I’ve tried to shy away from (5) as well, though it would speed things up. I’ve also tried to avoid combat prescripting (I always charge in round 1, sort of thing).
A list of pregenerated save / spot rolls would definitely help. In addition, I’ve started assuming the trapfinders in the party are always taking 10. If they want a more in-depth observation of the area / object, they’ll say something.
A few other ideas:
Ease up on positioning; less is more: if a player could conceivably get away with rushing a monster, flanking, or hitting it from where they are at, let them. This has the side consequence of what I term the “dogpile effect,” (a large number of creatures occupying fewer spaces than they conceivably ought to be able to) so some degree of diligence is still required.
Fewer complex tactics: Avoid monsters that grapple, etc…, unless it’s important to the encounter.
Don’t bother waiting to post in order. With the differing schedules, a combat would take ages. It’s a time consumer on your part as DM, but unknitting it later helps speed combat up tenfold.
Still considering:
Allow dropping / picking up objects to be less of an action.
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Thanks Beeler! Here's an updated list of possible speeder-uppers:
(1) Fewer combat encounters.
(2) Fewer enemy combatants each encounter.
(3) Team initiative so order is always the same. As we've seen in the DS pbp people care a lot more about their init bonus. Interesting.
(4) Players post if/then actions.
(5) DM rolling.
(6) Players post a set of pregen rolls for saves, spot, and so on... These would be used for saves and behind the screen rolls, except in the event of save or die.
(7) Avoid combat prescripting (I always charge in round 1, sort of thing).
(8) Assume the trapfinders in the party are always taking 10. If they want a more in-depth observation of the area / object, they’ll say something.
(9) Ease up on positioning; less is more: if a player could conceivably get away with rushing a monster, flanking, or hitting it from where they are at, let them. This has the side consequence of what I term the “dogpile effect,” (a large number of creatures occupying fewer spaces than they conceivably ought to be able to) so some degree of diligence is still required.
(10) Fewer complex tactics: Avoid monsters that grapple, etc…, unless it’s important to the encounter.
(11) Don’t bother waiting to post in order. With the differing schedules, a combat would take ages. It’s a time consumer on your part as DM, but unknitting it later helps speed combat up tenfold.
(12) Allow dropping / picking up objects to be less of an action.
Anything else DMs?
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I think you need to get used to the idea that combat is time consuming. I tend to be old-school - posts in order, and use of battlemaps. My reason for that is that the game has a lot of tactical nuances which, if position isn't clear, get lost. But I'm also aware that others play it more fast and loose. We have had some very cool encounters (I'm looking at you Mothman - the warforged flying bomb) using my system. But non-combat phases are one of the strengths of PbP, because the medium encourages roleplay, so I give xp for that too (reducing the necessity for lots of combat for levelling purposes).
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Yih...that whole wyvern fight on the side of the cliff was a trip.
I was about to go flying nun myself, until Mothy spanked that wyvern.
What I got a chuckle out of was: my character up and to that point had done absolutely ZERO damage to an opponent in a fight; then I'm hanging on the side of a cliff, and I can cast spiritual weapon and actually do some damage for a change...
I think you need to get used to the idea that combat is time consuming.
Conceded. Doesn't hurt to shave a bit off, though--but then I overclock my CPU/GPU, too. Warranty, bah!
Okay how many PBPs are running on paizo right now. It's CRAZY in here....
It is pretty crazy - I like it. I kind of stopped counting how many I'm in...
I'm running one and playing in 4.
I may have just insinuated myself into another, too. Patrick is just too much of a crazy role player to pass up on.
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Let Radavel be our guide...
The best part for me is seeing the different styles and speeds of games. They vary tremendously.
Also I can feel the heartbeat fading on a game. It's visible because of the others I have seen go the same way. It's a gradual loss of impetus rather than a quick - that's it.
Cheers
I have not seen a game die slowly yet, but it will come.
I plan on letting mine end with a bang.
Where'd my post go?
Ah well, I'm still mourning the loss of my Oriental Adventures game. It would be a great deal of effort to get started again, though. I read it back the other day, and enjoyed it. Shame. *weeps bitter tears in sake*
Hmm... maybe "Mad God's Key" (Dungeon ?) - lots of skills use and some interaction + a dungeon.
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I want to get a playtest-by-post started.
I started a call-out for one based on Goodman Games' 'Into the Wild' which is a great dungeon crawl -- lots of room to try out the mechanics -- but got nothing.
