I'm not sure I have the time to start this for another couple of months, but I've been giving some heavy consideration to what works and doesn't seem to work in play by post format, and I've come to wonder whether what would work best is to adopt a hybrid format as follows:
All RP interaction, simple skill checks, utility spells, etc. will be done in the play by post forums.
All combats will be done in real time on scheduled discord sessions -- when a combat happens, we'd come up with a mutually agreeable time (it doesn't have to be the same every time, but I'm US EST, so that's the limitation of time frames -- I wouldn't get up at 4am to do this, for example), for everyone to simultaneously get on a discord chat, sign on to the VTT, move their tokens, and MOVE THROUGH COMBAT -- i.e., do a major combat in 4-5 hours and be done with it and move on with the campaign. I find it so frequent that combats take months to do and everyone loses interest with all the cross checking and retconning that's caused by asynchronous attempts to debate or adjudicate complicated rules interactions. This would all be done typing on discord -- I'm explicitly ruling out any kind of livechat or videochat -- I have to read rules to understand them, and I don't like looking at myself on zoom. This would all be typing on discord in several channels, but at the same time instead of asynchronously. The discord sessions would also utilize the Astral VTT -- so that's something any player would have to sign up for/on to and be comfortable using on a regular basis.
In terms of campaign plot, what I'd currently imagine doing is a Moonsea campaign based on opposing the machinations of Iyrauroth Forgotten Realms Alternative Dimensions: Issue 1, a homebrew black dragon master villain that's been behind most of the major events in the area, such as the fall of Northkeep.
Some other considerations:
For me, the 'Moonsea' means the 2e sourcebook I bought and read in the 90s -- that's what I've read and I'm familiar and comfortable with as a basis. So, no 3e multiple Manshoon clones or whatever they did with the area in 5e. It will either be pre-Time of Troubles or immediately afterwards (2e era). If that lore set up doesn't work for you, this won't work for you as a game, since I have no interest in the 5e version of the setting, as well as no interest in the 5e Sword Coast area.
I would also make some homebrew adjustments (the dragon Iyrauroth is already a homebrew adjustment, so I'd add a few more tweaks) -- think of this as a parallel/alternative timeline, darker version of the setting.
First, regarding magic, psionics and akasha would be the dominant forms of "magic" -- including the new veil-weaving supplement that incorporates psionics, and the spheres of akasha supplement, as well as spheres casting traditions like blighter, blood magic, cholmic traditionalist, and defiler. The overall goal would be to portray magic as a sinister supernatural and occult force more line with Sword and Sorcery traditions such as in Conan and Lankhmar.
In terms of monsters, there will be no bog standard foes -- even a standard goblin tribe will have kind of unique ability like teleportation or ethereal forms. A blue dragon might have a poisoned claws and the ability to cause earthquakes. All bosses will have Elden Ring-like "Not even my final form" exacerbations when they reach a certain critical loss of HP, like a new halo effect or spell like ability that comes online. Absolutely nothing will just be the bestiary entry monster.
Zhentil keep will also have conquered Shadowdale, as they did briefly during the 3e era, and have a greater regional prominence.
A further note about FR lore -- I personally prefer to make homebrew worlds, but I think it often works better for players if there's a wiki to read or there's something they're familiar with lore wise to do good RP posts.... but that's only an advantage as long as they're actually familiar with it. If your only exposure to FR is the 5e modules, which make bizarre changes to the lore like making the Cult of the Dragon a religion of Tiamat, and you don't know, for example, who the Red Plumes are, never heard of the god Moander, or which foreign power Mulmaster is allied with -- well, that's, from my end, negating the whole point of using a setting with pre-existing lore. I'd want any players to at least read the relevant wiki entries on the Moonsea so I don't have to explain every little thing -- what's Netheril, what's Darkhold, who's Fouzl Chembryl, etc., and assume no knowledge with every post. The whole point of using a pre-existing setting is so the posts and RP can be richer because everyone's already familiar with it and can freely draw on the lore in their posting.
Anyway, I'm just curious whether anyone else has the same sense of what might make a more consistent play by post experience and would like to try this hybrid format.
I was playing 2e then. I played through the four from coramyr, the twisted tower of ashaba, the mere of dead men series in dungeon and a bunch of other stuff, some of it more than once like - did night below more than once.