d20 Modern Campaign on the internet: Any tips?

[Dr. Roboto]

What it says in the title. I'm running a d20 Modern campaign with an Urban Arcana-like setting, with some friend/acquaintances from another forum.

While I would love any advice you all could give me, I'm not worried about several issues.
-Player maturity, or lack thereof. I know these guys/gals fairly well.
-Description of scenes. With the internet, I can sit down and write nice descriptions, which players can skip/skim if they wish.

Some things that I'm specifically worried about are:
-Format. Should it be live? Over the forum? If I use any map/table program I'd likely use Gametable. (For any Gametable users: would it be possible to keep a session of Gametable open so that players could take their turn anytime over a section of ~4-5 hours? Is that a good idea?)
-Encouraging RPing. I know that it can be difficult to roleplay over text chat. Sitting down at a computer gets us ready for a Baldur's Gate-esque hack-and-slash session. How can I get players to roleplay, without forcing it?

I can't think of anything else at the moment. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Some things that I'm specifically worried about are:
-Format. Should it be live? Over the forum? If I use any map/table program I'd likely use Gametable. (For any Gametable users: would it be possible to keep a session of Gametable open so that players could take their turn anytime over a section of ~4-5 hours? Is that a good idea?)
-Encouraging RPing. I know that it can be difficult to roleplay over text chat. Sitting down at a computer gets us ready for a Baldur's Gate-esque hack-and-slash session. How can I get players to roleplay, without forcing it?

I can't think of anything else at the moment. Thanks in advance for your help.

-Format is...well...it depends heavily upon your players. So can't really offer advice for it.

-Actually, I've found that roleplay is easier over text chat because there's less for people to feel self-conscious about then they otherwise might. I would recommend that you just remind your players that they are now communicating purely over a text-based medium, so there's only as much description and role-playing as they put forth. Under-score this point by role-playing yourself to help set the mood/pace.

[Endarire]

Ensure you're well-versed in the genres and have thorough notes of what you plan to do. I botched this once. The campaign ended about 6 sessions in, or at least should have.

I realized I better understand fantasy and Star Trek than Alpha Protocol or Firefly.

[Dr. Roboto]

Ensure you're well-versed in the genres and have thorough notes of what you plan to do. I botched this once. The campaign ended about 6 sessions in, or at least should have.

I realized I better understand fantasy and Star Trek than Alpha Protocol or Firefly.

What do you mean by, "well-versed in the genres"?

EDIT: Also, I'm having trouble finding a good Big Bad. I'd like to stay away from corporations/CEOs (cliched for modern) and gods/demigods/Cthulhu-things (cliched for fantasy). So that leaves, what? Crime bosses? Independent evil people?

[Mordokai]

-Actually, I've found that roleplay is easier over text chat because there's less for people to feel self-conscious about then they otherwise might. I would recommend that you just remind your players that they are now communicating purely over a text-based medium, so there's only as much description and role-playing as they put forth. Under-score this point by role-playing yourself to help set the mood/pace.

I'm with Callos here. It's much easier for me to put some roleplaying down in pbp than in rl games. It's not that I don't feel self-conscious in the former case... just much less so than in latter one. Even if people don't like it, you're at least not seeing their reactions in pbp.

[ryzouken]

What do you mean by, "well-versed in the genres"?

EDIT: Also, I'm having trouble finding a good Big Bad. I'd like to stay away from corporations/CEOs (cliched for modern) and gods/demigods/Cthulhu-things (cliched for fantasy). So that leaves, what? Crime bosses? Independent evil people?

Do what so many others have done when in times of crisis...

turn to religion.


I've been wanting to run a game for close to five years now where the Roman Catholic church was actively taking over the world using sleeper cells and its own actual army. It would start with a series of incidents worldwide, and would escalate into full blown war between the RC Combine and everyone else. Players would be thrust in the middle of things, to choose sides or simply survive.

Spoiler

Show

The RC wins in the end, to set up for the second campaign where the survivors fight to overthrow the RC dominion five years after the New Years War's conclusion. This time the PC's are forced to side with the rebellion, due to misunderstandings between themselves and an overly zealous Inquisitor, and eventually face off against the Pope in the fortified New Vatican, potentially located in space, depending on how crazy I wanted the campaign to get. If the PC's sided with the Vatican the first time around, their characters have become Inquisitors, and now await the Resistance's strongest.

[Callos_DeTerran]

What do you mean by, "well-versed in the genres"?

EDIT: Also, I'm having trouble finding a good Big Bad. I'd like to stay away from corporations/CEOs (cliched for modern) and gods/demigods/Cthulhu-things (cliched for fantasy). So that leaves, what? Crime bosses? Independent evil people?

Go for crime bosses, gang leaders, magicians/necromancers-for-hire, terrorist cells, cults (public or otherwise), independent evil people, bug hunts (pick one big monster and have it cause trouble causing the need to hung it down), para-military/church organizations, just plain 'weird' creatures, evangelists, diabolists, Nazi-remnants, Soviet remnants, ninja-remnants, M.I.B type organizations, mad scientist types, make a rival(s) to the PCs, aliens, goblin gang-bangers with an affinity for grenades, illithid preachers, half-fiend club owners, drug cartels, and....

...Well you should be able to pick SOMETHING out of there.

[Mordokai]

Or the ever classic, bugbear pimps!

[Dr. Roboto]

A lot of great ideas.

Thanks. I'm sure I can find something in there.

Do what so many others have done when in times of crisis...

turn to religion.


I've been wanting to run a game where the Roman Catholic church was actively taking over the world using sleeper cells and its own actual army for close to five years now. It would start with a series of incidents worldwide, and would escalate into full blown war between the RC Combine and everyone else. Players would be thrust in the middle of things, to choose sides or simply survive.

Spoiler

Show

The RC wins in the end, to set up for the second campaign where the survivors fight to overthrow the RC dominion five years after the New Years War's conclusion. This time the PC's are forced to side with the rebellion, due to misunderstandings between themselves and an overly zealous Inquisitor, and eventually face off against the Pope in the fortified New Vatican, potentially located in space, depending on how crazy I wanted the campaign to get. If the PC's sided with the Vatican the first time around, their characters have become Inquisitors, and now await the Resistance's strongest.

I get the appeal, but I'd just like to say something about that.
As a Catholic, I can tell you for a fact that the vast majority of real-life Catholics do not blindly follow the pope. Whatever you want can happen in your game, but don't think that all Catholics will come Inquisition you for believing in evolution. Some will, yes, but not most.
That is all.
EDIT: Not trying to bring religion into this. Just trying to correct any misconceptions you may have.

[ryzouken]

No misconceptions. No worries.

Roman Catholics (and all forms of Catholics) are people first, and people still have brains, though many do not like to use them...


Totally just a campaign setting, yo. Don't read too much into it.

EDIT: editted my above post because I noticed a sentence splice...