Speaking of Players expectations and the like...Lately I have seen some other recruitment threads giving more details on what they want from the group. I really like that! Thank you.
One said the GM was looking for the "5 man band" troupe. Not my thing. So I didn't have to waste a bunch of time (for both of us) on it with bad feelings on both sides.
Another said the GM was intending it to be a pretty lethal game. I actually sometimes like that, but not right at this time.
Another wanted a bizarre dysfunctional family vibe. Great! I jumped in with both feet.Over the years I've accidentally gotten into some that had 'unadvertised' expectations.
One the GM really expected every PC to get into love/hate relation ships with other PC's or NPC's.
Another was basically upset that we weren't giving big long expositions of internal dialogue and emotional angst.
Sorry, I'm just not into those. If you'd said something about it in the beginning I would have avoided. Both seemed to feel that 'RP focus' covered their expectations.
Yep, Players and DMs/GMs talking about the same things / being on the same page is useful in both Interests and Recruitment threads, as well as in game.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Honestly, I never understood the point of an Interest Check thread. It makes far more sense to me to jump straight to the Recruitment Thread, post as much information as the GM deems relevant, and then anyone who replies affirmatively can be assumed to have an interest in the campaign.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Honestly, I never understood the point of an Interest Check thread. It makes far more sense to me to jump straight to the Recruitment Thread, post as much information as the GM deems relevant, and then anyone who replies affirmatively can be assumed to have an interest in the campaign.
Interest Check threads are most useful for ideas with a lot of homebrew to them.
That is, if you have a cool general idea for a campaign hook or theme, but that's all you have, it can be nice to see if there's interest before you do the additional work of coming up with the major NPCs and other setting/plot details. It'd be really disappointing to do all the work ahead of time and then not have enough people post characters, and it'd be kinda lame to do the recruitment first and then make everyone wait while you spend a couple weeks fleshing it out enough to play.
If it's just something basic like "I'll run module X in the system it was written for, with pretty standard PC creation parameters" then yeah, not much point in an Interest Check. But for less obvious campaigns, it can be nice.
Honestly, I never understood the point of an Interest Check thread. It makes far more sense to me to jump straight to the Recruitment Thread, post as much information as the GM deems relevant, and then anyone who replies affirmatively can be assumed to have an interest in the campaign.Interest Check threads are most useful for ideas with a lot of homebrew to them.
That is, if you have a cool general idea for a campaign hook or theme, but that's all you have, it can be nice to see if there's interest before you do the additional work of coming up with the major NPCs and other setting/plot details. It'd be really disappointing to do all the work ahead of time and then not have enough people post characters, and it'd be kinda lame to do the recruitment first and then make everyone wait while you spend a couple weeks fleshing it out enough to play.
If it's just something basic like "I'll run module X in the system it was written for, with pretty standard PC creation parameters" then yeah, not much point in an Interest Check. But for less obvious campaigns, it can be nice.
Also useful if you have 7 campaigns you want to try/run, but only have time for 2.
Fair points.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I absolutely love this guide, and read over it just about every day.
One thing I realized right out of the get (thanks to Painlord and Bookrat) is that I'm probably not going to need everything I need to know my first time GM'ing, so, I did a few things
1) Limited it to the CRB and APG, which I was fairly familiar with from the games I played with friends over Skype
2) Rewards, teacher style. If it's clear I used a rule wrong, or interpreted something wrong, that player gets a Hero Point/ a calibrated award for showing me what I did wrong. Sort of like a Professor's extra credit.
3) Listed "daily" rolls I need to do, such as weather effects, NPC spawns, etc. etc.
Those three points, and working pretty intimately together with the 4 people I have about to be in my PBP, killed pretty much any anxiety I had about GM'ing for the first time. It's a game- as long as I'm having fun, and they're having fun, and we both get what we wanted out of it, I did my job <3
Shout out again to Bookrat and Painlord for raising my competence level before I got some boosts from my players haha.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
I can sum up this awesome guide in two words: steal shamelessly. No, seriously, take what you like in other GM's games and use it in your own. Pain's guide here is sprinkled liberally with examples for just that. No one should ever feel like they have to do it differently just because someone else did it first.
I love this guide, and have stolen from it extensively. I still learn from it every day. My advice to new GMs: take your time and be aware of what you are getting into. Everything you do to make your job easier will help you keep going.
Good luck to you, and if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask!
Speaking of Players expectations and the like...Lately I have seen some other recruitment threads giving more details on what they want from the group. I really like that! Thank you.
One said the GM was looking for the "5 man band" troupe. Not my thing. So I didn't have to waste a bunch of time (for both of us) on it with bad feelings on both sides.
[...]
Great suggestions! Would you mind if I added them to my PbP Recruitment Guide? It's been a while since it has been added to and is probably in need of a necro.*
* Man, you don't want to know what my autocorrect almost made me post there!
