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Hello all, and welcome to my True Dragons game! I was asked to do this by Redelia as a GM Mentoring game. This means that I will try to give you peeks behind the scaffolding, and you guys need to ask me lots and lots of questions.
Got it?
So who are you, and what are you looking to learn in my game?
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
Some things to know about me. I usually like games to flow with around 2-3 posts per day. I know that we have a bunch of people in this game who won't be able to post from work. If that's the case with you, if you could check in before and after work, that would be great! We'll find a pace that works for the whole group before long.
I'm also the newly minted Venture Captain of Play-by-Post, which means sometimes I get distracted by VC stuff (cranky-pants crises, PBP Gameday administration, support deadlines...) If I find myself embroiled in something I'll let you know!
I am a roleplay and story-oriented GM. I love building off what you guys give me, and I want to encourage you to have crazy interplay with each other as you go through this adventure.
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
Tell me about your absences and crazy work days. If you're going to be off to a con for a few days, that's okay. Just let me know. I'll tell you about my crazy days too. Expect slow posting from me on Wednesdays -- those are often hard for me.
I will also be at a con November 16-20th, and unavailable most of the day of Thanksgiving and all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
I'm hoping that botting won't be needed, but I still want everyone to have a 'bot me' spoiler in their profile with key strategies and pre-formatted dice rolls.
I'm especially hoping that we all have fun. I want enthusiasm, silliness, sound effects, team chemistry... If you want that too, I think we'll have a great game together.
Hmm
Also, it's time for fabulous forms! This game will be played with the adorable 4th level Kobold pregens, but you’ll be applying it to one of your regular PFS character. I hope to have BB Code Friendly Versions of all the Pregens for you before the start of the game!
If you have an idea of WHICH pregen you’d like to play, please tell me so. Masee has told me that he really wants Varanog the Sorcerer, but the rest are open. If you have an alias that you use for pregens, it might be best to use that for this adventure.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Player:
Character:
Pathfinder Society Number:
Level:
Faction:
Slow Track or Normal:
This Chronicle #:
Starting XP:
Initial Prestige:
Initial Fame:
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle:
Starting Gold:
Day Job Roll:
Gold Spent on this Chronicle:
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle:
VARANOG is mine!
Hrm I'll need to decide who to put this on. I didn't realize this was a GM grooming game... Vanarog eyes HMM suspiciously...
Muahahaha. My plot is revealed!
Player: Gary Pepper
Character: Lancyn Pendragon
Pathfinder Society Number: 43992-2
Level: 3
Faction: Silver Crusade
Slow Track or Normal: Normal as Normal can be
This Chronicle #: 7
Starting XP: 6
Initial Prestige: 11
Initial Fame: 12
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle: 0 so far
Starting Gold: 1454
Day Job Roll:
Gold Spent on this Chronicle: 0 so far
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle: nothing of note.
Shucks the Cleric is taken already. Athrax it is.
^ Poblano is AWESOME.
Together we finished the full BB Code Conversion of the Kobold Pregens!
Get them while they’re hot!
Hmm
"I only seek to serve the shiny shiny red one"
Player: Zin Z'arin (Robert Riemersma)
Character: Mun of Ashava
Pathfinder Society Number: 192785-1
Level: 3 (but the chronicle can't be applied until 4, right?)
Faction: Silver Crusade
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
This Chronicle #:
Starting XP:
Initial Prestige:
Initial Fame:
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle:
Starting Gold:
Day Job Roll:
Gold Spent on this Chronicle:
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle:
Not sure about many of those questions, because I don't think this chronicle will be applied to the PC until he hits 4th level. If I'm wrong, let me know, and I'll update.
_______________
I am a relatively seasoned tabletop GM who has yet to GM in PbP. I'm hoping that being able to "peek behind the curtains" in this game will give me the tools to feel like I can do this successfully online. Thanks for the game and the mentorship!
_______________
Finally, I have no prior knowledge of this scenario nor its pregens, but Engashez looks interesting to me. I will play her if nobody objects.
Good Question!
