How to run a good pbp game ???

cyl

cyl

Creepy smile
Yeah I know, trick question...


My problem actually is after 4 years and 2 campaigns going on pretty well, my girfriend had this great idea to move back to her native country (Peru) and I somehow got tricked because... here I live too now  :lol:


I promised my players to keep the games running, and created two google groups with lots of background notes, maps, rules, stuff like that, but we all lack experience of what a good pbp game is.


So I figured I'd better seek your most precious, high esteemed and enlightened advice about how to make a pbp game interesting, to keep the action alive, and to develop the universe and to keep the "epic" feel of the game.


I'm looking for basic tips, and what to do/ not to do, because I'm on a whole new level of gaming and both the player and I don't know how to deal with it.
 
You might want to look into OpenRPG. I've never actually used it, but I've heard some good things about it. It does look interesting, but, again, I haven't looked into it or used it. But it might be a tool you can use......
 
I went through the site but was more looking for practical advices and guidelines because I have no idea how to deal with it.


I lack the essential basis (do this, don't do  that, yeah this could be an idea, don't you EVER do that again !) to make  the pbp game work, and I have to make it work quickly.


Actually I'm STing just like IRL, long and complex descriptions (surrounds, npc, actions, SFX etc), and as I storytell often lots of characters at the same time, I have a hard time expressing in short ways both their personnalities and the pertinent information/message they can give to the players.


That makes awfully long posts (according to me) and maybe this is not appropriate.
 
I haven't done a lot of PbP, though I have enjoyed reading through some very long ones and have done it couple times (mostly as a player).


From what I have seen the really long posts can certainly work (and may get across more of what you are trying to depict which is good).  The big thing I have found in Play-by-Post is that things are going to be a LOT slower and player availability can have a real significant impact.  Given the slower overall tempo you usually experience in PbP having a key player not posting can really kill the momentum, especially if the ST isn't willing to step in and 'sub' for them.


A couple other things I'd suggest is to remember that this is a text environment so an extra effort to communicate well is often called for, just like in email or forum posting.  The lack of visible and audible input that you get from the people around you in a face-to-face environment can easily result in misunderstandings or mis-clues.  It is also a good idea to encourage everyone to post...even if its just the equivalent of 'thought bubbles' simply to keep everyone involved.  It can be very easy for a scene to end up excluding people due to the amount of time it can take to carry out even a simple conversation.  This is especially the case if you have one or two players that really take to the PbP environment.  They probably don't mean to do it but it can be even easier to overshadow less talkative players.


Maps and visual 'props' can be really helpful with play-by-post.  It often takes longer to hash out uncertain details of an environment in PbP so a clear map (even something hand drawn and scanned or quickly slapped together in a paint program) can really help make things clearer.


Depending on the flexibility of your chosen forum environment, PbP can allow for a lot of cool things that aren't as easily done Face-to-face.  Your party splits up into five groups?  No problem, in PbP you can run five 'soloes' effectively simultaneously just by clearly labeling the posts (or even better, using different threads).  Private communication between a player and the ST is easier as well, especially if it is a game that benefits from the other players not knowing that communication is happening.


All in all, I'd say that PbP can be a real pain, but can be very fun as well if everyone puts some effort into it.  I'm not currently doing any myself (I have too great a tendency to start strong and fizzle out as RL takes a toll on my time and energy) but I'll likely try it again at some point.
 
I've tried a few times to run PbP games, and the big thing that I've learned is to not stress format too much. Everyone needs to communicate clearly, but just how people set up their posts isn't a big deal as long as they get the idea across.


As a player I like longer posts, both 'receiving' and posting, but it's hard to keep up as a player if you don't have enough info. to work with (i.e. longer posts from others including the ST). The pace of action at the time will let you know how much to put in a post.
 
I'm running a Lunars PbP game right now, and even though it moves much slower than a table top game, I'm really enjoying it.  It gives me time to think about what I'm about to post, looking over what the player's have written, and it has everything documented for me to refer back to a month later.  If I take a few days between what I put up, it gives the players time to put their posts up, and gives me time to hit the books for my classes that I'm taking this semester.  


I also have the various parts of the story broken up into different threads.  When the players reach a new milestone, I put out a new topic line and we post there.


As far as the format goes, I have my players start with the name of their character at the top of the post, in character stuff they do next, the the OOC game mechanics stuff spaced off by a dotted line where they list the exact motes spent.
 
This might be hard considering you probably are on a different timezone now... But, haven't you thought of doing it live via IRC or something like that?
 
First : thank you all for your advices, the solar game is getting well, and the abyssal game's just starting.


And yes I thought about IRC game, but trouble is, the timezone is +6hrs (for them, so when it's 18h in Peru, it's midnight in Paris), and I don't have internet at home... but it would make no difference as I leave my job most of the time at 8pm, that makes 02 am for them... quite unrealistic so.


We are making short posts, and we fixed the directions of the first episodes, there gonna be some splits, but thanks to Sherwood's advice, I managed to organize it in different mailing lists.


I think I'm gonna skip over some stuff like orientation, trips, "random encounters" to make the game faster, more fluid, and to make an impression of "advancing" on the players.
 
You should know better, CW. Mention AoA, hope is raised and rabidity rises. You've no one but yourself to blame....
 
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