Speaking of Players expectations and the like...Lately I have seen some other recruitment threads giving more details on what they want from the group. I really like that! Thank you.
One said the GM was looking for the "5 man band" troupe. Not my thing. So I didn't have to waste a bunch of time (for both of us) on it with bad feelings on both sides.
[...]
Great suggestions! Would you mind if I added them to my PbP Recruitment Guide? It's been a while since it has been added to and is probably in need of a necro.*
* Man, you don't want to know what my autocorrect almost made me post there!
feel free
I use Google spreadsheet for square girds.
However, does anyone have recommendations for a similarly easy way of handling hexagonal grids?
The
editorkeeps
removing
blanks
/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/.. ..\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/
\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__ /....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/..../
/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/.. ..\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/
\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__ /....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/....\__/..../
/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/.. \__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/
\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__ /..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/../
/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/.. \__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/
\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__ /..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/../
/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/.. \__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/
\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\__/..\_
/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\ __/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/
\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/” ””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/"""\
/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\ __/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/
\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/” ””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/”””\__/"""\
Not sure how to enter these into a spreadsheet.
|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
These are the only two complete Paizo APs that I know that has been completed via PbP that I know of:
#1:This bad ass run as Pirates.
#2:GM Evilan's Curse of the Crimson Throne. There is a reason why GM Evilan is so mentioned in the original post.
And this mofo is in the final fights of Book 6:
Council of Thieves. 3 GMs, some early turnover, but...it's almost in the books.
Just random updates:
That Council of Thieves AP is long over and done.
And we finished, after 15000 posts and 5 years, we've put Shackled City to bed as well. We ended up at lvl 16s all around, battling arch demons to the end. Without the gnome and his faithful dog, we would have been long lost.
That Adventure Path, run the way it was, is what spurred me into so many more games. GM Chris' persistence, style, and thoughtful nature are what I wish GM would be...and something I hope for myself should I ever put myself behind the screen again.
There are memories from that game I will never forget...and if I do forget I can read it all again. So much happened. Good times.
I should save this link if I'm going to get serious about this.
Considering I rebranded this alias for the purpose, I guess I am.
|
How many different ways of doing initiative are there at this point?
I know of:
- Use 10+initiative modifier for all creatures
- Average bonus for player group and average for enemies group, then roll with those bonuses, then any player can act at any point in the player group's turn
- Roll for all creatures, then average the Init scores of the player group and the enemy group, then any player can act at any point in the player group's turn
- Classical Pathfinder rules where each character rolls 1d20+their bonus and no one's actions take place before their number comes up
- The above, but clump enemy and player character initiatives so that it proceeds in a Player>Enemy>Player>Enemy pattern, with anyone in any given clump being able to post after the previous clump even if they rolled lower than one of their allies on Init
Has anyone ever used an initiative tiering system, with clumps at every 5-point interval? Everyone from 20-24 can act at once, and everyone from 15-19 can act at once after that, and everyone 10-14 after that. So if Jens the fighter rolls 10, Mug the rogue rolls 11, and Astari the diviner rolls 15, then Astari gets to post and have their actions happen before Jens and Mug. Then if Jens posts after Astari's post, Jens' action happens before Mug's. A more structured clumped initiative, this could reward quick-posting players by letting them act before the monsters sometimes, without making just every combat a cakewalk when the GM was busy.
I think everyone I've played with (PFS PbP only) has used your last listed option.
All but one had the pets go on the same turn as the PC. Many pets get high initiative bonus, so that is a very minor nerf to some players. But I've never heard anyone complain about it just for simplicity's sake.
I see no problem with your tier system though. Especially if you have a fairly large number of players and/or monsters it could be quite good.
I would think summoned use the same initiative for simplicity sake.
If someone can summon a Quickling or something, then that's a special exception. Also a Hound Archon summoned to striking distance of an evil creature, won't wait for orders. It's all about roleplaying.
I would say a creature summoned during a fight would almost have to use the summoners initiative since that is when it appears and gets a full set of actions at that point.
However, the argument can be made for creatures summoned before a fight begins and other pets to have their own initiative roll.
I know a player with a summoner that has a dex of 8 (-1 to initiative) who spends most of his time in stealth or invisible. He likes to summon fast things like air elementals prior to fights starting so he can start with haste and his eidolon has improved initiative and anything else that could improve its initiative (+7 to +10 initiative). Using the masters initiative screws a bit of his planning. He doesn't complain about it during the game, but he has told me it bugs him a little bit.
Yet, for most players the difference isn't big enough to really make any functional difference. Personally, I don't really care. I like the variety of separate initiatives and I appreciate the simplicity of identical initiatives.
Usually when I am GM, I just ask the players which they would prefer. Most say they would rather keep it simple and have the same score.
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
These are the only two complete Paizo APs that I know that has been completed via PbP that I know of:
#1:This bad ass run as Pirates.
