Gaming From Afar—20 Rova 4717

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

One of my favorite things about Pathfinder Society (and now Starfinder Society) derives from the portability of the campaign. I started playing during Season 2 of Pathfinder Society. Since then, I've lived in three different locations (four, if you count my home in Las Vegas.) No matter where my family moved, we either found a Pathfinder Society community or built one. Being able to game anywhere made it easier to pick up roots and move again, knowing there would be a group of friends waiting at my destination.

But what happens when you don't have people nearby, or work a non-traditional schedule, or family commitments get in the way of participating in local games. Great news. Not only do we have thriving gaming communities centered on physical locations, we have a robust online scene as well. The partnership of Paizo with several Virtual Tabletops gives a variety of platforms for play. In addition, the Play-by-Post (PbP) community hosts loads of games. And that is the focus of our blog this week.

Instead of bringing my limited knowledge to the table, I'm handing the keys of the keyboard to our esteemed PbP Venture-Lieutenant Hilary Moon Murphy (HMM). She'll give you the ins and out of participating in one of the most roleplay driven gaming styles.

Before I do that, I want to call out two other organized play items. The first involves the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. Due to a few crossed wires, <<Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild #4-1—Chasing Yellow Sailsreleased in its' entirety last week. Next up, a special promotional adventure Pathfinder Society Adventure Card Guild #4-P1—Murder in the Marketplace that ties into the upcoming Hell's Vengeance Character Deck releasing in October.

I also wanted to point everyone to the Roleplaying Guild Additional Resources section of the website. Thanks to John & Linda, the updates are ready for June, July, and August publications.

The Play-by-Post Community

In December of 2014, I stumbled into my very first Play-by-Post game as a replacement player. It was a bizarre We Be Goblins game that turned into a musical. Everyone was engaged, the story was a delight, and I found myself refreshing constantly throughout the day for updates of the wacky antics of my fellow players and this delightful story that we created as a team.

It's also the moment that I fell in love with Play-by-Post, realizing the myriad possibilities of gaming in this manner.

An Assortment of Cool Things

Story-Driven and Flavor-Filled. Play-by-Post is Immersive, and offers the opportunity for rich roleplay. You can do things in Play-by-Post that may not be feasible at an in-person table. Characters often reveal hidden thoughts and motivations, building out a character's rich backstory. Snarky familiars can get their own avatars and become fully fledged party members. You can split the party, offer side adventures, brooding interior monologues... all without slowing down the game for others. As a GM, one of the things that I love to do is bring out the quirky and varied settings of Golarian. Play-by-Post gives more time for party exploration and discovery.

Inclusive & Easy to Schedule. "You don't have to actually leave your home or talk to anyone to play" wrote a PbPer named Lady Ladile: "It's a fantastic medium for the shy, the introverted, the home-bound, the anxious, the stay-at home parent, the busy worker, etc. You don't have to leave your family, or try to wrangle several people's schedules in order to play maybe once a month if you're lucky. You don't have to speak if you're not comfortable with speaking or not good at speaking. All you need is some sort of internet-capable device and a connection. As someone who is shy, introverted, works an oddball schedule, and isn't a good speaker or quick-thinker, this is a key reason that I love PbP as much as I do."

A Warm & International Community of Gamers. In our most recent special, I noticed GMs that hailed not only from North America, but also from Indonesia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland. Most of the tables I've played at have been international in some way. PBP allows you to make friends with people from all over the world, and our lodges love welcoming new players.

Some Things to Consider

Play-by-Post can be Slow. Games take weeks to complete, and your characters will be tied up in that game for the full run. However, that slowness also gives you time to think about your next move.

People can flake sometimes. Just like no-shows in real life games, sometimes people disappear. In all the PBP lodges players and GMs look out after each other; we all know that actual life can sometimes get in the way of the game. If a replacement is needed they are found quickly; no game is orphaned long.

Want to Try It Out?

Play-by-Post Gameday VI starts August 25th! A few of our GMs have even reserved seats specifically for players new to Play-by-Post! This is our annual Play-by-Post Convention, one that you can attend without leaving home. We'd love to have you try out a game, and come be a part of our community too.

Have questions about PbP, ask them here! Our community of PBP veterans are happy to share their experiences.

Hilary Moon Murphy
Venture Lieutenant, Play-by-Post

Tune in next week for a summary of this month's Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild scenario offerings!

Until then—Explore, Report, Cooperate!

Tonya Woldridge
Organized Play Manager