Play by post, questions, comments, concerns

[Dagger75]

So I have been in a few play PbP games and was going to try my hand at running.

Some questions- Is it best to have a set time when stuff really happens. Like I give a situation, played declare there actions, I post results. Now is best to do this when everybody posts, or could you update the results everyother day so the playes don't have to check the thread or e-mail every day? Example, I post the situation on Tues, and won't post the results till Thurs.

Getting playes- Is taking applications frowned upon or is it first come, first serve?

How long do you have to miss to get booted from the game?

Combat- Do you let the player roll round by round; do they say a few actions and then let GM do all the rolling, something else?

Does having a web page help, how about a Yahoo group?

Anything else I missed.

 

[Krug]

Screening applications is fine, and advisable.

Well they don't get booted; probably NPCed for a while. After two months perhaps, where the player hasn't visited the boards, then they might get 'retired'.

Combat: I'm more of a round by round kinda guy, unless it's the surprise round, where I usually ask that they post their actions for round 1 as well. Combat situations are too fluid to try to cramp actions for multiple rounds into one. These days I let the players roll on Invisible castle. Yes, cheating might occur, but if I do notice that the rolls are getting too good, I'll do the rolling instead.

No web page help nor yahoo group.

 

[EdL]

So I have been in a few play PbP games and was going to try my hand at running.

Some questions- Is it best to have a set time when stuff really happens. Like I give a situation, played declare there actions, I post results. Now is best to do this when everybody posts, or could you update the results everyother day so the playes don't have to check the thread or e-mail every day? Example, I post the situation on Tues, and won't post the results till Thurs.

Getting playes- Is taking applications frowned upon or is it first come, first serve?

How long do you have to miss to get booted from the game?

Combat- Do you let the player roll round by round; do they say a few actions and then let GM do all the rolling, something else?

Does having a web page help, how about a Yahoo group?

Anything else I missed.

Having a set time is good.

Get players however you can!

Getting booted. Gotta be kinda careful about that. RL happens.

Round by round combat is best. (So either post two or three times a week, or keep the combats short!)

Yes. It helps to have a play area and an OOC (Out of Character) area. You can have both with two Yahoo Groups.

Be sure to let the players know what books/house rules you are using. (Especially, make sure they know what ability roll/point buy you are using.)

 

[Aereas]

Great site for pbp

www.playbyweb.com

It is a site dedicated to pbp games, and has a section for 2e, 3e, and many other non DnD games (even free forum games). There is a built in die roller to be used, and you can even link your yahoo group to it to make things run smoother.

 

[Pinotage]

Some questions- Is it best to have a set time when stuff really happens. Like I give a situation, played declare there actions, I post results. Now is best to do this when everybody posts, or could you update the results everyother day so the playes don't have to check the thread or e-mail every day? Example, I post the situation on Tues, and won't post the results till Thurs.

Getting playes- Is taking applications frowned upon or is it first come, first serve?

How long do you have to miss to get booted from the game?

Combat- Do you let the player roll round by round; do they say a few actions and then let GM do all the rolling, something else?

Does having a web page help, how about a Yahoo group?

Anything else I missed.

First, let me say that I second Aereas' recommendation. Playbyweb is a really nice site for this kind of thing.

Post whenever you want. Generally games tend to run, or at least those I play in, on a 24 DM post basis. The DM posts once a day, responds more times if required, but the DM and players generally post and respond when they can. It's good to move things along once per day, unless the situation demands otherwise. I always advise DMs to attempt to post at least once a day.

I always screen applicants - if you do first come first serve you end up getting horrible players that either can't write, can't roleplay, or disappear on you within the first two weeks.

Some DMs are strict about booting. I normally give players two weeks, but I check on them if they haven't posted in a week, then give them a week to respond. After that, I boot them. Thankfully, the games I'm in these days haven't lost players in a very long time, and we've been a group of 6 gaming together for years now.

Combat is run round by round on a 24 hour timeframe. DM summarizes situation, characters post actions and make their own rolls (PlaybyWeb has its own dice roller), and DM takes a players' action if the player doesn't post after 24 hours. Sometimes situation dictates that the DM has knowledge the players don't, and things can be speeded up. Also, Playbyweb has a notes system, so can send private notes to players on monster actions and the like. I also always provide maps for combat encounters.

I have a website that stores maps, and on Playbyweb you can link to a website from the game forum. Website is not required since you can just stick game world information in a separate thread on the game board. If you use maps, you'll need a space. Imageserver is quite good for that.

