Oldest PbP game

[Dalamar]

Wow, we've been going on for that long? Now that's a pretty good achievment.

So what do we get as a present for the honor of that date?

 

[reapersaurus]

I would have guessed the Psionicle myself.
Is Of Sound Mind older?

Either way, it IS quite a testament to all involved that they're still going.

I've come to the conclusion that PbP gaming is a bit problematic, in that it takes SO LONG to develop an adventure, or any kind of connection between the characters. But it's so rare to have the DM AND all the players available AND dedicated for that long amount of time. And if any player drops, than it has an impact on that fragile connection between the characters.

So unless almost all the original group and DM stay dedicated and don't have something IRL come up to get in the way of the game, than the adventure probably will not 'finish.'

Now, my question to everyone is: Which PbP games CAN 'finish'?
As I mentioned months ago, I only know of one that has finished: The Non-Iconics Adventure, which was a very short adventure run by Heavy G, and it still took over a year and a half, if memory serves.
I'm sure many games don't have an "ending" in mind per se, and might just be a 'go until we get tired' kind of conclusion.

It's just too bad that the vast majority of games are destined to collapse before completion.
It's kind of depressing, since I'm a big advocate of PbP gaming.

 

[Pbartender]

The Iconics and Non-Iconics adventures are over, and those pre-date the psionicle.

The Star Wars Iconics game has been going for an awful long time, though I can't honestly say exactly when it started, and I'm not precisely certain whether it pre-dates psionicle or not. It was not long after the Alien Anthology came out (Oct 2001), but before Starships of the Galaxy (Dec 2001).

To tell the truth, the game seems to have gone on hiatus for a bit... The first adventure was completed, but we're having a hard time getting into the second. Don't know where all my actors went to.

 

[GnomeWorks]

Wow, we've been going on for that long? Now that's a pretty good achievment.

I'll say so. I don't know how long I was expecting it to last, but I'm quite pleased with the fact that it's still going.

The Psionicle is the first game I've ever run that has lasted for more than a few weeks. I'm very proud of it and the people involved, and I hope it keeps going.

So what do we get as a present for the honor of that date?

Hmm... your lives.

Reaper
I would have guessed the Psionicle myself.
Is Of Sound Mind older?

OSM isn't older, though it's only a couple of months younger than the Psionicle. It's start is on these boards... I don't remember the recruiting thread very clearly, but I know that the first IC thread, at least, is here.

Either way, it IS quite a testament to all involved that they're still going.

Being involved in both of them, I'd have to agree.

That's not to say that there've been no tough times. To be completely honest, there have been at least a dozen times in the lifetime of the Psionicle that, with a new update, I could've sworn that I killed the game. In OSM, there have been several periods when Jarval couldn't update for moderately long periods of time. Fortunately, both games have lived through those tough times.

Now, my question to everyone is: Which PbP games CAN 'finish'?
As I mentioned months ago, I only know of one that has finished: The Non-Iconics Adventure, which was a very short adventure run by Heavy G, and it still took over a year and a half, if memory serves.
I'm sure many games don't have an "ending" in mind per se, and might just be a 'go until we get tired' kind of conclusion.

The storyline for the Psionicle does have a definite end in mind. However, I plan on there being at least a few hooks that will allow the players to continue playing, if they so decide, even after the end of the current story arc (which, at this rate, will probably not end for another year or two).

Perhaps part of the problem with some games is that they don't have a planned end, or at least no planned story arcs with a beginning, middle, and ending. You can't read a novel that doesn't eventually end, with the major plot hooks coming to a close... perhaps you can't play in a game that you know won't eventually come to a conclusion, even if there are adventures after a given story arc ends.

But I don't know. Maybe I'm just rambling.

 

[Uriel]

Now, my question to everyone is: Which PbP games CAN 'finish'?
As I mentioned months ago, I only know of one that has finished: The Non-Iconics Adventure, which was a very short adventure run by Heavy G, and it still took over a year and a half, if memory serves.
I'm sure many games don't have an "ending" in mind per se, and might just be a 'go until we get tired' kind of conclusion.

I can say with certainty that my Under a Vaulted Sky:The Silver Door game has a definative 'End', and its not too distant.

The Living Enworld games that I run are both about to finish, although that was a given since we were going for little adventures to get people started.


Anal Spelling Edit

 

[reapersaurus]

bump.
and.....

I think that many PbP DM's don't realize HOW SLOW PbP gaming is, and they bite off too much to chew in the initial set-up of the game.
Hell, I think a one-day adventure (IRL) takes over a year online, if the players get into it a bit.

Are there any veteran DM's that can add in their 2 cents, about how much you can hope to accomplish in a PbP adventure, given an average (or above-average) group of players?
Would you WANT to plan a memorable, far-reaching adventure, or would you want to keep it fairly small and focused on what the prime intent is?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

bump.
and.....

I think that many PbP DM's don't realize HOW SLOW PbP gaming is, and they bite off too much to chew in the initial set-up of the game.
Hell, I think a one-day adventure (IRL) takes over a year online, if the players get into it a bit.

