Characteristics of best PbP game

[Xeno55]

What are the characteristics of the best PbP game?

Is it the players? Should the GM look for certain things while recruiting? Perhaps try for people in the same time zone? Or with a shared philosophy of how a game should work?

Is it the scenario? Level of difficulty? Amount of roleplaying vs combat vs puzzles?

Is it the GM? How fast he or she moves the party through the narrative? Or how much space the GM allows the party to figure things out themselves?

Why do many games collapse, while a few keep going for years?

All comments and ideas welcome.

[Grinner]

Well, like any game, I imagine over-ambition on the GM's part could account for more than a few failed games.

Also, because they're easier to join than local games, a fair few of them may fall apart due to player conflicts. I mean, it's a simple matter to just drop one game and join another after things go south.

[Terraoblivion]

In my experience the most important traits are reliably active players and GM. Apart from that the format seems to heavily favor social activity over combat. It is also my experience that a strong authorial vision on the part of the GM is useful, rather than letting the players wander around aimlessly or be uncertain of what to do which tends to make people simply not post, killing the game. Finally, I think that focusing on creating interesting, active characters who are enjoyable to play from a narrative viewpoint is very helpful as that is something that is far easier to portray well in the format than combat heavy characters. This especially becomes important if the GM has a strong vision for your story as the role of the players then become more about portraying their characters and how they think or feel about situations, rather than overcoming challenges.

Others might have had other experiences, but this is how it's worked out for me.

[Grinner]

In my experience the most important traits are reliably active players and GM. Apart from that the format seems to heavily favor social activity over combat.

I'll second that.

[Eldest]

Easily understood rules, an active GM and players, and quick to throw together characters are usually nice. I'm play testing a game right now that works amazingly on PbP (Rogue, it's in my sig). It helps the GM is the person who made the game. No rules conflicts.