Current DM for a PF Dark Sun PbP linked this blogpost that has some good advice for many aspects of running a PbP.
Here's an excerpt on combat:
"* When combat is first declared, the GM tells you the monsters' initiative. You roll initiative. If you beat the set monster initiative, you can act. If not, you cannot act until the monsters act, at which point you may act normally.
* The PCs may act in any order whatsoever (but only once, obviously). The order of combat is: PCs act -> Monsters act.
* Each combat round lasts 24 hours. At the end of that time, the GM will update the movements of all non-players involved in the fight and resolve all PC attacks, ending the round.
* If you do not manage to post within 24 hours, your character hesitated and is out of luck. The combat moves on without them.
* For characters on hiatus, their PC is treated as having plot invulnerability. Monsters will not target them, but of course, the PC is also not acting. "
My favorite bit of advice is this:
"Beware of doors: For some reason, placing a door in front of the PCs will make the game grind to a halt while they prepare to open it. Don't ask me why this happens, it just does."
... I'm slowly developing a list of the GMs who do PbP well, and where I can I'll PM you and let you know when they are recruiting and you can see if the campaign suits.
That would be much appreciated!
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My favorite bit of advice is this:
"Beware of doors: For some reason, placing a door in front of the PCs will make the game grind to a halt while they prepare to open it. Don't ask me why this happens, it just does."
For some reason, I actually see that a lot even with in-person games. Just a couple weeks ago, the group decided one particular door was the mondo death trap of inescapable obliteration. They spent almost 25 minutes trying to figure out how to investigate and open it without touching it from down the hall and around the corner. It was just a normal door on a small storage room. I have no idea what made them think it so deadly.
As a player in quite a few PbP games - including at least three run by awesome DMs that have contributed to this thread, I have to concur. The specifics will vary with different groups - or even the same group in a different scenario - but the crucial bits are here, loud and proud. The folks (including especially the DMs) I play with make me want so much to be a better player - but I had not considered that posting often/well makes the DMs job easier, not in so many words.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, folks. Glad I found the thread.
One thing that I have found essential during combat is tracking. I started doing this and have seen several other GMs adopt similar systems. The format can be tweaked to suit each GM's/player's preferences, but not using some sort of system to remind the players of the initiative order and who is up can be disastrous. I have been in a game where the GM has not done this (even after the players asked him to) and combats can get really confusing, as no one ever knows whose turn it is.
Here is an example of how I like to track things:
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And after Joe, Bob, and Tom have gone:
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Joe connects with his scythe, cutting deeply into the man near him!
Bob casts a spell to make himself stronger!
Tom channels energy to heal his allies!
The bad guy screams, "I haven't even gotten started yet!" and swings at Larry.
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Some GMs prefer to put the damage stats behind a spoiler so the players can't see it and others don't relist the initiative with every single combat update and instead just put the at the bottom of their post, but one way or another, the GM needs to put a reminder out there of who is up next. I have had players specifically thank me for using this system because it makes combat so much smoother and easier to understand. As a player, I always appreciate when the GM does something like this so that I can follow along in the action more easily.
I have been in one of EndlessForms' pbp. The method he describes does help me keep track of what is going on.
Great group-advice! Dotting and listing for when I have the time to bring my PbP off hiatus. :)
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I post a lot via my IPhone and IPad. I've heard a fair amount of complaints about posting from phone, but I think there are hacks that help.
For my Ipad, I have a keyboard with a nice long life, all the buttons (including the all important [ ]s) which helps a lot.
Pro-Tip#1: Type posts into your email app, then copy them to your campaign posts. Nothing sucks more than losing your entire post because of the internet goblins.
1a: When you write into an email, you can more easily adapt and reuse your combat and stat blocks. Just save your posts as email drafts.
Pro-Tip#2: (IPhone/IPad): Been using a lot of the 'Shortcuts' to quicken the coding of my combat and RP posts.
