I'm new here, having come over from 5e and DDB, and I'm trying to figure out some things on the forums.
* I just applied to a PbP thread, and saw that there was a reply after mine, but I don't see any notification anywhere. How can I know when there is a reply to a thread I'm in? This is obviously very important in PbP games to know when to check in.
* For PbP games, how do people here usually make/store/share their character sheets? I've been playing around on pathbuilder for a bit. Is that enough?
* When it comes to explaining actions, do threads usually link over to the AoN link of something?
* anything else I should know?
Thanks!
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Welcome to the boards! The software here is...idiosyncratic, let's say, and while it was pretty good 17 years ago they haven't had the resources to add a lot of features. I'll answer below. (Also note that there's a lot of useful information in the sticky threads in the General Discussion subforum.)
I'm new here, having come over from 5e and DDB, and I'm trying to figure out some things on the forums.
* I just applied to a PbP thread, and saw that there was a reply after mine, but I don't see any notification anywhere. How can I know when there is a reply to a thread I'm in? This is obviously very important in PbP games to know when to check in.
There isn't a notification--that's one of the features that's lacking. If you look in the Recruitment subforum (LINK) you'll see a dot by any thread you've posted in, and you'll see the number of posts that have been created since the last time you read the thread, but AFAIK there's no other mechanism to notify you when there are new posts.
* For PbP games, how do people here usually make/store/share their character sheets? I've been playing around on pathbuilder for a bit. Is that enough?
The usual convention is to create an alias with the character name, then put the character sheet into the alias' profile. My list of aliases is HERE; most of them are PF1e characters, but THIS ONE is a PF2e character. I also follow the usual convention about putting information in the character header such as AC, save bonuses, HP/HP taken, conditions, etc.
* When it comes to explaining actions, do threads usually link over to the AoN link of something?
Not generally. You might do that if you're doing something weird, or if you're not sure whether your interpretation of a rule matches the GM's, but otherwise the assumption is that the GM will look it up themselves if they're not sure.
* anything else I should know?
I'll repeat what I said before about checking the sticky threads for guidance.
Thanks!
You're welcome!
Welcome to the boards! The software here is...idiosyncratic, let's say, and while it was pretty good 17 years ago they haven't had the resources to add a lot of features. I'll answer below. (Also note that there's a lot of useful information in the sticky threads in the General Discussion subforum.)
Thanks! That explains things. 17 years ago this would have been a decent forum setup. I was wondering why it seemed so... outdated. Hopefully with the near selling out of months of books in the last bit they can update this site a bit to be more user friendly for shopping as well.
I looked at the General Thread, but it's half people joking and half information scattered through, so hard to find much specifically. I guess that's also an issue with not being able to edit posts eh? No ability to make a sticky thread with updated information.
* I just applied to a PbP thread, and saw that there was a reply after mine, but I don't see any notification anywhere. How can I know when there is a reply to a thread I'm in? This is obviously very important in PbP games to know when to check in.There isn't a notification--that's one of the features that's lacking. If you look in the Recruitment subforum (LINK) you'll see a dot by any thread you've posted in, and you'll see the number of posts that have been created since the last time you read the thread, but AFAIK there's no other mechanism to notify you when there are new posts.
Ok, good to know. I'll have to just remember to check in. Not too hard to do really, but will take a bit more to keep in mind.
* For PbP games, how do people here usually make/store/share their character sheets? I've been playing around on pathbuilder for a bit. Is that enough?The usual convention is to create an alias with the character name, then put the character sheet into the alias' profile. My list of aliases is HERE; most of them are PF1e characters, but THIS ONE is a PF2e character. I also follow the usual convention about putting information in the character header such as AC, save bonuses, HP/HP taken, conditions, etc.
That's kinda interesting. And I see you can change who you post as below (I just created an alias to see how it works). Do I need to make the alias default to then go 'create a profile' for it?
I looked at the General Thread, but it's half people joking and half information scattered through, so hard to find much specifically. I guess that's also an issue with not being able to edit posts eh? No ability to make a sticky thread with updated information.
There are some stickied threads you should be able to see in this view. I would definitely check out Doomed Hero's intro to PbP here, which has a bunch of tips about "how it's generally done" on the Paizo forums, and Painlord's helpful hints here.
You don't need to make an alias your default; that makes every post you make on the boards default to that alias unless you manually change it. Just make the alias; click on "My Profile" under My Account; click the Aliases tab; click the alias you made; click "Profile"; then click "Click here to create profile."
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I also have a guide on Play by post that answers most of your questions, and covers the following topics:
⠀⠀➤ Making an alias
⠀⠀➤ Adding information/Character Sheets
⠀⠀➤ Forum Syntax
⠀⠀➤ Posting conventions
⠀⠀➤ Finding games
⠀⠀➤ Further reading
I will say that for character sheets, many GMs find a link to a PDF is enough and you don't need a full profile, but you should probably have botting instructions on the profile, as well as critical information like hitpoints and saves in your character's bylines.
I also built an avatar gallery that captures each page of the avatar selection UI, so you can choose a good image for your alias without needing to scroll back and forth in the awful UI.
Wasn't asked for here, but finding an appropriate avatar is, for me, the worst part of building a PC on these forums.
Take a peek at gm profiles and other games, to see what people are actually doing! Here is my PbP GM Profile.
Welcome to Paizo. We have a great community but the forums were designed for other uses in the first place, so we're fitting a square peg in a round hole so to speak. Hopefully, it gets updated to something better in the future.
Regarding the outdated forums, I've heard about two reasons why they haven't been updated. Treat these more as rumors than anything official, though:
1) The blog, web store, and the forums are so integrated with each other that it's hard for the Paizo tech crew to make certain upgrades, because most changes affect all parts of the site. That makes upgrades more costly to build, test, and implement.
2) I've also heard talk about the original designer of the site having a clause in their contract that if Paizo ever moves on from the site, the designer will incur a significant fee for doing so.
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2) I've also heard talk about the original designer of the site having a clause in their contract that if Paizo ever moves on from the site, the designer will incur a significant fee for doing so.That one has absolutely been refuted by James Jacobs.
Good to know, thanks. I won't propagate it any further.
* I just applied to a PbP thread, and saw that there was a reply after mine, but I don't see any notification anywhere. How can I know when there is a reply to a thread I'm in? This is obviously very important in PbP games to know when to check in.
Once you're actually in a campaign you won't need to check the thread anymore. If you click on your username and go to your profile, there's a "Campaigns" tab. It will show all Campaigns you're currently in and how many posts are in the threads associated with it (Gameplay and Discussion, sometimes Recruitment).
It'll be on this page.
For PbP games, how do people here usually make/store/share their character sheets? I've been playing around on pathbuilder for a bit. Is that enough?
I use Mythweavers for my sheets, and link them in the alias. Most people are also encouraged to put vital statistics (HP, AC, save bonuses, etc.) in the Classes/Levels bar of their alias. This will make them show up without even needing to click them. I'll make another post below from my alias Farrukh showing this.
When it comes to explaining actions, do threads usually link over to the AoN link of something?
It's not necessary, but can help when using an unfamiliar option. Everybody knows what Fireball and Power Attack do. If you're casting something more esoteric, or with very details rules, it can't hurt.
* anything else I should know?
Read the Stickies in General Discussion for general post formatting and etiquette. Doomed Hero and Painlord's guides are the general expected standards on the forums.
