Looking to join a PbP game, but it seems anything that's ever come up is either filled up within twenty minutes or there's no reply from the DM for days and days and days. Anybody need a player?
Well, we're always accepting new players in the Agartha game, but it's a bit of an odd game style compared to other PBPs so it may or may not fit what you're looking for.
>>Here<< is the recruitment thread.
>>Here<< is the discussion thread.
And >>Here<< is the game thread. No, you wouldn't be expected to read the whole game thread if you didn't want to. :)
For more traditional PBPs...it does seem to be largely a matter of luck to see if you can be one of the first people to post in the recruitment thread. But over time as you connect with other players in PBPs it becomes easier to find new games when people are planning to start one.
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For more traditional PBPs...it does seem to be largely a matter of luck to see if you can be one of the first people to post in the recruitment thread.
Most of the successful PbP games are opened for recruitment for at least a few days with players picked from applicants. I'm defining successful as 'is still going after 6 months'.
'It's one of those things'
o have a good PBP means you need a good GM prepared to stick it out, and you need good players similarly motivated.
As a potential player these days, it is important to credential your GM to see what chops they have - to avoid disappointment later. Look for GM's with long running PBP's with a lot of activity.
Similarly, as a GM, there would be nothing worse than halfassed players, it takes a LOT to run a PBP (well) and so they shouldn't be thanked for their trouble by non-commital players. So GM's worth their salt tend to be looking for high post count players from other games, who play well with others.
So where does this leave you as a relative 'new punter'?
Easy.
Whilst you may not have the track record of the name players (as in I can literally name some of the more prolific players like AK above for example) what you CAN do is:
* Read clearly what the prospective GM is offering.
* Ask any sensible questions to clarify anything uncertain in your mind.
* Ask if there are any recommended/needed classes or races. Your Goblin concept in Runelords could end badly.
* Flesh out a character concept and make it interesting, though
restrain yousefl from making the epic backstory where you are the exiled scion of the lost kingdom of gold. At level 1 you have been nowhere and done nothing, so lets 'keep it real'.
* Avoid cliche 'Dhampyr Necro dude_01' or modelling your character off the front cover art of your fave Death Metal/Emo album.
* I personally hate CN. My bias, but I'm not alone. CN isn't a permit to play an Evil character.
* If the GM has said 'Core only', then stick to what has offered. He/she does not want your Fraggle Duskblade. The party probably doesn't want your oddball choice either. 20 points does not equal 25, nor 25 equal 30.
* Help the GM by suggesting what other players/concepts your character could synergise with, makes their job easier.
Good luck.
Happy hunting.
100% agreed. Being a DM who terrorizes quite alot of players each day, I'd say that reliability and commitment are the most important characteristics of a player I would like to see in my games.
Besides that, your characters should be believable and unique to a certain degree (we all copy things we read).
The GM to player ratio on the pbp recruiting forums is totally out of whack. I think the original post citing two dozen competing players is conservative.
That being said we need more people to step up and GM pbp games. When I couldn't find a game to play in I started my own. While I hadn't Gm'd a campaign in many years, play by post is fairly ideal for a new GM because you have plenty of time to sift through the rules.
When I first joined these forums I was lucky enough to get into a one shot adventure that was offered for 1st time pbp players only. I took that opportunity to heart, because reality is it is awfully hard to get in a game here. I will always make it a point to recruit at least one new player into any pbp I run.
The bottom line is if you can't play then GM a game for others!
Another +1 to stepping up and running one yourself. Find a good module to start with. If it's successful, and you want to continue, you have a solid base for a campaign. Otherwise, you have a good bit of play time and experience under your belt that others can see and use when determining their roster.
A new applicant on day six is not likely to post daily....Can not argue with "kender logic"
That might be true, but sometimes it really sucks, you get up in the morning check the boards, 3 hours ago someone has posted a recruitment thread and its already filled and closed.
If you leave it open for a day or two and then make a decission that's ok, since everyone should get a chance to post.
Also "first come, first accepted" is probably not the best way to recruit quality players for your game.
I'm seriously considering starting up a game using a short, simple adventure (most likely a PFS Scenario) specifically for players with little or no pbp experience. A resume builder, of a sort.
I'm seriously considering starting up a game using a short, simple adventure (most likely a PFS Scenario) specifically for players with little or no pbp experience. A resume builder, of a sort.
The "We Be Goblins" thing looks like fun.
One group is doing it, but there were a ton of applicants. It was funny to read, too.
As for getting into a pbp, it's a numbers game. Lots of people want to play, but a lot of games die quickly, kinda like RL! lol
Wow. So many people to thank, so little...ok, well plenty of time. Let's go in order.
Iynora - Thanks so much for the offer. It doesn't really seem my style of game, but I really do appreciate you jumping right in with a "join up, we're good" attitude like that.
Shifty - Lots of great tips in there for joining up in general. Most of it seemed common place, and rather how I was thinking, but it's good for confirmation to my general thoughts.
To those of you who mentioned GMing. - I really don't want to GM. Maybe it's selfish, but frankly, I got tired of it in person, and I just don't have the resolve to do it online. Sometimes you just wanna play a character.
Toothless - Let me know if you do get to that
If it helps, I'm not particularly interested in the APs. I don't see that they would convert well to a PVP compared to, say, a homebrew campaign set either in its own world, or Golarion, or some other world.