What would work as a playtest-by-post?
The only problem with playtesting by post is that by the time you finish your first PbP combat and have begun kicking the tires on the new rules, the new rules have been updated and are at the printers. :p
I want to get a playtest-by-post started.
I started a call-out for one based on Goodman Games' 'Into the Wild' which is a great dungeon crawl -- lots of room to try out the mechanics -- but got nothing.
What would work as a playtest-by-post?
I think it needs to be very episodic... dungeons seem have the problem of dragging out and dragging out is the entropy of pbp.
The only problem with playtesting by post is that by the time you finish your first PbP combat and have begun kicking the tires on the new rules, the new rules have been updated and are at the printers. :p
Yes... that's trouble.
I'm going to allow my players to retcon their characters. I have been wondering if the chance to remake stuff about their characters might actually be fun. We'll see.
And I assume that everyone who signed up is going to keep abreast of updates of the rules regardless of being in my pbp or not.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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One encounter combat can take 3 days, and that's if everybody's paying attention.
I learned from Aubrey that little spurts of ecl=party level+2 encounters work best; you fork out some exp and you don't spend a month doing 4 rooms with a giant spider and an attack by 3 skeletons.
This is why I thought to go with a low-level dungeon. Higher level fights often become 'You hit me, then I hit you, then you hit me, then I hit you ...'.
So, maybe something a little higher than 1st level or a smaller party?
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IDK--I started my crew at 1st level. Not sure if party size is the main problem, or just the logistics of multiple 30something's in meatspace with all their real life trials and tribulations.
We also play with like...one guy in Australia, another guy in China, another guy in England, and a bunch of people all over the continental U.S., but it works really well. I was frankly astonished.
I get a feel for when certain people post, and go from there.
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Where'd my post go?
Ah well, I'm still mourning the loss of my Oriental Adventures game. It would be a great deal of effort to get started again, though. I read it back the other day, and enjoyed it. Shame. *weeps bitter tears in sake*
Fabes, if you're looking for inspiration for an Oriental Adventures game try Smiling Proud Wanderer.
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I want to get a playtest-by-post started.
I started a call-out for one based on Goodman Games' 'Into the Wild' which is a great dungeon crawl -- lots of room to try out the mechanics -- but got nothing.
What would work as a playtest-by-post?
You might try bumping it; IDK. Sometimes it just depends on timing; I don't know. It seems like a lot of them are feeding frenzies of people trying to get into one.
I'm in like 3 and running 1, so I got no free time...;)|
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I want to get a playtest-by-post started.
I started a call-out for one based on Goodman Games' 'Into the Wild' which is a great dungeon crawl -- lots of room to try out the mechanics -- but got nothing.
What would work as a playtest-by-post?
Can you provide a link to your call - I might get in :)
I do think for a playtest to work, it needs to be very active.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Thanks for all the advice. Which of these sounds like a better playtest?
Wizards of the Varisian Coast:
When the thousand year old wizard Xaryryrar died, Anomkire and the other apprentices expected he would return. To protect his accumulated knowledge and other wealth, they built a tomb laced with traps both magical and mundane that was so challenging that only a fellow Wizard of the Varisian Coast. Or, at least, that's what they thought. 3rd level party of 4, 32 point buy, fast advancement.
Slave Pits of Riddleport:
You are owned.
"Wake up, slave. I've got money riding on you," shouts the guard. Another day as a slave in the pits of Riddleport.
In Riddleport, some of the wealthier merchants keep stables of slaves as an extra form of income. These slaves fight whatever foul and obnoxious creatures can be found to entertain the crowds and when none are available, they fight each other.
1st level party of 4, 32 point buy, fast advancement. Equipment restricted.
Kruelaid: Are you planning on having any gladiatorial contests in your Riddleport slave pits?
P.S. Sacred cow was looking for dead horse in this thread.
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I’m just getting my feet wet, really, but so far I’m loving it, both playing and dm’ing. People seem to be enjoying themselves, so I must not be sucking up a storm yet, which is a good thing. I think a lot of the reasons the PbP’s die is real life conflicts and dm frustration. I think people start up the games without the proper respect for the massive time commitment a PbP really takes. Think about your regular gaming group, then think about them meeting every day for lunch, then double that.
On the plus side, if you are creative but perhaps not spontaneous, PbP’s are a great way to get time to think about your next action. I’ve also been gifted with incredibly intelligent and crafty players in both PbP’s, and it really makes the game shine and glosses over any glaring flaws I might otherwise bring to the table. All in all, it’s a great ride and I recommend it.
