Hey Alyks --
Here's my advice, start by GMing a small scenario. Maybe a module, or maybe a PFS scenario from Season 6. Something that you can begin and end. GMing PbP always takes more time and energy that you might think.
I think that it's great that you want to do this, and I'd be happy to answer questions, give advice, all of that.
Hmm
HERE is Painlords Guide to PbP GMing. Give it a good read.
I agree with GM Hmm, start with a short module or PFS scenario to get a feel for it. You do NOT want to start with an AP. I am running two 1-20 AP. In one the game is at 4554 posts. It started January 2013 so 3+ years now. They just made level 10, so say about half way done.
-- david
HERE is a partial list of Free Adventures, etc.
I would suggest Hollows Last Hope, which is free in PDF form and is relatively short.
-- david
Hollow's Last Hope is awesome, but be aware that it was written for D&D 3.5 so there will be a few differences from standard Pathfinder rules. Master of the Fallen Fortress is less interesting (IMO) but also a bit quicker and easier to GM, as there's more dungeon and fewer NPCs, and it was written for PfRPG.
All the season 6 PFS scenarios were included in the $15 Humble Bundle (Year of the Sky Key). There's also the Black Fang's Dungeon mini-adventure included in the digital Beginner Box.
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Here is some advice that I have experience with.
1. communication is very important. communicate with the players. do not just vanish for long periods "waiting for everyone to post" try and communicate as much as possible.
2. remain fair in recruitment. if you have guidelines for an application, then select the party that meet those guidelines. even if you have pre-selcted party member, make sure they also follow the same guidelines
3. be up-front and honest with the recruitment. If you have some players already reserved for the game, then be sure to say that up front.
select the party that will work best together and with you. sometimes let the players drive the game and you as DM simply set the scenes. If it goes of track, go with the flow, accommodate them, and put subtle reminders in there about the path you planed in the first place. (don't over-railroad the party)
so in boils down to: honesty, communication and fairness.
If you got the entire Humble Bundle, you have all of Season 6 PFS scenarios at your disposal.
There is the absolutely magnificent Overflow Archives in Season 6. I loved GMing that one. Others in Season 6 that might be fun: Slave Ships of Absalom, Wounded Wisp, and Test of Tar Kuata all could work. The last could be a bit more challenging because of the boss fight.
If you're looking for free, you could also run all six of the Silverhex quests as a single adventure or... if you like a silly occult feel you could do Phantom Phenomena. I really enjoyed both.
The only free adventure I would NEVER touch again is Risen from the Sands. Oh... that is a TURKEY. It stinks. I managed to have some fun with it as a GM but I had exactly the right group to go through it and I used every PBP GMing convention to speed that awful module up and make it a fast paced monster hunt for my group.
Hmm
Click. Whirrr...
Start out with a botting policy so that everyone knows the circumstances under which a character might be botted. Also have a policy in place for replacing characters who drop. 2 weeks with no word is when most GMs start thinking about replacing someone, though they usually give it to week 3 before taking action.
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To have a fast moving pbp, you need three main elements:
1) A great group of players with good chemistry;
2) A responsive GM;
3) Some savvy about the tricks that make pbp go faster:
___
The first element can be a matter of luck or really good recruitment savvy. The rest is the stuff you provide. Still, remember that PbP is a partnership of what you provide and what your players offer.
Hello all,
I am also thinking about starting a Beginner Box game for new players (as a new player) and so I wanted to say thanks for this advice.
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I'm so glad this proved useful to you!
Remember that doors are the enemy of PbP. People dither in front of doors. If your module has a lot of doors, institute a standard door opening procedure to speed things up!
My Risen from the Sands game had a deadline (we needed to finish it before PFS PBP Gameday IV started) and had lots of rooms to get through. I used every trick in the book to keep the game moving, including a standard door opening procedure that the players agreed upon and I botted for them. I literally had a Standard Door Opening Procedure spoiler that I posted as they went into each new room, so that I could roll them into the next room without dithering. If there was a trap, I looked at the spoiler to see if they perceived it and disabled it. If there wasn't a trap, I ignored the spoiler and never read it. I also pre-rolled initiatives for fights, and group saves against traps, spells and monster effects. We rolled into a new room each day, and got through that module in three weeks.
Bot Buddy (my GM botting alias) kept things moving too, botting whenever someone was late posting into a combat.
I'd personally try to avoid GMing to a deadline again. But I learned a lot about how to move a PbP game quickly, and I've used what I learned in the other games I've GMed since.
Hmm
Yeah good advice, my players stood there worried about a door for a while in this game too, they're a worried bunch. For good reason too...
I'm learning ways to streamline things and keep frequent posters rewarded with interaction while leaving room for the other players to still get in on the story. I'm having to bot a player as well who never posts. All in a day's work I suppose.
Haven't had a combat yet though, it's been pretty free-form so far.
I like how you have the test of the perception and initiative checks in the campaign summary for easy access.
Good luck with your first PbP! I hope it continues to go well.
You can keep the Perception and Initiative blocks in the Campaign Summary. I've started keeping those (plus will and fort save blocks) in the google doc that I use to compose my GM posts. If there's a standard door operating procedure block, I keep that there, too.
With the number of times Paizo goes down without warning, it's a good idea to have an off-site place to compose long posts in google docs anyway.