So I've been noticing a very common trend here on paizo.com: there are much more players than GMs. For every game that is offered a tremendous amount of people apply for positions in the party, especially with popular adventure paths like Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous. This makes it incredibly difficult to get into a game as a PC, let alone a game you want. With any luck, it will take you a handful of tries. For each of these games, you need to familiarize yourself with the setting and house rules, role up a character complete with a backstory, submit it, and await the GMs verdict on who is to be chosen for their game. This can be quite frustrating and time-consuming. It seems to me that the only way of getting into a game in any good amount of time with any control over the specifics is to run a game yourself. If you're into that, then great! Pbp tends to tailor very strongly towards GMs. They can offer up a setting, adventure, or AP that they are willing to run, and swarms of players turn up looking for a spot. All you have to do is take your pick. This has kind of forced me to spend all of my RPing time on here running games, which I enjoy, but a lot of the time I also get the urge to play as a PC.
I had the thought that it might be better to go about this business of getting into a game in a way closer to the way we do it IRL. Usually a group of about 5 people assemble all with an interest in playing Pathfinder, and then they work out the details together from there. Who is going to GM? Are we going to use an AP? If so, which one? What kind of characters can we create that will compliment each other and make the game more fun? And so on.
Is anyone interested in doing this kind of thing? After I describe generally what kind of game I would be interested in playing in, I was thinking that the first 4 people to take me up on it would form our group.
Here are the types of things that I would like to see from a Pathfinder game that I would play in. These things are very tweakable. I just that I would give people a general idea so that they can decide if we would be a good gaming fit. I would to see the expectation be that people post at least once a day, except perhaps weekends, or if they give fair warning in advance. I would like to stick to the world of Golarion, because I both like it and it's familiar. I would be down to play in either a homebrew or adventure path.
Let me know if this interests you. All of what was described above can be debated and changed. It will all be what the group decides upon together.
I look forward to hearing what you all think!
Bam first! great idea nightingale.
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I think that to an extent, that sort of happens already, in an informal way. Once you start playing in multiple PBPs on the boards, you wind up with a mental list of players you like to play with, players you like as GMs, and players you are likely to rate higher on application than someone who's a complete unknown to you, because you already know their play style and their consistency. For instance, several of my current PBP games, I was specifically invited to apply by the GM-- not guaranteed a spot, but invited, because I was already known to them by playing with them already.
That's not that much different than drawing your ideal 'home group' from among, say, those players at your local PFS who you already know you enjoy gaming with. (And/or ruling out those players where you are like 'dear god no I'm not sitting down with them unless I absolutely need to to fill out a PFS table for legality purposes'....)
Online, it's a bit of a catch-22 in my book. You won't build up that small, informal community of fellow-players unless you get into games and start showing that you are a consistent, reliable, and fun player; but you won't get to show you're a consistent, reliable, and fun player unless you get into games that last and don't die in the first combat.
I think the best bet to building that 'group' is to start by GMing. It lets you pick whoever is the 'best' of (as you say) many applicants, the ones you think you will click most closely with, and then it's on you as the GM to keep the game going and show them a good time. Down the road, when one of those players wants to GM, they are likely to think of you as a potential player, and so forth and so forth.
At least, that is exactly how it has worked for me.
You put forward a fair argument, Dien, and I feel you are right. The thing is that this only works if you have the time to GM, potentially a few times to build that kind of group. Really what I am trying to do is jump start that process without the need for you do any GMing. I also think that the same kind of selection that you are describing will happen with this process as well.
Great! Welcome aboard!
I could be interested in playing. I am fine with the parameters you set out
I'm interested if you're still open, I'm up for just about any kind of game, whether it's AP or non, and roleplay or rollplay. Generally I prefer combat-types but I'm open to playing any class.
Howdy, Lelia. I just put a post in RotRL letting everyone know that we should be back on track shortly.
I think at this point we have 5 people in total. I'll graduate this to a campaign where we all can continue discussion.
You four can post in the discussion.
First, I would be interested in being involved in this.
I am even willing to try GMing but I have almost no experience and would prefere to play. I am willing to take a turn as GM when I am more experienced and more familiar with the rules. I am attempting to GM a skull and shackles game on the forums now but I am not sure how much longer it will survive.
Hey, Adventurer#33!
I'm sorry to say that I think this group is already filled out. How about we have a second one start assembling now? You'll be the first.
Yeah I saw you closed it while I was writing. I will hang about and see if anyone else shows up then.
