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1st Impressions, Concerns & Suggested Play By Post Rules

I joined this site about a week ago after JB referred to it on a Facebook page I use. I enjoy roleplaying games, I like writing and I have a passion for history: the Medieval Role-playing Game seemed the perfect fit for me!

I soon realised that Medieval wasn't set in our history and that I couldn't play it immediately. No problem - I'd start something else. I was a little bewildered at first, but as I blundered around making mistakes - posting in the wrong locations, hijacking threads away from their original topics etc - the people who corrected me were always friendly and made sense (And were real).

I made a character for one of busy KNtoran's games, While waiting for an opportunity to be introduced to the party (They are in an encounter with bandits at the moment) I contributed a little toward the forums, built up CP and read up on the threads of various other games to get an impression of play.

After 1 week here I can say that the site is a delight. The people that I've encountered here have all been welcoming, articulate and friendly!

I just have one reservation, but its a big one. It's a doubt about the way these games seem to be played:

My impression is that players here, including veterans and Game Master's sometimes, often progress as if they are playing a tabletop game:

GM: You see an abandoned house in a clearing. What do you do?"
Thief: I'll creep up to the window and look in.(Stealth check 19, Perception, oh no, only 8)"

This doesn't work well here. To be honest, this exchange could be usefully cut from a tabletop game - with all its advantages of instant response to questions and dice rolls - in order to save time. In a type of gaming where the average response time is a day or more, (If there is a response at all), the above example would be extremely frustrating! A typical combat encounter, which in table top might last an hour or more, would probably need several months of play by email to resolve, if played out in this way. Progress in the campaign would only be noticed by geologists. I guess that's why there's a significant drop out.

I don't have any experience to base this on, but my ideas to tackle these problems, if I ran a game here, would be:

1. CHANGE YOUR CONCEPT OF A TURN
Don't think in 6-second combat turns. A turn in my Play By Post would be a strategy to deal with everything you can see or expect to encounter. You have time to devise a strategy for the entire combat, with different contingencies, so do so. And don't only say what your character would do - shout commands/suggestions to the other characters too, to better work as a team. The GM would continue to implement this group strategy until you successfully dealt with the situation, until you realised it wasn't working, or the situation changed (Reinforcements arrived, somebody dropped/wanted to retreat).

2. EMPOWER
For the above to work, Game Master's need to be empowered to make minor assumptions about player actions both in combat and out of it - eg; that adventurers will adventure and scouts will scout. The GM can assume that the party will continue with these general tactics until they encounter someone/thing which needs its own detailed strategy. Thus you
Likewise, the players are empowered to make minor GMing calls - naming some NPCs or locations, that the wood contains a druid's grove, that the investment-banker is a thief, etc. In order to move the plot along.

3. DEADLINES
Players must respond within 24 hours (Or 48 hours, etc) of the GM posting, or their character will just obey the commands of another character in an encounter/adventure or simply drop out of the group.

4. MAPS?
Now this one would take an adjustment from the site: maps. Complicated situations and strategic responses are most clearly displayed by maps. A simple draw tool on squared paper, with a few generic people, humanoid, animal icons to illustrate positions would greatly enhance the strategies possible to communicate.

5. PROGRAMMED LIVE TEXT-ADVENTURES
I would try to schedule 1 intensive-text session per month. The GM and one player would arrange a time to be online at the same time to experience an important encounter blow-by-blow. This encounter would pass round the group and the player whose turn it is could other players to join him/her. If wanted and possible, all the group could experience live text together.

This has been a bit of a rambling thread - perhaps I should break it in two, but I won't yet. I like the site. I'm worried about the rate of progression and I've had a few ideas which may or may not have been tried before. I'd love to get some feedback.

Rules Post Play Suggested and Concerns Impressions st

Dude, you sound like you're suffering with burnout already and you haven't started yet.

I can understand you're frustrations and that's actually why I don't go to Member Wars. I tend to stay with JB's games because there is a time limit and he moves on with or without you, the drawback is not many like to be kept in time or make 30 core posts to enter. You know what they say, damned if you do damned if you don't.

I also like the one's I can self-narrate because I control the pace so if its not interesting enough only I'm to blame. A lot of what you said is what JB already does except for planning for everyone to be online at the same time - I don't think that would work unless your group was in the same geographical area. I guess if you had players who you know in real life here it might work but what if someone joined from China so when it was their turn you're sleeping and vice versa. Remember there is a time zone problem and people have to sleep.

Is this an indirect pitch for starting your own game?

1st Impressions, Concerns & Suggested Play By Post Rules Reviews RPG & Card Board

Thanks for the reply PlayByPost. I'm intrigued - you're saying there are some games you (At least partially) self-narrate when playing? Could you tell me which ones? Can I read them even if I'm not playing? Do you use maps or graphics in any of the adventures?
Its not burnout I'm feeling - as you say, I've never played - just a doubt about PBPs ability to satisfy me. There are 4 principle elements I look for in a game - a rich setting, intriguing characters, drama and moments of intense action. The first three I have no doubt that Play By Post can deliver, probably better than any other form of game, but the action here seems so drawn out that it loses any intensity. Is this a true perception or am I wrong? Do the long cliff-hangers add a different, comparable quality to the game? Why do you enjoy them so much?
I saw somewhere else a question page asking what was the best way to play Dungeons & Dragons and the majority here say by Play By Post? Can you explain why?

Rules Post Play Suggested and Concerns Impressions st

Funny, your questions sound like I'm in an interview. Seriously though I think you're looking at it all wrong and I doubt a way a game is played can satisfy everyone. Anyway, you haven't been here long enough but JB also does programming so he created games that are within games. The progression of the game is not based on you or the game because its meant to go at YOUR pace. A lot of them he does not work on anymore because everyone is all about Dungeons & Dragons .

Check these: Matrix Trilogy - Plugged Role-playing Game and Gwynedd Medieval Village Play By Post Role-playing Game as examples but you probably won't reach far in them as they take a combination of things to be fully involved.

Did you ask them? Dude, I don't have all the answers even though my username and post count probably mak me look like an expert, I'm not.

One thing I can tell you for sure from what I've experienced and its nothing personal, if you don't enjoy the style don't get involved in it because in the end you will burn out and leave players who do enjoy the style hanging.

Rules Post Play Suggested and Concerns Impressions st

I'm new to this so maybe my expectations aren't as high. Being a player on PC for many years and getting an instant response to an action made this method a challenge. Even so, I can honestly say I prefer it because of the unpredictable nature of the game and all those involved. You just don't know what a fellow player will do next or what might happen to you - I love it. The pace could be a little faster in some instances but being involved in 3 games at once makes it feel like I have to busy myself checking what's the status of my characters. I guess if you were only in one it will not be as lively.

1st Impressions, Concerns & Suggested Play By Post Rules

My profound discovery of the day: I've just been introduced into KNtoran's Advance Dungeons & Dragons game and submitted my first post. It follows the time scale that I criticised above but, to my surprise, I don't feel frustrated but excited! What makes for rather slow reading when you're not involved in the game is actually the amount of information I can process and respond to in the bit of free time I can spare in my busy day. Looking forward to the next installment!

1st Impressions Concerns & Suggested Play Post Rules

That is just it. Yeah the game can move slow at times and other times move quickly. Many people here have other things they are doing and can not always be on a lot. I do try to keep things moving and if everyone responds I will update a story line two or three times in a day. But letting some people take a day or two to respond is fine too.

1st Impressions Concerns & Suggested Play Post Rules Board Card & RPG Reviews

So far the only times it moves slow is when you rely on a leader or lieutenant for actions otherwise the pace is very good.