Curious

[MattR1986]

Is there a thread somewhere that explains kind of how this works? Do I have to be near a computer most of the time during my days for this? Is it just mostly on a certain day/days? Many people can't be sitting doing this all the time spending 3 hours a day on the forums, so if you're gone for a day or a few days does that put the game on halt for everyone? etc.

[Crystalstorm1]

It depends of the how the GM set it up.
Start reading the recruitments for a few days, just when you have time. Take note of the requirements the GM list when he/she starts the tread. This should give you a general idea of what is expected for that perticular game.
I would also suggest read from a few games in the game play section. Reading these you will get a better idea of what people except.

At the bottem of the posting screen is a How to format your text. It took me a while to notice it down there. Good luck!

[Terquem]

How much time you need to spend sitting at the computer as you are playing a Play by Post Game is really a matter of preference of the people playing that particular game.

Some people select a specific time to get to together ( every few days, every day, every week, it can vary)and treat the activity like a table top session. Some even use third party software on line to simulate virtual table tops, or to be able to talk (Skype) directly to each other while they play.

Some people treat it a lot like very old school play by mail campaigns of the 1970's, where you post a description of what you want your character to do (for the next few things she will do) then check back in a couple of days latter to see if the other players have read your message and reacted to your post.

A Game hosted here by Paizo (on their servers) includes a dedicated thread for players to talk to each other out of the game directly (Called an "Out of Character" discussion) and a couple of resources such as a place for the Game Master to place posted notes that can easily be referenced by clicking on a tab, and a couple of other tabs that list the current players and their "ALiases"

Now an Alias is like a character sheet (you can create them in the part of the site here accessed by clicking on "My Account" it is a special way of posting to the forums under a different name (usually in red if it is a generic alias, but can be in green if you join the pathfinder society). The alias "sheet" allows you to quickly keep track of the details of a character you create for a game here.

Now I run a few games here, some of them I try to post in at least once every day (to let the players know what is going on and what happens when they try to do things) but some of my games only get a post from me every two to three days.

I hope that answers your questions, but I'll be around if you have more.

Thanks

[NielsenE]

I'm rather new to the format, I've been running two games.

There seems to be roughly 60% games that are expecting one post per day; 30% that setup a weekly time block for skype/roll20/gChat/etc; and 10% other.

My games have been of the "1-post per day" requirement, with the expectation that weekends will be slower. As a GM, I try to get closer to 3-4 posts per day. Ie if we're in combat, once I have two-three characters (in initiative) order sent in, I'll resolve those and any opponents, to let people continue to plan and adapt. Some will send in standing orders (ie unless I say otherwise you can assume I'm attacking the closest bad guy). Outside of combat, again, once I have about two PCs worth of world/NPC interaction I try to post something -- don't want to force the PCs along too quickly but don't want to let things lie dormant. If there's good roleplay going on between the party I'll step back and let it happen, if its drying up I inject some new challenge, etc.

You can expect things to run much slower than a tabletop if its the play by post variety. but many players are able to put much more thought into their characters personalities/etc and its very worth it!

[Billzabub]

Check out this thread for some good general info on how pbp works:

ON PBPs a general discussion

No, you don't need to be near a computer all day. The idea is to post when you can, usually at least once a day, although a lot of games involve more posting that that. When I've been in a pbp game, I would check back every couple of hours or so, see what others did, and maybe post again.

If you're going to be gone for a few days, it's a good idea to let the GM and other players know in advance, if you can. Usually you can default an action (my character is going to continue to attack monster x) and the DM will control your character, or you just quietly slip into the background. With the nature of php, missing a few days means just missing a few minutes in game time. If you're in the middle of role playing, as opposed to combat, missing a few days just means your character, in game, is just being quiet.

[Joana]

Here is a guide to the general conventions of Play-by-Post gaming on the Paizo forums.

[MattR1986]

Seems like there isn't any one conventional way of people doing this. Ok, ty.