Anyone now a guide to Play-By Post etiquette and technical? Of the three hundred posts so far in this thread someone more knowledgeable could probably piece together a correct guide.
I'm not talking about an Adventure Path level guide, but something to the affect. Someone new to Play-By Post like me may not have the patience or fortitude to read a 300 post thread and able to pick out the pertinent details or know which are correct - I surely don't.
Thanks in advance.
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Does each play by post have a single ooc discussion thread?
Typically, yes. There may be a few rare exceptions to this rule. For example, there are (or were) a few games where the one GM was running more than one group through the same adventure. I think in some cases these games may have had a shared discussion thread. A few games (including Z-Day) have more than one 'discussion' thread, Z-Day has its discussion thread and also a 'loot list' thread in this forum.
Do players keep campaign journals for play by post games?
Not as far as I am aware (though I may be proven wrong); essentially the play by post thread IS a campaign journal - a detailed and acccurate written record of the game.
I've run three adventures that had two groups doing the same module and I always had a separate OOC thread for each group.
I haven't seen any of my players (or done myself) make a campaign journal. At least not onsite.
Do players keep campaign journals for play by post games?
Not as far as I am aware (though I may be proven wrong); essentially the play by post thread IS a campaign journal - a detailed and acccurate written record of the game.
I know of at least one active PbP game that has an associated campaign journal, here. There may be others, but most of the campaign journals are for live or off-site games.
What are you guys, 13th level?...
Aye. And killed hundreds of beasties.
What are you guys, 13th level?...Aye. And killed hundreds of beasties.
Whilst drunk.
A few games (including Z-Day) have more than one 'discussion' thread, Z-Day has its discussion thread and also a 'loot list' thread in this forum.
Which becomes especially necessary when PCs loot hardware stores and fill their van full of survival gear, or when there are all kinds of different weapon stats. Stuff gets so lost on the game thread and discussion thread once you have more than a thousand posts.
I did start a secondary dungeonmaster avatar; I figured I'd use it to have a handy dandy list of really pertinent stuff......makes it easier than going back through numerous threads to find some important dude's name.......
This is my avatar for my ROTRL game, check the profile for the info that I keep easily accessable.
Hi
I hope this is the right thread for my question, since most or all threads in here are for actual games.
I'm somewhat confused as to how this works on these boards. I played PbP before, on rpol.net, but there each game is its own sub-forum, where you can have hidden threads for some players, different threads depending on locations etc.
A few things that confuse me here:
1) Everyone seems to post their entire character concept in the recruitment thread. Sometimes there are things about your character that you don't want the other players to know right away. No, that's not necessarily "I'm evil and going to murder everyone"
2) The same seems to apply to the profile of the character. Is that where you store your character sheet for everyone to see?
3) I don't think I saw a PM option on this board so far, so can you really not send any kind of private messages?
4) There's only one game thread for each game over in the game section?
5) There's only one OOC thread here?
Also:
6) Do you have to play the game here, if you advertise it on these boards, or could you for example say "Hey, I'm starting this game over at rpol.net or another site. [Link]. Apply there if you like it" ?
Hi
I hope this is the right thread for my question, since most or all threads in here are for actual games.
I'm somewhat confused as to how this works on these boards. I played PbP before, on rpol.net, but there each game is its own sub-forum, where you can have hidden threads for some players, different threads depending on locations etc.
A few things that confuse me here:
1) Everyone seems to post their entire character concept in the recruitment thread. Sometimes there are things about your character that you don't want the other players to know right away. No, that's not necessarily "I'm evil and going to murder everyone"2) The same seems to apply to the profile of the character. Is that where you store your character sheet for everyone to see?
3) I don't think I saw a PM option on this board so far, so can you really not send any kind of private messages?
4) There's only one game thread for each game over in the game section?
5) There's only one OOC thread here?
Also:
6) Do you have to play the game here, if you advertise it on these boards, or could you for example say "Hey, I'm starting this game over at rpol.net or another site. [Link]. Apply there if you like it" ?
1) No one is forcing you to post an enormous essay about your character, including every secret in his past. Some people just like to do that and/or some GMs like to have a full background for every character.
2) You can put your character sheet wherever you want, as long as the GM is okay with that. Putting it in your posting alias is handy, though.
3) No private messages, sorry.
4) The GM can create as many threads as he wants (within reason, I suppose).
5) Yes, there's one subforum for out of character stuff. You could make multiple threads in there, if you wanted.
