Hey guys, sorry for the hastily written message - I'm off to see Zootopia but was just chatting with my friend. Basically I'm going to be busy for the next couple of months with exams but still wanted to play some pathfinder, which lead me to play-by-post games.
Essentially what I'm asking is the thread title: what are (in your mind) the pros & cons of this style of gaming, and do you prefer them or face-to-face sessions more? Thanks in advance!
*Edit: just tell me if this is the wrong message board to post this on, I'm in a bit of a rush right now :)
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Pro:
More roleplaying generally
Good for people with conflicting schedules
Con:
Everything takes much much much much much longer
Very "likely" to end quickly
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I've only done a few play-by-post games, and I've personally given up for the most part. That said...
Pros:
- You get to play with new DMs and players. Potentially making new friends.
There are quite a few interesting, skilled and talented role players out there and even if you can't make friends, you could likely learn from them, or get ideas for your own future rp, builds and techniques.
- You get to play when otherwise you couldn't and at a pace where you can check your computer or phone a couple times a day.
As you noted, it can be great for when you can't consistently manage to go to games / long games. Also doesn't require your constant attentions.
Cons:
- They tend to end abruptly and quickly.
Now. This has only been my own personal experience, but most of the games I was able to get into dropped pretty quickly due to things coming up for the DMs, other players or some other reason. Understandable of course, but it can be a bummer when you just start out on a first mission and the game ends before much happens.
- Can occasionally be difficult to find a game to get into.
As there are a lot of people wanting to have fun and play, there's likely to be quite a few people attempting to get into the same campaigns as you. Thus, it may take some time before you find a game that you are capable of getting into.
Wow, thanks for the quick response guys! We've been discussing it since he came back and he feels that it's lacking in tension and comedic/dramatic timing. Do you feel that this is true or can you think of an example otherwise?
*Edit: Specifically he says there's: no fast paced combat, tricky bluff checks to make in the heat of the moment, and that snide comments lose the speed to their punch
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I've had tension, and timing both dramatic and comedic. The most dramatic and comedic moments in gaming that I've had were play-by-posts now that I think about it.
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My PbP goblin princess barbarian absolutely does not lack comedic timing. Particularly when she is giving dark alien elder things some "sauce". Or misunderstanding words. Or thinking non-existent devils are "invisible" (whack! whack! swish! swish!!!).
Tension is as palpable as in FTF games - I had a character make a play for leadership in a PbP Dark Sun game in order to oust/deflect a very dark opposing character - ultimately the party chose a third character to lead - there were some great roleplay posts therein as each character made their case.
It's not for everybody, but it has its very great rewards.
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For me, the big pro is the depth of roleplaying it facilitates. I have an easier time including more introspection, thought processes, etc., since in play-by-post I don't feel like I'm monopolizing other people's time with such talk. It's also easier to include more description, since, if people miss details, they can simply read the paragraph again rather than having to ask for twenty repeats. Another bonus for me is that it gives me a little hit of Pathfinder every single day, instead of having to wait for a once-a-week or even less frequent session.
The cons, as has been said, is that the speed is much slower - a round of combat a day is difficult for some people to maintain interest in. It does also mean that you should be able to commit some time every day or very nearly to posting, since a delay in your posting can hold up the action for others, especially in combat. Play-by-post does necessitate a certain amount of writing skill to really take full advantage of it, and as has also been mentioned, it's a competitive scene sometimes, especially for games with some of the best GMs or the most popular APs/modules.
As far as your friend's concerns: Combat does slow down, of that there's no doubt. You're looking at a round a day at best, which can bog some people down. But I've found that I actually have an easier time being witty on the boards, because I have the benefit of time to think about what I want to say, and there tends to be more and more complex dialogue in play-by-post than in any face-to-face games I've played. It may be an artifact of the groups I've played with in each format, but that's been my experience.