A second group would be awesome. I had the idea to start a similar thread not so long ago but couldn't find the right way of writing the introductory message. I think it is a great idea to get people together and from there to choose the GM and the game. However, it seems to me that the group should present more than just a will to play on Golarion though. I was thinking that it would be important to have people that agree on the ratio of battle to RP as well as the quality of NPC interactions they are looking for (minimal vs complex). What do you think?
Nice fresh approach, I'd be willing to participate in a second group if you'd have me.
Color me interested. I'm just starting with the Pathfinder system, plenty of experience with 3.5 though, so I probably wouldn't be a good GM candidate.
As far as TheCelticCircle's concerns over mutually decided parameters I'm open to any setting (I'm unfamiliar with the specifics of all of the Pathfinder settings though) and have found in the past that PBP tends to work best with strong RP with combat interspersed fairly regularly (essentially a fairly even mix with a bit more weight on RP). I think that kind of balance plays to PBP's strengths, having time to think over responses/get in character, but provides scenes when there is less pressure to be super creative. Thoughts?
I mostly agree, fights do tend to relieve from writhing more lenghty text. It seem that a 1:1 or 1:2 ratio in favor for RP would be good. Although, from my limited experience on the forums (3 campaigns) I find it also necessary for the GM to give good guidance to the players (one of the campaigns was a murder investigation and was hard to follow since clues were only really slowly droped).
While I don't have the capacity atm to dm or even really play, I would be more than happy to help with world building if you guys are working on a homebrewed setting. I enjoy that sort of thing as a form of relaxation.
This seems like an interesting concept.
@Vrog: Sounds like you think of world building the same way I do. (I have 15 nearly complete worlds and about 50 more that are in various parts.)
While I don't have the capacity atm to dm or even really play, I would be more than happy to help with world building if you guys are working on a homebrewed setting. I enjoy that sort of thing as a form of relaxation.
I just started a thread yesterday in the suggestions/ houserules/ homebrew to set up a collaborative worldbuilding project.
I think that to an extent, that sort of happens already, in an informal way. Once you start playing in multiple PBPs on the boards, you wind up with a mental list of players you like to play with, players you like as GMs, and players you are likely to rate higher on application than someone who's a complete unknown to you, because you already know their play style and their consistency. For instance, several of my current PBP games, I was specifically invited to apply by the GM-- not guaranteed a spot, but invited, because I was already known to them by playing with them already.
I only play with you in one game, but you're often at the top of my "Players that I really want to game with more" list.
But for the most part, I think this is exactly what happens - I started GMing a game recently where I recruited all of the players from a game I was in. I'm in three games with the same GM, one of which was a private recruitment that I was invited for. And that game has spawned another private recruitment.
I had the thought that it might be better to go about this business of getting into a game in a way closer to the way we do it IRL. Usually a group of about 5 people assemble all with an interest in playing Pathfinder, and then they work out the details together from there. Who is going to GM? Are we going to use an AP? If so, which one? What kind of characters can we create that will compliment each other and make the game more fun? And so on.
I think the reason that this doesn't work as much is partially because there are so few GMs. People who want to run games, do. And many of those who run multiple games get burned out. I'd love to put together a "Dream" group now, though.
Azaelas, are you interested in playing?
In either case, with myself, adventurer33, TheCelticCircle, and Spazmodeus we have most of a group. If anyone is interested in DMing we can start setting out what the game will be and move on from there. If no one shows up in the interim we can recruit, I'm sure we'll be able to fill 1 or 2 spots.
Hey folks, I'd be willing to toss my hat in the ring. I'm a consistent poster, (less so on weekends) and I'm only in one PbP game right now.
I'm in a kingmaker PbP, and my table game is currently playing through Skull & Shackles. So, with that said, I'd probably avoid those two AP's, but I do love Pirates, so a pirate themed homebrew would still be considered.
I would want to avoid murder-mystery style games, as I think the clue-following/detective aspect is a little hard to get right in this format.
I would probably prefer to start at level 1, and I'm down for E6 if that's what people are interested in.
RP:Combat ratio is not a major factor for me, as I'll find something to post regardless. I have been itching to play something that allows for more mounted combat, as that is very rarely done in most campaigns.
I've played a lot of different style characters, and will be flexible within a group to help it be successful. (Although I'm not a big fan of playing Wizard/Sorc).
Homebrew worlds are fun, and I'd be willing to collaborate on that with a group if needed, but Golarion is great also.
I certainly would love to get in on this project. I think its a great idea. though i have very little exp as a gm and no exp as a gm for a PbP.
Just created a thread so we can discuss the type of game we are interested in. I invite adventurer33, Boss_smiley, Spazmodeus, Geriatric, Aezalas and Zen Al'shear to join.