To get there: Settings => General => Keyboard => Shortcuts
My current shortcuts are: (obviously, replace { } with [ ])
cbb: {b}" "{/b}
cii: {i} {/i}
cooc: {ooc} {/ooc}
cs: {s} {/s}
cspo: {spoiler=} {/spoiler}
crl: {url=} {/url}
d6: {dice}1d6+ {/dice}
d8: {dice}1d8+ {/dice}
d20: {dice}1d20+ {/dice}
dk: {dice}1d20+ {/dice} Knowledge ( )
Anyone else got something that would make my phone/ipad posting better?
Love the protip #2. Added most of these to the iPad shortcuts.
^ what that guy said. Or rather, don't go in with high expectations.
I've tried doing play by post multiple times and the games always ended up dying off rather quickly, reading your awesome post I can see a lot of the reasons why that happened. So kudos!
I think I'll give it another shot if I can find the right game for me.
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1a: When you write into an email, you can more easily adapt and reuse your combat and stat blocks. Just save your posts as email drafts.
Very much agreed on this one. I GM several games (including a couple Pain's involved in), and I definitely do this trick a lot when I have multiple monsters with multiple attacks, especially if I know the PCs will run into them a few times.
The other thing I think helps a lot is use the {dice=xxx} function. That lets you say what each dice roll is and makes it easy for players and GM to see what's going.
So my rolls might looks like this:
{dice=monster bite}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=damage}1d8{/dice}
{dice=monster claw 1}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=damage}1d8{/dice}
{dice=grab}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=monster claw 2}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=damage}1d8{/dice}
{dice=grab}1d20+8{/dice}
I just email them to myself, so I don't have to worry about the draft disappearing and it's a simple copy and paste each round.
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Also, in the games I play in, I basically create macros in the character sheet/alias, so I can again just copy and paste. This speeds up my combat mechanics and lets me concentrate more on writing description and role-playing. I also include pertinent details, such as a weapon being cold iron or whatnot, so my GM can see it at a glance.
Thus, the attacks spoiler I have for my rogue looks like this:
Short sword:
{dice=+1 mithril short sword}1d20+13{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+1 mithril short sword}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
Critical: 19-20/x2; Range: 10'; Type: P
Black Athame:
{dice=+2 giant-bane dagger (+2 vs. giants)}1d20+13{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+3+5{/dice}
{dice=Damage vs. giants}2d6+2{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+2 giant-bane dagger (+2 vs. giants)}1d20+8{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+3+5{/dice}
{dice=Damage vs. giants}2d6+2{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
Critical: 19-20/x2; Range: 10'; Type: P
TWF short sword:
{dice=+1 mithril short sword (TWF)}1d20+10{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+2 dagger (TWF, +2 vs giants)}1d20+10{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+3+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Giant bane damage}2d6+2{/dice}
{dice=+1 mithril short sword (TWF)}1d20+5{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+2 dagger (TWF, +2 vs giants)}1d20+5{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+3+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Giant bane damage}2d6+2{/dice}
Critical: 19-20/x2; Range: 10'; Type: P
TWF short sword (flanking with Pirknok):
{dice=+1 mithril short sword (TWF, flanking with Pirknok)}1d20+10+4{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+2 dagger (TWF, +2 vs giants, flanking with Pirknok)}1d20+10+4{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Giant bane damage}2d6+2{/dice}
{dice=+1 mithril short sword (TWF, flanking with Pirknok)}1d20+5+4{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=+2 dagger (TWF, +2 vs giants, flanking with Pirknok)}1d20+5+4{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+2+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Giant bane damage}2d6+2{/dice}
Critical: 19-20/x2; Range: 10'; Type: P
Dagger:
{dice=Dagger}1d20+11{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+1+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Dagger}1d20+6{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d4+1+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
Critical: 19-20/x2; Range: 10'; Type: P or S
Short bow:
{dice=Composite shortbow}1d20+11{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+1+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
{dice=Composite shortbow}1d20+6{/dice}
{dice=Damage}1d6+1+5{/dice}
{dice=Sneak attack (+2 Str damage)}5d4{/dice}
Critical: x3; Range: 60'; Type: P
Ammunition: 16 arrows
It's admittedly a little pain when she levels (or when I got that bane dagger, and thus went from two-weapon fighting with two mithril short swords) and everything needs to be changed but, man, it saves me tons of time in the long run.