Ditto on Aubrey’s games, btw, sometimes I wonder if he’s unemployed!
As a player in both of your games, Beeler, I gotta say you are a great DM. Savage Tide you stepped up, just before I was going to tentatively offer my inexperienced online services, and thank the gods for that. The game would've died and probably left a few players feeling jaded, myself probably included. Dark Sun is a beautiful game to be part of and a welcome way to play a setting my Face-to-face group probably wouldn't go for due to differing play styles.
Awesome DM. Although your mind is a scary, disturbed place, I enjoy playing in it.Aubrey's ROTRL game is a hoot also. He seems to have a knack for knowing how to keep things in line and rolling steadily towards an outcome. He also is very good at setting a gorgeous imaginary stage for us to all play on, and a penchant for using the map coordinates method for tactical combat.
I also play in Heathy's Saltmarsh game, and he is shaping up to be a great DM also. I feel like he captures the backwoods nature of the region really well (almost too well? I wonder if he married his sis' sometimes;P) and the combats are running very well. He has a very fluid way of running and seems to play off of the players really well. His jargon talk makes me wonder what he would sound like in person and if I could understand anything he says, but really captures the mood and setting well.
Overall I am blessed with 3 great DMs in the 4 games I play in, and because of them I felt I had to take the reigns on my own so I started up my Hollow's Last Hope game. I hope to take a bit of each's styles and techniques, along with my own, and combine them into my game.
When I DM in real life I find that sometimes details can be overlooked or not described enough, but PBP really lends itself to detail and imagination. I roleplay more with my PCs in PBP than in real life and as a result I feel a much greater connection to them.
Dravite the dwarven ranger, Holdrus the Mul gladiator, Terin the elven druid, and Riese the human Evoker are some of my favorite PCs of all time and I hope to be playing them all for years to come.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Tarren Dei, I would play in either of those.
You'd be welcome. I'll decide on one of those soon.
I think you guys are right. A typical adventure might not work as a playtest-by-post as it takes too long.
The playtest-by-post I first proposed was this one ...Kerrigan's Keep.
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Another thing I learned from Aubrey--you can condense down the dungeon somewhat; you know--lose the room with the dead guy laying in a bunk who wrote "Kilroy was here" and doesn't really advance nothing.
I'm thinking about keeping a dungeon intact, but blaring through the b.s. rooms and just concentrating on the good stuff...I'll see how it works.
Main thing is write what you know, man.
It is pretty crazy - I like it. I kind of stopped counting how many I'm in...
Let Radavel be our guide . . .
I'm playing in three, and that's pushing the limits for me. Between limited free time and the possibility of getting all multiple personality like, I don't know how Radavel does it.
Nice roleplaying with Bedu, BTW, French Wolf. I like the flavor you've imparted on him.
For what my $.02 is worth, obviously, having a committed DM and players is key. That being said, I think it's important to try and post so as to leave some idea of a direction for others to follow, especially when a particular encounter or interaction comes to a conclusion. Knowing I have to decide the next course of action and having a course of action but just needing to describe how to pursue it are two very different things. But, that might just be me.
One other suggestion I would give is to share each others email addresses early on, so if someone does go awhile you can get in touch with them instead of having to just wait and see if they show up again.
Much obliged, I know things have bee spaced apart farther than I would have liked due to medical issues lately, but I'm hoping that's mostly behind us.
I actually had an odd idea last night for a PTbP that I wanted to toss around if I can steal a moment to type it.
Fabes, if you're looking for inspiration for an Oriental Adventures game try Smiling Proud Wanderer.
Well, inspiration wasn't so much the problem as much as using a very niche setting (and making it even nicher by using an oop supplement 'Kara-Tur') It was shaping up nicely but I think one by one, interest waned.
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The playtest-by-post I first proposed was this one ...Kerrigan's Keep.
Probably one reason you didn't get a lot of volunteers was that you placed it in the wrong forum :)
The only problem with playtesting by post is that by the time you finish your first PbP combat and have begun kicking the tires on the new rules, the new rules have been updated and are at the printers. :pYes... that's trouble.
I'm going to allow my players to retcon their characters. I have been wondering if the chance to remake stuff about their characters might actually be fun. We'll see.
And I assume that everyone who signed up is going to keep abreast of updates of the rules regardless of being in my pbp or not.
