Posts
So you like gaming, but don't have much time. You've heard of Play By Post (PBP) gaming, but you find the whole idea a little daunting. Wouldn't it be nice if there was someone who could teach you the ropes like your friends did back when you were fist learning tabletop gaming?
Well you're in luck. This guide aims to do just that.
This guide is written from the perspective of a PBP on this board. If you just want tips on how to become a better PBP gamer, you'll probably want to skip this section.
Also, this guide will attempt to teach players the formats for PBP games that provide the highest level of organization and aesthetic appeal. There are as many different format styles as there are games, and many of them do not use the formats I will advocate here. That doesn't mean they are "doing it wrong". This is just my suggestions to getting the most out of your Play By Post game.
In the reply box you type in to post to the forum, you may have noticed a grey box next to the words "How To Format Your Text". That box is called a Spoiler. Click it, and it will reveal additional text.
Those are the instructions for how to alter your text. In a PBP game, those various formats become storytelling tools.
The most important formatting trick is . This is your Out Of Game stuff, that's why it's coded as [ ooc ]. With Blue Text you can organize your post into a novel-like description (in standard black text) and a Out Of Game mechanical summary (in blue). This is important so that is doesn't seem like your character is actually saying Take 36 damage! to the bad guys.
"Bold with quotes?" Said Minmaximus. Bold text draws attention to itself. Making character speech stand out with bold helps to differentiate what you are doing from what you are saying. In a novel, parenthesis do the trick, but in a PBP game there's so much information to convey that a simple change like bold speech can make a post much easier to read.
Breaking things up. The enter key is your friend. Walls of text are not. Think of them like paragraph breaks. Use liberally. Your fellow players will thank you.
And finally, dice. Because dice are *never* in game things, they are normally mixed liberally with . Something like-
With those tools you can start playing. Some advanced formatting tricks and tips will come later.
Avoid first person narrative. When the “person telling the story” changes every six sentences a story can get really annoying to read.
The most aesthetically appealing narrative structure seems to be Third Person Limited. When everyone writes in that style, the story flows like a novel and gives everyone reading a firm grasp of all the characters thoughts and motives.
You might think “aesthetics aren’t important”, but they are. Think of it like a novel. You’re devoting a lot of time and energy into this story. It deserves to have the best you can give it. Compare the following-
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@ Minmaximus: “Can I see your sword?”
“Can I see your sword?”
Psioney asks Minmaximus if he can borrow his sword.
Psioney walks over to where Minmaximus eating and asks “Can I borrow your sword?”
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Which one of these would you rather read? Which would you rather be known for writing?
A PBP game is all about description. Be creative. Refine your writing skills. Use spell check.
Play By Posts are slower than Tabletop games. Because of that, characters get more spotlight time. Through the ability to show internal monologue, describe expressions or mannerisms in detail, and generally convey more about a character than you can normally, a PBP is an opportunity to really delve deep into roleplay. That means you should be ready to do that.
More importantly, you should be ready to do that from the very beginning. Use internal monologue to show your fellow players what your character is about. Don’t worry about revealing things prematurely or before they ask. Think of it like a novel. It’s ok for the reader to know things that the characters don’t.
Note: Mysterious Strangers are annoying. That thing I said early about not worrying about revealing things before people ask? Yeah. Take that to heart. No one cares what your dark secret is. No one will ask (at least not any time soon). That’s not why they’re playing. If you’re secretly the long lost Prince Poppycock, that’s fine. Just don’t expect it to ever matter unless the GM decides to make it part of the plot. Most things about your character will only come up if you bring them up. If your character starts the game believing they’re a sandwich, and you expect other players to roleplay them out of their delusion, your character will probably be a sandwich for a long time.
Your character sheet is your ambassador to the game. The GM will look at it when deciding to pick you, other characters will look at it throughout the game. Think of it like a resume. It’s nice if it looks good. It’s better if it’s clearly and concisely organized.
Use spoilers to break up sections. Use bold to highlight important numbers. Site your source for everything. Use links to the SRD to cross-reference spells and abilities.
Look around at what other players do with their character sheets. Steal things you like.
PBP recruiting on the Paizo boards is a bit of a clusterf!%% free-for-all that leaves many people with a bitter taste in their mouth. Even after the party is picked, most do not look back on the process fondly. For those that don’t get picked, it’s easy to get frusterated.
Many forum-goers have a handful of different versions of the same character concept in their Alias list, because they didn’t get picked, or because they did and the game died, and they have this one character that they just want to play.
Don’t do that.
GMs will look at your aliases when choosing. If they see 10 different versions of Lord Sothbane the Stoic-est, they will assume you are unoriginal and pick someone else. They will also look at your posting numbers. If you have been in a dozen games, but have never gotten beyond 50 posts in any of them, they will pick someone else. It doesn’t matter if it’s not your fault that the game died. All they see is the pattern.
Instead, make a mechanical framework and basic personality idea of a character that you really want to play (or a couple if you’re so inclined), and submit them to every recruitment thread you are interested in. Tailor the character to the game as best as possible, and if you aren’t picked, take them back to basics and do it again. Don’t make a new Alias for what is essentially a slightly different version of the same concept. If a game dies and you still want to play that character, submit that same character to a new game. The previous game gets worked into the character’s back story and you get to keep playing them.
Not all PBP games use maps. Because of that, builds which rely heavily on tactical movement or precision placement of AoE effects can be very frustrating to play.
On the other hand, multi-attack builds won’t bore your fellow players to death as you go into your third minute of dice rolling to figure out your attacks and damage.
Basically, characters that require a lot of bookkeeping are a perfect fit for PBP games, and characters that practically require minis and a battlemat are going to be a pain in the neck.
Special Note-
“Zookeeper” builds (Necromancers, Summoners, etc.) are even more perfect for PBP games because of the ability to make Aliases. Go ahead and post 8 times in a row as Necrofester’s Zombie Minion to make the attacks of your skeletal horde. You aren’t wasting anyone’s time and it lets you really describe the shambling horde at your beck and call.
To give is to get. Don’t expect anyone to give a damn about your character until you give a damn about theirs. Strike up conversation. Ask other characters about themselves. Discuss the party goals in character. PBP games tend to have quite a bit of “down time”. That can mean that everyone sits around waiting for the GM to update, or it can mean time to chat with other party members. Sometimes the best parts of a PBP game are the dialogues people get into. In a Tabletop game it might be normal to bypass a lot of mundane things to get to the plot, but in a PBP game, you can take the two weeks that the GM is on vacation and turn it into “party talk around the fire”. It can be really fun, but it takes being a proactive gamer rather than a reactive gamer.
Thou Shall Avoid Walls Of Text
Thou Shall Not Hog The Spotlight
Thou Shall Not Assume The Actions Of Others
Thou Shall Not Assume Outcomes Of Actions
Thou Shall Not Derail Gameplay
Thou Shall Use The Discussion Thread
That’s it.
Basically, the trick to a good post is to be descriptive without being verbose, and to leave the outcome of any stated actions open-ended. Wait for the GM to give you the results. Then you can post again describing the results if you want.
It’s not good to say-
Minmaximus fires his bow, driving his arrow deep into the beast’s face.
-because, Minmaximus might actually miss, or the beast might have DR you didn’t know about, or deflect arrows, or any number of other things that might change the results of the action.
Instead, break it into two posts. One for intention (which also includes any necessary roles), and one for describing the results (the GM might do this for you, but you can still describe your character’s response to those results if you like)
Doing this tends to keep your posts shorter, which is nice, and gives you the chance to post more often, which is also nice.
When in doubt, take it to Discussion.