Hope that helps. Have a look at Playbyweb.com - games like Elemental Evil in the D&D3e section are good examples of how a good DM runs things and arranges boards/dice/etc.

Pinotage

 

[Bront]

Time - If you always wait for everyone, you'll take forever, so advancing when one or two straglers havne't replied is fine (They can always say "I did this first" if needed).

Combat - As above, but more strict. GM must be allowed to interpret actions a bit, because situations change. Some people use a floating initiative system, but I prefer to simply let them post, then sort it out. You can try doing more than one round at a time, and while this can speed things up, it can become confusing, and hard to deal with with a larger group of players and monsters.

Applications - I would encourage taking character applications, because it gives you a chance to see who is interested (Some people apply and then disapear), and get a mesh of concepts to fit where you want the game to go. And, it makes it easier to get a more balanced party, and players who will suit your style.

Removal - I try to be fair, but it realy depends. If a poster is straggling much of the time, and then disapears, I'm more likely to drop him than, say, a player says they'll be gone for a bit and warns me. You feel it out, but be aware that people do drop off the net for unknown reasons.

Other suggestions - Promote furthing comments in a post, and not just few word responces when possable. A player can accomplish a lot in a single post, and still leave time for people to respond.

Example:

John does a flourishing bow and says "I am Sir John, and who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

After gaining a responce "Ahh, fair Lady <Name>, it is a pleasure to meet you. It appears I arived in the nick of time. I am here to return you to New Gary."

John helps the lady onto his horse, before mounting himsel, and he rides off with her as they continue to converse.

Now, that does assume a bit, but it is things the character has reasons to assume, like she will give him her name, and be returning with him. But what could have been accomplished in 3 back and forth posts was accomplished in one or two, where you can now fill in as a single responce. It doesn't always work, but it does speed things up when it does. Remember, you as a GM control time (and to a lesser extent, your players whould try to excert some forward momentum too).

 

[Pinotage]

I agree with what Bront said. As a more elaborate example of a combat encounter, take a look at the link below. The battle starts with the second DM post on the page.

PbP Combat Example

Pinotage

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Some questions- Is it best to have a set time when stuff really happens. Like I give a situation, played declare there actions, I post results. Now is best to do this when everybody posts, or could you update the results everyother day so the playes don't have to check the thread or e-mail every day? Example, I post the situation on Tues, and won't post the results till Thurs.

I suggest stating during recruitment what the posting time frame is. For example, "Must post once a day. Those who don't will get NPC'd to move the game forward". You can replace "once a day" with once every two or three days, once a week, etc.

Getting playes- Is taking applications frowned upon or is it first come, first serve?

Personal preference.

How long do you have to miss to get booted from the game?

Again, personal preference.

However, I would suggest not setting a time frame - instead, take it as it comes. For example, if someone says "Hey, I'm going to be on vacation for the next two weeks", I personally would just NPC them until they return. I've also had players lose internet connection for a week or two as well.

When people disappear from the game, I tend to check their last log in date.

If it looks like they are just ignoring the game, but logging in, I'll keep NPCing their character, but post a "Calling so-and-so" thread and ask what's up. I'll also email them using the ENworld email function (or email directly if I have the address).

After a while of no response, I'll boot them from the game, since they don't seem interested. (Usually they will respond one way or another).

If they haven't been logging in, I'll try the above methods, while NPCing their character. If no response after a while (a week or two, maybe, whatever feels right) I'll NPC the character out of the game, but in a manner that might allow the character to rejoin, should the player return.

After all, real life happens.

Combat- Do you let the player roll round by round; do they say a few actions and then let GM do all the rolling, something else?

I prefer GM rolling, both as a DM and a player. Makes it easier and things move faster. I usually have players state what they will do that round, and roll to figure out if it happens.

Does having a web page help, how about a Yahoo group?

Personal preference, again.

Personally, I don't think Yahoo groups help much, at all. The function they serve is the same as the PBP boards you are playing in.

However, I have found a webpage to be helpful while running my homebrew - it is a place to keep the house rules, the background info, and the reference info for the players (and me!) in a easy to find format. However, when running a published setting, I often don't bother - all the players should have the books and/or know the info already, and what they don't I can post to remind them.

In other words, a website can be helpful, not it is not necissary. If you don't have the time, knowledge, or inclination to update on a regular basis, it's not worth the effort.