Kruelaids pbp players will not keep up with changes ?
Shake!!!!
Magic eight ball...answer: Most likely
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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The playtest-by-post I first proposed was this one ...Kerrigan's Keep.Probably one reason you didn't get a lot of volunteers was that you placed it in the wrong forum :)
\
"A place for game masters to create play-by-post campaigns. Recruit players ... "
Oh. That's a period, not a comma. I should read more carefully.]
:-)
The only problem with playtesting by post is that by the time you finish your first PbP combat and have begun kicking the tires on the new rules, the new rules have been updated and are at the printers. :pYes... that's trouble.
I'm going to allow my players to retcon their characters. I have been wondering if the chance to remake stuff about their characters might actually be fun. We'll see.
And I assume that everyone who signed up is going to keep abreast of updates of the rules regardless of being in my pbp or not.
Kruelaids pbp players will not keep up with changes ?
Shake!!!!
Magic eight ball...answer: Most likely
As far as I can see none of the current rules changes affect you guys.
Do any PBP DMs here have PC kills?
Muahahaha! Cordoba is next!
lol!
Ian Dai just sent me an IM asking what happens when a character dies in a pbp. He doesn't post much but I guess he can't wait to fight the Sphinx.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I've played PbP games on quite a few sites, and the most annoying pitfall seems to be way less common here than in some other ones i have seen: The disappearing player / GM, which kills most games.
It has changed my view on games to a certain degree. I've given up on Aragorn'esque "cool in 17 levels" ideas, and focussed on having fun in the first two dozen encounters. Anything beyond that is an extraordinary long-running game.
Speeding things up is important, but you must not get yourself in a hurry. Either accept you lose tactical combat, and narrate it, or get good mapping software, and declare hard time limits for posting. Never hinge a plotline on any one character, he might have a spell of RL, or lose internet connection, or generally drop out.
Don't sweat it too much. Most likely the game will crash and burn anyway, so anything you mess up will be forgotten. Conversely, do sweat the survival of the game to some degree. Every player can cause a dent, no matter how prepared the GM. Don't be an ass. If you don't enjoy a game any more, do tell.
Lastly, don't listen too much to the rants of burnt-out old farts (like me ;) )
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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Do any PBP DMs here have PC kills?So far only one, but it doesn't really count. Dithering fool said he had to quit his PbPs so I had a magic cauldron attack and eat his character first.
Yeesh, and I thought we were still gonna find him somewhere. Dumb high AC cauldron.
I've played in some PbP that involved a lot of roleplaying and found them enjoyable up to a point. I really liked the character development and feel that on the Internet, it is probably even easier to develop your character and do witty dialogue than at a RL game. Still, dnner shouldn't last more than a month, ya know?
I'm enjoying DMing (with some very patient players) two linked PbP games now. In one thread, the posting frequency begins to flag a bit. Every time it does I type those magic words "Roll for Initiative" and it pops back up again. The players seem to really enjoy developing their characters but combat is what these characters were developed for, not for ordering the duck soup.
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I was thinking... now that I have two or three 'dead' campaigns under my belt and have been running three of my own PbPs for a while, I have a couple of thoughts on the survivability of the game.
The DM it seems to me, is far more important to the game than the players. When the DM quits the game dies.
DMs on the other hand, need to be willing and able to replace players in order to keep the game going. After a player quits or dissapears, it is important to fill in the void and keep the game going without them. I only allow a day or two between posts now before I just move the game along without the offending player. He is still asleep in the inn or has decided to take a nap in the woods whilst his comrades are fighting for their lives only a few hundred yards away. If it happens in the middle of a fight, that character is too overwhelmed by the violence and suddenness of it all to react. He is just standing there.
I've had one player quit and his character got eaten by the aforementioned cauldron. I've had three others simply dissapear. Two of them, the PCs are just coasting with the others, but not really contributing. They will leave at an opportune moment in the game if they do not post again. The third is simply still at the inn while the party, with a new member, investigates the glassworks.
In short, it is the DMs responsibility to make sure the PbP game survives.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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The third is simply still at the inn while the party, with a new member, investigates the glassworks.
Well, if you need another player, Mitnal's been sitting around Sandpoint getting drunk wondering what happened to all his friends. ... And Mitnal doesn't usually drink so this is bad. He's been kicked out of the Rusty Dragon twice and is hitting on both of Vinder's daughters. He really needs a reason to get up in the morning.