Overall, I personally prefer play-by-post over face-to-face (though both are pretty great). I converse far better when I've had time to think about what I want to say, and play-by-post gives me that. The daily dose of roleplaying also quite suits me, and I've had a chance to meet some truly excellent players through it. But, as with everything in life, YMMV.
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Pro:
Ret-conning something is far easier.
You can go back and re-read a section of game play to remind yourself of small details.
Doing a search for the relevant rules generally does not slow down play.
You can play with people in different time-zones.
Con:
The slower pace can make it more difficult to follow at times. Something that would have only happened about an hour ago might be a month in PbP. Also the posts frequently are not in exact chronological order.
Some people have a lot more trouble writing their character than they do speaking it.
For some people, it is harder to do maps and movement. You have to find a method that works for all parties.
Requires a higher technical know-how than in-person play.
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Although each person's mileage will vary, I think that Rennavix made a great post that did a good job covering a lot of the pros and cons of doing PbP.
For me personally, I enjoy PbP because I can add a lot of depth to my character that I just can't pull off very well in a F2F game. I'm both shy and introverted IRL as well as not being especially quick-thinking. I express myself better through the written word and with PbP I can often take the time I need to figure out exactly (or close to it) what my character will do or say at a given moment without having to feel rushed.
As a lot of people have said, PbP will take much longer - especially the combat. Due to the inherent slowness of the medium and the unpredictable nature of life it's best to keep in mind that most games are likely to end before the adventure is concluded, at least when talking about Adventure Paths. If that's something that you're willing and able to accept, then I do think that PbP can be a great medium for Pathfinder.
Ive run 1 pbf game here and 2 on another site, all successful. It's very different.
The time investment in pbf is greater, 10-15 minutes every day gets relentless. Unlike IRL where I'll play anything I need to really want to run this pbf story. I now look for player concepts that look as if they will maintain interest over the long grind.
You get a game where details are remembered due to search functions. IRL I have to be heavy handed in plot points especially if a session or two has passed and still players will latch onto something else. Pbf players are much more on their toes.
Good pbf players give great roleplaying.
As a dm pacing is harder. In a scene I can whip round the table see if anyone wants to do anything else. A discussion like this in pbf is 1-3 days. As is plan formulating.
I think adventures with a clear end and clear objectives are the best for pbf.
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Pro not mentioned, my wife doesn't need to know I have this hobby (or anyone else for that matter).
Pro not mentioned, my wife doesn't need to know I have this hobby (or anyone else for that matter).
I had the same thought when I began to PBP earlier this year after receiving an invite. My wife knows NOW.
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Edit: Specifically he says there's: no fast paced combat, tricky bluff checks to make in the heat of the moment, and that snide comments lose the speed to their punch
Yeah fast paced combat is a thing in PbP, because the medium isn't fast in nature. In fact, combat is (in my opinion) on of the cons of PbP because it can really slow down the game if you don't take some freedoms with the rules.
I don't agree with the other points though, but I also don't know what he means with "tricky" bluff checks exactly. Personally I see no problems with Bluff or other social skill checks at all (apart from those that are also problems at normal tables). Well, and what snide comments may lose in speed, they certainly win in punch (honestly, I think that most players really overestimate their ability to time their snide comments in live situations; most of the time, it's simply boring).
To me, the main advantage is (apart from enabling me to play at all) the more literary format, which brings more depth into the narrative of the game. At the table, there's often too much slapstick and people trying to hard to be funny and that kind of goes away with the format. It also enables me to impersonate characters I probably couldn't do well in a live situation (my acting skills suck big time, so this goes for most concepts that are not me).
The main con is that it means an investment in time and effort that you don't have with table games. To keep a game going, you basically need to be able to post every day as a player and more, if you're the GM. And depending on the game, you have to do this for several years if you want to see the end of the campaign. Meaning that real life has much more opportunity to put a spoke into the game's wheel. So you also need to be quite resistant to frustration because chances are that you need to give the format several tries before you find the perfect game.