The chronicle can be applied from levels 3-5, or to a brand new level one character, or as a “hanging chronicle” for a level 2. You can apply it right away!
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
CLAIMED KOBOLDS
Vanarog the Sorcerer — Massee
Skyrahk the Cleric — Redelia
Athrax the Alchemist — Poblano
Engashez the Bard — Zin Z’arin
UNCLAIMED KOBOLDS
Fazgyn the Trapmaster
Pethjun the Muscle
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Okay, so if you’re looking to make the leap into PBP GMing, what sorts of information are you looking for that you think might help you do so? I talked about early prep in the GM mentoring lounge, but are there other specifics that you are looking for?
Hmm
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Ooo yes Questions. The questions I have not answered....
Who am I? Well in a nutshell I am, so dubbed but the great red jet boot wearing HMM, GM Poblano Pepper.
Taking the GM mask off You see my true name is Gary Pepper, Venture Agent California - Lake County and I have been using learning from the PbP community to be a better GM during Table Top sessions. This is where I answer the question
"So who are you, and what are you looking to learn in my game?"
My main take away is presentation of the game. How one is best able to add to their games to further increase the enjoyment of everyone at the table and How to build on what others have posted tomake a one-of-a-kind experience for all.
Thats about it but I intend to ask many questions.
So you may be wondering why I gave you all BB Code of the Pregens. I feel that part of my job as a GM is to help smooth things over for my players as much as possible. It also smooths things out for me because it makes your characters and their headers readable.
(Thanks again to Gary for helping me convert these!)
So... Here is my request for all of you, though. I want you to create ‘BOT ME’ spoilers for your characters. We’re going to be playing over the holidays. There will be times when your characters are absent. I want us to be set up so that I can bot you and you can bot each other if someone is off for a few days of holiday.
Plan for adversity, strive for success!
Hmm
PS The other thing I did was PM my missing players to get them to check in!
The other thing that is useful about bot me spoilers is that you can use them to speed up making your own combat posts. On days when you may have low bandwidth as a player, that can be great.
Hmm
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Player: Massee
Character: Luurg Murkdweller
Pathfinder Society Number: 202046-5
Level: 4
Faction: The Exchange
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
This Chronicle #: 12
Starting XP: 11
Initial Prestige: 8
Initial Fame: 20
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle: 0
Starting Gold: no clue
Day Job Roll: Just roll a D20, as it will be the Pregen’s skill that you will be using!
Gold Spent on this Chronicle: None
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle:
Luurg is finishing up a game this week which will put him at 11xp. So all these values are up in the air, especially if he hops right into a game while this is being played.
I'll gladly take Pethjun if I may.
Player: Sedoriku
Character: Menarul
Pathfinder Society Number: 108507-2
Level: 2
Faction: Liberty's edge
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
This Chronicle #: 5
Starting XP:4
Initial Prestige: 5
Initial Fame: 8
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle: 0
Starting Gold: 777.2
Day Job Roll:
Gold Spent on this Chronicle: 0
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle: If possible I'd like to hold this for him until he reaches level 3.
So who are you, and what are you looking to learn in my game?
★ ---- ★ ---- ★ ---- ★
First, who am I. I am Sedoriku, I have a good amount of play experience, in both table top and Live-action roleplaying, and have a smattering of experience in GMing in person, and have tried to handle a game on the boards here.
That sort of leads into the next question. The game was enjoyable to run for a while, but after things in real-life got busy it became a bit more of a slog to update. So I'm really wondering what sorts of things I can do to fend that off. (A few things I have discovered: NOT running at near full bandwitdth before starting the game, prepping as much as I can before hand, and not expecting to do posts that take an hour or more to prep everyday...) In addition, I'm also interested in ways to make a game more interesting or appealing to players, and good ways to engage them/allow them to engage with each other.Next week I have something for work (a speech contest student I helped coach made it to nationals so I'm going to Tokyo the 22-25th. I will bring my computer and try posting, but there's no guarantee I'll have ability to post.) Other than that, Tuesdays until December and Wednesdays are a bit busy for me.
Also I be in Japan Standard Time, so posts may be at odd hours.
