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Amazon
2015-11-05, 10:17 AM
I'm new to the Play-by-Post Games and I wonder.

How do they work?

How do we roll?

Everyone has to be online at the same time?

I really want to join a game but I'm a huge noob in the Play-by-Post Games.

Can someone help me?

Dusk Eclipse
2015-11-05, 10:22 AM
I'm new to the Play-by-Post Games and I wonder.

How do they work?

Pretty much like an IRL game, the DM sets the tone and describe the world and the players react to the descriptions, the main difference is that you have to write it. To be honest I find it is easier to get into a RP-mood while writing a post; it is also very helpful to have a clear separation between IC post and OOC banter, it makes the game run a lot smoother IME.

How do we roll?
The PBP subforum has a code option ( xdy+z ) which allows you to roll on the post, there is a thread over there where everything is explained in detail, and that code only works in the PBP subforum BTW.

Everyone has to be online at the same time?
Not necessarily, but if by any chance all (or most) of the group is online it speeds things up quite nicely.
I really want to join a game but I'm a huge noob in the Play-by-Post Games.

Can someone help me?

Answers in bold, and one last piece of advice, PbP game have a ridiculously high chance of dying at the first encounter or even before so be warned and prepared for that.

DonEsteban
2015-11-05, 01:26 PM
I'm new to the Play-by-Post Games and I wonder.

How do they work?
In my experience, they generally don't.

How do we roll?

Rocky at best.

Everyone has to be online at the same time?

That's what we'd call a virtual tabletop. No, that's not strictly true. Anyway, you also want to look at sites like roll20.net which are dedicated to online, live games that are just like tabletop games except that everything is done over the net. It can be text only, audio only, video or any combination. Also look at the other thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?454510-Hosting-online-games).

I really want to join a game but I'm a huge noob in the Play-by-Post Games.

I'm tempted to say don't bother, because in my experience it almost never works out satisfactory. It's not horrible, but it is usually only good for a while and then the game dies.

That's just me of course, and I may be wrong, so just try it out on this site or on a site more dedicated to pbp games such as rpol.net and see for yourself. Have fun!

mpollack
2015-11-05, 02:32 PM
Usually, it depends on which system you are looking at. Every play by post group or forum usually has its own set of rules. But in general....

A PbP works by having each person post something in turn. In a combat round, the DM writes (in an email, forum post, etc.) what's going on, what the enemies are doing, where everyone is, etc., usually with some description and dialogue to set the scene. Every player then has a period of time (i.e. 24 hours) to write how their character responds, including any dialogue, in response to the DM and to any players that posted before. Instead of a set initiative, each PC acts according to the order of the posts. When all the players have posted and/or when the time limit is up, the DM responds to the posts, usually by summarizing all the posts, describing the results, and then describing the enemy and NPC's reactions and own moves. Non-combat works similarly, except that you have more time and can describe more actions, dialogue, etc. There are usually extra rules like how you can't control another PC or any of the NPCs, you can't create stuff in the world, you have a post length/number limit, etc.

As some have said, there are all sorts of dice rollers out there that keep track of your rolls (so you can't cheat). The system you use generally requires a specific roller and a specific way to build your character sheet.

As for the experience, I've generally liked them. You can squeeze it in to your spare time, do it on a phone or tablet, and take some time to set the scene and your PC's voice (i.e. in can be easier to play a separate sex in PbP than in person). It does take longer to complete missions, since you're only doing a round every 24 hours rather than a bunch of rounds in 2-4 hrs a week.

As for people not showing up or dropping out, I think it's a wash. (It happens on PbP because you haven't made a commitment, but it happens in real life because you can't devote 4 hours plus travel a week.) Many games have posting rules and enforcement mechanisms to make sure people don't miss posts, so you do want to shop around a bit or at least ask about their specific rules.

Milodiah
2015-11-05, 03:33 PM
I used to do a lot of the stuff over on a forum called NationStates, and one of the biggest problems I saw over there (besides the fact that most games were both free-form and refereed by consensus rather than a dedicated GM...recipe for disaster in several cases, I now realize) was that you usually couldn't be sure of the posting schedule. It's hard to wage war against someone when they don't respond to your posts in a punctual manner. It got worse in one regular-RP game I played when there was an official GM...I remember waiting four days between posting that my character opened a cabinet and being told what was in it.

Generally, what you're going to want to look for is a GM who promises something like "I'm going to update the thread at least once a day, at 7:00 PM local time, but I'll put up more whenever I get the chance." It's also nice to figure out the other players' schedules, so that you don't have to wait 12 or 24 hours between because you engaged his character in conversation at 9:00 PM, but it turns out he works night shifts and doesn't get on until 1:00 PM or something.

In my experience, that's the biggest killer of PbP games. You get lulls that can become too annoying for some participants, who in turn drop out without saying anything (when you leave the table in RL, it's pretty obvious. But when you do it in a PbP, it can take a week for people to decide you probably aren't going to post again.) Those people are then waited on by the rest of the group, who get tired of the gaps, and usually everything goes downhill from there.


(edit removed, wrong post...sorry)