Do you prefer play-by-post games?

[Dragonhelm]

When I was young and in college, I loved to get together with my friends on Friday night and game. Those were good years, and some of the best games of my life were from around then.

There were other groups through the years, but eventually friends moved on and life continued.

Since then, I've found new friends online and game with them. And our games are incredible. Play by post works perfectly for my schedule. And while it may be slower, we can really get in-depth with the story!

Tonight, I played a real-life game again. It was okay, but I only knew one of the guys. It was a different vibe. It was an okay game, but nothing for the bards to sing about.

I'm beginning to wonder if I actually prefer online games. I'm certain part of it is gaming with friends. But also, I think I like the in-depth stories better.

Just curious if any of you found that you preferred playing play-by-post games.

 

[Pentius]

I still greatly enjoy face-to-face, but I, too, hear the siren call of PbP.

It's nice to be able to take more time deciding my actions and more words describing them. I do wonder, though, how well a sandbox exploration campaign would work with it. Has anyone tried that?

 

[Dice4Hire]

I like both, but if I had to give one up forever, it would be PbP or whatever online way I could play (I play mostly Yahoogroups)

PbP is great for more characterization and more depth.

My face to face games tend for the stress relief let-god-sort-em-out style

 

[Gilladian]

Every single play-by-post game I've tried (3-5 of them over the years) has collapsed within a few weeks or months. And while I love the "creative writing" aspect of pbp, it totally lacks the spontaneity and give and take of a face to face game.

A face to face game played with a group of close friends is ten times better than any online game (and I do play in a VTT game every week, as well). At least, that's my experience.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Every single play-by-post game I've tried (3-5 of them over the years) has collapsed within a few weeks or months.

This has been my experience too.

 

[Aeolius]

Every single play-by-post game I've tried (3-5 of them over the years) has collapsed within a few weeks or months. And while I love the "creative writing" aspect of pbp, it totally lacks the spontaneity and give and take of a face to face game.

I must be the exception to the rule, then, as I have run two PbP games, each of which lasted over five years ("Into the Land of Black Ice" and "Beneath the Pinnacles of Azor'alq"). True, the PbP format takes a great deal of patience to enjoy. However, for some folks it is the only option available.

My current game ("Heirs of Turucambi"), which has been running for nearly four years, is chat-based. From a DM's perspective, I feel that the chat-based format is easier to manage, that a PbP. A PbP requires constant attention, updates, and management, whereas I often enjoy running my chat-based game on-the-fly with only a handful of notes and a cold beer.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Every single play-by-post game I've tried (3-5 of them over the years) has collapsed within a few weeks or months. And while I love the "creative writing" aspect of pbp, it totally lacks the spontaneity and give and take of a face to face game.

A face to face game played with a group of close friends is ten times better than any online game (and I do play in a VTT game every week, as well). At least, that's my experience.

I'm pretty much going to echo that sentiment. It's hard enough to get people to the table every week, but the committment level required to run a successful PbP game is not something I've ever seen.

In any case, written communication is never the equal of face-to-face. Tone of voice, body language, and other paralinguistics make it a much richer experience. The instant feedback makes it a much more interactive experience. Certainly PbP has a place, but comparing it to tabletop gaming is like comparing reading a guidebook to taking a vacation abroad. It's just not the same thing.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I don't even really grok how a PbP campaign would work. Are there any good examples around to learn how they're structured?

 

[fba827]

Just curious if any of you found that you preferred playing play-by-post games.

They both provide very different experiences and so I like both types for very different reasons. Thus, it's hard to say which I "prefer" -- my answer might change from month to month depend depending on which I am getting more/less of between the two.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't even really grok how a PbP campaign would work. Are there any good examples around to learn how they're structured?

They're basically RP-heavy adventure paths.

Mine has been running (and split into two parallel campaigns, in fact) since Feb. 2006.

It just takes the right bunch of people to keep it going that long. We've got about 10 regulars, and three people who tried it and dropped out.