TheRPGSite

Other Games, Development, & Campaigns => Play by Post Games => Topic started by: Guest (Deleted) on March 03, 2006, 06:56:14 AM

Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Guest (Deleted) on March 03, 2006, 06:56:14 AM
This forum is for play by post games. Any questions, comments or concerns on this go in this thread. Consider this thread to be the meta of this forum.

Ok, the header hack is working now, sorta.  Don't try to use the inline editor on the post - it won't turn off when you click save.  You can use tags to create link areas, announcements and add to your game synopsis.  Quote this post by clicking "reply" on the user options to the right to see those tags. Note that these tags can be used elsewhere on the site but if you do this be warned - anything you put in these tags simply dissapears.

I have learned that the quick reply isn't working in this forum. Please be patient while a fix is found.
[synopsis]Game Setting: Changeling: The Dreaming
Game System: Storyteller 1st edition

Welcome to my sample synopsis.[/synopsis]
[announcement]Hey, take a look at this announcement.
Announcements are good for getting news to your players quickly without having them sort through the synopsis or the game description areas.[/announcement]
[links]And next come links. Again, this is freeform and you can use bbcode to put pretty much what you want here.
For example.
[/links]
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Maximum Fu on March 03, 2006, 07:37:25 AM
Thanks to you Pooka for this. :)
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: BillyBeanbag on March 03, 2006, 10:26:29 AM
Would this be the place to post announcements of such games, since the code thing is going to be different? Or should that go elsewhere?

I'm not announcing, I'm going to be looking for announcements.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Cyberzombie on March 03, 2006, 10:28:03 AM
Cool.  I'll drag Lucita over here and show her this.  :)
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Nicephorus on March 03, 2006, 10:41:08 AM
Cool, thanks.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: BOZ on March 03, 2006, 11:38:07 AM
Quote from: Cyberzombie
Cool.  I'll drag Lucita over here and show her this.  :)


not kicking and screaming hopefully.  :p
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Megamieuwsel on March 03, 2006, 02:06:56 PM
Quote from: BOZ
not kicking and screaming hopefully.  :p

I believe , that's supposed to be part of the game...
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: cranberry on March 03, 2006, 02:21:13 PM
Quote from: BOZ
not kicking and screaming hopefully.  :p


she likes it that way. ;)
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Guest (Deleted) on March 03, 2006, 11:52:02 PM
Dice are ready for use in this forum (though they can be used elsewhere)

[dice]20[/dice]
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Reefer Madness on March 04, 2006, 03:56:21 PM
very damn cool of you, thank you!
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Insert Username Here on March 04, 2006, 07:34:08 PM
Pooka, have you considered working on an online, user-editable character sheet for these forums? Something along the lines of 3eProfiler? (Which is open source now, I think.) Something intergrated into this forum would ROCK. It would definitely make this the defacto pbp forum out there.

Something to think about. This is great, btw. Well done.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Guest (Deleted) on March 04, 2006, 07:49:51 PM
Quote from: Insert Username Here
Pooka, have you considered working on an online, user-editable character sheet for these forums? Something along the lines of 3eProfiler? (Which is open source now, I think.) Something intergrated into this forum would ROCK. It would definitely make this the defacto pbp forum out there.

Something to think about. This is great, btw. Well done.


I've thought about it - but the news and reviews system is next in line.

I had originally planned to have this site out in summer, but my timetable got changed with recent events.  I do hope to be up to full speed by this summer.

In the meantime watch as things appear one item at a time - and by all means continue to make suggestions.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Zalmoxis on April 02, 2006, 12:33:33 AM
Thanks Pooka. I'm not ready to use this yet, but the time is coming soon when I will. It's nice to have something like this on NKL.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: rcairns84 on September 10, 2009, 02:00:29 AM
How do play by post games usually work?

I'm pretty new to the idea. I see the benefits of it, you can play with other people who are not in your same timezone, but what if you're RPing and can't respond for a while, everyone has to wait especially if your character was part of the focus? Seems kind of hard.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Benoist on September 10, 2009, 11:22:11 AM
Well, usually the players and GM agree on a minimum number of posts to provide. It's a commitment. Usually, it's something like one post a week day, though it may greatly vary.

Most of the time, the game will just flow, just as if some players were more active than others at the game table, while others just sit there saying nothing for a while. It's in combat where that may become an issue, because then each player has to post what their character is doing during the round, and again, and again, until the fight is over. The way it's dealt with depends with groups.

But in the end? It's just a commitment. You commit to post at least once in a while, while you trust others to do the same. Many a time, this commitment ultimately fails. But sometimes, it doesn't.