Luurg is finishing up a game this week which will put him at 11xp. So all these values are up in the air, especially if he hops right into a game while this is being played.
Alas, you cannot play Luurg in another game while this is going on. He’s committed here, even if there is a pregen being played. Only one game at a time for PFS characters.
You are allowed to apply GM credit to him, though.
:)
Hmm
I have the same problem. Mūn just started a scenario, so I won't be able to use him for this. In his place, we'll apply this chronicle to Robyyn, who just finished up a game. He is currently level 2; he just earned his 4th xp. Will this then be Chronicle #5, only taking effect when he becomes level 3, or does this only get applied once he reaches level 3, becoming chronicle #7?
Player: Zin Z'arin (Robert Riemersma)
Character: Robyyn
Pathfinder Society Number: 192785-5
Level: 2 currently
Faction: Scarab Sages
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
"Who Am I?"
GM DevilDoc, Awenydd83
Well.. I have been around Pathfinder for about 4 years now, and have been GM'ing for about 2 years now? Maybe 3? Most of my experience and play time is online through PbP.
I started out learning RPG's by playing Dragonlance Chronicles AD+D with my uncle and my brother in a vain attempt to keep us out of trouble and not fighting.. Didn't work on either account, but it did introduce me to what has become a life long passion.
"What do I want to learn?"
Lol! Really though.. I try to take a little bit of everything from every game that I gm or play in.. anything from phrases and descriptions to styles and methods. I am very excited to play for GM HMM and to see what I can learn!
In my own games, I think that I could do with some help with livening up the NPC's, making things a bit more interesting.
From my feedback forms, I am occasionally reminded to watch my flow.. that I sometimes gloss over the "interlude" sections, depriving characters of RP.. or I may linger too long waiting for RP that doesn't happen.
"Expectations!"
I am a night owl. Both of my jobs are night shift, so I am almost completely nocturnal as compared to US CST. I work Fri-Sun nights in front of a computer, and although we are in the busy season for work, I still post prolifically all weekend. Mon is my transition day from one job to the next. I find it increasingly hard to post on Mondays, and even some Tuesdays. I also work during the week, but not at a computer. My weekday posts will either be early afternoon prior to going to work, or early morning (3-5 am) once I get home.. provided I don't sit in my recliner and promptly fall asleep. (I've been doing my best to get batter at this..)
Player: Awenydd
Character: GrubGlub
Pathfinder Society Number: 95823- 13
Level: 2
Faction: Liberty's Edge
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
This Chronicle #: 6
Starting XP: 5
Initial Prestige: 8
Initial Fame: 10
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle: Unk
Starting Gold: 111
Day Job Roll:
Gold Spent on this Chronicle: Unk
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle: Not at this time
GM HMM: If I am reading the above correctly, this is a 3-5, but I can apply this to a lvl 2?? Just for clarification.. its been a really long day..
The Con was good. I have an eight hour trip ahead of me. Redelia, can you update your character headers? There’s a preformatted version linked to earlier in this thread.
Hugs, Hmm
So I am still on the road but while Bret drives, I thought I would do a quick post about starts. I got delayed more than expected by the Con, but openings are important. I wanted to make sure that I launched you on the day I said. The more you keep your word, the more you will build trust with your players.
Dungeon Master S said something brilliant about what makes a good post; he talked about brevity. He mentioned avoiding walls of text and breaking up long box text with paragraph breaks and empty lines. He talked about how pushes and hooks can get your players going and help you take attendance. See who is active and responding.
So... I'm going to talk about something else! One thing I like to do is look for places where I can break up a long mission brief or make it come alive with dialogue. You don't need to follow box text exactly. Feel free to paraphrase or spice it up with a sensory detail.
Later I'll post the original box text and let you examine both. Then we can discuss opening options some more.
Hmm
As the latest group assigned to protect the Sewer Dragons’ interests, you have received orders from Chief Yiddlepode to make contact with an ally of the tribe—a peculiar otyugh by the name of Hats. Constant supplies and the occasional tribute have endeared the otyugh to the Sewer Dragons, and Hats now acts as further muscle for the kobolds as well as an additional set of eyes and ears in the sewers. Hats informed one of the tribe’s gutter runners that he has an important captive for the Sewer Dragons to interrogate.
