. I like the idea of easier private conversations and ready access to uncommon rules answers and questions. If everyone is willing to go, and organized, it's a great way to have a realtime game with people 1000 km away. That's what I did with my playtest of the system in my sig. It actually quickened the pace, because I could get die rolls and difficulties (rule and task) resolved in a fraction of the time.

YMMV is absolutely correct.