DEFCON 1 said:
The biggest thing for me is that players make ACTIVE choices, and DMs then reward them by telling them what occured.
I want players to write stuff like "Bobbo goes over to the guard and asks him what he saw", and then the DM follows up with "Guard Smith tells Bobbo that it's been a quiet night, except for the flurry of birds that passed by at about midnight".
If players make passive choices like just standing around watching what's going on... they aren't even participating in the game. Why are you playing if you don't DO anything? And by the same token, if I write that my character checks his backpack to make sure that he wasn't pickpocketed, I'd like the DM to tell me what the results of my check were. This is simple stuff that helps drive the story forward.
Story grinding to a halt because the players and/or DM stop writing active choices in the roleplays is what makes most game end quickly.
Exactly.
I find that a lack of movement is often a player's fault as much as a GM's, depending on the game, because a player either:
A) Posts very little and when they do, don't provide a hook (Something ANYONE can react too)
B) Is too in love with inner monologue, which can be good for setting a mood or letting the GM know what an NPC might catch on a sense motive check, but beyond that, gives NOTHING to interact with (See point A)
C) Make posts so long that it's hard to react to anything said or done because it's hard to interject what you might have said or done in between what they said.
D) Are unclear or unspecific about what they want to do or fail to even react to a GM's post.
There are others, but those are the 4 basic ones.
They can be fixed by:
A) Posting a little more often (Lets the GM know you're there and paying attention), and doing something that people can at least react to (Either saying something, or doing something) or may require the GM to give you information (Specific looking around/listening)
B) Avoid inner monologue unless it's truely useful in setting the mode, and don't let it take over a post.
C) Try to make a few more, smaller posts. If your post is over 3 paragraphs, you might want to check and see how much of it could be reacted to and give people a chance. The occasional long speech is good. A long speech every post can be wearing on other players and GMs.
D) When doing something (particularly in combat), provide follow up/contingiency plans, and be as exact as you can. The more you give a DM, the more he can just run with it instead of pausing to find out exactly what you wanted. Also, don't make the GM assume when you're ready to move on, even if you simply mention it in an OOC comment.
GM Tips:
A) Lack of detail or direction in the game. Not that in game down time isn't fun, but direction gives the characters something to think about and aim for. Also, a lack of detail can cause players to feel like they've been cheeted when they miss something, or have them miss something you didn't want them too. (And conversely can be endlessly entertaining when they pick up on the wrong detail)
B) Not giving control to the players. Players should have a little bit of control over the world. It can be tenious, since occasionaly they can overstep, but better than than them needing to wait on your every post for minor details. Conversly players should be willing to assume minor things (A waitress takes their order, their drinks arive, etc).
C) Give the players time to react, and things to react to. Without time, you may push forward when a PC wanted to do something first, and without things to react to, the PC may have trouble even finding something to do. Sometimes they may be short, hopefully they sometimes have multiple aspects.
D) Find a balance in assumptions with your players. This is hard because everyone thinks differently. Assume too much, and their PC could be doing something they didn't intend. Assume too little, and the PCs are wondering why the game isn't moving. At the same time, don't be afraid to fix a mistake on your part of either missing or assuming wrong.
And yes, I agree with RA on size. The best games I've been in have been less than 6 people who formed close in character bonds fairly quickly because they were easy to keep track of who was who and there was more to do as one character. It's a rough balance though since if you loose one, you're in more trouble than if you had a few extras.
Hope that helps