Toothless - Let me know if you do get to that
Tell you what, if it happens, I'll hold open a slot for you. It may not be for a little while, though, I've got my goblins to take care of first, and I'm not sure yet if I'm up for DMing two games.
Most of the successful PbP games are opened for recruitment for at least a few days with players picked from applicants. I'm defining successful as 'is still going after 6 months'.
That's not my experience, but YMMV of course. I'm currently playing in a number of long-term games that were recruited on a "first come, first served" basis.
Are you interested in 4E at all? I usually have slots in ongoing games available.
greenteagamer, there is an opportunity on this thread which may interest you.
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On the note of this thread topic, there is a pbp currently recruiting and still looking to fill an arcane caster role. PBP set in Cheliax
If you've got an arcane caster idea and think that game would suit you, the spot is open.
I would suggest to take your time to build your application; if and when you fail, to read the applications of the ones that got in. I remember my first miss was when I made a druid for LoF. Turned out that Set had also an app for a druid... I learned a lot by reading his application. I mostly learned to rework the one I had posted and to keep it handy.
Then, once in a while, when a good idea for a background popped up, I would take the time to write it down. Build a small but growing collection of concepts and backgrounds.
Competition is fierce, but if you learn from the successful, you'll get there fast enough.
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Another thing to look into is the games set in particular settings like Midnight, Eberron,etc. Those show fairly less applications.
@ greenteagamer - I don't mean to sound rude, this is a well intentioned question.
Have you actually even applied to join any PbPs? I had a quick gander across your post history and didn't find any applications in my quick reccy.
@ greenteagamer - I don't mean to sound rude, this is a well intentioned question.
Have you actually even applied to join any PbPs? I had a quick gander across your post history and didn't find any applications in my quick reccy.
No offense taken. Honestly, just a couple. I've looked over quite a few of the recruitment threads, but when I already saw thirty people typing out half a novel worth of information before the game begins I decided to move on. This happened probably forty times before I even said anything.
The reason I haven't really kept up with this: after the suggestions here, and a deeper look through the PBP games, I've decided that clearly I'm not the kind of player that would mesh well with PBPs. I don't want to put a short story in every post and wait a day to get a reply; I think I'd like something a lot quicker with more interaction and less superfluous detail and internal monologues. ...I mean crap some of these PBPs take a year to get through a single module!
Which is why I haven't really kept up with this thread or even bothered to try anymore in getting in a PBP game (you'll note the OP is almost a month ago).
Unfortunately, the market for games in my area of the world, Jacksonville, Florida, is completely and utterly dead, and I don't have a cam to Skype out a live game online (or even a decent net connection), so I turned towards PBP as a Ramen Noodles version of roleplaying (i.e. not enough to satisfy the craving, but it will keep you alive). I've figured out in hindsight that was a mistake. I appreciate everyone's input, and feel like a bit of a heel to change my mind about it later, but you see where I'm coming from.
I appreciate everyone's input, and feel like a bit of a heel to change my mind about it later[..]
On the contrary! Play-by-post gaming is definitely not for everyone, and it's much, much better to realise that beforehand rather than starting a PbP game and then vanishing into the aether, never to be seen again.
Play-by-post gaming is definitely not for everyone, and it's much, much better to realise that beforehand rather than starting a PbP game and then vanishing into the aether, never to be seen again.
Yeah, I was afraid that could be me, so I finally decided to just lurk on a couple of games and see how it works before even trying anything myself.
I had a 'rather particular' character concept that I wanted to find a shome for, so I looked around at who was running the sort of campaigns that most aligned with what I was looking for and then simlpy asked the Group and GM if they had time/space to consier an extra player.
All done and dusted in one week.
Moral: Don't just wait til they post; like in the workforce, most of the best jobs are never advertised :p
I don't know exactly what kind of PBP your interested in, but I do offer you a spot in my Legion of Super-Heroes PBP campaign. I've been working on the ruleset which I email out to players, then provide them updates of new and old information alike. I would say it is pretty 50%/50% on roleplaying and combat. Each takes a while to resolve and at the same time offers things other games don't (such as really getting to know and develop your character.)
This is a play testing of the rules thus far and I'm always looking for volunteers, if you have any interest just leave me a post here and I'll check back throughout the next few days.
Well, at the very least TGTG you were able to create a post that generated a lot of interest and garnered some great advice from some experienced players and GMs. This thread is a wonderful example of what makes these paizo boards so cool. So that's someting, ain't it? ; )
I can completely understand your reasons for wanting to get into PbP as they are similar to my own. I had moved to Mexico and so the chances of finding a RL game were about zero to none.
I also understand your feelings towards the speed at which PbP's can progress. I am and have been in modules which take a year or more to finish. BUT, all that being said, I Love PbP's! Not only did they allow me to get my D&D fix in, they also allow a type, or perhaps better said depth of play even greater than a RL can offer. PBP are, generally, for ROLEplayers over ROLL players. One does not need to type a wall of text with every post though. Most DM's and players will be satisfied by even a short paragraph, as long as it is descriptive and/or interesting.
So, my one main suggestion is to at least give One PbP a try before throwing in the hat. I mean, what do you really have to lose?
I also have the heretical advice of letting you know that there are Many other PbP forum's out there (gasp!). So if you're having trouble finding a game in Paizo, there's lots more places to try.
Anyway, best of luck to ya. And maybe see you out there on the game boards one day.