Your orders are clear: find and interrogate Hats’ captive. Discover what intrusion has taken place within the domain of the Sewer Dragons and deal with it. Above all, don’t risk the tribe’s alliance with the Pathfinder Society.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
This box text has some real advantages, as is. It is short. It tells the players briefly who they are, and it gets them going without having them spend time in a pesky mission briefing when they don’t really know who their characters are yet. Instead, like We Be Goblins, it starts by throwing you into the mission right away.
So, what is risked by messing with the box text here? What is potentially gained?
I made the box text longer when I messed with it... Does it feel that way?
There are no right or wrong answers. The changes were subtle and may make no difference in the long run. I am just curious about what you think, and want you to see that you have options in presenting, even when it comes to something as ubiquitous as scenario box text.
I like the rewritten text. Not only is it broken up, which--as Dungeon Master S points out--makes it much easier to read, but your rewrite includes bold conversation. I think that brings us as players into it more.
Also, Redelia, I'm stealing your naming convention. Remember, imitation is the purest form of flattery. :)
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Breaking up box text is key to me the reader. Just putting in the spaces between paragraphs makes a world of difference. I'd even maybe take it a step further depending on if you already know your audience: maybe throw in some bold or italics or capitalize some key points so they stand out. Especially if its a game without a strong hook or the direction you need to push the PCs in isn't super obvious. Or of course if your players are young or inexperienced.
Games bog down and players don't post when they aren't sure what they should be doing. Once things bog down people lose interest and things slide from fun downstream white water ride to upstream paddle.
Games bog down and players don't post when they aren't sure what they should be doing.
This right here.
I know I've done this as a player. When I get to the end of a GM post and I don't see any hint of an objective, or paths to an objective, I just ghost. I move on to the next game and hope that someone else posts something I can latch onto. If everyone reacts the same way that I do, then suddenly the game has stalled, because we didn't know what we should be doing.
I like the modified intro text quite a bit more. It flows a bit better, but even more so it gives us a good sense of the setting and a good glimpse of who the group is working for. Despite the slight addition in length the flow is much better and it personally conveys the information we need to know better and in a more memorable fashion.
The note about brevity is definitely one I need to learn.
The one time I've done a PBP intro post, it ended up being a quite a bit longer than the original.
Inside is a well-lit and blue-carpeted office. Venture-Captain Arvin, a handsome and determined-looking damaya lashunta, sits behind a desk, his eyes riveted on a glassy display. After a heartbeat, he glances towards the open door and motions everyone to enter.
“Apologies, please come in. Be seated if you like, although this shouldn’t take long.” Arvin taps a button on a console and murmurs to a digital assistant, “Croyd, put everything on hold for a few minutes. If anyone calls, please explain I’m in mission briefing and I’ll get right back to them.” He then darkens the display to give his full attention.
“Right. I have an assignment for you. This one is a little a different than others you might have received.” He pauses before he explains, “It’s an internal matter."
“You’re probably aware that after the Scoured Stars incident many of our colleagues elected to leave the Society. That is unfortunate, but not surprising. We hate to lose good field agents, but no one is conscripted into our ranks. Normally we wish them well and that’s that. In this case, the defector, former field agent Reynald Talbot, stole an artifact from the Lorespire Complex before departing. Theft is where the Society draws the line; I need you to get that artifact back."
“Unfortunately, Talbot left weeks ago and we only discovered the theft in the last 24 hours. We launched an immediate investigation to determine the identity of the thief and their last known whereabouts. It’s our bad luck that Talbot was smart enough to get off the station and head to Akiton, where there’s no central government or law enforcement to easily call upon. I need you to track him down and recover the artifact. We know Talbot caught a shuttle to the Akitonian city of Maro, so that’s a great place to start. The Society will, of course, cover your travel expenses."
I tried to smooth over a couple of odd sentences, give Arvin a bit more character and provide a couple of pictures. I probably shouldn't have tried to keep as much of the original text as I did, I probably could have said some of it more readily without it.
