Imwani's page

This is Play by Post!

Seize the medium: Write descriptive posts with fun language, read your fellow players' posts and respond to them, juxtapose "Outer Words" vs "Inner Thoughts", indulge the Writer inside yourself. If it's not Fun, it's not worth doing!

Be committed for the long haul to post on a daily basis, which includes weekends, to keep the pace of the game fun and progressing. Obviously life happens, so off-days here or there are not a big deal. But checking in once or twice a week will not cut it. If you will be absent for an extended period, give the party advance notice and arrange someone to Bot for you.

Complete posts - especially during Encounter Mode - help the game flow smoother and make it easier for the GM to keep things organized for you in the Tracker. Please do not just throw dice at the post. Analyze the results of your dice to determine the Final Outcome, and communicate it back using Game Terms (X Damage, Y Healing, etc).

I try to keep a summary of all the moving bits through different Modes of Play (ex. Encounter Mode) in Trackers under spoilers. Take the time to use these Trackers to update yourself on relevant game information before making your posts - they are meant to keep you informed as towards making better strategic decisions as well as more descriptive posts. Notice that something like a monster's AC may be unknown during round one, but suddenly be detailed during round three, to represent your character's ongoing analysis of the situation.

If you see I missed something in the Tracker, raise the correction immediately in Discussion, and I will tend to it during my next pass!

Include Links and/or Direct Text in your posts - especially for unusual abilities or one that do not come up that often. Basic Actions like Step, Stride and Strike, or reactions like Attack of Opportunity and Shield Block are excluded from this request - these are so common that they needn't really be actively adjudicated. As character abilities become more familiar to the GM and party, this requirement can be relaxed, as we will have "learned" the necessary interactions. But when in doubt, or if you anticipate a questionable interaction, post it! And allow the GM to make an informed adjudication.

Clearly Communicate Game Terms during Encounter Mode using these symbols. I will keep them posted in my GM Alias as well as in the Campaign Tabs for you to copy/paste. Doing so helps the GM to adjudicate the Encounter by anchoring visual cues within the post, helping to summarize your Turn supported by the descriptive text of the narrative.

For reactions (↺), be sure to include some conditional language for it's trigger - especially if you have more than one. If your reaction involves a die roll (ex. Attack of Opportunity), please spoiler the roll, so on GM's turn, if he "trips" your trigger, he can open that spoiler and resolve it.

Sometimes we lose track of the little "+1"s that come and go, which at critical junctures can be the difference between success and failure. So, it is important to track them.

Specifically, for Circumstance or Status bonuses and other miscellaneous modifiers, please include clear indication in your dice expressions ex. "{dice=Attack with Inspire Courage (+1/+1) vs Monster}1d20+15+1; 2d8+4+1{/dice}" instead of "{dice=Attack}1d20+16; 2d8+5{/dice}"

If a DC you are rolling against is known, consider putting it directly into the expression ex. “{dice=Recall Knowledge w/ Arcana vs DC 15}1d20+7{/dice}”. This helps me to adjudicate it immediately without having to scroll.

Relatedly, to minimize confusion and shenanigans, Roll Dice in the correct Order of Operations. For example, if on a monster's turn you are prompted to make a Saving Throw, resolve it first thing in your next post, then post your 3 Actions + 1 Reaction, then conduct any End of Turn effects, etc.

You are responsible for moving your Token around on the Map or Maps, and will need to develop a reliable way to interface with Google Slides consistently. Sometimes, but not all the time, the exact path taken by your character may matter (Hazards, Monster Reactions, etc), and if you anticipate so, please indicate your square-by-square trajectory with clarity.

Let's keep Gameplay in Gameplay, and Discussion in Discussion, and I will respond to queries accordingly. A note here about Gameplay to Discussion ratio. I've had to ask players who have disruptively used Discussion to question everything that happens in Gameplay to step down before. It's worth mentioning as this can be a pattern with some folks. While I encourage asking questions in Discussion - especially new players! - please be mindful of utilizing the shared space; it is a place to seek common understanding, not to be needlessly combative.

Pledge to Bot the characters immediately preceding and following (and wrapping around) your character's alphabetical name in the event of a 24-hour space elapsing when they have been "up" - As a GM I will not Bot characters, so it is up to the party as a team to support eachother in this regard.

At their option, a dismissed character may post a final "goodbye" in Gameplay, using as colorful language as appropriate, to mark their exit from the game!