Forum > Play by Post Games
Does anybody game here?
Theory of Games:
--- Quote from: S'mon;1087844 ---Thanks insubordinate - yeah I think it'll be mostly on weekdays as some of my players have other games or are not available on Sundays, and I have a Saturday online game already running.
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S'mon, can you join us? I can give it 7 days for the right group.
Joey2k:
--- Quote from: Theory of Games;1087778 ---
Add: Spoze' I should tell you about ME; I started gaming in '82 with OD&D (Basic) and progressed to AD&D1 running games for schoolmates. Usually someone would toss me a module, I'd rip off the plastic and we'd game. After graduation, I joined the Marines and drug a handful of Devil-Dogs into games of AD&D or Twilight 2000. Then, I hit a video game phase that last until around 2009 when I returned to the hobby. I jumped into the "new" systems (FATE & D20 primarily) with most of my re-education and gaming done at online forums.
So I'm decent running PbP: I provide a wealth of linked info, I'm open to player suggestions, I post maps mostly for combat-tracking, I can create a Game Log/Wiki to keep all material centralized, and I crack the whip. I require at least one post daily, Monday-Friday. Weekends are yours. As a GM, I like action, engaging characters, and a fast pace.
You will not find the Quantum Ogre in my games: players making decisions that matter is the quintessence of tabletop roleplaying, imo. I don't have "plots" because players tend to get trapped on runaway trains when a GM wants a certain progression of events. While I have run railroady published adventures, I usually mod them enough to inject a good level of Sandbox. I prefer the PCs being able to do whatever they want, keeping in mind that if you decide to suddenly retire mid-adventure and open the Ruby Dragon Tavern & Trading Post, it's safe to expect the BBEG overwhelming the region, sooner than later.
Decisions will have repercussions and consequences.
Most importantly, I love humor. Even the bad stuff. It makes gaming more enjoyable and therefore I award X.P., Karma or whatever bonus I can to players who keep things fun, either in or out of character.
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I lke the cut of your jib, Simpson.
Your pbp style sounds good to me. Since I pushed you into this foolhardy endeavor, the least I can do is volunteer to participate if it gets off the ground. Not much experience with supers, and fantasy is my favorite genre, and RC is cool, so my vote is for that one.
Do you have any specific rules or techniques for running pbp games that we should be aware of? You already specified a posting rate (which is cool). What about rolling dice? Do you handle rolls or is that on us (for the record I prefer the DM to handle rolls, speeds things up). Requirements for IC vs OOC text (OOC in a separate thread or ok in the IC thread if suitably identified as such)?
I'm not as big on humor as you, but I can deal, and even participate. Humor is good in measured doses, silliness and absurdity I frown upon; for example, Gimli and Legolas' kill count in the Two Towers film is ok, while Gimli moving across the battlefield by jumping across the heads of the orcs as if he were in a Super Mario Bros game would not be. Another way to put it, if it could conceivably be inserted into Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I will probably give it the stink-eye.
Theory of Games:
--- Quote from: Joey2k;1088244 ---I lke the cut of your jib, Simpson.
Your pbp style sounds good to me. Since I pushed you into this foolhardy endeavor, the least I can do is volunteer to participate if it gets off the ground. Not much experience with supers, and fantasy is my favorite genre, and RC is cool, so my vote is for that one.
Do you have any specific rules or techniques for running pbp games that we should be aware of? You already specified a posting rate (which is cool). What about rolling dice? Do you handle rolls or is that on us (for the record I prefer the DM to handle rolls, speeds things up). Requirements for IC vs OOC text (OOC in a separate thread or ok in the IC thread if suitably identified as such)?
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1. I prefer having a "Caller", an old-school term for the player who makes a decision for the group when there's no agreement on what to do. Saves time.
2. I don't use maps as my experience revealed "theater of the mind" forces players to both pay closer attention and ask more questions. Not "Mother-May-I" gaming, but just something more akin to old-school 'crawling.
3. The PCs ALWAYS have initiative in combat, unless they're surprised, so players can post their attacks as soon as they please.
4. I push things along: if the party is traveling across a wilderness terrain or stalking across crowd-filled city streets, other than a possible semi-random encounter, I hand-wave the trip with narrative fluffies so we can get to the next scene.
5. I post a scene and ask players what happens next. Then I allow players (normally) 24 hours to respond with a post. If they miss the deadline, I keep the scene moving. You wont find me waiting two days for a player to post because stagnation is Power Word: Kill to PbP. Players can make their own dice rolls either here (?) or I recommend Orokos.com rolls (posted here).
6. While I prefer a merged OOC/IC thread w/ OOC posts in spoiler text, I can go with separate OOC & IC threads because - tradition. Players would post their PCs on the OOC thread along with choosing a distinct color for their character's words & thoughts. The OOC thread is also they place we post "table-talk", alert each other about delays, discuss all things NERD, joke and battle for the title of Greatest Pun Ever! The IC thread is for everything the PC, NPCs, monsters & environment are doing.
7. I do not retcon: If we fuck it up, we fucked it up. Keep rolling!
8. Old-School Alignment: I require PCs to have a god because D&D. If you violate the "parameters" of your alignment, the PC will get a "sign". Do it again, and the whole party may suffer. I also have always been a fan of "10% chance of your god doing something miraculous when you beg" from Deities & Demigods 1e. So much so the chance is 25%. The gods need to get off their aesirs occasionally and be godly - like mythology said.
9. Oh yeah - I never thought starting change was enough, especially for Fighters, so you roll dice as normal but the result is x100, instead of 10.
10. Finally. A confession: I HATE the Vancian Magic system. Always have. What if the Fighter had limited uses of his/her weapon? So: Casters can always cast any spell of their level ANYTIME they like. Every TPK ever was a result of Vancian spellcraft. "Sorry, you get Sleep once. Magic Missile? Once. Everything? ONCE". BULLSHIT. I turn casters LOOSE, even allowing Clerics like casting at L1. To balance it, Magic-user and Clerics ONLY get 1 Weapon Proficiency. No Mystics or Monks.
--- Quote from: Joey2k;1088244 ---I'm not as big on humor as you, but I can deal, and even participate. Humor is good in measured doses, silliness and absurdity I frown upon; for example, Gimli and Legolas' kill count in the Two Towers film is ok, while Gimli moving across the battlefield by jumping across the heads of the orcs as if he were in a Super Mario Bros game would not be. Another way to put it, if it could conceivably be inserted into Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I will probably give it the stink-eye.
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I see your point, but from the "narrative" aspect of RPGs that has become the rage over the last twenty years, I let players VENT with in-character humor. It keeps things light among the gaming group and relieves tension among the in-game party when things get crazy. Maybe not cutting jokes like "Rush Hour", but some degree of humor can enhance another player's degree of immersion.
I guess it could be said humor is a lot less about you & your PC, rather than the overall mental health of the group & party. I don't like slapstick, but a humorless party ultimately shows a lack of character depth that limits roleplaying.
That said, I prefer grimdark settings where the party is afraid to take a breath, let alone joke about anything. But, the jokes can remind me it's just a game and save your character when I was looking for a calculated TPK :)
Add: I'm recruiting once again across several sites so I'll keep an eye here, as well as elsewhere.
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