I read and reread this guide a lot. Thank you so much for all the time and effort. It has made me a better PbP player and a much better PbP GM. Today is the first that I have read through all the comments - some real gems in the follow up.
Anyone else got something that would make my phone/ipad posting better?
For iDevices, I use the Notepad app extensively as a GM. It's most useful for blocks of rolls (initiative and perception foremost of these), and the pre-written descriptions for games I run. You can easily write them out on the computer, pre-formatted and then pull then out when the PCs get up to that room no matter where you are. Saves the pain of paste and format on the iPhone (and selecting on the phone sometimes is a task in and of itself).
The big advantage of Notepad over email (for me) is that it auto saves your text, and then syncs it across all devices. I know email can achieve this, but it's not 100% dedicated to it, and there's slightly less digging involved with Notepad... and most recently edited docs appear at the top.
Hope it helps, you certainly have.
... good stuff ...
Ya know, that really never occurred to me and it should have.
I was looking at doing something very similar for spells. I was going to google translate and using something like Slovak to shout out my spells. But once I advanced a couple of levels and had more spells getting used, I was forgetting what I had used earlier. So I was going to make a list in with the character that I could just copy and paste.
I think I will have to do something like this for both spells and attacks for my next PbP game.
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I've tried doing play by post multiple times and the games always ended up dying off rather quickly, reading your awesome post I can see a lot of the reasons why that happened. So kudos!
I think I'll give it another shot if I can find the right game for me.
I might suggest you try the PFS PbP. Short scenarios keep every one focus on a short range goal with the end in sight. They almost always complete with the original players and GM.
Whereas when someone starts a PbP AP, after the first coule of weeks most/many of the participants have no sense of drive or urgency. "meh, I'm busy, I'll post tomorrow or the next day." Pretty soon there are 3 posts total in a week and it takes a month just to talk to the captain just to find out what your mission will be.
I tried several that slowed down to a crawl even if they didn't quite die completely. It felt like trying to read the Wheel of Time series 1 paragraph each day. I only got in one that the whole group seemed to stay active. Unfortunately, I had to drop that one due to RL issues. I was pretty ticked about that.
... the Notepad app ...
Clearly, I meant the "Notes" app. 10 years after making the switch to Mac, and I still Windoze it up. Sigh.
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I had this discussion in a googlechat. Don't most recruitment threads suck?
Yahoo #1: All right, man. So... do you have any tips for me, as a player, to select a good PbP?
Painlord: LOL
Painlord: you don't get to select a good PbP!
Painlord: if you're lucky, you know a good GM who is willing to put the time and effort into making a PbP work
Painlord: however, if you don't have that...it's a crapshot
Painlord: you go to the recruitment threads and submit and hope for the best
Painlord: sometimes the GM has a long good history of PbPing and so you can expect some consistency...but wow..yeah...you rarely get to choose
Yahoo #1: Well, I was wondering what the signs are. Like... does the GM actually use the Campaign Info page?
Painlord: best indicator is previous GM PbP experience
Yahoo #1: I noticed that your link to the "good" PbP had a GM who used that tab a lot, and the "bad" one had it blank.
Painlord: However, since PbP GMs are rare and games are competitive, you sometimes gotta take risks on new GMs
Painlord: You can get lucky.
Painlord: That can be an indicator, but not perfect.
Yahoo #1: Yeah, and the Paizo forums likely suck for recruitment. The most-posted-in recruitment threads get to the top of the list...
Painlord: Depends. If I were looking for games, I'd have a few different characters built (personality and backstory), then when a new PbP opens, I'd submit.
Painlord: The crunch, for me, would come last...tailoring it to the recruitment guidelines.
Yahoo #1: I guess all I'm saying there is that "wow, this system could be better."
Painlord: But i'd be refreshing the Recruitment to get in early on open APs.
