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Dungeons & Dragons Play By Post: How It Works - Page 7

Name: Slayer
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Comments: What do you guys use for a map and hexes to see where characters and NPCs are located in the game?

Works It Post Play Dragons and Dungeons

Imagination. It is as simple as that. Put a picture of the scene of battle in your mind, you may picture it different as others, but it is up to the DM or GM to make sure that you get enough information to put the characters in the right place in your mind. That is what is so cool about this, I get to decide in my head what each character looks like and how the battle looks. It feels so much more real than looking at hexes on a map.

Dungeons & Dragons Play By Post: How It Works Reviews RPG & Card Board

I have drawn out hex maps for certain battles. I have played enough Dungeons & Dragons that I just know how the mechanics work too. Sometimes the measurements are very important, most of the time they are not terribly relevant.

When it is necessary I draw it all out and describe it in text. I have dungeons, towns, npc's, lands, on and on drawn out down to the nitty gritty but it seldom comes up in actual play.

Edited: Oliron on 11th Feb, 2011 - 8:24am

Page 7 Works It Post Play Dragons and Dungeons

In play by post and other online games, even chat, sometimes it isn't feasible to use maps or grids or whatever, and a much more abstracted combat is carried out, severely fudging on the issue of distance, or effectively eliminating it altogether except for GM fiat actively stating "you're far enough away to use a ranged weapon".

Some games don't differentiate, allowing the use of ranged weapons or melee either one in a combat, for cinematic mood games, like action movie type games, and some games use abstracted distances like "range bands" such as Short, Medium and Long and handwave anything more detailed than that as "overthinking it" - I'm a fan of the last two myself.

Works It Post Play Dragons and Dungeons

I would like to see some kind of system set up were things move quicker. It seems to be the reason we loose most all of the players. It takes way to long to do simple things.

You don't want to cheapen the storyline by directing the players too much but at the same time if you don't you could spend weeks setting up camp for the night.

For instance they will say lets stay the night here then head out in the morning. However they don't specify if they are using a tent or setting up a night watch. They don't say what direction they are heading out in the morning or post rolls for anything.

This leaves the GM needing to ask the players these questions. That waiting period then bogs down the game flow and leaves everyone wanting more. As a GM you can post a request for specific information. At times though I have found specifically asking a question, or asking for a particular roll, does not always get an answer. It even seems to confuse some players at times.

It can also be a burden to ask specific question because you sometimes need a response from every character. Then you end up with one or two players who don't post a response and everyone is waiting around for them.

All in all I think steady players are needed for a GM to be able to be steady. Having players drop in and drop out, not posting for days, posting or not posting wrong rolls. The list goes on and on, at a table these issues are resolved instantly. In this type of medium it may take days or a week just to find out your party leader has once again left with no goodbye.

Dungeons & Dragons Play By Post: How It Works

Good input.

Keep in mind this is Member Wars, you guys decide the system.

This is why I suggested that within the Rules GMs set up here for their Scenarios they should add what is acceptable and what isn't. For instance you will give players 'x' time to come up with their action and if they do not you move on without them. If players know there is a time line and that the GM keeps it then they become more 'aware' about their involvement and tend to act on it otherwise it will be a case of When I show up they will know what I do because the others probably aren't ready yet either.

Players tend to get complacent when they see the same from other Players but I think GMs also need to understand that it is their role to motivate and entice Players and not the other way around. Sure Players need to be involved and bring 'something' to the game, but the GM also has to make sure there is something exciting and more especially timely when they get there.

Dungeons & Dragons Play Post It Works - Page 7

One of the reasons I never got too much into this section was the lack of seriousness with the GMs involved. They will be here often one week and gone the next. That like doesn't work for a Play By Post game. You want to feel like when you return here you see something new.

Dungeons & Dragons Play Post It Works Board Card & RPG Reviews - Page 7

I understand how you feel but not everyone has the commitment to be on here always because they have real life issues. However GM, need to inform Players of their time-line and the Players need to be sure to read it. For instance check the Welcome Board to see if they said anything about going away for the weekend, etc.