D&D 5E PbP games: what works and what doesn't?

[FitzTheRuke]

That seems like the best overall way to do it to me. If you want to run a long adventure, sure, you can do it, but you need to break it up into bite-sized chunks. Say, if you're running one of the big 5e hardcovers, set a goal of running a chapter (or part of a chapter in those long "explore the underdark/north/jungle" bits) and reassess when you're done. If all your players are still in, keep 'em and do a sequel. Allow for the possibility of a few characters changing. Take a short DM's sanity-saving break in between. That sort of thing. Possibly even start a new thread with a nice recap or new-game intro page at the beginning. I think that would work.

Don't run "Out of the Abyss", instead run "Escape from Velkynvelve" and if that goes well, run "Crossing the Dark Lake", or whatever.

(I should really take this advice to heart myself.)

 

[jmucchiello]

EarlyBird prefers the run them all at once method.

 

[jmucchiello]

I just don't know what to do with people who are active elsewhere on ENWorld but let days pass during combat in my game. I don't want to pester people to take their turns. But it bogs the game down.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

My Solution

I just don't know what to do with people who are active elsewhere on ENWorld but let days pass during combat in my game. I don't want to pester people to take their turns. But it bogs the game down.

What I do is create a LINE chat (LINE is a chat app, sort of like Facebook Messenger, but much cleaner, and more stable) for my campaign; it's all OOC stuff. People can look at it on their cell phones. And I just make polite comments, such as, "Still waiting for Respen to respond. Once he does, I will post the treasure list from the last encounter." or maybe something like: "Just made a new post! Go check it out, the Dragon has revealed that he knows the location of the hidden valley! You guys need to decide how much you're willing to pay him for that."

It works quite well, Players can discuss things among themselves, or ask the DM questions on the LINE chat. And it allows me to keep them apprised of new developments. And LINE chat shows how many people have read the comment, so I know when everyone has read my announcement. Players often respond with comments such as, "I'm at the movies watching Avengers with my kiddos. I'll post my response later tonight, when I get back." Simple. Effective. Efficient.

Does anyone else do this?

 

[jmucchiello]

I don't install notification apps on my phone. I'm old and stoggy.

 

[Radaceus]

That just sounds like work

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

There is No Escape: Being a DM is Work.

That just sounds like work

Any campaign, PbP, tabletop, or otherwise is a lot of work; but having a chat app for OOC and DM questions / comments makes things EASIER, not harder, at least in my experience. But hey, don’t take my word for it. Look and see for yourself, here are all of my PbP campaign threads here on ENWorld. All of these threads are the same campaign, same characters, starting June 2016 running to present day:

THREAD LISTING:

Restored Campaign Thread (Combines 1st and 2nd Chapters, Reconstructed After The Crash)

Chapter 3 Campaign Thread

Chapter 4 Campaign Thread

Respen's Gambit (Side Adventure Thread, Connected To Chapter 4)

Chapter 5 Campaign Thread

Chapter 6 Campaign Thread (Current)

Restored Background Information Thread

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

I don't install notification apps on my phone. I'm old and stoggy.

To each his own I think you’re missing out.

I have been playing D&D since 1979, and I turn 49 years old next month. And let me tell ya, technology like this has greatly improved my access to and efficiency of gaming. I am a busy professional, with very little time for tabletop sessions, so PbP is the main gaming outlet for me. So doing it this way allows me to play on the go, during lunch breaks, or whenever I can spare a few minutes. LINE app doesn’t spam you with ads; the only notifications I get are the ones for actual messages from my players.

But I get it, it’s fun being a Grognard, lol (no offense); I’m one, too, just in a slightly different way, lol.

 

[jmucchiello]

To each his own I think you’re missing out.

I have been playing D&D since 1979, and I turn 49 years old next month. And let me tell ya, technology like this has greatly improved my access to and efficiency of gaming. I am a busy professional, with very little time for tabletop sessions, so PbP is the main gaming outlet for me. So doing it this way allows me to play on the go, during lunch breaks, or whenever I can spare a few minutes. LINE app doesn’t spam you with ads; the only notifications I get are the ones for actual messages from my players.

But I get it, it’s fun being a Grognard, lol (no offense); I’m one, too, just in a slightly different way, lol.

Dude, I'm playing in 15 different PbP games because I'm 50 and have no time for face to face (other than 4 hours a week on Fantasy Grounds). I don't need notifications to keep track of games. I just have two (out of 40-50 or so) tabs open in Chrome ALL THE TIME. On is the Play-by-post Center subforum where I can click of playing the game or talking the talk. The other thread is the equivalent subforum at roninarmy.com where my other games take place. I don't need notifications because I program computers for a living and I'm always on my computer. So when I have a few minutes. I refresh those tabs and respond as needed. No phone involved.

It's just I really hate push notifications. I hate phones in general. I don't think someone 70 miles away should be able to interrupt me when I'm talking to someone 5 feet away. Being 50, I've hated phones all my life. A land line ringing randomly is just as annoying as an alert that some bozo has sent me a text and if I look at the phone I'll know he or she is expecting a response or not, and that intrudes on my life from far away. Who needs that? My grognard-ness (grognardity?) is my preference for email. Kids today don't do email. But email has no expectation of immediacy. Texts and phone calls (and the long lost beeper) all desire response or acknowledgment. An email is "do something with this on YOUR time."

In any case, this started over my annoyance that people don't response even if they are active elsewhere on ENWorld. I'm looking for etiquette here. Especially during combat.

 

[Tellerian Hawke]

"...Dude, I'm playing in 15 different PbP games..."

WHOA, Nevermind. LOL. I had no idea you were THAT busy. Yeah, notifications for that many games would get too confusing, for sure. I run ONE game, and I play in three others, one of which moves VERY slow.

"...I don't need notifications because I program computers for a living and I'm always on my computer...No phone involved."

Ah, I see now. Agreed. When I am on the computer, I keep my PC version of LINE open in the background, because I can type WAY faster on my laptop than I can on my phone. But I see where you're coming from now. And I know exactly what you mean.

"...In any case, this started over my annoyance that people don't response even if they are active elsewhere on ENWorld. I'm looking for etiquette here. Especially during combat."

Ok, well, my point was that perhaps being able to notify your players via real-time messaging would be helpful. But now that I have a better idea of your situation, all I can say is that I sympathize with you. LOL

That being said, you could just make a post in the Talking The Talk thread for your game(s) implementing a "gentlemen's agreement" for such things; of course, if you're a player, and not the DM, it's more difficult, because instead of implementing protocol, you're simply making a request of others. In such situations, sadly, you have very little control.

Of course, most PbP games I have ever seen have stuff like that posted; usually, they say stuff like, "Players are expected to post at least once every 48 hours," or something to that effect.

"...But email has no expectation of immediacy...An email is "do something with this on YOUR time."

Agreed, as long as you have your email set NOT to push notifications on your phone. But I get what you're saying, even if your phone notifies you of the email, the user sending it usually doesn't expect an immediate reply.

In a related train of thought, I started out doing my PbP stuff (Gameplay and OOC, everything) by email, but the problem I always had is that "reply all" results in a lot of duplicated messages, because each player's reply repeated the message it was replying to. That's why I switched to forum format in the first place.

Having said that, I DO use email to tell players information that the other players wouldn't have an IC way of knowing. Plus, some players don't have forum access on their computers at work due to blocked ports, so they sometimes email me their posts so that I can simply relay them on their behalf on the forum.

At any rate, cheers to you, and I wish you well!