6) People have advertised for PbP games on other sites without any problems. Other sites definitely have more bells and whistles! Personally, I prefer to limit the number of web sites I need to monitor, though.
You can post spoilers for private info.
Like hogarth, I want to limit the number of websites I need to check. I used to play on 4 or 5 different sites but it became too much, so now I just use Paizo. It's not perfect (no image posting directly for example and a limit on retroactive editing), but I like the alias system a lot.
Does Paizo has any official stance on using material from their books/pdfs and putting them online, so they can be linked.
I'm talking about such stuffs like maps of the city we're in, or handouts that are meant to be copied for players. Scanning them in or screenshoting them from the pdf (or googled if someone else already did it). Of course NOT the entire book or anything even close to that.
I don't wanna to that and then get warned/banned/sued by paizo.
Well... lots of people do it...
Copyright infringement is highly discouraged on the forums. All paizo rules are covered by the OGL and so there is no issue sharing those. Handouts are meant to be shared so that's usually not a problem. Art however is a big no-no. The General-Post Monster can cause bad things to happen when copyrighted pictures and maps show up in threads. I try to play it safe and make my own maps based off of the maps provided in adventures. Usually using a combination of yeoldmapmaker.com and Inkscape.
I'm not really sure were edited art falls into the system though...
Sorry everyone, I just wanted to test the dice roller
Sorry everyone, I just wanted to test the dice roller
1d20+3
There's a thread for that! :)
(...although it has fallen into the archives)
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I am pretty stoked to be starting a new pbp campaign, but I've got a question. My party is HUGE, at 9 players, so I am looking for some recommendations on how I should scale the encounters.
Against grunts, I figure I can pretty much just double the encounter size, such as making an encounter increase from 6 goblins to 12. Will this be too time consuming?
In fights against bosses, should I just add another group of monsters? For instance, if 6 goblins would be an appropriate encounter for a party of 4 PCs, should I add 6 goblins to the boss's lair?
Or is there a better way to adjust things? Or, does the already time consuming nature of pbp play mean I should not adjust the encounters too much?
Or is there a better way to adjust things? Or, does the already time consuming nature of pbp play mean I should not adjust the encounters too much?
Welcome to PbPs Green! I would say you need to adjust the size, because nine PCs will nuke smaller amounts of mooks fairly easily, at least I have found. I have a large group as well, and I usually go by a CR 1.5x rule. I also allow a lot of optimization/splat classes, so my PCs can pack a whallop.
It basically will be a long fight no matter what you do. If you adhere to normal CR with that many players, you'll find they aren't getting challenged. But, as a caveat, I would try a few encounters first at regular CR to get the 'feel' of these folks' gameplay. That way, you can see if 1.5x is too much of a bump for them, or too little. There's really no 'one size fits all' standard.
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Multiple monsters rather than just one mega-monster is the best way to deal with a large party. Lots of easy monsters, a few tough monsters - but with a single really tough monster you run the risk the entrire party cannot touch it and gets wiped out. So a boss plus a few (or more than a few) mooks is really a must with this number of PCs. As you go along you'll get used to gauging whatyour party can take, so you can vary things a bit. Also, the slow nature of PbP gives you quite a lot of time to finesse encounters, so don't be afraid to change stuff. With 9 PCs, you will have to change something.
You'll be changing a lot, so don't worry about it too much. As Aubrey says, one of the best things about the crippling slow pace of pbp combat is that you can change stuff in the background and nobody will be any the wiser.
Multiple monsters with varied attacks work much better than a solo. An actual solo will do one of two things - die horribly in two rounds before he gets to use any funky powers, or wipe out the party because to make him viable you have to give him devastating powers. Both are disappointing.
Other things you may want to take into consideration are waves of monsters arriving (or departing) and a combination of terrain and traps.
Agreed on the multiples vs. the one monster rule. A lot of times, this ends up with the BBEG dying in one or two rounds as Rev Rosey said. I find 'trash mobs' are a good distractor to keep the PCs busy. Some zombies, an orc or five added to the mix keeps them from focusing everything in one place.
In my own experience when needing to stretch that way, one way to do it (depending on the encounter) is to give the boss a lieutenant -- it can be fewer things to keep track of, but it also helps prevent 8 guys swarming 1 boss.
As an example, in an encounter with a L10 Boss and her Warrior: 5 guards, I threw in a "Guard Leader" who was Ranger: 7.
Big parties are a lot more work, IMO, and as said, take a lot longer to get through encounters. I've always preferred 4-5. You might consider splitting them into two groups and running two games.