Oh. And welcome to theRPGsite, rcairns84. :)
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Drohem on September 10, 2009, 01:04:27 PM
Play-by-post gaming is a tricky beast and can be extremely frustrating at times, both as a player and GM.  However, if all the elements come together, then it can be very satisfying.  

You have come into it with the right mind set- the majority of the games you join will fail for some reason or another.  Once you wrap your mind around that concept, then you'll be able to play using this medium.  

Welcome to the site! :)
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 25, 2011, 03:02:15 PM
Thinking of starting a Play by Post stuff at some point but never participated in one before. Some of the posts here clarify a bit of the set up for me. It sounds like everyone agrees on the frequency of posts. What about the length of each GM post? How much information is the GM expected to give, how much player actions is he supposed to assume, before handing it off to the players? Also, how are rolls generally handled (does the GM make the rolls or is it an honor system)?
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Benoist on October 26, 2011, 11:41:56 AM
It sounds like everyone agrees on the frequency of posts.

Usually that's how that goes, yes : the GM points out what would be usual or proper, everyone agrees on it, and then that's how it goes, with the GM managing with that time frame to let all the players answer to the events of the game. The usual expected posting frequency is about one per day, but it's usually slower. Which makes me think : whatever frequency you and your players agree on, you should expect it to go slower in reality, simply because the frequency is only as strong as the weakest link, in part, and because real life takes precedence (it should), every time.

What about the length of each GM post?

Really depends on your GMing and prose styles, but I'd say that generally, you need to describe as much as you would out loud at the game table before letting the players place one. It's more important here because they can't interrupt you on the spot. So you need to be mindful of that fact, and manage your posts to let the players intervene when you think their choices or role playing makes a difference.

I will usually write a few paragraphs or lines of dialog before letting the players react. You should check out the current Ptolus threads, like Davin's introduction thread (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=21050), for instance, to see how that goes.

How much information is the GM expected to give, how much player actions is he supposed to assume, before handing it off to the players?

You should be very careful to let the players be themselves and make their own choices which impact the way the game unfolds, here (see above). If you skip over too much, players will feel frustrated because they wanted to react to this or that but you fast-forwarded them in time in the same post. If you do it too much, they'll get frustrated because they'll feel like the game's stalling. It's a question of finding a sweet spot where everyone feels like they have a meaningful input on the way the game unfolds, and stuff keeps happening nonetheless.

Also, how are rolls generally handled (does the GM make the rolls or is it an honor system)?

I have a few ways of handling it : one is the dice roller (like Invisible Castle (http://invisiblecastle.com/)), second is to just let players and myself make their dice rolls themselves physically and trust them to not cheat giving the results (obviously not something you want to do with everyone, especially if players don't know each other, because perceptions matter more than actual cheating in this, here), and finally me GM making the rolls physically for everyone.

I usually roll as GM with what the players think is best. In the Ptolus game, this means we use invisible castle. In my World of Darkness game, that means I make all the rolls myself.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 26, 2011, 12:46:55 PM
Quote from: Benoist;486567
It sounds like everyone agrees on the frequency of posts.

Usually that's how that goes, yes : the GM points out what would be usual or proper, everyone agrees on it, and then that's how it goes, with the GM managing with that time frame to let all the players answer to the events of the game. The usual expected posting frequency is about one per day, but it's usually slower. Which makes me think : whatever frequency you and your players agree on, you should expect it to go slower in reality, simply because the frequency is only as strong as the weakest link, in part, and because real life takes precedence (it should), every time.

What about the length of each GM post?

Really depends on your GMing and prose styles, but I'd say that generally, you need to describe as much as you would out loud at the game table before letting the players place one. It's more important here because they can't interrupt you on the spot. So you need to be mindful of that fact, and manage your posts to let the players intervene when you think their choices or role playing makes a difference.

I will usually write a few paragraphs or lines of dialog before letting the players react. You should check out the current Ptolus threads, like Davin's introduction thread (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=21050), for instance, to see how that goes.

How much information is the GM expected to give, how much player actions is he supposed to assume, before handing it off to the players?

You should be very careful to let the players be themselves and make their own choices which impact the way the game unfolds, here (see above). If you skip over too much, players will feel frustrated because they wanted to react to this or that but you fast-forwarded them in time in the same post. If you do it too much, they'll get frustrated because they'll feel like the game's stalling. It's a question of finding a sweet spot where everyone feels like they have a meaningful input on the way the game unfolds, and stuff keeps happening nonetheless.

Also, how are rolls generally handled (does the GM make the rolls or is it an honor system)?