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In many ways, and I think it's true here and probably elsewhere (I don't do PbP elsewhere), it pays to network and get to know good players who will then turn into good PbP GMs. So that way you get forewarning of new games by these DMs coming up, and may get preferential treatment getting in. The best way to build that network, of course, is to run a game or two as a GM yourself (which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but there it is). Otherwise, you are down to the shotgun approach you mention above. Good GMs who stay the course are quite rare, and that's why it is hard to get in their games. That said, I make a lousy PbP player and prefer GMing anyway.
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Yeah, I don't have a clue how to make it better. But you are correct, currently it really is pretty low chances of getting into a decent game.
Very few GM's or players will actually put what the game is going to be like or how they are going to operate. I tried a bunch of times to get in a decent game.
No one ever says:
"I'm only going to post a 1 liner without looking at the map every other day."
"I'm not going to answer any questions."
"I expect pages of internal monologue filled with teenage angst and love/hate relationships within the team."
"Even though I will try to get to this; since I have over committed in my job, family, home game, and 4 other PbP I really won't get to this very often."
"I haven't really planned anything, so I'm just going to have random-ish encounters until something you guys do inspires me."
I mean, I understand that if anyone actually put any of that in the recruitment thread, they wouldn't really get many responses (except maybe the monologue/angst one, some people really like that). But maybe that should be telling a person they shouldn't really be attempting this type of game at this time.
I finally gave up. My PbP are only PFS scenarios now. They are short enough that most people will give it more attention since the end is in sight. Plus, if it is a really bad group, It is over relatively soon.
I dunno, I'm pretty explicit when I ask for players. I am also very explicit with my posting expectations from players and myself.
I've noticed the reverse. Since I'm the GM I find it extremely hard to get players that will match with my playstyle (I hate RAW and thus the entire PFS mindset.) and my posting rate (2-3 posts/day). This is why I stopped recruiting publicly, I just ask people I know when I want to start up a new game.
eh. PFS does not exactly match my preferred style of play. But for me it is better than nothing.
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Yeah, actually you don't have to do all that unless you want to. It's up to the DM how much they choose to do, and is an issue of personal style.
I wouldn't at any stage put people off trying to run a PbP because of the work load. I had absolutely no idea what was involved when I started. No one does, really. And it's not for everyone. There's a bit of work involved, more than being a player (of course) but it's not a Sisyphean task - I run four PbPs here and manage to have a life too. And running a well-appreciated PbP is an extremely gratifying thing, and the bonds you make with the players make it doubly so.
EDIT: Not that there is anything wrong with KenderKin's example post, by the way. I just dispute the first sentence. It is generally a good thing to provide lavish description. Just don't think it is always a must for every DM post. Most of those will actually be around running the nitty-gritty of the game, rolling dice and so on, rather than laying out the scenery.
is there a step by step guide to creating and running a PBP PFS scenario? a how to:
create the event
set the characters in gameplay
link a map
send chronicle sheets
Here's a new guide to GMing a PbP, although not a PFS one in particular.
I don't play Society, but I believe they have a specific (non-Paizo.com) site for mustering characters for their PbP gamedays. Warhorn, or something similar?
I have a question.
Say I am in a PbP (PFS if it matters) and most of the other players are just posting once every few days. Even then very minimal volunteering almost nothing.
Should I:
A) Post every day anyway and basically take over. Making the group decisions if no one says anything?
{ This seems to me like kind of an arrogant jerk move. }
B) Try to wait patiently with some prodding reminders to the others.
{ This is what I have been doing with honestly little result. }
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I don't/haven't really done PFS play by post yet, so I cannot speak to its specific issues, but I will say that there are things you can do to [u]try[/u] to get things going again.
A: as suggested above, start with the GM, ask him what he is after pace-wise.
B: email/chat/PM in some fashion the other players individually and ask them if they are having issues, and if so is there some way to help them. Sometimes we get stuck, and having someone to talk through the issue can be what we need to get going again.
C: post in the discussion thread to see if this is the posting rate the rest of the players want. If it is for some, but not for the GM and others, then perhaps talk contingency plans for those characters (If I don't post in 8 hours, and we're in combat, I do this. Please roll for me.)