Games bog down and players don't post when they aren't sure what they should be doing.This right here.
I know I've done this as a player. When I get to the end of a GM post and I don't see any hint of an objective, or paths to an objective, I just ghost. I move on to the next game and hope that someone else posts something I can latch onto. If everyone reacts the same way that I do, then suddenly the game has stalled, because we didn't know what we should be doing.
Oh, yes this! It is one of the hardest things I encounter as a player. It often makes me want to stop and think about what to do next and then I get distracted with some thing else. I'm in two games right now that have both had this problem and they have both moved very slowly at times. In a face to face game it's be less problematic (we'd probably ask questions or the GM would see we don't have a clue on what to do next) but in a PBP it's much harder to get a quick answer or for the GM to gauge the player's understanding.
In F2F games as a GM I am able to put some inflection in my words to help trigger the players to think about the next step or what objectives need to be completed.
In PbP that has been a little difficult as I am unsure how best to accomplish this, seeing the above posts makes me feel better. I did try that with SFS 1-00 previously along with making slight changes to the red Text box Spoiler Below
Blushing at the sudden appearance and questioning of the Vicarious Lashunta, Garren stumbles through saying "Well... umm... yes... you see she has a very nice establishment though I recommend it is not for the feint of heart. If you must visit she about 5 door down the corridor on the left. But something tells me that you lot are headed over to the Lorespire Complex to go talk with ol' Luwazi Elsebo urseves."
"She doesn't like tardiness," He chuckles "She can be fickle. O Altronus, here is that to-go-cup for later. Just don't flaunt it in front of the patrols." he winks.
Your group realizes the time and heads across the quad to The Spire where a computerized voice at the entrance says *Bzzz* "Identity verified.. Obozaya, Altronus, Quig, Raia, Navaso and Ispeh..... Entrance granted." the entry way door wooshes open aloowing your party entrance. *Bzzz* "Drone 'Scout' Recognized... Power down weapon load out upon entry or holding measures will be activated" *Bzz*
When you enter you see most of the complex appears to be deserted except for some younger faces rushing by babbling about being late for class or certain professor being to strict.
You make your way up the spire with basic directions provided on the Holo-Invite to a lavish meeting room with several plush couches and a grand central table with the Starfinder Emblem emblazoned across its surface.
Scrolling across the vid-screen on the wall is a message from Luwazi Elsebo stating she will be be in shortly.
--------
After a few minutes a short hiss precedes the opening of an adjacent door. A woman with a determined look steps through the opening, holding a datapad in one hand as she sits down at the nearby table, takes a calm breath, and begins to speak, “Ah good, you made it. All of you come highly recommended. You have skills, and the Starfinder Society has credits.”
She pauses, looks over the group she has assembled, and continues, “How rude of me—introductions. I am Luwazi Elsebo,
the elected First Seeker of the Starfinder Society, and I have an exceptionally fair sum of credits available in return for your specialized services. For this mission, each of you will represent the Starfinder Society, but hold no official title within our organization. As you can probably tell by the empty halls around us, I need to use mercenaries to act as temporary agents. If you agree to the terms, I would like to offer you all a job."“The Starfinder Society endured a staggering setback several months ago when our previous First Seeker led a mission into a region of space known as the Scoured Stars. We lost almost all our experienced field agents and assets in that endeavor. What the Starfinder Society really needs right now is something to entice outside interest and investment. In short, we need to make a major discovery."
“Prior to the Scoured Stars incident, the Society acquired exclusive rights to explore a rather unique moon. The inhabitants of the nearby planet call it Salvation’s End and see it as a ‘false moon’ due to its visible metal components and underlying superstructure. There’s the potential that it’s nothing more than a mangled hunk of stellar debris on the remains of a moon, but there’s also the chance that the entire object could be one inconceivably large structure.” Luwazi lets loose a devilish smile. “This is where you come in. I want you to go to Salvation’s End and explore the surface. , you’ll need to make a quick trip to the moon of Varos, which orbits the nearby gas giant, Bretheda. There’s a highlevel security complex on Varos that has a survivor from a rogue prospecting mission to Salvation’s End. I want you to question the prisoner, find out what you can about the so-called ‘false moon,’ and then make way to Salvation’s End. Once there, you will need to see if the moon is worthless, or something valuable enough for the Society to announce."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The only risk I see from changing the text boxs is possible misunderstanding of the players to what you have written. Though the gain, in my opinion, is worth the risk. The gain to me is a more memorable and fun experience with less chance of burnout/stalling occurring.