I have a few ways of handling it : one is the dice roller (like Invisible Castle (http://invisiblecastle.com/)), second is to just let players and myself make their dice rolls themselves physically and trust them to not cheat giving the results (obviously not something you want to do with everyone, especially if players don't know each other, because perceptions matter more than actual cheating in this, here), and finally me GM making the rolls physically for everyone.

I usually roll as GM with what the players think is best. In the Ptolus game, this means we use invisible castle. In my World of Darkness game, that means I make all the rolls myself.


Thanks Benoist. One last question, any advice about dialogue. I like to run RP heavy games and I can see that being tricky to achieve in a play-by-post scenario. Anything you've noticed about this doing your play-by posts?
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Benoist on October 26, 2011, 09:44:51 PM
I guess it's a matter of thinking about actual conversations and characterization, for me. Some NPCs will go straight to the point, others will wander and remain unclear whatever it is they are trying to say, and all shades in between. If that helps, try to think about when people draw breath when they pause : that's when people can react, ask questions, share their own opinions and so on. You get a feel of what's too much or not enough real fast I think. And also ? God dammit man, make your NPCs react to stuff. Describe smiles and smirks and sighs and looks and gestures and laughter. Much is conveyed in a conversation by other cues than just the verbal content of the message itself. That's how NPCs end up feeling like people, you know I'm sure.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Bedrockbrendan on October 26, 2011, 10:01:22 PM
Thanks Benoist.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: boulet on October 27, 2011, 09:14:13 AM
Quote from: Benoist;486652
And also ? God dammit man, make your NPCs react to stuff. Describe smiles and smirks and sighs and looks and gestures and laughter. Much is conveyed in a conversation by other cues than just the verbal content of the message itself. That's how NPCs end up feeling like people, you know I'm sure.


This. It's not going to be as immersive as playing the role, creating speech mannerism or making expressive faces at the table, but OTOH there's place for more subtlety and it's not as draining since you've got typically hours between posts.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: hangedman on April 27, 2012, 03:02:55 PM
this is one reason that i do fairly well with running a PbP, but not tabletop.
i have time to think and integrate between posts.
Title: I love PbP!
Post by: Mario D20 Gamemaster on January 02, 2013, 08:02:45 PM
I do enjoy running my game by post as it allows me to put more thought and time into my campaign, as well as opening up options like having players in other states or even across the globe. I find that short posts work best, with longer ones reserved for dream sequences and the like where responses aren't possible.

I take some of the extra time to work on describing things effectively, character development (I'm currently writing a short story that explains how one of my NPC's escaped from his oppressive homeland and wound up adventuring) and general background info.

One area where my campaign is different: I employ Google Drive, and every character has their own designated font, text color, and text background color- it's a tactic I borrowed from Sierra's QFG series and works very well- you always know who's talking, and people who are trying to speak differently can, say, whisper in italics, or put on a gruff voice by using bold, or whatever. The downside is that I have to keep a fairly long list of NPC's they have run into just to keep things consistent.

I do of course have the complaint that the campaign runs only as slowly as its slowest member updates, which is becoming such a problem that I'm considering running a second, lower-level campaign just to assuage my frustration with slow posters. (PM me if you're interested- Mario D20 is the name of the game, as it were.)

I nearly always make rolls for characters, which is good for keeping things mysterious. (I don't have much trouble with cheating among my current players, though.) Sometimes I request an Init roll just to be certain that everyone knows they're in combat, but other than that I use an online D&D dice roller.
Title: Thread CPR
Post by: Mario D20 Gamemaster on January 26, 2013, 04:25:45 PM
Just trying to keep this thread from fading into oblivion.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: caters on May 10, 2014, 05:28:11 PM
Do I post a new thread once I have enough players or just continue the thread with the title (Players Wanted) whatever the game title is?  

Do I also post a new thread for discussion of the game?
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Drohem on May 12, 2014, 11:34:28 AM
Quote from: caters;748373
Do I post a new thread once I have enough players or just continue the thread with the title (Players Wanted) whatever the game title is?  

Do I also post a new thread for discussion of the game?


Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes here; post an IC thread, an OOC thread, and an Interest thread.
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: cranebump on April 06, 2016, 12:46:48 PM
I currently run a PbP super hero game at the old MURPG site, but am cranking up a BoL campaign. This would probably be a better place for it, but I would want am in-thread dice roller. I assume there isn't one still?

[roll=1-6]
Title: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: cranebump on April 06, 2016, 12:47:37 PM
I currently run a PbP super hero game at the old MURPG site, but am cranking up a BoL campaign. This would probably be a better place for it, but I would want am in-thread dice roller. I assume there isn't one still?
Title: Re: The Play by Post Forum
Post by: Theory of Games on September 29, 2023, 09:43:56 AM
Can you still roll dice here? [dice]1d20[/dice]

Nope.