From the posts he has made in the discussion thread, I would guess the GM is getting fed up with the lack of participation. I will send him a PM also to discuss with him.
We are not in combat. This is, at least so far, a primarily infiltration and info gathering mission.
I find there is a lot you can do in Gameplay and Disussion to move things along. Even just commenting generally in Discussion or roleplaying interactions/thoughts in Gameplay. People like to see posts, and will also post. It's a feedback loop.
A post doesn't need to take charge, just keep things pulsing. Too many posts can obviously swamp the thread...
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Can we get some love for this PFS combat post by Vasari? A lot of stuff going on, but it's clear and readable.
+1 to this kind of play.
Great example of what posts should look like at the higher end of play when spell effects are more than just 1 or 2 spells active at a time.
In every PbP I've been in, the GM ditched after a few weeks. And I've tried a lot. :(
Hey guys, great thread.
I know there seems to be quite a bit of positivity toward PFS scenarios, probably due to the relatively short time they take to run on pbp - certainly in comparison to a full AP.
My own Carrion Crown game is three books and 18 months in but I don't see many others that run that long. How many APs run to conclusion, Would you say even 5%?
We recently had our first proper deaths and I haven't heard much from those players as they are awaiting their characters to be raised.
I did post this:
Well this is strange.
You can't remember going swimming. And yet here you are, floating along a river that seems to be rushing along at an impossible speed and yet you feel as though eternity is passing by.
The river seems to be flowing through a vast city, it's building cold and white and each perfect and precise in their architecture. It is grand and beautiful though stark and sterile.
Eventually, you river meanders along side an incredibly large spire and you are gently deposited on the bank beside it. A thousand, thousand stars wheel above in the cloudless night sky. Some of the constellations you recognise, others are entirely alien and though you feel like that should alarm you, for some reason it appears the most natural thing in the universe.
You haul yourself up from the river bank and distantly note that your clothes are not wet and you feel neither warm nor cold. In fact, you feel nothing at all save for a strange detachment from what is happening. Beside the river is a line of people that seem to be queueing and run into the base of the spire. The line seems endless, and somewhere inside you know that is the literal truth and yet without fear or hesitation you take your place at the end of it and suddenly you realise where you are. This is the fabled City of Axis in the Outer Planes and atop this spire is Pharasma's Boneyard. You are lining up to await your judgement.
...to give them something to pay out and react to whilst they were waiting to rejoin the game proper but there was no interest :/
I guess my question is around whether anyone has any tips for keeping the players engaged theoughout and how to handle things like death to make sure those immediately out of action remain engaged?
@Umbral Before you even apply for someone's game my advice would be to check their posting history and posting rate. I usually won't apply for a game unless the GM has at least a year posting history and a thousand or so posts.
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Hey guys, great thread...
How many APs run to conclusion, Would you say even 5%?
I've been on the PbP boards for years and I know of 2 APs that have been completed. I am in another that is a month away from completion. Out of 1000s of games started. It is too rare.
Oh yeah, I guess I should link to this Guide to GMing PbP here.
@GM-JZ - loved your post-death spoiler. You can kill my characters whenever you like. Can I pick a new soul out of the line to get raised up out of Pharasma's bony clutching hands? ;P
@Oceanshieldwolf, lol ok deal! Ironically I tend to take it a little easy on my players where I can because I always try to weave in longer plots and find deaths can derail the whole storyline.
I even had it figured that the big bad that killed then would join the line after them as the rest if the party finished him off!
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I have a question.
Say I am in a PbP (PFS if it matters) and most of the other players are just posting once every few days. Even then very minimal volunteering almost nothing.
Should I:
A) Post every day anyway and basically take over. Making the group decisions if no one says anything?
{ This seems to me like kind of an arrogant jerk move. }B) Try to wait patiently with some prodding reminders to the others.
{ This is what I have been doing with honestly little result. }
A goblin winged marauder flies overhead on her baby giant vulture. Silly longshanks, she thinks, They not even worthy of a bomb. They needs a lesson!
"Twitchy mainly posts in rhyme
But Twitchy posts all the time
Always with a clever scheme
To drag in others from her team!
