Technicalities of running an online game

[Desdichado]

I like IM well enough for people I know, but I'd like to start an online game with people that I potentially don't know. That's why I'd prefer to have a dicebot, or some equivalent. Any experiences with OpenRPG? The webpage makes a bigger deal of the combat maps (which I'd rather ignore anyway) and doesn't seem very helpful, but I've only scratched the surface of it so far.

 

[Aulayan]

Actually, While I've never gamed on IRC, I don't find that prospect to appealing due to spending a long time on IRC chatting. System crashes, splits, and just the general format of IRC lends more to chatting than gaming IMO.

What I use is a MUSH program. Well actually a friend's MUSH program. When we're going to game, he sets it up. It allows good formatting for descriptions. Paragraphs and everything! Which is rather hard to get on IRC.
A little bit of coding can put in a good dice roller (Plus there are probably some raw codes out there on the web if you look).

System crashes are rare, usually only if the hosters system crashes.

Now as to where to find these programs, don't look at me. I'm currently entirely reliant on a player. But I'm sure some other forum dweller has used these in the past.

 

[Desdichado]

MUSHs are an option that I completely forgot about -- anyone have any insight into how that works?

 

[Xeriar]

OpenRPG has a few advantages over normal IRC

1: Character sheets. You design or grab your own sheets (I've made a 3e one that people like to adopt) and have your players return them to you, or whatever - inside the program (stored at .xml documents).

2: You can run your own server. Or use a public one. Connection issues only happen with specific individuals, rather than groups of people having trouble with a server.

3: Users are more easily managable - passwording, being a GM is more straightforward, etc.

4: Idle/Typing status flags tell you who is paying attention and who is spamming.

5: Everyone picks a different color, making it easy to tell who said what.

6: Miniature map! Loads of fun and doodling too!

Disadvantages:

1: It's written in Python/wxPython, which must be installed to work. However, instructions aren't difficult and anyone who knows enough to install IRC should have little trouble. This also means not much of a Mac version :-/

2: It takes a lot of RAM, especially with many character sheets.

 

[Ace32]

I've been running online games for years, my group has found that running games in AIM is really easy. Just form a private chat for just your players (come up with an original room name and nobody will be able to force their way in)

All dice rolling can be done in the chat window ( the command: //roll-dice#-sides# ie: //roll-dice1-sides20)

As far as showing actions and description, we came up with a system. All action is done within ** ie: *looks up at the sky* (the DM usually puts the NPC name in to determine who is speaking). All descriptions are done within -- ie: - You enter a 10 x 10 room... -. All out of character speak is done within (()) ie ((hey Tim, what time do you need to leave?))

For the most part, it runs pretty well. Obviously, you can try things to streamline it, and there is no way to show a battlemat, so your players will need a bit of an imagination, but I think you expected that from an online game!

Good luck

 

[Desdichado]

Stop the presses: are you telling me AIM has a dice roller command already built in?!? I've really enjoyed playing on ICQ but miss having a diceroller. I always assumed AIM was essentially just another ICQ.

 

[drnuncheon]

MUSHs are an option that I completely forgot about -- anyone have any insight into how that works?

I think I talked about this a little bit in my Dying World Story Hour (check the .sig), which was run on a MUSH.

MUSHes require you to have a server to run the program on. It's best to have someone familiar with administering one around, too - however, there are some places out there that will let you have a room or rooms to play in. I think there are open gaming rooms at Storyteller's Circle and OGR, but I don't have current addresses for either of those places.

MUSHes have a lot more variety in what you can do with them than IRC. You've got all the IRC communication functionality, plus you have the possibility of emits (which are not prefixed by your name). It really helps break up the monotony which you tend to get when sentences are always of the form 'X does this' or 'Y says "That."'. It's also a nice tool for DMs, who can switch between multiple characters or produce environmental effects without the distraction of their names always being present.

MUSHes can have room descriptions, so you can put in details about the environment and let players look at it as they wish. MUSHes also have the possibility of multiple rooms, so your PCs can actually move around in the environment - I'm not sure that any of the 'host a tabletop' MUSHes allow you to do that sort of building, though.

If you are willing to get into programming, there's even more you can do, but that might be excessive for an online tabletop game. (I did some quick code for simulating Sigil for the upcoming PS game, with a coded map and a different description for each Ward, but then again I did regular MUSHing for years.)

Anyway, my online group prefers MUSHes, but that's primarily because we're all used to them (it is, in fact, how we all met.)

J

 

[Desdichado]

Well, that essentially rules out MUSHes, then: although I used to know a fair bit, I've never truly been a programmer, I don't have access to a server, and I don't know any scripting languages that would help me out with one. I'm really intrigued by the comment above that dice results can be done on AIM: if that's true, then that essentially is the system I think I want.

 

[Ace32]

Yep, AIM has a dice bot built in that can roll up to 15 dice at a time, and i think up to 999 sides? Its basically just a 'random' bot, but it works well. It only functions in Chat Rooms, not person-to-person messaging though, but again, for a game, you would be in a Chat Room.

For those who dont know how to create a chat room in AIM, just right click on the ScreenName of the user you wish to invite, then click invite to chat room. Type in the message and the name of the room, and add any other people you want to the list, and hit ok.

 

[Desdichado]

That is pretty cool. Thanks for the tip! I've actually had AIM uninstalled for a coupla years because I didn't use it much, but I can download it again, dust off my old ID and get up to speed again pretty soon, I'd think.