Are there any veteran DM's that can add in their 2 cents, about how much you can hope to accomplish in a PbP adventure, given an average (or above-average) group of players?
Would you WANT to plan a memorable, far-reaching adventure, or would you want to keep it fairly small and focused on what the prime intent is?

I've noticed that here on ENWorld most PbPs should probably stick to shorter adventures...though on my own board, where its simply myself and a fairly large group of friends, our PbPs move very quickly. I'm running a large amount of games there, and we've been doing it for about a year and a half now.

I have to say...coming to ENWorld and seeing how slow the PbP games went here surprised me a lot.

 

[Jarval]

That's not to say that there've been no tough times. To be completely honest, there have been at least a dozen times in the lifetime of the Psionicle that, with a new update, I could've sworn that I killed the game. In OSM, there have been several periods when Jarval couldn't update for moderately long periods of time. Fortunately, both games have lived through those tough times.

I think the main reason for OSM's endurance is mainly down to a good and dedicated group of players. There have been times when I've not been able to update much (we're just coming to the end of one such period), but almost all of the players have stuck with it. It's also one of the best low-level adventures on the market, so some of the thanks has to go to Piratecat's writing skills. Speaking of PbP old-timers, I'm surprised that we've not seen more of Zhure in this thread. He's involved in three of the longest running games, so can definitely be counted as one of the "old-timers"

I think the Psionicle has benefited from all the PCs having a definite sense of purpose. We've got a vested interest in keeping psionics alive, and we've got a concrete way of achieving this goal. Plus, on a more personal level, Jansson (my character) has got something of a vendetta going with Jirlai. I'm not quitting until I've killed that bastard!

I think that many PbP DM's don't realize HOW SLOW PbP gaming is, and they bite off too much to chew in the initial set-up of the game.
Hell, I think a one-day adventure (IRL) takes over a year online, if the players get into it a bit.

Are there any veteran DM's that can add in their 2 cents, about how much you can hope to accomplish in a PbP adventure, given an average (or above-average) group of players?
Would you WANT to plan a memorable, far-reaching adventure, or would you want to keep it fairly small and focused on what the prime intent is?

There seem to be a few things that improve the chances of a PbP game having a decent life-span. All of the following should be read as though they'd got IMO after every sentence, but I think they hold fairly true across the board.

You need to keep things moving at a good pace, especially during combat, even if this means acting for absent PCs. It can get very frustrating having to wait for more than two or three days to find out what the results your character's actions are.

Generous XP handouts are a good thing. Maybe it's just me, but it's always good to have some sense of your character improving, which can be almost lost with the slow pace of PbP gaming. This is even more important in low-level games, where characters have fewer options available.

Don't do too much combat. It can take a long time to resolve a fight that lasts even as little as three or four rounds, so just don't have it happening too often (unless you're deliberately running a hack-and-slash game). Role-play intensive is the way to go with PbP, not least because everyone can take as long as they like to think up the right response for their character. It's a lot easier to do witty one-liners, as well.

Large groups slow things down. It's a lot easier to run a game for eight or ten PCs via PbP than it is IRL, but you've got far more chances for delays due to players not being able to post (holidays, family emergencies, etc). If you need to bulk up the group size, the Leadership feat provides an easy way to include vital classes in the party. Four to six PCs seems to work best IME.

Expect to loose a player or two. Be ready to recruit a new player at short notice, or have some alternates lined up from the start. A couple of PC suitable NPCs can really speed up this addition.

Have a goal for the PCs. It doesn't have to be the end of the campaign, or anything all that major, but the PCs should be pretty certain about what they're trying to do. Indecision can slow things down a hell of a lot, or lead to accusations of favouritism or railroading if the DM picks up on one character's suggestion.

I've noticed that here on ENWorld most PbPs should probably stick to shorter adventures...though on my own board, where its simply myself and a fairly large group of friends, our PbPs move very quickly. I'm running a large amount of games there, and we've been doing it for about a year and a half now.

I have to say...coming to ENWorld and seeing how slow the PbP games went here surprised me a lot.

I've got to agree that things do seem to run a little slower on EN World. My Buffy game (hosted on it's own board) has generated a lot more activity in the last three months that some of my EN World games have in double that time.

 

[Manzanita]

Interestingly, I've had the opposite experience on game speed. I play two PBPs on the Greyhawk boards (http://pub143.ezboard.com/bd20worldofgreyhawk) and find them slower than ENworld. I generally like EN world better, in any event, because of the compact structure of its two main board (talking the talk, and Playing the Game), as well as the comradere of the members.

I appreciate the input of some of the more experienced players. I think prospective DMs would be well advised to read this thread. And congratulations to Jarval, Gnomeworks, Zhure etc, for keeping your games going so long. It gives we in the younger games hope for a long future! And let me know if you have any openings! : )

 

[Dalamar]

One thing is for sure: Remember to keep your notes at hand!

I lost an NPC's stats, due to which Smashed World has been without update for some while now (which I'm going to fix right now, despite the fact that I don't have still don't have the stats).