Below is a helping how-to created by one of the excellent Pathfinder Society GM's, Endless Forms. I've played in literally dozens of his games and he is the one that is running the Shattered Star campaign that I showed you in email a couple weeks back. This will help with how to format things like your attacks, spells, etc.
How to Play Play-by-Post
Below are some basics on playing in a PbP game. Mastering the basics is just the first step though! Once you’ve got the basics down, start trying to improve your play-by-post gaming to make your characters stand out and make your posts effective and efficient. For that I point you to Painlord’s Advanced PbP guide. If you are just getting started, I suggest you read the following basics on play-by-post play. But always remember, the key to all play-by-post gaming is to be consistent!
The Basics #1: Formatting and Basic Posting:
The first thing you’ll need to learn is how to properly format your posts. Everyone has their own little quirks but in general these are the agreed-upon formats:
”Use bold text and quotes when your character is speaking,” then use normal text to describe their actions. (though most people don't use the quotes, the bold is enough).
Italics is often used to denote what your character is thinking or when creatures/characters are speaking telepathically to each other.
Out-of-character text is for making mechanical notes or saying things not directly related to in-character gameplay. Longer out-of-character questions should put in spoilers or asked in the Discussion thread of the game rather than the Gameplay thread.
Quotes are used less often but are mostly useful in replying to something said earlier or to highlight something important that the other players might have missed from earlier.
An example post might look like this:
@Desmond: Lol! I don’t think that’ll get them on our side!
Trotter leaps in front of the gruff ranger and tries to remedy the situation with some quick words. He should have let me do the talking! Now he’s gone and offended the villagers! ”My dear people, I think my friend misspoke. You might have heard ‘get out of my way!’ but what he actually said was ‘have a nice day!’”
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
The Basics #2: What to do in Combat:
Combat can be a bit more complicated than simple back-and-forth roleplaying. To make things less complicated for everyone, make sure it is clear to the GM and the other players what you are doing. Spell out each action if necessary.
And I can’t stress this enough: when using spells or abilities (especially if they require the GM to make a saving throw for one of the bad guys), please post the name of the spell or ability you are using and-most importantly-post the DC and type of save. It is also considered good etiquette to post a link to your spell or at least summarize what it does if it is a less common spell (or something more complicated than, say, fireball) so that they do not have to look it up each time.
The GM is taking a lot of time out of their day (more time than you are to play, most likely) so be respectful of them and save them time and hassle by posting all of the relevant information in your post. If the GM has to stop and look at your profile to find the spell, its DC, and maybe look up the spell’s details if he is unfamiliar with it, the GM ends up spending a lot of their valuable time analyzing your post instead of writing their own update to the game.
A bad combat post might look like this:
Trotter casts a spell at the creature! murderous command
Also note how sparse and bare that post is. It’s boring. Sometimes necessity and lack of time don’t allow for a lot of description, and that is fine. But if you have time, take advantage of the medium and add a little flare to your post to make it stand out. A better way to write that post would be like this:
Trotter grimaces as he watches his friend fall to the blows of the evil Aspis agent. ”Have a taste of your own medicine!” he screams as he casts a spell at the baddie!
Casting murderous command: DC 18 Will save or he has the urge to kill his nearest ally, attacking that person on their next turn with a melee weapon or natural weapon. (lasts 1 round.)
Notice that in this second example the GM has all the information they need right there in the post. The GM can roll the save for the bad guy and keep moving without having to look up the spell or check your profile to find the DC buried somewhere (or even calculate it themselves, yuck!).
If the actions you are taking are particularly complicated, it might also be a good idea to break down what you are doing so the GM understands each action individually. Here’s an extreme example but note how much easier it is to understand the mechanics of each action:
Trotter calls upon his luck (activated archaeologist’s luck as swift action), draws his pistol (free action with quick draw), fires his gun (standard action)quickly reloads it (free action with Rapid Reload and alchemical cartridge) and then places it back in its holster (move action).
The Basics #3: Your Responsibilities as a Player:
The most important rule: be consistent!
Playing in a game via play-by-post can in some ways be more flexible than planning out a night-long gaming session with your friends, as it allows everyone to post at their own convenience. However, it is also quite a bit of work on a daily basis to keep up with the game. And yes, I said daily basis. In the play-by-post arena it is considered standard to post at least once a day. And posting multiple times a day is quite common with some groups who prefer faster-paced games.
Everyone has occasions where they are unable to post for a day, but when you sign up for a game you should plan to post at least once a day. If you are unable to do this for whatever reason, it would be courteous to let your GM know ahead of time. Similarly, if you are going to be gone for more than a day-say, if you will be out camping for a weekend and won’t have internet access-make sure to alert the GM. Most GMs will offer to ‘bot’ your character (also called GMPCing); if your character needs to do or roll something while you are away, they will roll it for you.
Basically, play-by-post is an inherently slow medium. Combats can take days or maybe even a week or two. It is your responsibility as a player to work with your fellow players and GM to keep things moving forward and to be consistent enough to finish the game in a timely manner.