The changes you made HMM seem more pleasurable to the readers eye and I didn't even notice it was longer.
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Sorry to interrupt the discussion, but I found a game for my beloved Luurg so I've swapped my character to receive this chronicle. See below!
Player: Massee
Character: Mort Gloomhollow
Pathfinder Society Number: 202046-9
Level: 2
Faction: Sovereign Court
Slow Track or Normal: Normal
This Chronicle #: 6
Starting XP: 5
Initial Prestige: 3
Initial Fame: 7
Prestige Spent on this Chronicle: 0
Starting Gold: 736.5g
Day Job Roll: Just roll a D20, as it will be the Pregen’s skill that you will be using! Got a 16 when I rolled it earlier for Luurg.
Gold Spent on this Chronicle: 0
Anything else you want me to note on your Chronicle: Don't think so?
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Hey Gang, I underestimated how much scutwork would be waiting for me when I returned from the Con. I will try to update you a couple times tomorrow, despite the proximity to the holiday. Sorry I could not get to it today.
I was SWAMPED.
Hugs
Hmm
Whoops mind removing GM Poblano Pepper from the chacters?
In my introductions and mission set up, I try to draw the players in with conversation where I can. For instance.. if it was a RP heavy scenario vs smash and grab, and I have played with or GMd for a character that I know uses his mace more than words, I will have the GM specifically point out to the character "Look, no smashing.. try talking first!". Generally this gets a good laugh, gives a good hook to get people engaged (both the PC and the others at the table), and helps to personalize everything.
I also try to break things up. One of the worst things for me as a player is to open the game up and see an entire wall of text that I have to slog through.. and most of the time, the only thing that is important may be a few sentences.
To break everything up, I use conversation text, proper paragraphs, and I insert thoughts, expression, and reactions while trying to pare down the canned text to what is needed or changing the wording to make it more clear for the players.
Hi! Thanksgiving and its weekend have me busier than I expected. I will return to all of my games Sunday PM or Monday. Please bot me if needed!
I never thought of using the favorite feature like that.
Hmm, could you please explain your thinking behind favoriting posts in gameplay? Are they just things that tickle your fancy, or is it a marker to yourself of what you've caught up with in some sense?
I favorite liberally.
If someone amuses me in anyway at all, I favorite them. Though on RPGgeek, I learned that it was the tradition for everyone to favorite everyone else’s posts as they read them, in order to show that the post had been read.
I guess here it’s just that I am having a good time and I want you to have a good time too.
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That's mainly what I use the function for. Another purpose is if the post has some pertinent information I want to come back to later, I can favorite it.
Now.. you build up a heck of a lot of "favorited posts" like this, and it can be hard to sort out what you meant to come back for later and you getting a laugh from a funny post. In this case, I use the "List" function that is offered over each post. I have several private lists on my account sorted and organized by topic. Say I am researching something for my Rise of the Runelords game and I come across a really interesting thread or some community generated links, etc that I think I may use. I can click on "List", sort it into my ROTRL file on my account, and know right where it is when I go back to look for it.
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Yes, I use the List function too in that way. Favoriting is my way of saying that I am really happy to read wat you have to say... But if I want to find it again (especially for PFS rulings) I use the list function for that.
Hmm
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I use the favorite function for both things you mentioned Redelia. First and foremost I use it in appreciation for what I think was a nice post, either well thought out, funny, or a great in character statement. On occasion I use it to let someone know I read something that was directed at me.
On the grander scheme I think they help other players know their work and putting time and effort into playing their character vs just tossing some dice is appreciated by the other players in the game. Or at least that's how I view them.