 

[The_Magician]

Regarding time - When you announce your game you better set a posting rate for it. One of my games has a 4+/week rate. That means my players have to post at least once every 48 hours. Now, we all know different players have different lives and different availability to post. That means some will post more than others. What I do is treat the chronology of the game as scene sequences. I post and describe a scene. Characters are free to interact in that scene. If a PC asks a question to a NPC, I dont feel like I have to wait for all the other PCs to post before I respond. That is actually a bad idea, because the game gets messed up chronologically. You could have 6 people asking the same person questions all the time. So, when dialogue is concerned, I see no problem with having a couple of players posting a dozen posts while another posts a few. When you are with your friends drinking at a pub, do you all speak all the time for hours on end, or do some of you stay quiet and listen to the conversations for minutes? Others go to the toilet, others go shoot pool, etc etc. Unless something major is happening in that scene that requires the action of every PC, I will send quick reponses to my players.

Now, here is another situation. The party is through with that scene and they decide to move on. Then I put the posting rate into action.Lets say 5 of the 6 PCs decide to go SW. 48 hours pass by and the 6th PC didnt post his actions. I move the game forward and send the party SW. I tend to wait the 48 hours, because sometimes a PC may decide against the party and even though that seems like a delay in the game, you never know what players will come up with, and they can come up with unusual and interesting situations, as it just happened a couple of weeks ago in one of my games. Everybody was ready to follow a NPC. One of the PCs was against because he didnt trust that NPC and decided to use Speak with Animals to howl a greeting to the wolves from the forest. He wanted to ask the wolves instead. So I sent 6 dire wolves to 'talk' to him. =P

Regarding applications: Look, you dont have to feel bad about hurting people's feelings. I put a lot of effort in my games and I expect players to put a lot of effort in their characters. Truth be told, a LOT of players dont. If the first applicatiosn you get are from lazy players creating crappy characters with a one paragraph background, do you think it's worth it to accept those people into your game? Heck, I had an application once that had a 1 sentence background: "Nothing is known about the mysterious life of (insert character name)." Puh-lease. So, I advise to set a deadline for applications. When you set a deadline, out of respect for the potential applicants, it is best to hold until the deadline comes, because some people only apply in the last minute (as I do. I tend to work for more than a week in my characters). That means you could end up getting more good applications than you have slots in your game. That's not a bad thing. That is a good thing.

Getting booted form the game: I boot players who write crappy posts, dont pay attention to the game and are not commited with the posting rate. If something happens in your player's life that will prevent him from posting, he should warn you about it, so you know why he isn't posting, otherwise you would think he is not interested in your game. It's simple, dude. If you feel a player is not adding anything positive to your game, boot him and get another to cover his slot. Do it mercilessly, or you'd be risking getting your game killed and all your effort wasted. Remember the saying about the rotten apple....

Combat: Posting rate should be watched for combats as well. In my 4+ posts/week game, if a player doesnt post an action in 48 hours, I am NPCing his character that round. I have tried all sorts of combat. I prefer a round by round kind of combat. I play in a PBP portal that allows players to roll their own dice, so that adds a special flavor to the game, but if you could roll all the dice if you want to. I have had a DM that didnt like combats to take too long, so he would ask us to send our present and possible future actions in combat. That way he would resolve multiple rounds at once. I dont like that, neither as a player or as a DM. I like seeing the combat resolve itself step by step. I just resolved a combat in a party of 6 mid-level PCs, against 8 skeletons and a level 5 dwarven werebadger fighter. One of the players was travelling away, so I NPCed his character. We were done in less than a week and it was a rich and fun combat, with some luckstrikes, several crittical hits, a good rolepalying.

Having a webpage or yahoogroups: It helps a little. For instance, when you are having a combat, it is more practical to have the combat map uploaded and updated somewhere, so players can reach it easily without the burden of searching for your last e-mail with the combat map attached. Same thing with party journals and other info important for the adventure, like Rumors heard by the party that could be useful. You can easily receive hundreads of e-mails per month with a game of average speed. Imagine, after one year of gaming, a player trying to search for the rumors the party collected at the first month of play? That is a pain. So it does help, but some PBEM/PBP portals offer you all the features you need to run a successful online game.

Some good PBP/PBEM portals: www.rondaksportal.com, www.barroks-tower.net, www.rpol.net, www.playbyweb.com.

 

[Dagger75]

Thanks for the great advice.

Plug http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=149791 /plug


Again thanks for the help