Goblins love a good rude song
They join in so they belong.
Raise your voice! Take a stand!
Build the best game in the land!"
Great advice, Painlord!
I haven't read anything but the OP, but I think there are also some mechanical tweaks that can help PF to run more smoothly as a PBP.
Stuff like running initiative in blocks, and putting up the monsters stats so that the PCs can completely resolve their own actions without DM feedback. Has any thought gone into adding stuff like that to the guide?
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Stuff like running initiative in blocks, and putting up the monsters stats so that the PCs can completely resolve their own actions without DM feedback. Has any thought gone into adding stuff like that to the guide?
Oh, that would be good and welcome addition here. Please add!
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Stuff like running initiative in blocks, and putting up the monsters stats so that the PCs can completely resolve their own actions without DM feedback. Has any thought gone into adding stuff like that to the guide?
I use a sort of group init, but honestly I find that posting the monster stats isn't welcome or fun. I tend to make a spoiler with either a link or an abbreviated version in the Campaign Notes for me to use as DM for quick reference, but honestly, if players just now what exactly they need to roll, or what specific stats or attacks the enemy has, it kind of ruins the mood for everyone, and it also limits the ability I have to DM Fiat things as needed. It's just a bad idea.
Two things that I'd really suggest that bears repeating to infinity: the Preview Post is an amazing tool that needs to be used often, both as a player and as a DM, and to Players, PROACTIVE, PROACTIVE, PROACTIVE posts. State your intentions as well as your cool-guy speech. If you are not sure about something, don't hold up the game waiting for an answer, post two or more sets of actions based around what the question is.
Actually, one other thing, and I am totally at fault at this, myself. Unless the DM says otherwise, OOC stuff not directly related to what's going on has a place in a game. It's called the Discussion Thread. :)
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I've tried a variety of ways to run init, but here I the method have found that works best. I roll everyone's init, and I actually have a prepped spoiler at the top of the page <Campaign thread short text> with every player's Init in alphabetical order and then 2 blank Init rolls ready for me to use for monsters/enemies/allies/etc. . .
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then Preview Post.
ROUND 1
Player 1 (), Player 4 (), Player 3 (), & Player 2 ()
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Kobold 1 (), Kobold 2 (), Kobold 3 (), & Dire Rat of Doom ()
Whoever is Bolded is up, and as we go, I'll update the Init Roster, so if everyone but Player 3 has gone, it would look like:
ROUND 1
Player 1 (), Player 4 (), Player 3 (), & Player 2 ()
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Kobold 1 (), Kobold 2 (), Kobold 3 (), & Dire Rat of Doom ()
I also use the brackets for small notes, so if Kobold 2 has taken 4 damage, but is still in the game as a threat, and Player 4 has been tripped, I'd make notes like:
ROUND 1
Player 1 (), Player 4 (prone), Player 3 (), & Player 2 ()
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Kobold 1 (), Kobold 2 (-4), Kobold 3 (), & Dire Rat of Doom ()
This is just the damage or conditions they have taken in this combat, not an indication of how much H they currently have or a hint at their max HP, so leaves a bit of mystery but still hints at just how hurt everyone looks.
As the rounds progress, I'll generally just copy the last posted Init roster (which does not copy the various BBCodes), and switch the Round Number.
I also make sure I explain it to the players before hand, so they understand what it all means, but it significantly speeds up combat and reduces the amount of work I need to do in running the game. Players still act in order, but I allow a "row" to post their actions at once, and then just narrate and rule on them in the correct order they fall.
The other thing is, depending on how fast paced the game is, it gives an easy way to see who hasn't posted in how long, and to be able to "bot" them if needed.
I don't post the monster's stats in all my games, but in the vast majority I do, and it hasn't caused any issues I can think of. I will acknowledge that it does take a mature group of players who can separate in character and out of character knowledge though.
I don't post the whole statblock either, just what they need to know to resolve their actions. So they don't know HP, special abiltiies etc. Just ACs, Saves, CMD and maybe the monster's AOO attack info. I talked about it more in the other thread.