PbP vs. RL

[mootoall]

So, I've been playing a lot of PbP, and virtually no RL D&D, (so many acronyms ...) and I'm wondering: what does the playground think of these two styles? What are the benefits and drawbacks of each? When you don't have things like threads suddenly dying, how do the two compare? What are your two (per person) cents?

[Tengu_temp]

PbP is better for long descriptions and thought-out, planned campaigns, RL is better for atmosphere and spontaneity. PbP has a much slower pace, but it evens out by the game being on all the time instead of a single session every week. Some games are better for one of these styles - for example, combat in DND 4e is pretty fast in RL games, but tends to be extremely slow in PbP.

[Dusk Eclipse]

IME 4e combat tends to be slower than 3.5, but even then it doesn't compare to the crawl some pbp tend to become. [/off-topic...ish]

Personally I prefer RL D&D , partly because I like to sit with my friends face to face, and partly, because I tend to build "reactive" build (combat reflexes, robilar gambit, things that work really well in RL, but IME don't work as well in PbP).

Right now I am trying to find a PbP that doesn't die soon, so I can play.... but if I had the choice, RL D&D every day.

[Quietus]

Where I've found the biggest difference, is in the focus. A PbP game does combat poorly, and roleplay becomes more robust, if painfully slow. That's because the OOC activity is much smaller; There's no tangenting, no Monty Python jokes derailing things, and the dreaded "One second, I have to look up this rule" doesn't drag things down. Instead, you get players typing out much more detailed reactions to whatever's going on, and while you don't spend a lot of consecutive time enveloped in your character, every post is very much in-character.

In contrast, face to face gaming is faster paced, better suited for combat (because each round takes far less time... usually..), and honestly, more fun, because the social element kicks in and you get to kick around whatever's on your mind with a bunch of friends. You get more done in a shorter period of time, because you get much faster responses (again, usually) to whatever's happening. Also, because it becomes a social obligation, where you have to get up and GO somewhere, people will stay playing one game for a longer period of time.

That's the biggest weakness of PbP, really - it's so easy to just put off posting for a short period of time, which becomes a long period of time, and next thing you know, the game has died in ice. This can be somewhat alleviated by getting together to game via a chat system, but I have yet to see a PbP game reach a satisfying conclusion; They've all died due to the DM or too many players drifting away.

[Chrono22]

I said alot about this topic here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-165495.html)

[Tengu_temp]

The recipe for running a successful PbP game that won't die quickly is the same as the recipe for running a good normal game - play with people you know, people you trust, people who will be dedicated to the game. In addition to that, make sure that the DM has a good idea on where to go with the game. If it's just some generic mucking around in a generic setting, then the chance the game is unique and interesting enough to keep the players in is slim.

I prefer PbP. Maybe it's because of the players I met, but honestly, I think that a well-played PbP game creates a more memorable experience, closer to a book or a transcript from a TV show. There are other elements too: it's easier to have the characters split up and do non-important, but flavorful things during downtime, playing over the net lets you do things you might not be brave enough to pull off in real life, and I honestly prefer the pacing of a game slowly going on all the time.

[Quietus]

The recipe for running a successful PbP game that won't die quickly is the same as the recipe for running a good normal game - play with people you know, people you trust, people who will be dedicated to the game. In addition to that, make sure that the DM has a good idea on where to go with the game. If it's just some generic mucking around in a generic setting, then the chance the game is unique and interesting enough to keep the players in is slim.

I prefer PbP. Maybe it's because of the players I met, but honestly, I think that a well-played PbP game creates a more memorable experience, closer to a book or a transcript from a TV show. There are other elements too: it's easier to have the characters split up and do non-important, but flavorful things during downtime, playing over the net lets you do things you might not be brave enough to pull off in real life, and I honestly prefer the pacing of a game slowly going on all the time.

I can agree with much of what you've said - particularly the bolded part. If the DM is just screwing around with generic fantasy and random encounters, the game will be boring. Epic storytelling prowess may not be required, but at least knowing what general direction you want to go, and having someplace interesting to start from, is important.

As to the memorable experience.. I think it can create a different KIND of memorable experience. With around the table, when something big happens, there's kind of a small party, everyone celebrating, good times with friends and that. In PbP, you don't get that.. but you DO get .. not a more immersive, but a more detailed (generally) story, sometimes more cohesive. And it does handling splitting of the party better, because you don't have the immediate need to split your attention four ways. I have a PbP I'm running on another forum right now where my players came into a wrecked town, and pretty much immediately went in four different directions. I didn't have to deny any of them their spotlight, I just labeled each section for each player and let them do their things, which worked really well.

[Tengu_temp]

Well, for me roleplaying is about creating an awesome story, not about feeling that you're your character, so immersiveness doesn't matter for me that much. And between the OOC thread which all my games have and me keeping contact via AIM with most players, there seems to be a lot of celebration of awesome stuff going on anyway. It's not the same as experiencing all this in a RL campaign, but it's not less fun. Just different.

[Quietus]

I do miss the social aspect of the real life games when I'm doing PbP, but I love PbP simply because... the gaming groups I've played in, in real life? The game is taken as a game, not a story. We can - and do - get immersed in our characters from time to time, but just as equally it's time spent being social, and jacking around with friends. The OOC threads have that, sure, but the IC threads in PbP .. I enjoy having them as focused as they are, instead of being all over the place. It lets me focus on making the story more awesome, strictly within a place that is about the story.

[Private-Prinny]

PbP seems like (I say this because I haven't actually played one) it would be perfect for a solo campaign, since combat is just two people going back and forth like an arena match, and much more descriptive responses can be planned out. Plus, solo campaigns in RL would seem a bit awkward.

[ninja_penguin]

For my gaming group, it works out like so:

Real life:
1. Fast
2. Shenanigans abound
3. High social contact
4. Low actual character immersion or roleplaying, mostly due to 2 and 3.
5. Crippling incoherence as my morning person brain shuts down even as I spike it with caffeine.


PBP

1. High role playing capabilities.
2. Not tied to a specific time, so I'm able to think and plan out responses, instead of 'okay, I do that thing now'
3. Hard to find something that doesn't fall apart within a short while.

[HunterOfJello]

I've only had bad or boring experiences with PbP.

I've had some awesome experiences and some boring experiences with Pen and Paper D&D.

~

I'm tempted to say that a PbP game can never match up to a RL game, but I don't think I'm qualified to make that distinction.

The one thing I've enjoyed about PbP was playing the game as a player and not as a DM. For RL games, I either have to play with a terrible DM or DM the game myself. This ends with me DMing every game.