#2:GM Evilan's Curse of the Crimson Throne. There is a reason why GM Evilan is so mentioned in the original post.
#3: That Council of Thieves AP is long over and done.
#4: And we finished, after 15000 posts and 5 years, we've put Shackled City to bed as well.
#5: GM Euan did it again, taking us through Second Darkness. The AP required a bit of editing/changes (so Evilan tells me), but we got through it, saving the world from the starfalling machinations of the Drow.
GM Euan again showed that he's just best...consistently posting and pushing us through light and dark. Good job.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
#6 Reign of Winter complete in less then a year.
Many thanks to my players for keeping up the insane pace I set.
Halfway through 'Sins of the Saviors', Book 5 of RotRL. We are aiming for finishing the whole thing or being close by the time 'Return of the Runelords comes out.
I didn't even know the list existed. Aiming to be on it.
Just checking in to give props to Painlord for the awesome thread! This guide, along with Doomed Hero's guide, answered quite a few questions I had before I joined and helped sooth some PBP GM noob nerves.
Does anyone have a suggestion on great ways to present recruitment threads? Like what should all be there.
I don't think it's worthwhile to create a recruitment post template, if that's what you're looking for, since different GMs have different ideas for this sort of thing. Here's my take:
First off, as a courtesy, if it's a closed recruitment, state so in the subject of the post so that most of the people seeing it won't waste their time.
For the post itself, off the top of my head:
- A description of the campaign you want to run
- Optionally some flavor text, either here or in front of the description
- A statement of rules and/or optional rules to be used
- If the campaign will be using maps or theater of the mind
- How many players the GM is expecting to take
- Character creation standards
- Any Core, Paizo-only, or 3rd party requirements
- Expected posting frequency
- Recruitment deadline
- A statement inviting questions
I also appreciate it when a GM tells a little bit about themselves such their gaming history, their PbP history, and/or their play style. But I imagine that there are plenty of GMs that wouldn't feel comfortable including this.
Don't expect to just info-dump everything in the first post and then sit back until Recruitment is done. Info-dump, yes, but if you leave something out, that's fine. A player will assuredly ask, and then you can engage the recruits in conversation, which is a good way to gauge their fit(s) to your campaign.
I would recommend you check out this post by Wilmannator. It's a shame it isn't stickied, but that's definitely the most comprehensive guide you'll find on the site that's specifically tailored for recruitment.
If you're looking to do a closed/private recruitment, I would actually recommend you forgo making a recruitment thread at all. It'll completely avoid the problem of accidentally attracting other people. Anything you would normally do in the recruitment thread can be done in the discussion thread instead.
Besides that, I would suggest starting your recruitment post with a 'hook' to draw potential candidates' interest. By that I mean a short summary, quote, or statement about the campaign that will draw people in. You want prospective players to be interested from the very start of your post or some may not bother reading the whole thing.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
First off, as a courtesy, if it's a closed recruitment, state so in the subject of the post so that most of the people seeing it won't waste their time.
As Zektolna said, if it's a closed recruitment, you don't need to post a recruitment thread at all. Just go straight to a discussion thread.
I think some details about yourself as a GM is key. That's definitely something I look for in threads, as I want to make sure it's someone who isn't going to flake out after the first month. Especially if you're doing an AP, you're generally talking about a yearslong commitment.
The other big thing I'd say is doublecheck your spelling/grammar. Granted, I'm picky about that, but it's the first impression you're making as a GM. Make a good one (considering recruitment posts tend to be fairly long -- as you're dumping a lot of info, there are a lot of opportunities for typos to creep in).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Excellent guide, thanks for sharing
I'll just add the 200th favorite to the OP. This helps set my expectations a little more. It's a bit different from Discord, so it's nice to know that in advance.
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
It took us seven years, but I'm happy to say we've finished Reign of Winter. I think we're one of the very few completed APs that wasn't doing it in speed mode. And kept the full starting lineup of players (and characters) and GM, to boot.
... And kept the full starting lineup of players (and characters) and GM, to boot.
Truly impressive!
|
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
#5: GM Euan did it again, taking us through Second Darkness.These are the only two complete Paizo APs that I know that has been completed via PbP that I know of:
#1:This bad ass run as Pirates.
#2:GM Evilan's Curse of the Crimson Throne. There is a reason why GM Evilan is so mentioned in the original post.
#3: That Council of Thieves AP is long over and done.
#4: And we finished, after 15000 posts and 5 years, we've put Shackled City to bed as well.
Adding to this totally incomplete list: Carrion Crown. 3 GMs over 8 years, and only 1 player who started finished it. Wren is probably the best character I'll ever have, maybe. Thanks to Motteditor to getting us over the line.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
What a gem from ten years ago. Adding to my reading list as I begin look towards running my own PBP. Thank you for your hard work.