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Seeking advice for new 4E game inspired by Pemerton
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6984153" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>@<em><strong><u><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=6667121" target="_blank">jacktannery</a></u></strong></em>, just a couple of things from me.</p><p></p><p>1) Here are two links of extended 4e PBP play from me so you get a look at logistics. <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?365637-The-Fey-the-Far-and-the-Ugly-Space-In-Between/page29" target="_blank">A 4e interlude within a long-term DW game (Epic Tier) which spanned an adventuring day</a> (this game lost 6 months of play at the end due to the EnWorld crash, so we just finished it up in real life) and <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?353102-Somewhere-else" target="_blank">a single player game</a>.</p><p></p><p>2) Personally, I wouldn't go with more than 3 players (certainly in real life, but definitely in PBP). You're managing logistics as much as anything else in a PBP environment. Noncombat resolution is trivially handled. However, (as you'll note in the 4e interlude in my DW game), combat logistics for 4e in a PBP environment are extremely burdensome from an overhead and coordination perspective (specifically the intersection of off-turn actions/triggers and synergy). 2 to 3 players cuts down on that burden and coordination demands considerably. </p><p></p><p>Your discretion, however, just giving you my take. Even with two players I ended up just aggregating their combat turns and typing it up myself to maintain coherency and turn continuity.</p><p></p><p>3) Regarding combat maps, make everything utterly transparent. I do this in my home game, but this is just as, if not more due to the non-first person/real time coordination required, important in a PBP environment. Give folks all target numbers. Telegraph salient enemy abilities with pithy narrative descriptions. Give folks all relevant terrain interaction info (from hindering info to stunting opportunities). Just like in real life, battlefield synergy and dynamism is paramount so have lots of stuff, force-multiplying enemies, rampant forced movement and all kinds of terrain effects.</p><p></p><p>4) Note in my noncombat resolution (I do this same thing in real life, but I use dice as visible markers), give the players all the mechanical Skill Challenge information they need and keep it current post by post; Successes, Failures, # Advantages, # Secondary Skills, # Hard DCs, and anything else that may be particularly relevant.</p><p></p><p>5) Cooperatively decide on a premise of play before (a) character building and (b) making any sort of low resolution map. On (b), go the Dungeon World route (I think chaochau ) covers this above. Make it together and there is really no need to flesh it all out before play. You create something, let each player put something on it, and everyone adds more stuff in the course of play (Streetwise/History et al success coupled with spending pocket change (that is the level - 1 $ players should have) or successful Skill Challenge to create map or relationship assets...I think @<em><strong><u><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=42582" target="_blank">pemerton</a></u></strong></em> alludes to this above...apologies, brief reading).</p><p></p><p>6) Following from 5 above, make sure each scene's premise and what is roughly at stake is clear and agreed upon. Focus on resolving that action. Player intent on each action declaration should be devoted to it.</p><p></p><p>7) I tend to use player-authored kickers in nearly all games I run at this point. Let each player come up with a conflict at the outset of play that frames them right into the action of the game's premise. Whatever antagonist(s) (an antagonist doesn't have to be a who, it could be a thing) they devise, you play them. It needs to be something meaty as its resolution should spawn Quests which propel the character into the game proper.</p><p></p><p></p><p>All the time I've got. Good luck!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6984153, member: 6696971"] @[I][B][U][URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=6667121"]jacktannery[/URL][/U][/B][/I], just a couple of things from me. 1) Here are two links of extended 4e PBP play from me so you get a look at logistics. [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?365637-The-Fey-the-Far-and-the-Ugly-Space-In-Between/page29"]A 4e interlude within a long-term DW game (Epic Tier) which spanned an adventuring day[/URL] (this game lost 6 months of play at the end due to the EnWorld crash, so we just finished it up in real life) and [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?353102-Somewhere-else"]a single player game[/URL]. 2) Personally, I wouldn't go with more than 3 players (certainly in real life, but definitely in PBP). You're managing logistics as much as anything else in a PBP environment. Noncombat resolution is trivially handled. However, (as you'll note in the 4e interlude in my DW game), combat logistics for 4e in a PBP environment are extremely burdensome from an overhead and coordination perspective (specifically the intersection of off-turn actions/triggers and synergy). 2 to 3 players cuts down on that burden and coordination demands considerably. Your discretion, however, just giving you my take. Even with two players I ended up just aggregating their combat turns and typing it up myself to maintain coherency and turn continuity. 3) Regarding combat maps, make everything utterly transparent. I do this in my home game, but this is just as, if not more due to the non-first person/real time coordination required, important in a PBP environment. Give folks all target numbers. Telegraph salient enemy abilities with pithy narrative descriptions. Give folks all relevant terrain interaction info (from hindering info to stunting opportunities). Just like in real life, battlefield synergy and dynamism is paramount so have lots of stuff, force-multiplying enemies, rampant forced movement and all kinds of terrain effects. 4) Note in my noncombat resolution (I do this same thing in real life, but I use dice as visible markers), give the players all the mechanical Skill Challenge information they need and keep it current post by post; Successes, Failures, # Advantages, # Secondary Skills, # Hard DCs, and anything else that may be particularly relevant. 5) Cooperatively decide on a premise of play before (a) character building and (b) making any sort of low resolution map. On (b), go the Dungeon World route (I think chaochau ) covers this above. Make it together and there is really no need to flesh it all out before play. You create something, let each player put something on it, and everyone adds more stuff in the course of play (Streetwise/History et al success coupled with spending pocket change (that is the level - 1 $ players should have) or successful Skill Challenge to create map or relationship assets...I think @[I][B][U][URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=42582"]pemerton[/URL][/U][/B][/I] alludes to this above...apologies, brief reading). 6) Following from 5 above, make sure each scene's premise and what is roughly at stake is clear and agreed upon. Focus on resolving that action. Player intent on each action declaration should be devoted to it. 7) I tend to use player-authored kickers in nearly all games I run at this point. Let each player come up with a conflict at the outset of play that frames them right into the action of the game's premise. Whatever antagonist(s) (an antagonist doesn't have to be a who, it could be a thing) they devise, you play them. It needs to be something meaty as its resolution should spawn Quests which propel the character into the game proper. All the time I've got. Good luck! [/QUOTE]
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