More players = more delays, and they tend to overpower just about everything. Nine guys who can act in a round are way over the regular CR, and blow through it with little risk or expenditure.
That said, some people seem to enjoy a large group, so the advice about multiple enemies is good. Just be ready to take days to resolve it!
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Tilnar, that is a great idea for the constricted battlemap of many dungeon chambers.
Once again, guys, I greatly appreciate all of the advice. What a great community!
Also, with a big party and lots of hostiles, you may consider changing (i.e. making bigger) the areas where combat takes place, just so people can manoeuvre about.
Big parties are a lot more work, IMO, and as said, take a lot longer to get through encounters. I've always preferred 4-5. You might consider splitting them into two groups and running two games.
This may sound cynical, but within a couple of months I wouldn't be surprised if a 9 player group became a 6 player group through natural attrition. It's very common for new play-by-post games to have several dropouts in the beginning stage.
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How long should I wait for a player to post before I move forward with an encounter?
If you've established a posting policy for your group (i.e., "post once a day"), then, that long.
If you haven't, I wouldn't wait any longer than 48 hours or so. Most players are understanding about the need to keep things moving. Try not to get the PC killed.
How long should I wait for a player to post before I move forward with an encounter?
If everyone else is moving at a good clip, I'd rather say that one PC is delaying than lose the momentum for all of the other PCs. Don't be afraid to push things along!
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How do I get all of the neat stuff to show up on my profile?
Click on your name or portrait, and you'll see 'You have not created a profile' and 'Click here to create a profile.'
Click there, and you'll be able to enter in any information you want.
Many people create 'So-and-so GM' Aliases, and fill them with all the information they want to make up-front available for that particular game they are running (character creation rules, house rules, action point stuff, maps, party treasure, names of important NPCs, etc.), but if you don't plan on spamming up your profile with other stuff, separate Aliases aren't strictly necessary, just a convenience.
Hi i was about to GM a PBP but not sure where to start i have the players and their characters what do i do now. Please help or point me in right direction thanks!
Choppy the best way to move forward would be to create a Discussion Thread, and when you do, it should give you an option to Create a Campaign with it. When you create a campaign, you get that nice little table with the linked recruitment, discussion and gameplay threads. Also, in the discussion thread your characters can work out details, and chat with each other. It's kinda the OOC board, with the IC board being the "Gameplay" one.
Hi i was about to GM a PBP but not sure where to start i have the players and their characters what do i do now. Please help or point me in right direction thanks!
If are you running on the Paizo forums
Enter the recruitment thread and at the top just above of the recruitment thread is a question that's hot linked, asking if you want to make a gameplay thread, click yes and it'll setup the location of the gameplay thread and you just have to name it and put in the opening part of the campaign in it.and as FireclawDrake said above.
Azure's Hollow's last Hope use this as a sample.
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If you want to get into a game, regularly check the Recruitment section of the board - you'll find that in the Online Campaigns section. There are usually games there looking for players. The character classes don't make any difference - normally it's a good idea to be open-minded about what you want to play, in case someone has taken the role or class you wanted. I.e. tailor the character concept to the game.
I'm new to these message board and the pathfinder system. I hope this is the proper place to ask some questions I may have. I thought I may like to try to get into pbp or play by email, not sure which may be better. Though I've not played pathfinder before I've been playing 3.5 for almost a year. Also not sure if certain classes may be better for my purposes over others or not.
Welcome to the forums, Kulstor.
Pathfinder is based on 3.5 D&D, but has some changes, even some of the feats have been changed (like cleave).
The Paizo forums are full of friendly and helpful people who will help you with any trouble you have with the Pathfinder system.
Just ask and help will come, though not always immediately.
Just post your questions here - and welcome to the boards :)
Just post your questions here - and welcome to the boards :)
Ok, the one campaign I played in (sadly only lasted a week) the DM set up tabs for the players. One was for "game play", one for "discussion", one for "characters in the campaign", and so on. They were tabbed. How do I go about settin that up. Do I just post a new thread under "Online Campaigns" and all that will be set up automatically?
Yes :)
Yes :)
Holy Crap that is easy! Easy is good. Thanks Zryen!
Just post your questions here - and welcome to the boards :)
Only one small problem. My "Gameplay" tab appears to be blank. I cannot edit it. Everything else seems to be working but not the gameplay one. Any suggestions?
http://paizo.com/campaigns/WeeklyGeeksHomebrewPBPCampaign/gameplay&page =last
Ok, now I've fixed my Gameplay tab but how do I "add" players to the character tab?